A device and method for positioning a resin-sealed lead frame that includes semiconductor devices and resin for sealing the semiconductor devices on the lead frame. A break unit is provided for moving the resin-sealed lead frame to a break table. The break unit includes a vacuum suction portion to hold the resin-sealed lead frame during movement and to release it when the resin-sealed lead frame is brought into a receiving opening associated with the break table. The receiving opening is defined by a plurality of guides with the outer tip portions of the guides providing the receiving opening as a space larger than that occupied by the outer configuration of the resin-sealed lead frame. The guides have a slope to position the resin-sealed lead frame onto the break table after it is released in the receiving opening. The break unit further includes push down pins for pushing down and breaking off unwanted extra portions of resin from beneath the resin-sealed lead frame. The break table is further provided with notches which have shapes corresponding to the shapes of unwanted extra portions of resin of the resin-sealed lead frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gate break device of a lead frame already sealed with resin, and a gate break method, and more particularly to a gate break device and a gate break method capable of shorten time required for gate break.
2. Description of the Background Art
In resin seal forming of lead frame, unnecessary parts such as cull, runner and gate are formed inevitably. It is the gate break device that is intended to remove such parts.
FIG. 10 shows a constitution of a conventional gate break device. In FIG. 10, a resin-sealed lead frame 1 which are sealed and formed with resin is put on a break table 2. The resin-sealed lead frame 1 has unnecessary parts such as cull 13, runner 14, and gate 15, aside from a frame 12 comprising a semiconductor package 11, and the cull 13 is fixed between a cull cradle 21 and a cull holder 22. The resin-sealed lead frame 1 is restricted in position by plural positioning pins 23 provided vertically on the break table 2.
The break table 2 is put on a base table 24, and a break unit 3 is mounted on the break table 2.
The break unit 3 has plural break pins 31 disposed corresponding to the specified positions of the resin sealed lead frame 1, and the break pins 31 are fixed by a break pin mounting plate 32 and a break pin holding plate 33. The break pins 31 are designed so as to be longer at a position further from the cull 13.
Herein, the specified positions of the resin sealed lead frame 1 are break regions BP provided beforehand in the frame 12 for removing the cull 13. runner 14, and gate 15, generating indicating the upper part of the runner 14 near the gate 15, and an opening wider than the pin diameter of the break pin 31 is beforehand formed in the frame 12 of the corresponding part. By a step of resin seal forming, this opening is filled up with the resin, but as seen from the break pin 31 side, it is recognized as the exposed region of resin surface in a shape of the opening in the surface of the frame 12.
Referring now to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the operation is described below. First, the resin-sealed lead frame 1 is transported from a resin sealing device which is not shown by a transporting device which is not shown, and is put on the break table 2, and at this time, by inserting a positioning pin 23 into a positioning hole preliminarily formed in the frame 12 of the resin-sealed lead frame 1, the position of the resin-sealed lead frame 1 is restricted.
Once the position of the lead frame 1 is determined, the cull 13 is positioned above the cull cradle 21, and the cull holder 22 descends, and the cull 13 is held and fixed by the cull cradle 21 and cull holder 22.
When fixing of the cull 13 is over, the break unit 3 begins to descend, and the break pin 31 at the remotest position from the cull 13 reaches the break region BP of the frame 12, and as it descends further, other break pins 31 sequentially reach the break region BP to push down the resin surface exposed on the surface of the frame 12, thereby peeling the gate 15 from the frame 12 and also peeling the runner 14.
After the gate 15 and runner 14 are peeled, when the break pins 31 are further lowered, since the cull 13 is fixed, the runner 14 is broken at the boundary of the runner 14 and cull 13, so that the gate 15 and frame 12 are separated from the lead frame 1.
Herein, the state after separation of the gate 15 and runner 14 is shown in FIG. 11. Notches are formed in the break table 2 and base table 24 in which the separated gate 15 and runner 14 drop, and the separated gate 15 and runner 14 are automatically put into a container which is not shown through the inside of the break table 2 and table base 24. On the other hand, the cull 3 is left over as being fixed by the cull cradle 21 and cull holder 22, and the semiconductor package 11 and frame 12 are left over on the break table 2.
The conventional gate break device is thus composed, and to mount the resin-sealed lead frame 1 on the break table 2, it was necessary to move the resin-sealed lead frame 1 to above the break table 2 by using a transporting device from the resin sealing device, and lower the resin-sealed lead frame 1 so as to insert the positioning pin 23 into the positioning hole provided preliminarily in the frame 12.
Therefore, aside from the break unit 3, a transporting device for transporting the resin-sealed lead frame 1 was needed. Herein, the configuration of the positioning pin 23 and positioning hole is strictly defined, and if the resin-sealed lead frame 1 is deviated when taking out from the resin sealing device or in the midst of transporting, the positioning pin 23 cannot be inserted into the positioning hole, and a high precision is required in the transporting device and the structure is complicated, the equipment cost increases, it takes a longer time in positioning the resin-sealed lead frame 1, and also a long time is needed in gate break.
The separated gate 15 and runner 14 are automatically put in the container by passing through the inside of the break table 2 and base table 24, but the cull 13 is left over on the cull cradle 21, and to process a next resin-sealed lead frame 1, a step and a mechanism for eliminating the cull 13 are needed, which adds to the cost of the equipment.

Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Co., Ltd.


A cartridge in a book format for accommodating two decks of word-puzzle playing cards. The cartridge includes a top plate and a like base plate simulating the front and rear covers of a book whose inner surfaces, when the book is closed, are then in parallel relation. The top and base plate are interhinged by a slat that simulates the spine of the book. Formed on the inner surface of the base plate are two side-by-side compartments, the two decks of cards being received in these compartments. Formed on the inner surface of the top plate is a rectangular flange within which the two compartments nest when the book is closed, the flange then simulating the pages normally sandwiched between the covers of the book. Printed on the face of each card is a puzzle represented by two words, each having the same number of letters. In order for a player to win a point in the game, he must within a given time transform the first word into the second by changing a single letter in the first word or by rearranging its letters to make another word, until by a series of such transformations he creates the second word.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to word-puzzle games, and in particular to a cartridge in a book format accommodating two decks of cards on each of which is printed a two-word puzzle, the arrangement being such that when the cartridge is in its open book state, cards may then be drawn from the deck by players of the game.
2. Status of Prior Art
Lewis Carroll, the pen name of a 19th Century English writer and mathematician, whose mathematical works are now almost forgotten, wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865 and thereby achieved a measure of immortality. While intended for children, it is now a favorite among literate adults, not only because of the fanciful characters created by Carroll, but also by reason of his ingenious and playful use of the English language.
Lewis Carroll's fascination with the multiple meanings of even simple words and the fact that by changing a single letter in a word, one then had a new word having an altogether different meaning, led him to invent a word puzzle game in which the player is presented with a phrase containing two words, each having the same number of letters. In order to win a point in this game, the player must succeed within a given time in so transforming the first word as to create the second word. To this end, the player is permitted to either change one letter in the first word or to rearrange the letters which form this word to make another word, until by a series of such transformations he arrives at the second word.
To give a simple example, we shall assume that the phrase presented to a player is "OPT to leave a TIP;" hence the words forming the puzzle are OPT TIP. In order to transform OPT to TIP and thereby score one point, the player first changes OPT TO TOP by rearranging the letter, and he then changes TOP to TIP by replacing O with I.
Another and more difficult example is WORD TREK. To solve this word puzzle so as to transform the first word WORD to the second word TREK, the player must first change WORD to WORE. He must then change WORD to WARE, then change WARE TO WEAR, change WEAR to REAR, change REAR to REEL, and change REEL to REEF. The player then must rearrange the letters of REEF to spell FREE, and then change FREE to TREE. Finally, the player must change TREE to TREK.
Thus while some word pairs are not too difficult to transform to derive the second word from the first, in other cases it requires a great deal of ingenuity to effect the necessary transformation within a predetermined time period.


