A system for providing bidirectional communication for a data bus includes a datalink interface component configured to interface into a datalink. The datalink interface component is configured to operate in at least one of a first data communication state, a second data communication state, and a wholly inactive state. The first data communication state causes a first data communication component to communicate via the datalink interface and a second data communication component to be in an inactive state. The second data communication state causes the first data communication component to exist in an inactive state and the second communication component to communicate via the datalink interface. The wholly inactive state causes the first and second data communication components to exist in the inactive state.

The present disclosure relates generally to data bus systems, and more specifically to utilizing time division multiplexing on a bidirectional data bus to reduce operating costs, system complexity, increase bus utilization, reduce noise, and/or to combine two or more data buses into one.
Bi-directional data buses are utilized by computing systems to transfer data and/or power among interconnected components (or "cards"). In a unidirectional bus system, typically only one device transmits data while the other devices receive data. In contrast, multiple devices may transmit and/or receive data in a bidirectional bus system. Bus addressing is used so that each receiving device knows whether or not the data being transmitted is intended for that device. The advantage of utilizing a bus rather than some other topology is because buses generally follow the design concept of allowing multiple devices to utilize the same physical medium, e.g., electrical wires. The device or devices that are utilized to transfer data are sometimes referred to as a datalink. A datalink may include one or more buses and/or a bus may be considered a type of datalink. A bus may include one or more wires that may be etched onto a PCB board. Most data bus systems utilize "standards" that may include specifications for connectors, frequency ranges, digital modulation techniques, collision avoidance algorithms, collision detection algorithms, and other features that comply with the standard. Utilization of a standard enables multiple manufactures to design competing and non-competing cards that may easily be connected to a bus via the standardized connector. As long as each of the cards connected to the bus comply with the standard, interoperability between the cards should exist.
Occasionally, certain aspects of a standard are not adopted and/or implemented. For example, if a manufacture wanted to utilize widely available integrated circuit devices following a bus standard but wanted to exclude using any connectors perhaps due to space constraints, the manufacture can utilize the bus standard only to the extent needed for their product. In this scenario, only a customized wire connection used in conjunction with the integrated circuit interface device is necessary. Using this approach can save development, manufacturing, and/or device costs because of the use of widely available integrated circuit interface devices, e.g., an integrated circuit bus transceiver.
However, this approach is not without limitations. For example, if space limitations inherent in the design prevented the use of the standardized connectors, finding other ways of connecting multiple devices to the bus may be necessary. Also, a situation may occur in which multiple datalinks are necessary to the product so as to provide all of the desired features. To that end, multiple datalinks may add unwanted complexity to a product because of the additional components needed. Also, having multiple datalinks in close proximity to each other may increase the likelihood of cross-talk because of undesired capacitive, inductive, or conductive coupling that can occur between one datalink to another. To mitigate the likelihood of cross-talk, additional grounding and/or shielding may be needed either between the two datalinks or between the datalink and free space. Furthermore, because government regulations limit the amount of electromagnetic energy a device may transmit, including multiple datalinks, this further increases the need for shielding and/or additional grounding. These and other aspects, such as increased power and increased heat, have created the need to limit the number of datalinks and/or buses that a device or system includes. Thus, there exists a need to enable the combining of two bi-directional buses without the above mentioned disadvantages.


Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a requirement translator to map a requirement to a hardware resource to execute an application in a workload domain, a cost calculator to calculate a cost for the hardware resource based on a demand for the hardware resource, an option generator to determine whether the cost exceeds a cost budget, and a resource allocator to add the hardware resource to the workload domain when the cost does not exceed the cost budget.

The virtualization of computer systems provides numerous benefits such as the execution of multiple computer systems on a single hardware computer, the replication of computer systems, the extension of computer systems across multiple hardware computers, etc. "Infrastructure-as-a-Service" (also commonly referred to as "IaaS") generally describes a suite of technologies provided by a service provider as an integrated solution to allow for elastic creation of a virtualized, networked, and pooled computing platform (sometimes referred to as a "cloud computing platform"). Enterprises may use IaaS as a business-internal organizational cloud computing platform (sometimes referred to as a "private cloud") that gives an application developer access to infrastructure resources, such as virtualized servers, storage, and networking resources. By providing ready access to the hardware resources required to run an application, the cloud computing platform enables developers to build, deploy, and manage the lifecycle of a web application (or any other type of networked application) at a greater scale and at a faster pace than ever before.
Cloud computing environments may be composed of many processing units (e.g., servers). The processing units may be installed in standardized frames, known as racks, which provide efficient use of floor space by allowing the processing units to be stacked vertically. The racks may additionally include other components of a cloud computing environment such as storage devices, networking devices (e.g., switches), etc.
The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.

Methods and apparatus to generate and manage workload domains in virtual server racks


A recombinant .beta.-amylase which is superior to the original recombinant .beta.-amylase in thermostability has been obtained by a site-directed mutagenesis with the recombinant .beta.-amylase gene coding 531 amino acid residues. Substitutions were MET.sub.181 of said enzyme with Leu, Ser.sub.291 with Ala, Ile.sub.293 with Val, Ser.sub.346 with Pro, Ser.sub.347 with Pro, Gln.sub.348, with Asp and Ala.sub.372 with Ser.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a .beta.-amylase with an improved thermostability as well as an improved enzyme stability in the alkaline pH region, a gene coding the enzyme and an expression vector containing the gene.
2. Description of the Related Art
Barley .beta.-Amylase
Barley .beta.-amylase is a .beta.-amylase (1,4-.alpha.-D-glucan maltohydrolase EC 126.96.36.199!) obtained from barley seeds and is well known along with soybean .beta.-amylase, as a useful enzyme for the industrial maltose production used for transfusional solutions and foodstuffs.
However, since barley is one of the principal agricultural products for the production of livestock feeds and beverages (such as beer and whisky), from the viewpoint of the global food situation in the future it is not advisable to consume the harvested barley as a source of .beta.-amylase.
Therefore, the method for producing .beta.-amylase in microorganisms using genetic engineering techniques has been given attention as an other source of this enzyme than the barley. If the efficient expression of the barley .beta.-amylase gene in a microorganism is accomplished, the steady supply of inexpensive .beta.-amylase will become possible, obviously contributing a great deal to the maltose production.
Gene of Barley .beta.-Amylase
As to the barley .beta.-amylase gene, the cDNA consisted of 1754 base pairs of cultivar Hiproly has been reported, and also the amino acid sequence consisted of 535 residues has been deduced (Eur. J. Biochem., 169, 517 (1987)). In addition, the cDNA consisted of 1775 base pairs of cultivar. Haruna Nijo has been reported, and also the amino acid sequence consisted of 535 residues has been established (J. Biochem., 115, 47 (1994)).
In studies on .beta.-amylase of cultivar Haruna Nijo, the expression vector (pBETA92) was already constructed by inserting a DNA fragment, which was prepared by deleting 55 base pairs of a full-length cDNA from its 5'-terminus and linking a SmaI linker, into the SmaI site of plasmid pKK223-3 (Pharmacia Biotech). Also the production of recombinant .beta.-amylase has been accomplished by transforming Escherichia coli JM109 (Toyobo) with said expression vector and expressing the recombinant .beta.-amylase gene therein. Furthermore, it was reported that the recombinant .beta.-amylase comprising 531 amino acids showed almost the same properties as barley .beta.-amylase (JP Hei6-58119; JP Hei6-303988).
However, a production of recombinant .beta.-amylase in microorganisms which shows almost the same properties to those of .beta.-amylase from barley seeds is not sufficient for the purpose. It is because of the fact that, since soybean .beta.-amylase is superior a little more to barley .beta.-amylase in the thermostability, soybean .beta.-amylase is more widely used in practice. Therefore, in order to improve the utility value of the barley .beta.-amylase, it is necessary to provide it at least with the similar function (thermostability) to that of soybean .beta.-amylase.
As to the barley recombinant .beta.-amylases with improved thermostability by protein engineering, it has been proved that double-mutant .beta.-amylase wherein Ser.sub.291 of the enzyme is replaced with Ala and Ser.sub.346le with Pro by site-directed mutagenesis is superior to the original recombinant .beta.-amylase (JP Hei6-126151).
To further improve the utility value of recombinant .beta.-amylase, it is necessary to construct .beta.-amylase with a further improved thermostability by protein engineering.


A sheet conveyer comprises a sheet support surface; a first roller to convey sheets; a second roller to separate one by one the sheets to convey a sheet downstream; a holder configured to be swingably supported about a swing center axis, wherein the first roller is attached to the holder to be rotatable; and a guide formed of a separate member and comprising a guide surface extending upstream with respect to an upstream end portion of the holder and the guide guides the sheet to a portion below the holder and the first roller.