An image recording method for forming an image on a recording material, using a recording liquid which contains a coloring agent and a solvent in which the coloring agent is dispersed or dissolved, includes the steps of applying to a recording material a colorless or light colored image recording acceleration liquid containing a surfactant and a viscosity-increasing compound capable of increasing the viscosity of the recording liquid, and depositing the recording liquid imagewise on the recording material by ejecting the recording liquid in the form of droplets onto the recording material, and an image recording apparatus for carrying out the above image recording method is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording method and an image recording apparatus, more particularly to an ink jet image recording method and an image recording apparatus therefor. The present invention also relates to an image recording acceleration liquid for use in the image recording method and the image recording apparatus.
2. Discussion of Background
Ink-jet printers have been widely utilized in recent years because of the advantages of low noise and low running cost, and color printers capable of producing color images on a sheet of plain paper have also been placed on the market.
Conventionally, as coloring agents for use in inks for office-use ink-jet printers, dyes having high solubility are mainly used in order to avoid a problem of clogging of the nozzles of the ink-jet printers with the inks. Recently, however, pigment-containing inks are also increasingly used to prepare posters which are required to be water-resistant and light-resistant. The pigment-containing inks, however, tend to cause the above-mentioned clogging problem, so that it is extremely difficult to maintain the printing reliability of the inks. Furthermore, when high color reproduction performance is required, for instance, as in photographic images and CG (computer graphics), sufficient coloring of cyan and magenta cannot be performed by the pigment-containing inks and accordingly clear images cannot be obtained by the pigment-containing inks.
When a color image is printed on a plain paper using an ink-jet printer, in order to minimize the spreading of inks in a color boundary portion such as a portion where two colors are superimposed, a surfactant is added to the inks to improve the ink penetration performance as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 55-65269. In such a case, feathering takes place in characters or fine lines, so that there is devised such a system that an ink with low ink penetration performance is used only when characters are printed in black. However, the control of the spreading of the inks in the color boundaries and the prevention of the occurring of the feathering in characters and fine lines are both still insufficient for use in practice.
In order to solve such problems as mentioned above, a recording material such as plain paper coated in advance with a material for fixing a dye contained in an ink when images are formed on the surface of the recording material with the ink, or a recording material coated with a white pigment or a water-soluble polymer are disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 56-86789, 55-144172, 55-81992, 52-53012 and 56-89594.
Furthermore, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 56-89595, there is proposed an ink-jet recording method in which a solution of a polymer such as carboxylmethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, or polyvinyl acetate is sprayed onto a recording material in advance, and images are thereafter printed by ejecting an ink onto a polymer-solution-sprayed portion of the recording material. In this ink-jet printing method, the sharpness of the printed image can be improved, but the dryness of the printed image cannot be improved. The result is that the image quality of a color image obtained by this ink-jet printing method cannot be improved so much.
For instance, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Applications 64-63185, 8-20159 and 8-20161, there is proposed an ink-jet recording method in which an image recording acceleration liquid which contains a compound capable of making insoluble a dye contained in an ink is deposited on the surface of a recording material by an ink-jet method, and then printing is performed by spraying an ink to a portion of the recording material where the image recording acceleration liquid is deposited. In this method, the amount of water deposited on a two-color superimposed portion on the recording material is so large that the spreading of the ink in the color boundaries cannot be sufficiently controlled and it may occur that the ink penetrates the recording material and reaches the back side of the recording material (this phenomenon is hereinafter referred to as "strike through"). Furthermore, this met hod has the problem that the recording material tends to curl or cockle.

Image recording method, image recording apparatus and image recording acceleration liquid


A three (or more) polarizer arrangement is used to demonstrate a wide-angle variable-neutral-density (VND) filter that has both contrast uniformity and color uniformity. According to one embodiment, the outer polarizers effectively counter-rotate with respect to a fixed center polarizer as a means of compensating for transmission non-uniformity associated with geometrical polarization distortions experienced by off-normal rays. In particular, the achromatic compensation arrangement enables angle uniformity relative to normal-incidence transmission when the number of stops of attenuation grows large (e.g. 10-stops, or OD3). The filters are useful for cameras or instrumentation allowing mechanical or electromechanical tuning.

There is a long-standing need, particularly for video and still cameras, to have a filter attachment with a large range in tunable attenuation. For example, a variable neutral density (VND) filter can enable selection of exposure time independent of scene luminance, giving photographers a valued degree of freedom. VND filters use polarization as a means of varying transmission. When polarizer absorption axes are parallel, the transmission is maximum. As one polarizer is rotated with respect to the other (see FIG. 1) the transmission drops, with theoretically zero transmission when the absorption axes are crossed. The issue is that VND filters in the industry tend to introduce spatial/angular artifacts that limit their usefulness in practice. Because of these artifacts, a contrast or color non-uniformity may preclude wide-angle shots and/or high density when the VND filter is placed in front of the camera lens.
Transmission non-uniformity of ideal crossed polarizers is the result of rotation of the absorption axes due entirely to geometry. For rays that are incident off-normal, the worst-case plane-of-incidence azimuth angles are ±45° with respect to a polarizer absorption axis. In the context of VND filters, the most problematic cases occur near crossed polarizers, corresponding to selection of higher densities. For example, 10-stops corresponds to an angle of 88.2° between the axes, giving 0.1% transmission (optical density=3) at normal incidence. FIG. 2 shows the minimum and maximum transmission of a two-polarizer VND at the OD3 setting versus angle of incidence (AOI). At an extreme AOI of ±45°, the highest transmission on the polar transmission plot is 1.9%, and the lowest transmission is zero. So at the worst-case angles, the highest transmission is 19× brighter than the target transmission, and the lowest transmission represents complete blocking of the incoming light, creating a very high contrast artifact. FIG. 2 shows that the minimum transmission falls to zero by 24° AOI, and for all higher AOI, there exists one or more angles with zero transmission. In the context of image capture, this artifact takes the form of a high contrast cross-pattern superimposed on the image.
In many instances, the poly-vinyl-alcohol (PVA) polarizer films are also clad with cellulose-triacetate (TAC) protective films. This further exacerbates the problem by introducing about 100 nm of negative c-plate retardation (i.e. a negative uniaxial retarder with optic axis normal to the substrate) between the PVA films. The c-plate has greatest influence at the ±45° azimuth, with no effect on the 0/90° azimuth. Thus, the contrast of the cross-pattern is further increased. TAC can also introduce additional haze that contributes to veiling glare. Veiling glare is also increased in current products via multiple air spaced elements, and functional/carrier substrates that scatter light and reduce image contrast. In addition to TAC protective films, this includes haze produced by low-spec thick glass, compensation films and quarter-wave retarder films (e.g. polycarbonate), adhesives, and coatings. Anti-Reflection (AR) coatings reflect some light at normal incidence, with reflectivity and color shift typically increasing off-normal. Similar to lens flare, this produces ghosts particularly when used in wide shots.
Higher quality VND products tend to use "compensation films" to counteract the geometrical rotation phenomenon. Compensators can greatly improve the contrast uniformity by effectively applying a polarization rotation that is specific to the angle of incidence and azimuth. Though this can dramatically mitigate contrast variation, compensators also tend to introduce color shifts. This is because they tend to be composed of uniaxial/biaxial retarder films, which have wavelength dependence (i.e. retardation dispersion). As such, the polarization transformation (as observed on the Poincare Sphere) for a particular incidence angle/azimuth traces a contour as a function of wavelength. The result when polarization is analyzed is a chromatic transmission function, which again can introduce an image artifact. The artifact is typically converted from a high contrast cross to a lower contrast cross with azimuth dependent tint.
Compensator films include single-layer biaxial half-wave retarders oriented along an absorption axis, where the retardation in the thickness direction is quarter-wave. In the ±45° azimuth, the projection of the optic axis deviates from the polarizer absorption axis in a way that increases with incidence angle. The half-wave retarder reflects the input polarization about the slow axis, thus aligning the polarization with the absorption axis of the analyzing polarizer. This greatly reduces the leakage, but introduces color shift.
A pair of polarizers with a biaxial half-wave retarder between them, using an angle of 88.2° (10-stops) gives a range in transmission of 0.43 log units at a maximum of 45° incidence, which is much improved over the casewithout compensation. But at an azimuth of 45°, the filter has a spectral minimum at the half-wave retardation (typically at about 520 nm for polycarbonate). This causes a decidedly magenta tint, particularly at the 45°/−135° azimuth angles. The deviation in color for an ideal spectrally flat input at this incidence angle is Δu′v′=0.083. At 0/90°, the output is in general achromatic.
Another compensator is a biaxial film combined with a positive c-plate (positive uniaxial with optic axis normal to the substrate). For instance, a biaxially stretched film with an in-plane retardation of 115 nm and a thickness direction retardation of 103.5 nm, combined with a positive c-plate retardation of 150 nm is another embodiment. Like the biaxial half-wave retarder, it is a corrector of geometrical distortion. And likewise, the retarders have a dispersion that causes azimuth-dependent color shift. The worst-case contrast variation for this solution, assuming zero birefringence dispersion, is 0.84 log units at 10-stops, and the color shift is Δu′v′=0.147 relative to equal-energy white. This solution shows more azimuth-dependent color variation than the former, with a maximum deviation between any two points of Δu′v′=0.196. Another form of VND filter is electro-optical; using liquid crystal devices to change density. In some applications (e.g. intra-field modulation of density in video), rapid tuning and the lack of moving parts is advantageous. Significant progress has been made in recent years to produce LC VND filters with angle-insensitive density/color and sufficient range in tuning density. However, the ability to maintain uniform transmission and color over a 45° half-cone angle, and over the full range of density tuning, is extremely challenging for LC devices. This may force them into positions in the optical train where light is more collimated, a situation that may be undesirable. Moreover, there can be disadvantages to an electro-optic device (e.g. for unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, or drones), where the need for constant application of a DC-balanced drive voltage results in an undesirable consumption of power. Electro-mechanical tuning need only consume power when the density is changed.

Wide angle variable neutral density filter