1. Technical Field
The following disclosure relates to a sheet conveyer and an image reading apparatus.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a sheet conveyer comprising a first roller which conveys sheets placed on a sheet support tray to a downstream in a conveying direction and a second roller which separates the sheets conveyed by the first roller one by one and conveys the sheet to the downstream in the conveying direction has been proposed.
For example, in the sheet conveyer, a feed roller corresponding to the first roller is rotatably supported by a holder. The holder is swingably supported about an axis line coinciding with a support shaft being a rotation center of a separation roller corresponding to the second roller. The feed roller swings together with the holder, and thereby an interval between the feed roller and the sheet support tray is changed.

Sheet conveyer and image reading apparatus


The present disclosure relates to data transmission methods and apparatus. One example method includes receiving, by user equipment, a first message sent by a control plane network element or a user plane network element, where the first message includes a correspondence between a first quality of service identifier NQI and a first reflective quality of service identifier (RQI), obtaining, by the user equipment, a second message sent by the user plane network element, and if the second message does not carry a second RQI, generating, by the user equipment, a first quality of service rule based on the second message and the correspondence between the first NQI and the first RQI, where the second RQI is used to instruct the user equipment to activate a reflective quality of service (RQ) mechanism.

As a basic network architecture, a wireless network is carrying more services. Characteristics and requirements of the services as well as radio resource scarcity determine network behavior, and the network behavior is predefined by a quality of service (QoS) rule to implement access control, and resource guarantee and scheduling. For example, when a user is making a call, and someone starts to download a file, file downloading may preempt the user's communication resource and cause disconnection of the call due to the radio resource scarcity. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that a voice call has a higher resource use priority than file downloading, to ensure a normal voice call when the radio resource is insufficient. Certainly, different services may access the wireless network, and different QoS rules need to be set to ensure that a key service is guaranteed.
In 3GPP TS24.139, reflective quality of service (Reflective QoS) is specified. The reflective QoS means that uplink data of a fixed network user equipment UE uses a same QoS mechanism as downlink data of the fixed network user equipment UE.
As defined in the 3GPP, a management manner of QoS in an EPS wireless system is as follows: QoS guarantee of various IP services provided by the EPS system may be identified by one or more service data flows (SDF) of data transmitted by using the IP services. One SDF corresponds to one EPS bearer, that is, one SDF is transmitted by using one EPS bearer, to implement QoS guarantee for the IP service. In this way, the QoS guarantee for the IP service is transformed into QoS guarantee for the EPS bearer, or a QoS-specific SDF is mapped to a QoS-specific EPS bearer. A bearer is a logical transmission path. The EPS bearer is a logical transmission path between user equipment (UE) and a PGW (PDN gateway).
The service data flow and the bearer are associated and mapped by using a traffic flow template (TFT), are associated with an RB-ID in the wireless network, and are associated with a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) in a core network. An uplink data flow is associated with the TFT by the UE, and a downlink data flow is associated with the TFT by the POW. Each SDF includes at least one IP service flow filter. According to different QoS requirements, different services are filtered by the TFT and provided to different bearers for transmission, to implement QoS guarantee.
To simplify QoS design of a 5G network, and reduce signaling overheads for delivering a QoS rule by a network, a reflective QoS mechanism of a fixed network, which is briefly referred to as an RQ mechanism, is introduced into the 5G network. To be specific, the UE generates a reflective quality of service rule (reflective QoS rule) for an uplink service based on a downlink data flow, and transmits uplink data based on the reflective quality of service rule. However, in the prior art, based on a reflective QoS scenario, a manner of delivering a reflective quality of service (Reflective QoS) parameter is a problem that needs to be resolved currently.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data transmission method and apparatus thereof


A nonaqueous electrolyte battery with a higher energy density in which a useless part which has no contribution to the electromotive is reduced, and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. A positive electrode laminate (5) (a positive electrode) having a positive active material layer (2) is located in a first area which extends from an approximate center part (7) to one end on one of both sides of a separator 1, and a negative electrode laminate (6) (a negative electrode) having a negative active material layer (3) is located in a second area which extends from the approximate center part (7) to the other end on the other side which is opposite to the side having the first area of the separator (1). The separator (1) having the positive electrode laminate (5) and the negative electrode laminate (6) thereon is wound around the approximate center part (7) to constitute a wound electrode (4).

The present invention relates to a nonaqueous electrolyte battery and a method for manufacturing the same.
In recent years, many portable electronics devices, such as video cameras, electronic notebooks, and laptop computers (portable personal computers), become widespread, and are developed in terms of high performance, miniaturization and weight saving, and portability. Small light batteries with a high capacity have strongly been required as a portable power supply for these electronics devices. On the other hand, demands of secondary batteries, which can be recharged and repeatedly used, have been increasing, instead of primary batteries which are used once and thrown away after discharging.
Conventional secondary batteries which have generally been used are a nickel cadmium (NiCad; NiCd) battery using an alkali electrolytic solution, a lead storage battery and the like. However, the limit of a discharge voltage per cell in these conventional secondary batteries is about 1.2 V. Although various research and developments have been progressing to accomplish further improvements in their discharge capacity, output voltage, and the like, the improvements in the performances seem to reach the limit. It is practically difficult to further improve the energy density, and to accomplish the properties of the miniaturization, the weight saving, and high capacity in the nickel-cadmium battery, the lead storage battery, and the like. Also a self-discharge rate at normal temperatures in the nickel-cadmium battery, lead storage battery, and the like is generally as high as 20% or more in one month. If the batteries are charged once, left during a certain period, and then used again, an apparent discharge amount thereof is decreased due to a natural discharge, and controlling the charge amount becomes complicated, for example, an additional charge is needed before reusing the batteries, which are disadvantages.
Then, nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries such as a lithium ion secondary battery with excellent properties have been investigated. In these batteries, a nonaqueous solvent is used as an electrolytic solution, and a light metal such as lithium is used as a negative electrode. This provides the excellent properties: a discharge voltage of 3.7 V or more which is about three or more times of the conventional NiCd battery; a high discharge voltage property resulting in a high energy density; and a low rate of self-discharge. The lithium ion secondary battery is greatly expected to be used as a power supply for electronics devices such as electronic watches used continuously for a long period, backup power supplies for continuously storing data in various memory devices like D-RAM (Random Access Memory), calculators, cameras, and radios in addition to the above portable electronics devices like the laptop computers which requires a high capacity and a long-term charge cycle life.
Moreover, various shapes have been proposed for the lithium ion secondary battery, and thin batteries such as a sheet type battery with a thin large area, and a card type battery with a thin small area are expected to be preferably applicable to various electronics devices with a thinner shape. For example, batteries using a gel-type solid electrolyte in which an electrolyte is impregnated with a matrix polymer, and using a conductive organic macromolecule as a solid electrolyte are suggested for the thin battery. In these batteries using the solid electrolyte, a wound electrode is formed into a flat shape, and covered with an exterior material obtained by composing and laminating, for example, a polyethylene film and aluminum foil. It is expected that this can accomplish a thinner form, weight saving, and a higher energy density compared with the conventional batteries.
On the other hand, it is desired to accomplish much higher energy density in the lithium ion secondary batteries, but this requires further decreasing useless parts which do not contribute to electromotive in the wound electrode.
However, the thin batteries as described above has inherently a small thin outsurface dimension, so it is very difficult to further decrease the useless parts which do not contribute to the electromotive in the conventional nonaqueous electrolyte batteries which comprise the wound electrode composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator which are bonded, or laminated, and spirally wound, which is a problem.
Especially, in the conventional way, the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator are simply laminated, and the separator should be wound many times to form a core of the wound electrode which is positioned approximately in a center part (approximate center part) of the wound electrode, or a core material should be used approximately in the center part. It is actually very difficult or impossible to eliminate these processes. For this reason, the core, which is composed of at least an end of the separator being wound several times, and the core material occupy a space which has no contribution to the electromotive, but they cannot be reduced nor eliminated. This also prevents the improvement in the energy density.
Moreover, the conventional wound electrode, which is formed by simply bonding the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator to form an electrode laminate, and winding the laminate around the core or the core material, has a sloping shape with a cross part of a circle, an ellipse which is more circular, an oval, or a rhombus, and is less likely to be formed into a flat shape. Therefore, the wound electrode should be pressed from the upper and lower surfaces thereof and formed into a flat type one which is applicable to the thin battery. However, the original wound electrode has a shape like a cylinder, so unfortunately, distortion and stress in terms of strength of material easily occur in a process of forming it into the flat type with an even thickness.
The present invention has been achieved in view of the above problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a nonaqueous electrolyte battery with a higher energy density in which a useless part which has no contribution to the electromotive is reduced. Moreover, it is another object to provide a method for manufacturing a nonaqueous electrolyte battery which produces easily such a nonaqueous electrolyte battery.