A non-metallic antimicrobial impregnated medical implant, such as a catheter, and a method for impregnating a non-metallic medical implant with an antimicrobial agent is provided. The method for making the impregnated implant comprises the steps of forming an antimicrobial composition of an effective concentration to inhibit the growth of organisms, such as staphylococci, other gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacilli and Candida and applying the antimicrobial composition to at least a portion of the medical implant under conditions where the antimicrobial composition permeates the material of the medical implant. The antimicrobial composition is formed by dissolving an antimicrobial agent in an organic solvent, adding a penetrating agent to the composition, and adding an alkalinizing agent to the composition. The antimicrobial composition is preferably heated to a temperature between about 30.degree. C. and 70.degree. C. prior to applying the composition to the medical implant to enhance the adherence of the antimicrobial agent to the medical implant material. After the impregnated implant is removed from the antimicrobial solution, the impregnated implant is allowed to dry then rinsed with a liquid and milked to remove excess granular deposits and ensure uniform color of the impregnated implant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to indwelling medical devices, such as catheters, the material of which is impregnated with one or more antimicrobial agents to inhibit the growth of bacterial and fungal organisms, such as staphylococci, other gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacilli and Candida. The invention also relates to a method of impregnating the indwelling medical device with one or more antimicrobial agents, such as minocycline and rifampin.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Indwelling medical devices including vascular catheters are becoming essential in the management of hospitalized patients by providing venous access. The benefit derived from these catheters as well as other types of medical devices such as peritoneal catheters, cardiovascular devices, orthopedic implants and other prosthetic devices is often offset by infectious complications. The most common organisms causing these infectious complications are Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. In the case of vascular catheters, these two organisms account for almost 70-80% of all infectious organisms, with Staphylococcus epidermidis being the most common organism. Candida albicans, a fungal agent, accounts for about 10-15% of catheter infections.
Another common hospital-acquired infection is urinary tract infection (UTI). The majority of cases of UTI are associated with the use of urinary catheters, including transurethral foley, suprapubic and nephrostomy catheters. These urinary catheters are inserted in a variety of populations, including the elderly, stroke victims, spinal cord-injured patients, post-operative patients and those with obstructive uropathy. Despite adherence to sterile guidelines for the insertion and maintenance of urinary catheters, catheter-associated UTI continues to pose a major problem. For instance, it is estimated that almost one-quarter of hospitalized spinal cord-injured patients develop symptomatic UTI during their hospital course. Gram-negative bacilli account for almost 60-70%, enterococci for about 25% and Candida species for about 10% of cases of UTI.
Colonization of bacteria on the surfaces of the catheter or other part of the device can produce serious patient problems, including the need to remove and/or replace the implanted device and to vigorously treat secondary infective conditions. A considerable amount of attention and study has been directed toward preventing such colonization by the use of antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, bound to the surface of the materials employed in such devices. In such attempts the objective has been to produce a sufficient bacteriostatic or bactericidal action to prevent colonization.
Various methods have previously been employed to coat the surfaces of medical devices with an antibiotic. For example, one of the simplest methods would be to flush the surfaces of the device with a solution of the antibiotic combination. Generally, coating the surfaces by a simple flushing technique would require convenient access to the implantable device. For example, catheters are generally amenable to flushing with a solution of rifampin and minocycline or rifampin and novobiocin. For use in flushing solutions, the effective concentration of the antibiotic would range from about 1 to 10 .mu.g/ml for minocycline, preferably about 2 .mu.g/ml; 1 to 10 .mu.g/ml for rifampin, preferably about 2 .mu.g/ml; and 1 to 10 .mu.g/ml for novobiocin, preferably about 2 .mu.g/ml. The flushing solution would normally be composed of sterile water or sterile normal saline solutions.
Another known method of coating the devices would be to first apply or absorb to the surface of the medical device a layer of tridodecylmethyl ammonium chloride (TDMAC) surfactant followed by an antibiotic coating layer. For example, a medical device having a polymeric surface, such as polyethylene, silastic elastomers, polytetrafluoroethylene or Dacron, can be soaked in a 5% by weight solution of TDMAC for 30 minutes at room temperature, air dried, and rinsed in water to remove excess TDMAC. Alternatively, TDMAC precoated catheters are commercially available. For example, central vascular catheters coated with TDMAC are available from Cook Critical Care, Bloomington, Ind. The device carrying the absorbed TDMAC surfactant coating can then be incubated in an antibiotic solution for up to one hour or so, allowed to dry, then washed in sterile water to remove unbound antibiotic and stored in a sterile package until ready for implantation. In general, the antibiotic solution is composed of a concentration of 0.01 mg/ml to 60 mg/ml of each antibiotic in an aqueous pH 7.4-7.6 buffered solution, sterile water, or methanol. According to one method, an antibiotic solution of 60 mg of minocycline and 30 mg of rifampin per ml of solution is applied to the TDMAC coated catheter.
A further method known to coat the surface of medical devices with antibiotics involves first coating the selected surfaces with benzalkonium chloride followed by ionic bonding of the antibiotic composition. See, e.g., Solomon, D. D. and Sherertz, R. J., J. Controlled Release, 6:343-352 (1987) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,133.
Other methods of coating surfaces of medical devices with antibiotics are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,566 (a medical device substrate carrying a negatively charged group having a pKa of less than 6 and a cationic antibiotic bound to the negatively charged group); U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,686 (antibiotics are dissolved in a swelling agent which is absorbed into the matrix of the surface material of the medical device); U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,121 (constructing the medical device with ionogenic hydrogels, which thereafter absorb or ionically bind antibiotics); U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,306 (laminating an antibiotic to a polymeric surface layer of a medical device); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,419 (applying a film of silicone oil to the surface of an implant and then contacting the silicone film bearing surface with antibiotic powders).
These and many other methods of coating medical devices with antibiotics appear in numerous patents and medical journal articles. Practice of the prior art coating methods results in a catheter or medical device wherein only the surface of the device is coated with the antibiotic. While the surface coated catheter does provide effective protection against bacteria initially, the effectiveness of the coating diminishes over time. During use of the medical device or catheter, the antibiotics leach from the surface of the device into the surrounding environment. Over a period of time, the amount of antibiotics present on the surface decreases to a point where the protection against bacteria is no longer effective.
Accordingly, there is a need for a catheter or medical device that can remain in vivo for extended periods of time without losing its antimicrobial efficacy. There is also a need for an easy and inexpensive method of applying an antimicrobial agent to a medical device, such as a catheter, that provides protection against bacterial and fungal organisms for extended periods of time.