Non-aqueous electrolytic battery and its manufacturing method


A hydrodynamically lubricating geometry for the generally circular dynamic sealing lip of rotary seals that are employed to partition a lubricant from an environment. The dynamic sealing lip is provided for establishing compressed sealing engagement with a relatively rotatable surface, and for wedging a film of lubricating fluid into the interface between the dynamic sealing lip and the relatively rotatable surface in response to relative rotation that may occur in the clockwise or the counter-clockwise direction. A wave form incorporating an elongated dimple provides the gradual convergence, efficient impingement angle, and gradual interfacial contact pressure rise that are conducive to efficient hydrodynamic wedging. Skewed elevated contact pressure zones produced by compression edge effects provide for controlled lubricant movement within the dynamic sealing interface between the seal and the relatively rotatable surface, producing enhanced lubrication and low running torque.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lubrication of rotary seals in order to prolong seal life and reduce running torque, wear and self-generated heat. The rotary seals are suitable for environmental exclusion and lubricant retention, and more particularly relate to lubrication of seals that may be exposed to high differential pressure, to a high percentage of compression, and to rotation in the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.
One aspect of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a hydrodynamically lubricating seal lip geometry suitable for both compression-type (i.e., interference-type) and flexing, cantilever lip-type rotary seals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oilfield mud motor sealed bearing assemblies, rotary steerable tools, rotary blowout preventers and other oilfield equipment present a number of difficult rotary sealing challenges, as detailed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,610,319; 5,195,754; 5,230,520; 5,738,358; 5,823,541; 5,873,576; 6,007,105; 6,036,192; 6,109,618; 6,120,036; 6,227,547; 6,315,302; 6,334,619; 6,382,634; 6,494,462; and 6,561,520. For examples of mud motor sealed bearing assemblies, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,730,284; 4,372,400; 4,476,944; and 6,439,866. For examples of rotary blowout preventers, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,281,724; 5,178,215; 5,224,557; 5,647,444; 5,662,181; 6,016,880; 6,354,385; and 6,554,016.
The current state of the art seals for such equipment are the family of hydrodynamically lubricated seals manufactured and sold under the above-referenced commonly assigned patents. These seals—known in the industry by the registered trademark "KALSI SEALS"—typically have a sinusoidal wave-type hydrodynamic geometry for introducing a lubricant film into the dynamic sealing interface between a dynamic seal surface and a rotatable member. Although such seals perform well under certain conditions, there are other conditions in which their performance is deficient. One such set of difficult conditions is where the seal is subject to both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation and where increased lubricant film thickness is desirable. An example of such an application is the mud motor. Mud motor rotary seals are subject to clockwise rotation during normal drilling and counterclockwise rotation due to counter-clockwise wind-milling that can occur as the drillstring is lowered.
In the prior art seals having a sinusoidal wave-type hydrodynamic geometry, the film thickness is greatest in the region of the sinusoidal waves because much of the lubricant that enters at the wave leading edge simply leaks out at the wave trailing edge. As a result, the dynamic sealing interface is less well lubricated toward the environment-side which causes undesirable wear, torque and seal-generated heat—particularly when one or more of the following conditions are encountered:                Thin viscosity lubricants, which are less than optimum for lubrication;        High differential pressure across the seal;        High ambient geothermal temperature;        Shaft materials and configurations that interfere with heat transfer;        High initial seal compression;        High rotary speeds; and        Closely spaced redundant seals that concentrate seal-generated heat.
Running torque is related to lubricant shearing action and asperity contact in the dynamic sealing interface. Although the prior art hydrodynamic seals run much cooler than non-hydrodynamic seals, torque-related heat generation is still a critical consideration. The prior art seals are typically made from elastomers, which are subject to accelerated degradation at elevated temperature. For example, media resistance problems, gas permeation problems, swelling, compression set and pressure-related extrusion damage all become worse at higher temperatures.
The prior art seals cannot be used in some high speed or high-pressure applications simply because the useful temperature range of the seal material is exceeded due to seal-generated heat. Additionally, the bi-directional rotation prior art seals do not provide sufficient lubrication if the sealing lip incorporates harder materials—such as reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene ("PTFE") based plastic.
Typically, seal life is ultimately limited by susceptibility of the seal to compression set (i.e., permanent deformation), abrasive wear, and extrusion damage. Many applications would benefit from a hydrodynamic seal having the ability to operate with greater initial compression to enable the seal to tolerate greater mechanical misalignment, run-out, tolerances, compression set, and wear. Many applications would benefit from a seal that is better lubricated in extreme operating conditions, and suffers less wear. Many applications would also benefit from a cooler-running seal that would sustain less temperature-related loss of modulus of elasticity, and would therefore have increased high pressure extrusion resistance.
FIGS. 10-13D of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,618 show a convex hydrodynamic inlet geometry—a rounded surface shape that in a circumferentially aligned cross-section would have a radiused appearance that is similar to the leading edge of a traditional sled runner. Seals manufactured in accordance with FIGS. 10-13D of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,618 have an inherent but subtle limitation which is this: a given size of a substantially circumferentially oriented convex hydrodynamic inlet cannot provide the same rate of convergence with respect to the shaft across a family of seals for different shaft diameters.
Shaft diameter has a significant effect on the rate of convergence of a given convex hydrodynamic inlet size. Smaller diameter shafts converge with the inlet at a faster rate, creating more abrupt convergence. This affects lubricant wedging efficiency. With the same convex inlet size, a smaller diameter seal based on FIGS. 10-13D of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,618 will lubricate less well and produce less flushing action, and a larger diameter seal will lubricate better and produce more flushing action.
FIG. 17 of this specification schematically shows the uncompressed relationship between various shaft diameters and circumferentially oriented hydrodynamic inlet radii. Even though FIG. 17 is not a representation of installed convergence, it provides insight into the relationship between shaft diameter and inlet convergence.
As can be readily seen from FIG. 17, the rate of convergence of a 2.00″ convex inlet radius against a 2.75″ diameter shaft is approximately double what it would be against a 16.50″ shaft. As can also be seen, the rate of convergence of a 2.00″ convex inlet radius against a 0.50″ diameter shaft is even more abrupt. As a result, better lubrication and a higher flushing rate occur with a 16.50″ shaft, compared to when the same inlet size is used on a 0.50″ or 2.75″ shaft.
As can be seen from the dashed line on FIG. 17A, if the rate of convergence of a 2.00″ inlet radius against a 16.50″ diameter shaft were to be duplicated on a 0.50″ diameter shaft, it is now understood (as a result of recent research by the inventors performed under United States Department of Energy contract no. DE-FG02-05ER84206) that the inlet radius would have to be concave instead of convex. In other words, it is now understood that small diameter seals have to incorporate concave inlets in order to achieve the same degree of hydrodynamic lubrication as larger diameter seals that have convex inlets. U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,618 does not contemplate the use of a concave inlet. In fact, the manufacturing methods used to create the tooling for the seals represented by FIGS. 10-13D of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,618 cannot accommodate a concave inlet.
Miniaturization Problems
As downhole tools are miniaturized, a number of design issues arise because some parameters cannot be scaled down linearly due to practical manufacturing constraints, tolerances and application specific requirements.
As the rotary seal is scaled down, the smaller radial cross-sectional depth results in less dimensional compression for a given percentage of initial compression. Tolerances cannot be scaled down below certain practical limits, thus contributing to larger compression variability. Shaft stiffness also scales down non-linearly, contributing to larger radial deflection and runout. This causes higher compression on one side of the seal, and lower compression on the other side.
A certain minimum level of dimensional compression is required so that a seal can accommodate tolerances, misalignment, seal abrasion, and compression set without losing sealing contact with the shaft. The factors stated above dictate that the initial percentage of compression of miniature seals be increased, compared to larger cross-section seals, to achieve the necessary dimensional compression.
Contact pressure at the dynamic sealing interface is related to the percentage of compression and the modulus of elasticity of the seal material. A higher percentage of compression leads to higher seal-to-shaft interfacial contact pressure, which reduces hydrodynamic lubricant film thickness, causing higher friction, seal-generated heat and wear. The compression limitations of the prior art seal designs impose corresponding limits on the minimum cross-section that is practical to manufacture. To compensate for this, seals capable of stronger hydrodynamic action in either direction of rotation are needed.

Low torque hydrodynamic lip geometry for bi-directional rotation seals


A method of producing a polarizing film having a high polarizing function. Provided is a method of producing a polarizing film, including the steps of: at least dyeing and stretching a first polyvinyl alcohol of two or more band-like polyvinyl alcohol films in the course of a traveling path while traveling the first polyvinyl alcohol film in a longitudinal direction, and bonding a tail end of the first polyvinyl alcohol resin film to a leading end of a second polyvinyl alcohol resin film to at least dye and stretch the first and second polyvinyl alcohol resin films continuously, wherein the first and second polyvinyl alcohol resin films are arranged with the tail end of the first polyvinyl alcohol resin film and the leading end of the second polyvinyl alcohol resin film being layered, and an interface portion thereof is laser welded to perform the bonding.

In the related art, optical films including polarizing films are used in image display apparatuses such as liquid crystal display apparatuses.
As a method of producing such a polarizing film, a process is used in which a polyvinyl alcohol resin film (raw film) is fed from a raw film roll produced by winding a band-like polyvinyl alcohol resin (PVA) film as a raw film into a roll; and the polyvinyl alcohol resin film is stretched by passing the film through an apparatus including a plurality of rollers for restricting the traveling path of the raw film and guiding the raw film and a variety of chemical solution baths. For example, a process is used in which the raw film is traveled in the longitudinal direction, and dipped into a swelling bath and a dyeing bath successively; then, the raw film is nipped by the rollers at two places of a leading portion and a tail portion of the raw film in the traveling direction, and a tension is applied therebetween to stretch the raw film.
In the method of producing such a polarizing film, every time when the raw film roll is replaced, a new raw film is wound around the rollers or the like, and set in the apparatus. This is very complicated and time-consuming. For this reason, the leading end of the raw film fed from the next raw film roll is bonded to the tail end of the previous raw film, and the two joined raw films are sequentially and continuously processed into a polarizing film.
As such a bonding method, in the related art, methods such as adhesive bonding methods using an adhesive tape, an adhesive or the like, sewing bonding methods using a rivet, a thread or the like, or heat melting bonding methods using a heat sealer or the like, are used.
Such methods, however, have problems below.
Problems in Adhesive Bonding Using an Adhesive Tape, an Adhesive or the Like
In the step of dipping the raw film in a swelling bath, a dyeing bath or the like, the component of the adhesive and the like are eluted into the chemical solution to contaminate the chemical solution. The contamination may cause adhesion of foreign substances to products. In addition, the adhesive dissolves in the chemical solution or swells due to a component in the chemical solution to reduce bonding strength. This may break the joint portion in the stretching step before the stretch ratio reaches a desired stretch ratio.
Problems in Sewing Bonding Using a Rivet, a Thread or the Like
In this method, holes for a rivet or a thread are formed in the raw film. For this reason, when a tension is applied to the joint portion, the joint portion may be broken from the holes.
When the number of holes is reduced and the holes are formed at a larger interval in order to prevent such breakage, application of a tension may easily cause wrinkles, leading to uneven stretching.
Problems in Heat Melting Bonding Using a Heat Sealer or the Like
As a bonding method that can solve the problems in the adhesive bonding and the sewing bonding, a bonding method using a heat sealer is known as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.
In this method, the chemical solution is less contaminated than in the case of the adhesive bonding, and no holes need to be formed unlike the case of the sewing bonding.
It is difficult, however, to heat only a narrow area with a heat sealer, and a relatively large area of a welded region is likely to be formed. The welded region and portions around the welded region tend to be modified by the heat applied during welding and become harder than other normal portion.
For this reason, when a tension is applied with the welded region being nipped during stretching, distortion is likely to be produced intensively at a boundary portion between the hardened portion and the other normal portion, and the region may be extremely stretched before the whole nipped portion of the raw film reaches a desired stretch ratio.
Accordingly, when the raw film is stretched at a high stretch ratio, the joint portion of the raw film may be broken.


An apparatus includes a sense module configured to be coupled to at least one power supply, where the sense module has a first leg. The apparatus also includes a replica module having a second leg, where the first and second legs have a common structure. The apparatus further includes a feedback loop configured to cause an output voltage across terminals of the replica module to at least substantially equal an input voltage across terminals of the sense module based on sense currents in the first and second legs. At least one cascode stage coupled to the sense module can be configured to reduce a voltage at which one or more signals from the sense module are referenced. One or more trim units can be used to reduce a gain error and/or an offset error between the input voltage and the output voltage.

Many types of devices and systems use power supplies that are stacked or coupled in series. For example, electric vehicles often include multiple lithium batteries or other batteries arranged in stacks. Each battery is typically designed to provide a specified voltage (such as approximately 5V) up to a maximum voltage (such as approximately 5.5V). In a twelve-battery stack, the stack could be designed to provide a voltage of approximately 60V. It may be necessary or desirable to measure the voltage across individual batteries in the stack. This could be useful, for example, to control the charging or discharging of individual batteries in the stack. However, batteries near the "top" of the stack may be at significantly higher voltages (such as approximately 45V-55V), which makes it difficult to measure the voltage across those batteries.

Stacked power supply monitor with sense-replica loop


Various embodiments related to controlling EGR in an engine are disclosed. In one embodiment, a first EGR amount is supplied to a cylinder at a first temperature and a first engine speed and load. Further, at the first engine speed and load, as engine temperature increases from the first temperature to a second temperature, a first fuel amount is injected after exhaust valve closing and before intake valve opening while a second EGR amount is supplied to the cylinder that is greater than the first EGR amount.

Engines may be configured with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems to divert at least some exhaust gas from an engine exhaust passage to an engine intake passage. By controlling EGR to provide a desired engine dilution, engine pumping work, engine knock, as well as NOx emissions may be reduced. For example, at partial throttle operating conditions, providing EGR to the cylinders of the engine allows for the throttle to be opened to a greater extent for the same engine load. By reducing throttling of the engine, pumping losses may be reduced, thus improving fuel efficiency. Further, by providing EGR to the engine, combustion temperatures may be reduced (especially in implementations where EGR is cooled prior to being provided to the cylinders). Cooler combustion temperatures provide engine knock resistance, and thus increase engine thermal efficiency. Further still, EGR reduces a combustion flame temperature that reduces an amount of NOx generated during combustion. In one example, during a combustion cycle, all EGR and fuel is provided to cylinders of an engine after intake valve opening.
However, the inventors herein have identified a potential issue with such an approach. For example, the amount of EGR provided to the engine cylinders may be limited by an engine dilution limit where combustion stability becomes degraded.
Thus in one example, some of the above issues may be at least partly addressed by a method comprising: at a first temperature and a first engine speed and load, supplying a first EGR amount to a cylinder; and at the first engine speed and load, as engine temperature increases from the first temperature to a second temperature, injecting a first fuel amount after exhaust valve closing and before intake valve opening and supplying a second EGR amount to the cylinder that is greater than the first EGR amount after intake valve opening.
By injecting an amount of fuel after exhaust valve closing and before intake valve opening, the fuel may interact with the hot/warm conditions in the cylinder. Such interaction causes at least some of the fuel to be converted into chemical radicals. Those chemical radicals then act as a catalyst to enhance combustion during compression and combustion strokes. In other words, the additional chemical radicals created by fuel injection after exhaust valve closing and before intake valve opening, lower engine dilution to facilitate stable combustion with an increased amount of EGR relative to an approach where fuel is merely injected after intake valve opening. The increased EGR concentration may lower the engine temperature to reduce emissions and increase efficiency and engine knock resistance.
It will be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description, which follows. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined by the claims that follow the detailed description. Further, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Approach for controlling exhaust gas recirculation


A method, system, and computer program product for detecting and enforcing compliance with access requirements for a computer system in a restricted computer network. A compliance validation configuration file is created for the computer system. A maintenance service utility is configured to launch a compliance validation executable file at a specified time during operation of the computer system. A digital hash is generated for the compliance validation executable file and for the compliance validation configuration file. A determination is made if the computer system or a computer system user is a member of a configured restricted group. If the computer system or the computer system user is a member of a configured restricted group, a determination is made if a directory site code for a subnet of the restricted computer network to which the computer system is connected corresponds to a configured and allowed site. If the directory site code does not correspond to a configured and allowed site, compliance with access requirements are enforced. Enforcement actions can include a forced logoff of the computer system user, and/or a forced shutdown of the computer system.

The present invention relates generally to information processing on a computer network and, more particularly, to methods and systems for detecting and enforcing compliance with restricted subnet access requirements in a corporate wide area network.
In computer network communications, geographic and other limitations result in a need to create smaller networks called subnets to facilitate communications between locations. In a network containing many Microsoft Windows computing platforms. Active Directory is a network-based object store and directory service that locates and manages resources, and makes resources available to authorized users and groups. Each object has certain attributes and its own security access control list (ACL). Active Directory catalogs file objects with their attributes in a hierarchical arrangement and utilizes naming resolution services such as the Domain Name System (DNS). Active Directory has an important role in identifying security policies across the network.
The physical network structure of Active Directory is based on a unit known as a site. A site includes one or more Internet Protocol (IP) subnets. Many subnets can belong to a single site, but a single subnet cannot span multiple sites. A site can have multiple domains, and a domain can have a number of sites. Sites and domains do not need to maintain the same namespace. On Windows Server systems, a domain controller is the server that responds to security authentication requests within the Windows Server domain. A domain controller contains a copy of the Active Directory. All domain controllers are peers and maintain replicated versions of Active Directory for their domains.
A large enterprise will typically have a wide area network (WAN) with many thousands of workstations that are connected to various servers in the network. To protect data within departments, restrictions will need to be in place to secure and manage sometimes critical information. For example, in the electrical power industry, under certain Federal guidelines it is important to restrict the access of certain parts of an electrical power company from communicating with other parts of the same company. This restricted access also includes being able to bring a computer up on certain segments of the network identified as subnets. Thus, there is a need for a system that provides the ability to discover and control subnet compliance breaches as mandated by new Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) requirements for gas and electric utilities which prohibit communications between specific parts of the utilities. There is also a need for a system that can audit restricted subnet access.