Antimicrobial impregnated catheters and other medical implants

Baylor College of Medicine Board of Regents


Novel compounds of Formula 1 are useful to treat disorders responsive to openers of the large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels: ##STR1## wherein "Het" is one of a select group of heterocyclic moieties; Z is independently for each occurrence selected from O or S; R.sup.a, R.sup.b and R.sup.c each are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, OH, CF.sub.3, ##STR2## provided R.sup.c is not hydrogen; and when R.sup.a and R.sup.b are hydrogen, R.sup.c may be a heterocyclic moiety selected from the group consisting of imidazol-1-yl, morpholinomethyl, N-methylimidazol- 2-yl, and pyridinyl; R.sup.d and R.sup.e each are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, CF.sub.3, NO.sub.2 or imidazol-1-yl; m, n and p each are independently selected from an integer of O or 1; and R.sup.f and R.sup.g each are independently hydrogen; C.sub.1-4 alkyl; or R.sup.f and R.sup.g, taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, is a heterocyclic moiety selected from the group consisting of N-methylpiperazine, morpholine, thiomorpholine, N-benzylpiperazine and imidazolinone.

Stroke is presently recognized as the third leading cause of adult disability and death in the United States and Europe. In the past decade, several therapeutic approaches for the minimization of stroke-related brain damage have been pursued including inhibitors of AMPA/kainate, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and adenosine reuptake inhibitors. It is the object of the present invention to provide novel compounds that will modulate potassium channels, in particular, large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels which will be useful in reducing neuronal damage during ischemic conditions of a stroke episode.
Potassium channels play a key role in regulation of cell membrane potential and modulation of cell excitability. Potassium channels are themselves regulated by voltage, cell metabolism, calcium ion and receptor mediated processes. Cook, N. S., Trends in Pharmacol. Sciences (1988), 9, p. 21-28; and Quast, U. and Cook, N. S., Trends in Pharmacol. Sciences (1989), 10, p. 431-435!. Calcium-activated potassium (K.sub.Ca) channels are a diverse group of ion channels that share a dependence on intracellular calcium ions for activity. The activity of K.sub.Ca channels is regulated by intracellular Ca.sup.2+ !, membrane potential and phosphorylation. On the basis of their single-channel conductances in symmetrical K.sup.+ solutions, K.sub.Ca channels are divided into three subclasses: large conductance (BK) >150 pS; intermediate conductance 50-150 pS; small conductance <50 pS. ("pS" stands for picosiemen, a unit of electrical conductance.) Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels are present in many excitable cells including neurons, cardiac cells and various types of smooth muscle cells. Singer, J. J. and Walsh, J. V., Pflugers Archiv. (1987) 408, p. 98-111; Baro, I., and Escande, D., Pflugers Archiv. (1989) 414 (Suppl. 1), p. S168-S170; and Ahmed, F. et al., Br. J. Pharmacol. (1984) 83, p. 227-233!.
Potassium ions play a dominant role in controlling the resting membrane potential in most excitable cells and in maintaining the transmembrane voltage near the K.sup.+ equilibrium potential (E.sub.k) of about -90 mV. It has been shown that opening of potassium channels shifts the cell membrane potential towards the equilibrium potassium membrane potential (E.sub.k), resulting in hyperpolarization of the cell. Cook, N. S., Trends in Pharmacol. Sciences (1988), 9, p. 21-28!. Hyperpolarized cells show a reduced response to potentially damaging depolarizing stimuli. BK channels which are regulated by both voltage and intracellular Ca.sup.2+ act to limit depolarization and calcium entry and may be particularly effective in blocking damaging stimuli. Therefore cell hyperpolarization via opening of BK channels may result in protection of neuronal cells under ischemic conditions.
The role of potassium channels in the operation of the smooth muscle of the human urinary bladder is discussed by S. Trivedi, et al. in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, (1995), 213, No.2, p. 404-409.
A range of synthetic and naturally occuring compounds with BK opening activity have been reported. The avena pyrone extracted from avena sativa-common oats has been identified as a BK channel opener using a lipid bi-layer technique International Patent application WO 93/08800, published May 13, 1993!. 6Bromo-8-(methylamino) imidazo1,2-a!pyrazine-2-carbonitrile (SCA-40) has been described as a BK channel opener on the basis of limited electrophysiological experiments Laurent, F. et al., Br. J. Pharmacol. (1993) 108, p. 622-626!. The flavanoid, Phloretin has been found to affect the opening of Ca.sup.2+ -activated potassium channels in myelinated nerve fibers of Xenopus laevis using outsideout patches Koh, D-S., et al., Neuroscience Lett. (1994) 165, p. 167-170!.
EPO 0-435177-A2 published on Jul. 3, 1991, discloses substituted triazolones of Formula (i) ##STR3## wherein R and R.sub.2 are C.sub.1-4 alkyl, C.sub.1-4 alkoxy, halogen, or trifluoromethyl and
(R.sub.2).sub.m is methylenedioxy; PA1 R.sub.1 is hydrogen or C.sub.1-4 alkyl; and PA1 m and n are 0, 1 or 2. PA1 n=0, 1 or 2; PA1 R.sub.2 is hydrogen or C.sub.1-3 alkyl; and PA1 R.sub.4 is C.sub.1-3 alkyl. PA1 R.sub.2 is hydrogen or R.sub.1 ; PA1 R.sub.3 is hydrogen or C.sub.1-4 alkyl; PA1 Y and Z are independently O or S; PA1 R.sub.4 is either (1), if m=1, C.sub.1-8 alkylene, --C.sub.x H.sub.2x --Q--C.sub.y H.sub.2y --(Q is O or S, x and y are integers whose sum is 2 to 4), phenylene, diphenylene or naphthalene or a ##STR6## group; or (2) if m=2, alkylene, alkylene ether, alkylene thioether, diphenylene, or napthalene. The compounds are antioxidants for organic polymers.
These compounds are anticonvulsants. Note that, in Formula (i) compounds, R cannot be hydroxyl.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,002 issued to J. A. Miller on Jul. 19, 1994, discloses compounds of Formula ii: ##STR4## wherein R is halogen, trifluoromethyl, C.sub.1-4 alkyl or C.sub.1-4 alkoxy;
These Formula ii compounds are memory enhancers. Note that the hetero rings bear only one substituted phenyl moiety in structure ii.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,803 issued to S. Rosenberger and K. Schwarzenbach on Jul. 27, 1976, relates to compounds of Formula iii: ##STR5## wherein R.sub.1 is alkyl, cycloalkyl or aralkyl;
EPO 0-533276-A1 published on Mar. 24, 1993, shows compounds of Formula iv: ##STR7## wherein one of P or Q is an ortho-substituted phenyl group and the other a substituted benzyl. The Formula iv compounds are miticides and insecticides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,858 issued to Y. Hayashi, et al. on May 26, 1992, discusses 4-imidazolone compounds which have activity as lipid peroxidase inhibitors. They may be of Formula v: ##STR8## wherein X.sub.4 is H, halogen, alkyl or alkoxy, p is 1 to 3, Y is >C.dbd.O or .dbd.C(OH)--, R.sub.1 is (cyclo)alkyl, alkenyl, or aralkyl and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are H or a variety of hydrocarbon, or hydrocarbonoxy groups.
A. E. Wilder Smith disclosed in Arzneim. Forsch. (1967) 67, No. 17, p. 768-772, the preparation and study of compounds of Formula vi: ##STR9## wherein X is H or Cl and n is 1 or 2. The compounds have tuberculostatic properties. Formula vi compounds do not encompass substitution para to the hydroxyl group.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,252 issued to S. M. Sorensen, et al., on Jul. 25, 1995, describes the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders using 5-aryl-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ones of Formula vii: ##STR10## wherein Ar is individually phenyl, naphthyl or an aromatic heterocyclic group, R.sub.1 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, R.sub.2 is lower alkyl, R is individually alkyl, alkoxy, hydroxy, halogen or trifluoromethyl, n is 0-2 or (R).sub.n --Ar together is methylenedioxyphenyl. Formula vii does not encompass diphenyl compounds.
None of these discloses all of the compounds of the invention or their use as potassium channel modulators.

Diphenyl oxadiazolones as potassium channel modulators


Disclosed is an apparatus for measuring an amount of current in battery cells. The apparatus includes: a plurality of resistors (R1, R2, and R3) connected in parallel; a main chip connected to both ends of one (R1) of the plurality of resistors, detecting voltage across the connected resistor, and adding up the amount of current on the basis of the detected voltage; a multiplexer selecting one of the other resistors (R2 and R3) when the amount of current added up at the main chip exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and a plurality of switches connected to the plurality of resistors respectively, and switched on/off by an output signal of the multiplexer. Thereby, it is possible to prevent damage to the surrounding components caused by the generation of heat from the single detection resistor, and detect a more precise amount of current in the battery cells.

A conventional method of calculating an amount of current in battery cells has employed a method of detecting and integrating the current in each component using a single fixed detection resistor. This method generates heat due to the use of the single detection resistor, and specifically due to the current in the detection resistor when a long time has lapsed, so that the measurement of the current amount in the battery cells is lowered in precision.
A battery pack fuel gauging system using such a single detection resistor will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the existing battery pack fuel gauging system 100 comprises battery cells, a resistor 101 for detecting the current from the battery cells, and a main chip 102 detecting and integrating an amount of the detected current.
This battery pack fuel gauging system employs a method of detecting the current in the detection resistor 101 at the main chip 102 at constant time intervals, and continuously adding up the current.
However, in the method used in the conventional system, increase of the current in the detection resistor 101 during charging or discharging causes an increase in temperature, so that the measurement of the amount of current added up at the main chip 102 is lowered in precision, which has a bad influence on the surrounding components.
Thus, there is formed the necessity of preventing damage to the surrounding components caused by the generation of heat of the detection resistor 101 during charging or discharging, and detecting a more precise amount of battery current.

Apparatus and method for measuring the amount of the current in battery cells using a plurality of sensing resistors