Compliance validator for restricted network access control


A photoresin printing plate having a Shore A hardness at 20.degree. C. of 25 to 60, an impact resilience at 20.degree. C. of 35% or more as measured by a falling ball method and a surface tack at 20.degree. C. of 40 g/cm or less has been found not only to be capable of providing prints having an image of high precision but also to be capable of releasing the paper dust or the like, which has adhered to the printing plate, in a short period of time during the printing operation, so that it did not become necessary to interrupt the printing operation in order to clean the printing plate, which leads to an efficient production of the prints.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoresin printing plate for use in printing a corrugated board. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a photoresin printing plate for use in printing a corrugated board, which has a Shore A hardness at 20.degree. C. of 25 to 60, an impact resilience at 20.degree. C. of 35 % or more as measured by a falling ball method and a surface tack at 20.degree. C. of 40 g/cm or less and which is capable of providing prints having high precision of image with a high operation efficiency, that is, without necessity of interrupting the printing operation in order to clean the printing plate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rubber printing plates for use in printing a corrugated board have previously been used. However, it has not been possible to print a fine image with any degree of high precision using a rubber printing plate. In the recent years, it has become necessary for the image printed on a corrugated board to be finer. Accordingly, photoresin printing plates which are capable of providing a print having a fine image with high precision have been taking the place of rubber printing plates. Especially in the type of printing which requires a high degree of precision, such as bar code printing, the use of a photoresin printing plate is indispensable because a rubber printing plate simply cannot satisfy the requirement of high precision.
In printing a corrugated board, the following points must be taken into consideration. First, a corrugated board on which the image is to be printed does not always have a flat surface. Second, in general, in the field of printing, the uniform transfer of the ink can be achieved under a high printing pressure. However, in printing a corrugated board, the ink must be uniformly transferred onto the surface of the corrugated board under a low printing pressure because too high a printing pressure causes the flute of a corrugated material provided between the liners of the corrugated board to be deformed. This leads to a lowering of the strength of the corrugated board as a whole. In view of the above-mentioned points, a soft printing plate having a Shore A hardness of 25 to 60 is generally used for printing a corrugated board.
However, the use of a photoresin printing plate having such a low degree of hardness for printing a corrugated board involves a serious practical problem. In a printing operation, paper dust or the like present on the surface of the corrugated board to be printed sometimes adhere to the surface of the printing plate. In the case of a soft photoresin printing plate as mentioned above, once such an adhesion occurs, the paper dusts or the like cannot easily be released from the surface of the printing plate, making it necessary to interrupt the operation of the printing machine in order to clean the printing plate. This inevitably lowers the productivity and the yield of the prints.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,572 discloses an unsaturated polyurethane type photosensitive resin composition for use in preparing a printing plate. In preparing the composition, a polyether diol and a polyester diol are used in an amount ratio of 1:4 to 3:1. This reference, however, does not disclose the capability of the printing plate to release the paper dust or the like which has adhered to the surface of the plate. The printing plate disclosed in this reference has a low impact resilience as measured by a falling ball method and, therefore, has a poor capability for releasing such types of dust or the like, as will be later discussed. In this connection, it is to be noted that although the reference discloses values of the impact resilience exceeding 35%, the indicated values of the impact resilience are those which are obtained by the measurement in accordance with the Dunlop method as substantiated by the reproduction of the examples in the reference. The value of the impact resilience of a printing plate as measured by the Dunlop method is usually about twice as high as the value of the impact resilience of the same printing plate as measured by a falling ball method. Therefore, in terms of the impact resilience as measured by a falling ball method, as is the case with the present invention, the reference does not disclose a value of 35% or more.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,961 discloses a photosensitive resin composition for use in producing a flexographic printing plate which is suitable for printing packaging materials, including a corrugated board. The composition comprises a specific polyurethane as the prepolymer. However, this reference provides no disclosure as to the capability of the printing plate prepared from the composition, to release paper dust or the like, which has adhered to the surface of the plate.
Various proposals have heretofore been made for solving the above-mentioned problem. However, such proposals deal solely with a method for removing the surface tack of a photoresin printing plate, based on the assumption that the capability of a printing plate to release the paper dust or the like, which has adhered to the surface of the plate, depends mainly on the surface tack of the printing plate, as well as a method for improving the ease of handling of the printing plate (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,696).
By removing the surface tack of the photoresin printing plate in accordance with the proposed, methods, the capability of a photoresin printing plate to release the paper dust or the like, which has adhered to the surface of the plate is somewhat improved. However, these methods still have a problem that once paper dust or the like has adhered to the surface of a printing plate, more than several tens of prints are necessarily produced before the paper dust or the like is self-released from the printing plate and that, therefore, it is still necessary to interrupt the printing operation to clean the printing plate.