A layered composite bat is designed to include fiber angles of orientation that are layered and progressive. The bat includes a multi-layered composite material configuration wherein progressing from an innermost layer to an outermost layer, the unidirectional fiber angle of orientation within each layer increases from an angle substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bat to an angle substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bat. In progressing from an innermost layer to an outermost layer, there also exists at least one instance where subsequent positive angles of orientation are separated by or vary by about 15 degrees. The bat may include multiple walls. Each wall contains layers that progress from a low angle to a high angle in 15-degree increments.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a composite material bat. More specifically, the bat includes a shell made of multiple layers of unidirectional fiber, wherein the orientation of the fibers increases from a low angle to a high angle from the interior of the shell to the exterior of the shell.
2. Description of Related Art
Diamond sports, such as baseball and softball, typically use bats made of various materials and configurations. Depending on such factors including the regulations of a sport and the gender and age of the players, the size, weight, or dimensions of a bat may also vary. In developing a bat, design considerations include longitudinal stiffness, moment of inertia, mass, and center of gravity. Common materials for bats include wood, plastics, metals, and composites.
Solid wood bats are traditionally used in baseball. Due to impact forces, wood bats are prone to cracking. The wood bats used in baseball are typically constructed of white ash or maple. Wood bats may also be made of hickory and bamboo. Wood bats have become increasingly expensive, causing some baseball leagues to turn to alternative material bats.
Plastic bats are more often used by very young children. For example, plastic bats are used when playing whiffle ball. Plastic bats are designed to withstand the smaller forces exerted by smaller individuals and less rigid, slower moving balls.
Metal bats are typically hollow, tubular, thin-walled shells composed of aluminum or titanium. Metal bats are most commonly used by baseball youth leagues and in fast pitch and slow pitch softball. Metal bats have a tendency to deform in the impact zones due to their thin-walled structure. Once a metal bat is deformed, the trajectory of a ball coming in contact with the bat becomes unpredictable and the bat is typically discarded.
Composite materials can be expensive. Composite materials or composites are materials made from two or more individual materials. When combined, the individual materials retain their own properties. However, the overall composite assumes some combination of the properties of both materials.
Composite materials may be formed of fibers embedded in a matrix. For example, a unidirectional carbon fiber resin matrix composite material is made of carbon fibers embedded within an epoxy resin matrix. The carbon fibers have a high toughness and are typically brittle. The toughness of a material refers to the ability of that material to resist fracture. The brittleness or ductility of a material refers to the tendency of that material to deform prior to fracture. The more brittle a material, the less that material deforms prior to fracture. The more ductile a material, the more that material deforms prior to fracture. Most matrix materials tend to be ductile but not very tough. However, when the epoxy resin and carbon fibers are combined, the composite material may assume an adequate toughness and ductility for use in high impact equipment.
Composite material bats are most commonly used in college softball. Of the materials typically used to construct bats, composite materials allow for the most design flexibility and customization. In other words, longitudinal stiffness, moment of inertia, mass, and center of gravity may be more precisely controlled using such design factors as type of matrix material, type and modulus of the fibers, orientation of the fibers, and number of layers or thickness of the composite.
Composite materials may be isotropic or orthotropic in nature. Isotropic materials have material properties that are independent of the direction of an applied force. In other words, a material property, such as toughness, does not vary if a force is applied longitudinally or axially. Orthotropic materials have material properties that are dependent on the direction of an applied force. Composite materials are typically orthotropic. In other words, a material property, such as toughness, is dependent on the orientation of an applied force. Composite materials having unidirectional fibers embedded in a matrix are orthotropic.
Impact with balls typically cause composite material bats to fail by cracking or breaking. To inhibit failure in composite material devices, manufacturers have taken various approaches. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,108 to Souders et al. that teaches a layered fiber-reinforced composite material bat made of pre-impregnated ("prepreg") material. The composite material of the Souders bat includes a braided base layer and additional unidirectional fiber layers that alternate between +/−30 degrees and +/−45 degrees. The braided base layer is composed of fibers that are oriented at 0 degrees and 90 degrees. The additional unidirectional fiber layers alternate in the following manner: +30 degrees, −30 degrees, +45 degrees, −45 degrees, +30 degrees, −30 degrees, +45 degrees, −45 degrees. Each +/−layer combination is a ply, and the bat of Souders et al. uses as many as eight plies.
A second example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,723 to Baum that teaches a layered composite material bat including a first sock, a second sock, and an exterior layer made of wood veneer planks. The first sock is comprised of a first layer made of Dupont Kevlar® or S-2 glass fiber with fibers aligned along the longitudinal axis of the bat. The second layer made of graphite is comprised of fibers aligned at a 90 degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the bat. The third and fourth layers are comprised of fibers arrayed at 45 degrees to the fibers of the first two layers. The second sock is constructed similarly to the first sock. However, the second sock includes an additional fiberglass layer with fibers aligned at a 90 degree angle to the longitudinal axis of the bat.
A third example is U.S. Pat. No. RE35081 to Quigley that teaches a layered composite member, such as a sail mast, with high bending strength. The Quigley apparatus includes an innermost ply with unidirectional strands that may be oriented anywhere between +/−30 degrees and +/−90 degrees. A second, adjacent ply has two sets of fibers that are oriented axially along the circumference of the member. The first set of fibers comprises multiple, unbraided, and continuous strips. The second set of fibers comprises multiple braided strips. The second ply is composed of alternating strips of the first and second sets of fibers. Third, fourth, and fifth plies are constructed similarly to the second ply. However, third and fifth plies have fibers that are helically oriented at an angle between +/−5 degrees and +/−60 degrees along the circumference of the member. Similar to the second ply, the fourth ply is axially oriented along the circumference of the member. A final ply of similar construction and fiber orientation as the innermost ply is then applied.
A fourth example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,580 to Wright that teaches a method of manufacturing an elongate article such as a golf club shaft. The elongate article is composed of multiple layers of a prepreg composite material. The inner, outer, and interior layers have unidirectional fibers that are aligned with the longitudinal axis of the elongate article. Additional interior layers also have unidirectional fibers oriented between +/−25 and +/−45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the article.
While the art has addressed many issues related to strength and bending, the challenges of a thick-walled composite shell experiencing repeated impact forces remains unaddressed. In composite material bats, the impact of a ball with the bat tends to cause compression forces on the outermost layers of the bat that shift to tensile forces on the innermost layers of the bat. As a result, many composite bats tend to fail around the edges of the impact zone because the bat is not designed to withstand both compressive and tensile forces. Alternatively, some composite bats may use braided layers, which may be difficult and expensive to manufacture. The use of braided layers may also undesirably increase the weight of the bat.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a composite material bat capable of withstanding exterior compressive forces and interior tensile forces to increase durability while effectively managing weight and manufacturing costs.


An electricity echo cancellation device applied at a terminal includes: an input buffer memory module, a network echo delay computation module and an adaptive filtering module. The adaptive filtering module includes an adaptive filter, a subtracter and a dual-ended voice detection module. An electricity echo cancellation method includes: calculating a network echo delay according to relevant information of an RTCP packet transmitted from the network; and dynamically adjusting a terminal input signal to be adaptively filtered according to the network echo delay. The present invention ensures the electricity echo cancellation effect at the final user end on the whole, and improves the effectiveness of electricity echo cancellation. Meanwhile method of the present invention can be realized with software, thus avoiding influences of hardware memory restricts on the echo cancellation effect. In addition, the present invention only needs a single-point deployment, and thus the cost is saved.