Photoresin printing plate for use in printing a corrugated board


Disclosed herein are zirconium-based alloys that may be fabricated to form nuclear reactor components, particularly fuel cladding tubes, that exhibit sufficient corrosion resistance and hydrogen absorption characteristics, without requiring a late stage α+β or β-quenching processes. The zirconium-base alloys will include between about 1.30-1.60 wt % tin; 0.0975-0.15 wt % chromium; 0.16-0.24 wt % iron; and up to about 0.08 wt % nickel, with the total content of the iron, chromium and nickel comprising at least about 0.3175 wt % of the alloy. The resulting components will exhibit a surface region having a mean precipitate sizing of between about 50 and 100 nm and a Sigma A of less than about 2×10−19 hour with the workpiece processing generally being limited to temperatures below 680° C. for extrusion and below 625° C. for all other operations, thereby simplifying the fabrication of the nuclear reactor components while providing corrosion resistance comparable with conventional alloys.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to zirconium alloys, particularly zirconium alloys for use in nuclear reactor fuel cladding applications, and more particularly zirconium alloy fuel cladding manufactured without requiring conventional late stage heat treatments.
2. Background Art
Nuclear reactors are used in electric power generation, research and propulsion. A reactor pressure vessel contains the reactor coolant, i.e., water, which removes heat from the nuclear core. Piping circuits are used to carry the heated water or steam from the pressure vessel to the steam generators or turbines and to return or supply circulated water or feedwater to the pressure vessel. Typical operating pressures and temperatures for the reactor pressure vessels can be about 7 MPa and 288° C. for BWRs (Boiling Water Reactors) and about 15 MPa and 320° C. for PWRs (Pressurized Water Reactors). The materials used in these respective environments must, in turn, be formulated and/or manufactured to withstand various loading, environmental (high-temperature water, oxidizing species, radicals, etc.) and radiation conditions to which they will be subjected during extended operation of the reactor.
BWR and PWR typically include nuclear fuel sealed in cladding comprising one or more layers of metal or metal alloys to isolate the nuclear fuel from the moderator/coolant system, i.e., water in PWRs and steam and/or water in BWRs. The cladding includes at least one layer of a zirconium-based alloy containing one or more alloying element and can include a second layer of a zirconium alloy. Cladding may also utilize a composite system having an inner lining of sponge zirconium or dilute zirconium alloy containing minor amounts, less than about 0.5 wt % of iron or other elements, as alloying metals. Typically, the cladding will be configured as a tube in which pellets of the nuclear fuel are stacked to fill substantially the entire length of the cladding tube. The tubes will then be arranged in bundles, with a plurality of bundles being arranged to define the reactor core.
Under normal operating conditions, zirconium-based alloys are useful as a nuclear fuel cladding material due to their relatively low neutron absorption cross sections and, at temperatures below about 398° C., their strength, ductility, stability, and lack of reactivity in the presence of demineralized water or steam. "Zircaloys" are a widely used family of commercially-available, corrosion-resistant, zirconium-based alloy cladding materials that include 97-99% by weight zirconium, with the balance being a mixture of some or all of tin, iron, chromium, nickel, oxygen and lesser amounts of carbon, silicon and other unavoidable impurities. Two particular alloy compositions, specifically Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-4, are widely used for manufacturing cladding although Zircaloy-2 is the more commonly utilized composition for BWR applications.
In addition to zirconium, Zircaloy-2 includes about 1.2-1.7 wt % Sn; 0.07-0.20 wt % Fe; 0.05-0.15 wt % Cr, and 0.03-0.08 wt % Ni. Zircaloy-4, on the other hand, although including similar quantities of the other alloying elements present in Zircaloy-2, is substantially free of nickel and has an Fe concentration of about 0.18-0.24 wt %.
Tin is useful for improving strength and corrosion resistance of zirconium-base alloys. Zirconium alloys containing less than 0.5 wt. % tin do not tend to provide sufficient strength, while alloys containing more than 2 wt. % tin tend to exhibit decreased corrosion resistance. Nickel is useful for imparting improved corrosion resistance to zirconium alloys. When nickel is incorporated at less than about 0.03 wt. %, the improvement in corrosion resistance is marginal, while alloys containing more than 0.2 wt. % tend to exhibit degraded hydrogen absorption characteristics. Like nickel, chromium is useful for imparting improved corrosion resistance to zirconium alloys. The quantity of chromium incorporated in the alloy affects the relative proportions of Zr2(Fe, Ni) and Zr(Fe, Cr)2 type precipitates that, in turn, affects the corrosion resistance and hydrogen absorption properties of the alloy. Further, although iron can be used to increase corrosion resistance, alloys including more than about 0.6 wt % iron tend to exhibit degraded working characteristics, particularly ductility, so the utility of iron in this regard is limited.
The presence of these alloying elements, which are relatively insoluble in zirconium under normal conditions, will generally result in the formation of intermetallic Second Phase Particle (SPP) "precipitates" in an α-phase zirconium matrix when alloying elements are present in concentrations above their solubility limits. For example, the precipitates most commonly found in Zircaloys may be generally represented by the chemical formulas Zr(Fe,Cr)2 and Zr2(Fe,Ni).
Coolant, typically demineralized water that may include a variety of treatment compositions or packages, will generally flow through flow channels provided between and/or along the fuel elements to remove heat from the core. The cladding, by separating the nuclear fuel from the coolant, prevents or reduces the amount of radioactive fuel and fission products from entering the coolant stream and being spread throughout the primary cooling system. Degradation of the integrity of the cladding layer, whether by cracking and/or corrosion, may result in containment failures that allow contamination of the coolant.
In addition to the basic composition of the alloy, conventional techniques for fabricating fuel cladding include solution heat treatment methods in which an alloy is heated, for a short period of time, to a temperature at which the alloy exists in α+β or β phase and the intermetallic particles become dissolved, after which the alloy is rapidly quenched, at which point the intermetallic particles can be re-nucleated and grown. Such a process is described in Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 45699/1986, 58223/1988 and 3172731/2001. Other heat treatment methods have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,450,016, 4,576,654, and 5,437,747, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. These patents have focused on the control of process parameters, specifically, the heat treatment conditions with the primary intent of controlling the corrosion resistance through microstructural factors. The major deficiency of these patents is in not recognizing the importance of restrictive alloy chemistry control. Furthermore, in the case of 3172731/2001, the emphasis is on controlling the post-solution heat treat thermal exposure through the use of the "Sigma-A" or "ΣA" parameter, which is a measure of the cumulative thermal exposure during fabrication as defined by the formula (I):A=Σtiexp(Q/RTi)  (I)where ti and Ti are the time and temperature of the ith thermal exposure (where t is time in hours; T is temperature in K; Q is the activation energy; R is the gas constant; and Q/R=40,000 K).
However, the use of this parameter solely to control SPP size may not be effective, as differences in process parameters, such as the solution treatment temperature and quench rate, could affect the SPP size for given Sigma-A value or post-solution heat treatment conditions. The application of heat treatment in connection with a particular alloy composition has been detailed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 228442/1987. In this case, the exceptionally high iron and nickel concentrations allowed contribute to Zr2(Fe, Ni) SPP sizes between 100 and 500 nm and the formation of an unusual Sn—Ni compound.
While efforts to improve claddings have continued, the performance of claddings, particularly with regard to corrosion and hydrogen pickup as a result of interactions between the cladding, the nuclear fuel, the radiation field and the coolant continues to be a concern and a maintenance issue in BWRs. One type of continuing corrosion problem associated with BWR operation is nodular corrosion wherein localized regions on the alloy surfaces form lenticular corrosion layers. This nodular corrosion initiates relatively quickly upon operation in a BWR and proceeds under and may be exacerbated by the continuing irradiation of the alloy surfaces. Nodular corrosion can generally be controlled, particularly in aggressive water chemistry environments, as disclosed in a separate application bearing application Ser. No. 10/935,157 and filed on even date herewith, by an astute combination of alloy composition control, fabrication parameters leading to an intermetallic particle size less than about 40 nm, and smooth surface finish.
One problem however with conventional fuel cladding formulations using intermetallic particle sizes below about 40 nm is the need to provide a late stage solution heat treatment and rapid quench process to achieve the desired result. Such a process is complicated and it requires special equipment, process steps, process controls and quality inspection tasks. The use of such a process is costly.
To overcome this inefficiency it is desirable to fabricate fuel cladding without a late stage solution heat treatment. This would lead to a relative increase in the mean intermetallic particle size when compared to a fuel cladding fabricated identically except for the late stage heat-treatment. For an exemplary process defined by the current invention, the mean intermetallic particle size would be no less than about 50 nm and no more than about 100 nm, limited in part by particle coarsening (Ostwald ripening) that is inherent in conventional cladding fabrication processes that include hot extrusion and multiple stages of cold reduction and thermal recrystallization annealing.
The increase in the mean intermetallic particle size would in turn increase the fuel cladding susceptibility to nodular corrosion, even in typical non-aggressive water chemistry environments.
To help overcome this negative aspect of increased nodular corrosion susceptibility associated with non-heat treated cladding and the associated increase in intermetallic particle size, the maximum allowable mean intermetallic particle size must be limited. While developing such a Zircaloy-2 fuel cladding, this upper limit was estimated to be about 100 nm. Arising from these developmental activities for such a Zircaloy-2 fuel cladding, the importance of specific alloy compositions in maximizing nodular corrosion resistance was discovered. Although the importance of alloy composition in providing corrosion resistance is generally known to those skilled in the art, the specific thresholds required for non-heat treated fuel cladding were not known explicitly, nor could they be predicted explicitly.
Besides the inefficiency of fabrication processes utilizing late stage heat treatments, another problem for heat treated cladding related to corrosion is the evolution of the intermetallic particles under the effects of the neutron radiation field present in a nuclear reactor. In this environment, neutrons impinge on the intermetallic particles and cause them to dissolve and/or amorphize. With a simplified view, the extent of this process is dependent on the neutron energy, the cumulative neutron flux (fluence), and the initial particle size and structure. Components with a relatively small mean SPP size of about 25 nm may dissolve completely within a fast neutron fluence of 8.5×1025 n/m2 (E>1 MeV) in a BWR, which is less than half as long as the currently desired lifetime for Zr-alloy components. Inasmuch as the intermetallic particles affect corrosion resistance, their evolution and disappearance can affect the corrosion resistance in a negative manner.
Furthermore, inasmuch as component hydrogen generation and absorption (hydriding) follows directly from the corrosion process, SPP evolution can also affect component hydriding in a negative manner. Although such a negative effect of microstructural evolution on both corrosion and hydriding has been documented in the field, the current Applicants' experience with small-particle fuel cladding corrosion in a BWR has been contrary to the conventional understanding promoted by data collected and widely disseminated by F. Garzarolli and others of particular influence in the field as reflected in, for example, Garzarolli, F. Schumann, R., and Steinberg, E., "Corrosion Optimized Zircaloy for Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Fuel Elements," Zirconium in the Nuclear Industry: Tenth International Symposium, ASTM STP 1245, A. M. Garde and E. R. Bradley, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1994, pp. 709-23, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Because heat treated cladding would tend to have smaller particle sizes than non-heat treated fuel cladding, heat treated fuel cladding would experience relatively quicker particle dissolution than non-heat treated fuel cladding. Thus non-heat treated fuel cladding of this invention, although being generally more susceptible to nodular corrosion, may have some benefit in delaying microstructural evolution-induced changes in corrosion resistance and hydriding that may occur at the later exposure stages in a component's operational life.

Non-heat treated zirconium alloy fuel cladding and a method of manufacturing the same


A mood of a user is estimated based on a user's profile, data indicative of a user's mood received from a communication device associated with the user and from sources other than the user, and environmental data with a potential impact on the user's mood. Data indicative of the user's mood and the environmental data are processed to filter out data that is not relevant to the user's mood. The filtered data is cross-correlated with the user profile, and the mood of the user is estimated based on the cross-correlated filtered data. A network and services may be controlled based on a user's mood. Suggestions for interacting with the user may be generated based on the user's mood.

Exemplary embodiments relate generally to user mood detection, and more particularly, to estimating a user's mood and reacting to the user's mood.
Customers/users of communication devices are not unchanging. On the contrary, customers are highly dynamic. In particular, the emotional state of a customer can and often does change dramatically. To ensure customer/user satisfaction, the customer should be treated in a manner that is appropriate for the customer's emotional stare or "mood".
In human interactions, mood changes are largely apparent and automatic. There are known techniques for detecting mood of a customer/user, based. e.g., on tone of voice detection, detection of keywords, detection of repetitive dialing of "0", facial analysis, etc. While these mood detection techniques are useful, they do not take into account factors external to the user that may affect the user's mood.
When service providers interact with a customer, taking into account the customer's mood is highly desirable since this allows the service provider to appropriately react to the user's mood. However, as new services become increasingly rich in terms of capabilities and possibilities, and related interaction possibilities expand in scope and complexity, it will be increasingly complex and critical to consider a user's mood in many respects and in all contexts relevant to the relationship between the service provider and the user.

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products for estimating a mood of a user, using a mood of a user for network/service control, and presenting suggestions for interacting with a user based on the user's mood


A composition is described having improved oral permeability of polar agents such as neuraminidase inhibitors. The composition includes one or more polar agents and one or more permeability enhancers such that the composition increases the amount of the polar agent capable of being transported across a Caco-2 cell membrane by at least 150% relative to the amount capable of being transported across the Caco-2 Cell membrane in the absence of the permeability enhancer. Oral dosage forms including the composition, and methods of treating or preventing influenza infection are also provided.

Peramivir is a member of a class of antiviral agents that work by inhibiting viral neuraminidase, an enzyme essential for the influenza virus to replicate and infect its hosts. In addition to influenza A and B, avian influenza virus (H5N1) has been shown to be sensitive to peramivir. More specifically, depending on the influenza strain, peramivir has been determined to be 2 to 10 times more potent as a neuraminidase inhibitor than oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanimivir, based on experimentally determined concentrations of each required for 50% inhibition of neuraminidase activity in vitro.
It has been reported that studies in rodents and primates have established the safety and efficacy of intramuscular injection of peramivir in a mouse influenza model. Further intravenous and intramuscular formulations of peramivir are reported to have been evaluated in pre-clinical animal models with success. However, human studies with oral forms of peramivir have demonstrated very poor oral bioavailability of peramivir. In particular it has been reported that in a phase III clinical trial of an oral formulation of peramivir, the antiviral activity against influenza A and B did not reach statistical significance.
Accordingly there is a need for neuraminidase inhibitor compositions which exhibit improved bioavailability and efficacy when administered orally for treatment or prevention of influenza infections.

Formulations for enhanced bioavailability of orally administered polar agents


A method of screening for the endometrial cancer cells in a endometrial cell specimen is disclosed. The method involves determining the amount of an endometrial cancer associated antigen relative to the sample amount by immunologically detecting and comparing the levels of the endometrial cancer associated antigen and a substance present in human cells in a substantially constant amount.

This invention is directed to a process for immunochemically detecting uterine endometrial cancer cells in a uterine endometrial cell or endometrial tissue specimen.
Uterine endometrial cancer is increasing in Japan with westernization of eating habits and prolongation of people's lives. Today, endometrial cancer accounts for 10 to 20% of all uterine cancers. In consideration of such conditions, an item directed to a medical examination of the uterine endometrial cancer was included in the Law of Health and Medical Service System for the Aged in Jun. 1987 to spread the medical examination of the uterine endometrial cancer by law so that the cancer may be detected at an early stage.
Today, the medical examination of the uterine endometrial cancer is mainly carried out by means of cytodiagnosis, which has proved to be quite useful. The cytodiagnosis, however, requires a high skill. In addition, since most of the uterine endometrial cancer is an adenocarcinoma, discrimination between benign and malignant cell specimens on the bases of conventional morphological criteria has often been quite difficult. Therefore, there is a strong demand for a convenient, accurate process which is capable of handling a large number of specimens in a short period so that the process may be used for group examinations and mass screenings.
Immunohistochemical staining by utilizing a highly specific monoclonal antibody is a widely employed technique, and use of such a monoclonal antibody which specifically reacts with a tumor cell has been considered to be quite useful for accurately discriminating between benign and malignant cell specimens. In view of such conditions, Nozawa et al. produced a monoclonal antibody designated MSN-1, which is highly reactive with the uterine endometrial cancer cell (see Nozawa et al., Acta Obst. Gynaec. Jpn., 39, 559-566, 1987). This monoclonal antibody was applied to immunohistochemical staining of tissue specimens collected from uterine cavity of both normal people and patients suffering from the endometrial cancer, whereby more than 90% of the specimens collected from the endometrial cancer patients turned out to be positive while the normal specimens were scarcely stained (see Nozawa et al., American Journal of Obsterics and Gynecology, 161, 1079-1086, 1989). Such an immunohistochemical staining, however, depends on subjective criteria, and the results are often determined as false positive. Development of an improved detection method is therefore desired.
Further investigation of the above mentioned monoclonal antibody, MSN-1, indicated that the monoclonal antibody recognizes a sugar chain of a neutral glycolipid in the endometrial cancer cell, and that the reaction site is located at least on cell surface. In consideration of such an indication, the monoclonal antibody, MSN-1 was applied to flow cytometry, whereby the possibility of differentiating the endometrial normal cells from the cancer cells was indicated. Since the data provided by the flow cytometry is highly objective, it was concluded that the diagnosis of the uterine endometrial cancer by means of the flow cytometry would be useful (Nozawa et al., American Journal of Obsterics and Gynecology, 161, 1079-1086, 1989, supra). This method, however, requires complicated techniques as well as expensive equipment. Also, this method is incapable of examining a large number of specimens in a short period.
In addition to the problems as described above which are specific to the diagnosis of the uterine endometrial cancer, immunochemical detection generally suffers from the problem as described below.
In general, when a target substance such as a tumor marker in blood is measured and the result is determined whether it is positive or negative, namely, whether the measurement is within a normal range or not, a cut off value or a reference value is preliminarily set, and the results are determined by referring to such a value. However there are some false positive cases, wherein the tumor marker concentration in blood is high even though the sample has been collected from a normal volunteer or a patient suffering from a benign disease, and wherein the high measurement may not necessarily indicate a cancer. Various factors are estimated to be the causes of such a phenomenon including deficiency of the specificity of the antibody used and nonspecific reaction due to interfering components in the specimen.
This was also found to be the case with the diagnosis of the uterine endometrial cancer using the monoclonal antibody, MSN-1.
It was found that the monoclonal antibody, MSN-1 sometimes reacts with normal endometrial cells as well as endometrial cells of a benign endometrial disease, although the degree of the reaction was weak. Also, the labelled substance used is expected to adsorb nonspecifically. As a consequence, there were found some rare cases wherein the signal intensity indicated by the labelling agent of the labelled substance was high in spite of the absence of the endometrial cancer cell.
The cut off value is generally determined either statistically on the basis of distribution of the measurements of normal, benign disease and cancer cases, or in accordance with clinical utility.
A value equivalent to a cut off value would also be necessary for the detection of the endometrial cancer cell from endometrial cells collected from the uterine cavity. It is, however, quite difficult to collect a constant volume of the endometrial cells or tissue from the uterine cavity, and consequently, the quantity of the cells or tissue which is examined would be quite different from sample to sample. Therefore, the cut off value cannot be simply set on the basis of the signal intensity indicated by the labelling agent of the labelled substance.
This invention was developed in consideration of such a state of the art, and therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved process for immunochemically detecting a human endometrial cancer cell by utilizing a monoclonal antibody which has a highly specific immunoreactivity to the endometrial cancer cell, and by simultaneously measuring two substances in the specimen and relatively evaluating the thus obtained measurements. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process which is capable conveniently, objectively, and accurately of determining the presence or the absence of the uterine endometrial cancer cell in the specimen.
In consideration of the problems associated with the diagnosis of the uterine endometrial cancer as mentioned above, the inventors of the present invention have made an intensive study to overcome such problems and developed a process by which any one can conveniently, accurately, and objectively detect endometrial cancer cell without requiring any special skill or equipment. In particular, the inventors attempted to more adequately set the cut off value.
First, the inventors decided to employ a monoclonal antibody which has a high reactivity to the uterine endometrial cancer cell, such as antibody, MSN-1, for the detection of the endometrial cancer cell, and to allow for the monoclonal antibody to react with the uterine endometrial cell specimen examined, which is immobilized on a carrier. It was also decided to use a known labelling agent for the detection.
Secondly, since an adequate setting of the cut off value is critical for more accurately determining the result of the cytodiagnosis, a means for setting the cut off value was investigated.
More illustratively, the inventors attempted to determine the total number of the cells (or an index for the total cell number) in the specimen, and to determine the ratio of number of the cells (or an index for the cell number) detected by using the antibody against the endometrial cancer cell per unit number of the cells, and then, set the cut off value on the basis of the thus determined ratio.
Typical methods for directly measuring the total number of the cells in the specimen include use of a hemocytometer and Coulter counter. It is, however, difficult to adopt such methods for the diagnosis of the uterine endometrial cancer since the number of the cells in the specimen collected from the uterine cavity is quite small.
It is also difficult to use protein content in disrupted or solubilized cells as an index for the total number of the cells in the specimen since quantitative analysis of the protein is complicated. Consequently, a more convenient process would be required for a group examination and mass screening wherein a large number of specimens must be quickly handled.
In view of such conditions, the inventors of the present invention decided to use quantity a substance which is generally present in human cells in a substantially constant amount as an index corresponding to the cell number or the quantity of the disrupted cells in the specimen, and carried out a quantitative measurement of such a substance by means of an immunochemical analysis similar to the direct detection of the uterine endometrial cancer cells. It was then confirmed that the quantity of the substance which is generally present in human cells in a substantially constant amount may be used as an index corresponding to the cell number or the quantity of the cell lysate in the specimen.
On the bases of the above-described findings, it was then found out that the presence or the absence of the uterine endometrial cancer cell in the specimen may be determined by, in the first place, immunochemically measuring a value corresponding to the quantity of the endometrial cancer cell in the specimen using the monoclonal antibody such as the antibody, MSN-1 which is highly reactive to the uterine endometrial cancer cell to measure the quantity of antigen which binds to such an antibody, as well as a value corresponding to the quantity of the substance which is generally present in human cells in a substantially constant amount, and in the next place, either simply comparing the thus obtained values, or calculating a ratio of the values and evaluating the ratio by referring to a preliminarily set cut off value to determine the presence or the absence of the uterine endometrial cancer cell in the specimen. It was also found that, by using this process, any one can conveniently, objectively, and accurately detect the uterine endometrial cancer cell without requiring any special technique or equipments.
The present invention has been completed on the bases of such findings.
According to first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for detecting a human uterine endometrial cancer cell by using a monoclonal antibody having a highly specific immunoreactivity to the human uterine endometrial cancer cell, comprising the steps of
(a) preparing a specimen by collecting endometrial cells and/or endometrial tissue from the cavity of the uterus, and optionally disrupting the collected cells and/or the tissue,
(b) immobilizing a predetermined amount of said specimen on two or more reaction areas on one or more carriers,
(c) adding a labelled monoclonal antibody prepared by binding a labelling agent either directly or indirectly to said monoclonal antibody, and a labelled substance B prepared by binding a labelling agent either directly or indirectly to a substance B which is reactive to a substance A which is generally present in human cells, to different areas of said reaction areas onto which said specimen had been immobilized, respectively, to allow for said immobilized specimen to react with said labelled monoclonal antibody and with said labelled substance B, respectively,
(d) washing said carrier to remove said labelled monoclonal antibody and said labelled substance B which failed to bind to said immobilized specimen,
(e) measuring signal intensities y and x of said labelling agents of said labelled monoclonal antibody and said labelled substance B, which had been bound to said immobilized specimen, respectively, and
(f) determining the presence or absence of the uterine endometrial cancer cell in the specimen by evaluating the signal intensity y indicated by the labelling agent of said labelled monoclonal antibody in relation to the signal intensity x indicated by the labelling agent of said labelled substance B.
This method may be referred to as Assay method I in the following description.
According to second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for detecting a human uterine endometrial cancer cell by using a monoclonal antibody having a highly specific immunoreactivity to the human uterine endometrial cancer cell, comprising the steps of
(a) preparing a specimen by collecting endometrial cells and/or endometrial tissue from the cavity of the uterus, and optionally disrupting the collected cells and/or the tissue,
(b) immobilizing a predetermined amount of said specimen on two or more reaction areas on one or more carriers,
(c) adding said monoclonal antibody and a substance B which is reactive to a substance A which is generally present in human cells to different areas of said reaction areas onto which said specimen had been immobilized to allow for said immobilized specimen to react with said monoclonal antibody and with said substance B, respectively,
(d) adding a labelled substance C prepared by binding a labelling agent either directly or indirectly to a substance C which reacts with said monoclonal antibody, and a labelled substance D prepared by binding a labelling agent either directly or indirectly to a substance D which reacts with said substance B, to said different reaction areas, respectively, to allow for said monoclonal antibody and said substance B to react with said labelled substance C and said labelled substance D, respectively,
(e) washing said carrier to remove said monoclonal antibody, said substance B, said labelled substance C, and said labelled substance D, which failed to directly or indirectly bind to said immobilized specimen,
(f) measuring signal intensities y and x of said labelling agents of said labelled substance C and said labelled substance D, which had been bound to said immobilized specimen, respectively, and
(g) determining the presence or absence of the uterine endometrial cancer cell in the specimen by evaluating the signal intensity y indicated by the labelling agent of said labelled substance C in relation to the signal intensity x indicated by the labelling agent of said labelled substance D.
This method may be referred to as Assay method II in the following description.