With the continuous development of the Internet and telecommunication technologies, telecommunication applications over the Internet become more numerous. Recently, great development of the Voice over IP (VOIP) technology has been achieved. However, compared with the conventional telephone technologies, the VOIP technology has disadvantage in its voice quality for a main reason of echoes.
According to the generation principles, echoes are classified into acoustic echo and electricity echo. As shown in FIG. 1, Sin represents a near-end input signal, Sout represents a near-end output signal, Rin represents a far-end input signal, and Rout represents a far-end output signal. Taking the near-end as an example, the generation principle of electricity echoes is as follows. When the near-end input signal Sin is transmitted in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a mixing converter is needed to convert the two-line at the user end to the four-line in an exchanger. During the conversion, a part of signals are leaked from a near-end transmitting path to a near-end receiving path. This part of "leaked" signals is retransmitted to the near-end, and thereby a near-end user hears his/her own voices. This is electricity echo. Also taking the near-end as an example, the generation principle of acoustic echoes is as follows. The acoustic echo is caused by voice coupling between a voice playback device and a voice collection device. The far-end input voice signal Rin, after transmitted to the near-end, becomes the far-end output voice signal Rout. After the signal Rout is received by the near-end voice playback device, such as a speaker, and picked up by the near-end voice collection device, such as a microphone, via various reflecting paths or without any reflection, the signal Rout is retransmitted to the far-end, and thereby a far-end user hears his/her own voices. This is acoustic echo.
Generally, typical echoes with a delay of 16˜20 ms are called sidetone, which are even desired by a user because the user may feel comfortable when hearing it in a talking. However, echoes with a delay of more than 32 ms would seriously influence the quality of a talking. With the development of communication technologies, talking distance supported by the VOIP technology is becoming longer and thus voice delay increases greatly, so that echo phenomenon is becoming much more serious. Therefore, echo cancellation becomes a problem to be overcome for the VOIP technology.
Presently, electricity echo cancellation is realized by an electricity echo canceller deployed on network. Taking the near-end in FIG. 1 as an example, the operation principle of an electricity echo canceller is as follows. Because an electricity echo signal r in the near-end is generated from the near-end input signal Sin with certain delay and returned to the near-end together with the far-end input signal Rin through the far-end output signal Rout, when no voice signal is inputted in the far-end, that is, Rin is not a voice signal, an electricity echo delay M might be estimated according to the correlation of the far-end output signals Rout and Sin. Then a near-end input signal Sin(n−M) at the time earlier than the current time n by M, i.e. the time (n−M), is selected as an input signal of an adaptive filter, and an estimated electricity echo signal r′ is derived through filtering computation. Then the estimated electricity echo signal r′ is subtracted from the far-end input signal Rin, and thus the purpose of eliminating the electricity echo in the far-end output signal is achieved. During the above process, the far-end output signal Rout should be used as a correction signal in order to continuously update coefficients of the adaptive filter, so that the estimated electricity echo signal could approach an actual electricity echo signal more exactly.
The principle of acoustic echo cancellation is similar to that of electricity echo cancellation except that an acoustic echo canceller (AEC) is generally deployed in a terminal.
The related art might bring about the following problems.
1. It is difficult for the conventional electricity echo canceller to ensure the electricity echo cancellation effect at the final user end on the whole. An electricity echo canceller could only eliminate electricity echo signals on the network where it is deployed. However, because an actual network is constructed by interconnecting sub-networks based on various network technology, an electricity echo canceller deployed in a certain sub-network could only eliminate electricity echo signals on this sub-network, and could not ensure the electricity echo cancellation effect on the whole network.
2. Influences of network transmission performance on the electricity echo cancellation effect are not considered. For a voice transmission network, its transmission performance may vary at different times due to various reasons, and thereby imposing influences on echo signals, for example, distorting echo signals. The conventional electricity echo cancellation method estimates an echo delay according to the correlation of media signals only in terms of media transmission, with no concern of the problem of inaccurate estimations on echo delay caused by influences of network transmission performance on echo signals, and thereby the echo cancellation effect could not be ensured. Further, because to estimate an electricity echo delay according to the correlation of media signals incurs a large amount of calculations, an electricity echo canceller usually needs to be realized with specific chips, and it is needed to deploy electricity echo cancellers on network in a multi-point manner, and the cost is high.
3. The electricity echo cancellation effect is restricted by hardware memory. During eliminating electricity echoes, terminal input signals in a previous time period need to be saved so as to serve as reference signals for estimating electricity echo signals. Because of limited hardware memory, when transmission delay is long, a terminal input signal corresponding to the current electricity echo signal might have been discarded by the hardware memory, and thereby the electricity echo cancellation effect could not be ensured.

Electricity echo cancellation device and method


A moisture curable, one-part sealant composition comprising a silicone-urethane copolymer is provided. The copolymer is prepared via reaction of an alpha, omega hydroxy terminated siloxane having a molecular weight of 5,000 or less with a polyisocyanate. The copolymer has a free NCO content of greater than about 1 wt. % available for moisture cure upon usage.

Sealants and caulks are used for a variety of purposes, such as to fill in cracks, crevices or gaps in structural units and to fill spaces between neighboring panels or building units. The caulks and sealants function to protect the sealed surfaces against weather conditions and, accordingly, they must be capable of withstanding wide temperature, moisture, and sunlight exposure conditions in order to be successfully employed. These materials should be capable of absorbing shear, compression, and extension stresses exerted thereon caused by shifting movement of one structural unit relative to its neighboring unit. Ideally, the caulk or sealant should be capable of receiving paint and provide an acceptable adherence location therefor.
Various sealant and caulk types are presently in use. For example, polyurethane sealants provide versatile performance with excellent elongation and recovery and good tear strength and abrasion resistance. Most urethane sealant systems are based on reaction of polyhydroxy compounds with polyisocyanates to form polyurethane or urethane-urea elastomers.
In two-part urethane sealant compositions, an isocyanate source, typically a so-called urethane "prepolymer" is provided as one component to be mixed with a second component containing available hydroxyl functionality. Curing catalysts, such as methylene dianiline, fillers, and pigments may also be included within one or both of the formulation parts.
One-part moisture curing urethane sealant compositions are known in which, typically, an isocyanate prepolymer is mixed with fillers and pigments. The prepolymers cure via moisture absorption upon usage but curing catalysts, such as 1,2,4-trimethylpiperazine, can be used to speed the cure, but commonly require sacrifice in component storage life.
Silicone rubber sealants and caulks are also used and provide excellent heat resistance, low temperature flexibility and durability characteristics. Silicone sealants can be provided in either one-part or two-part formulations with the two-part mode usually comprising an hydroxyl-terminated polysiloxane and a cross-linking agent, such as ethyl orthosilicate packaged together as one of the parts. An organometallic activator or catalyst, such as dibutyl tin dilaurate is provided as the other part, with mixing of the two parts needed for curing.
In one-part silicone approaches, methyl substituted polysiloxanes having hydrolyzable end groups are commonly employed. When the component is subjected to atmospheric moisture upon usage, the hydrolyzable end groups are volatilized and the silicone effects cure through the formation of transient Si--OH bonds which condense to more stable Si--O--Si structure. The volatile hydrolyzable groups increase VOC emissions and, in some cases, can increase corrosion of the sealed structural units and create malodorous conditions.
As used herein, the terms "sealant" or "caulk" will be used interchangeably to denote the instant compounds that are used to fill and seal a joint. A sealant is bonded to the sides of a joint such that watertightness is retained even upon minor movement of the joint.
In contrast, a sealer is a liquid that is applied to a relatively porous surface to seal it and improve the adherence of the finish material or to waterproof the surface.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a storage stable one-part sealant composition in which the beneficial attributes of one-component urethane and silicone sealants are combined in a moisture curing sealant composition.
It is another object to provide such a composition that, unlike traditional one-part silicone formulations, does not contribute significant VOC emission upon moisture cure.
It is a more specific object to provide a silicone-urethane one-component sealant/caulk composition that exhibits enhanced toughness and anti-yellowing characteristics.