Immunochemical detection of human uterine endometrial cancer cell


The language wheel has an interchangeable "wheel" with the same words of two languages in corresponding positions on the wheel. Two cursors are coupled together so the when one is manually moved to indicate a particular word, the other indicates the corresponding word. The two cursors are mounted on a pivoted bar which rotates above the language wheel and the cursors move radially in and out on the bar.

The most satisfactory, most accurate and fastest communication between two persons is when they utilize the same language. Without commonality of language, only very rudimentary communication is possible. This is true when two people need to interact with each other, and it is also true when the two interacting persons are attempting to learn each other's language. There is need for a device which, at low technology levels, can indicate corresponding words in different languages.


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which allows to form a semiconductor device on an insulating amorphous material or an insulating crystallized glass in high precision alignment is provided.. The present invention is characterized in that alignment markers of masks are formed along a direction in which a degree of expansion-contraction of a substrate is smaller when the semiconductor device is fabricated by laminating thin films having patterns on the substrate.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device by laminating and forming thin films on an insulating amorphous material and on an insulating crystallized material.
When a semiconductor device is to be formed on a substrate, such insulating amorphous material as quartz and such insulating crystallized material as what glass is treated by heat to create a crystal nucleus and to grow crystal to deposit the crystal, for example, are used for the substrate.
Moreover, needs for such semiconductor devices as a large size liquid crystal panel or an image sensor utilized in equipments such as a facsimile scanner is increasing lately.
Due to that, it has become necessary to lower the cost of those semiconductor devices by manufacturing them by increasing their yield. In order to manufacture semiconductor devices by increasing their yield, a precision of technique for aligning a mask pattern of a coating film to be formed next to a pattern of a coating film already formed on a substrate has to be improved.
In a case of forming a thin film transistor, an insulating non-crystal material having an excellent heat resistance such as quartz is used as the substrate since such high temperature heat treatments as follows are carried out in the manufacturing process: 1) poly-crystallization of an amorphous layer mainly of silicon, 2) formation of a gate oxide film, and 3) implantation of ions. However, a manufacturing cost of such insulating amorphous materials having an excellent heat resistance as quartz is high, so that it is a factor that hampers the realization of low cost semiconductor devices especially when a semiconductor device is to be formed on a large size substrate. Then a method for fabricating a semiconductor device on a crystallized glass, which is cheaper than quartz, as an insulating substrate material used for forming semiconductor devices has been drawing an attention and its studies are being conducted.
However, crystallized glass has a property to expand and contract when treated by heat and its degree of expansion-contraction is asymmetrical to the forming direction when the substrate is manufactured (the substrate has an anisotropy in a degree of expansion-contraction), e.g. to the solidification direction for forming the substrate by melting once and solidifying it and to the crystallization direction into which crystal is deposited, so that when a mask pattern for a film which is to be formed next to a pattern of a film already formed on the substrate is superimposed, the patterns are dislocated and it has been difficult to fabricate a semiconductor device by laminating thin films having very fine patterns. Therefore, even if such semiconductor device may be fabricated, high precision alignment has been impossible in photolithographic process, thereby causing such problems that yield is lowered due to the dislocation of the alignment and that thereby the cost is increased.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the aforementioned problems by providing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which allows to form a semiconductor device in a high precision alignment on such substrate that has an anisotropy in a degree of expansion-contraction when treated by heat like an insulating amorphous material and an insulating crystallized glass.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device on a substrate having an anisotropic expansion/contraction characteristic

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A control (18) for a seat belt positioning device (10) includes a motor (12) for positioning a seat belt component (16). A locking tongue sensor (20) generates a locking tongue signal (S) depending on whether a locking tongue is inserted in a belt buckle (16). A trigger circuit (22) connected to the locking tongue sensor (20) generates a trigger signal (TR, TR1, TR2, VT, TM) in response to the locking tongue signal (S) A timer (32) or a motor load circuit (33) connected to the trigger circuit (22) generates a motor signal (M) having a predetermined period or depending on a motor load in response to the trigger signal (TR, TR1, TR2, VT, TM). A motor control circuit (34) connected to the timer (32) and the trigger circuit (22) turns the motor on and off in response to the motor signal (M). The direction of motion of the motor (12) is selected depending on the trigger signal (TR, TR1, TR2, VT, TM).

The invention relates to a control for a seat belt positioning device comprising a motor for positioning a seat belt component as well as a seat belt positioning device comprising a motor for positioning a seat belt component.
From the state of the art seat belt positioning devices, for example belt buckle feeders or belt feeders, are known which move a component of the seat belt system, for example the belt buckle or the belt, to a fastening position in which fastening of the seat belt is easy and convenient for the vehicle occupant. After fastening the seat belt the component is moved to a retaining position in which a good protective function of the seat belt system is ensured and/or the component does not hinder the vehicle occupant.
For controlling such seat belt positioning device frequently complicated controls are provided to detect and process a plurality of sensor data, for instance the position of a drive of the positioning device or a vehicle occupant detection, in particular via a connection of the seat belt positioning device to the vehicle electronics.
A control of this type is known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,834 B2, wherein the control detects opening and closing of the vehicle door and depending thereon moves the belt buckle from a retaining position to an offering position. After reaching the offering position, the belt buckle remains in the offering position for a predetermined period of time in order to be moved to the retaining position after expiry of said period of time. The end positions are detected by two position sensors. This requires an expensive design and sensor system.

Controller for a seatbelt positioning device and seatbelt positioning device