Moisture curable silicone-urethane copolymer sealants


A power supply system comprises a path switching means that switches a power supply path between power generation equipment and a load so that at least a part of output power of each power generation equipment is supplied to another power generation equipment during a power failure or power instability in the grid.

In recent years, a power generation equipment (for example, a photovoltaic cell and a fuel cell), as an auxiliary power supply for a power grid (hereinafter, "grid"), that can perform an interconnected operation in which power is supplied to a load by being interconnected to the grid is becoming widely used among power consumers.
In addition, a power generation equipment that can perform an independent operation in which power is supplied to a load without being interconnected to the grid (that is, independently of the grid), for example, during a power failure in the grid, is also known.
Furthermore, a power supply system in which power is supplied to a load by using both power generation equipment of a photovoltaic cell and a fuel cell has been proposed (see PTLs 1 and 2).

Power supply system, power distribution apparatus, and power control method


A security apparatus (2) monitors movement of users carrying security controllers (3a) through (3c) into and out of a security area (50), and controls security operations. The security apparatus (2) includes a communication unit (4) for communicating with each of the security controllers (3a) through (3c) and obtaining position information on the respective security controllers (3a) through (3c), a storage unit (11) for storing a security controller monitoring table (30), and a left-controller determining section (26) for judging whether any of the security controllers (3a) through (3c) has been left within the security area (50) and determining whether setting or canceling of the security mode is commanded automatically or based on the input operations by the users.

Currently, the number of various crimes such as robbery of articles placed inside cars and illegal entry of another's residence has been increasing, and the consciousness of people for crime prevention has been growing. To meet the demand generated with the increase in consciousness for crime prevention, a variety of crime-prevention goods have been developed.
For example, a security mechanism control system which locks and unlocks doors of a vehicle has been developed as an example of a security mechanism control system for a vehicle using radio waves. For example, according to security mechanism control systems disclosed in Patent Reference No. 1 (JP-A-2003-27790, publication date: Jan. 29, 2003), Patent Reference No. 2 (JP-A-2003-27791, publication date: Jan. 29, 2003), and Patent Reference No. 3 (JP-A-2003-301638, publication date: Oct. 24, 2003) or other references, a user can automatically lock or unlock a vehicle only by carrying a portable device and easily check that the vehicle has been locked. In these security mechanism control systems, the portable device transmits signals and a main device receives the signals. Thus, the user carrying the portable device can automatically unlock the vehicle only by approaching the vehicle and lock the vehicle by moving away from the vehicle.
In such a conventional type of security mechanism control system which automatically locks and unlocks doors of a vehicle when the user carrying the portable device gets into and out of the vehicle, a plurality of portable devices are prepared and separately used in some cases when the security target such as a vehicle is used by a plurality of users.
When the plural portable devices are used, however, the possibility that any of the portable devices is left inside the vehicle increases. If any of the plural portable devices is left inside the vehicle, the following problem occurs according to the conventional system.
Since the left portable device is located inside the vehicle, the main device determines that the user as the owner of the portable device is still staying inside the vehicle and does not automatically set the security condition for the vehicle in some cases. When this occurs, the user does not notice that the portable device has been left inside the vehicle and leaves the vehicle in the non-security condition.
In another case, each of the plural users has his/her portable device and the security mechanism control system automatically locks the vehicle when any of the plural users gets off the vehicle. In still another case, the user locks the vehicle by directly giving a locking command to the vehicle.
In either of these cases, the vehicle is automatically unlocked by the approach of a person other than the users when any of the portable devices is left inside the vehicle. This is because the requirements that a person is approaching the vehicle and that the portable device is positioned near the main device are satisfied, and therefore the locking condition set for the vehicle is automatically cancelled.
Moreover, when the plural portable devices are used in the system, such a case can happen where a user carrying the portable device moves away from the main device but another user stays near the main body.
In this case, the user leaving the vehicle considers that the vehicle has been automatically locked, but in reality the vehicle is not locked since the other user stays near the main device. Thus, the operation of the system depends on the behaviors of the users. There is a possibility that the requirement for unlocking is satisfied while the requirement for locking is satisfied. The above case is a result of the operation selected by the main body which has determined that the vehicle should be unlocked.
Therefore, when the plural portable devices are used, the main device does not always set the condition as the user desires.
According to the structures shown in Patent Reference Nos. 1 through 3, when the portable device left near the main body or carried by the user is positioned near the main body, the problems mentioned above cannot be solved. This is because the system does not have means for determining whether the portable device near the main body is the device left behind or the portable device carried by the user, nor means for appropriately notifying the user of the result of the determination.
In the structures shown in Patent Reference Nos. 1 through 3, therefore, in case of the plural portable devices are used, the vehicle cannot be locked or the locked condition is cancelled against the user's intension while the user is not noticing this situation.

Information processing apparatus, information processing control system, control method for information processing apparatus, control program for information processing apparatus recording medium on which control program for information processing apparatus is recorded


A method for protecting skin is provided. The method comprises administering to a subject in need a composition, wherein the composition comprises an effective amount of a Camellia sinensis callus extract, and the extract is a polar solvent extract of calluses of Camellia sinensis leaves. The method is especially for nursing skin, repairing skin, improving skin condition, delaying skin aging, assisting in maintaining content of collagen in skin, against photodamage, preventing skin lesions, and/or promoting wound healing.

Collagen, which is mainly distributed in the extracellular matrix and connective tissues, is the primary structural protein in animal body and is capable of supporting the structure of cellular tissues and maintaining the toughness of tissues. 90% of skin's dermis is consisting of collagen. Collagen gives skin its toughness, elasticity and moisture. It has been known that aging, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the generation of free radicals all may destroy the structure among collagens, and thus, may cause degradation and loss of collagen, thereby accelerating the skin aging such as skin sagging and wrinkles.
Glycosylation is a chemical reaction in which glucose is attached to a protein and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are thus generated. The AGEs accumulated in skin cells may not only lead to denaturation and loss of elasticity of protein those result in generation of skin wrinkles and skin aging, but also cause DNA damage and affect DNA's function in skin cells and even result in skin lesions.
Ultraviolet (UV) rays is also one of the primary factors that cause skin aging and skin lesions. It has been known that over 90% of UV in sunlight is UVA, which has very strong penetration to skin and can penetrate the dermis of skin and cause skin damages. Frequent exposure to UVA radiation will cause hyperactivation of matrix degrading enzymes, loss of collagen and elastin, acceleration of cell aging, and occurrence of aging phenomena (e.g., thickening of skin keratin, desiccation and desquamation of skin, generation of fine lines and dark spots, skin sagging, and loss of skin elasticity). In addition, UVA may also destroy the DNA of cells and cause DNA damage. Accumulation of excessive damaged DNA may not only cause cell aging but also lead to cellular variation, and thus, results in skin lesions and even skin cancer.
Therefore, an approach for resolving the above issues by using natural and safe materials is highly desirable in the art. Inventors of the present invention found that Camellia sinensis callus extract is effective in reducing the cell damage caused by UV, inhibiting loss of collagen in skin, promoting secretion of collagen in skin, inhibiting glycosylation of proteins in skin cells, and thus, can be used for nursing skin, repairing skin, improving skin condition, delaying skin aging, assisting in maintaining content of collagen in skin, against photodamage, preventing skin lesions, and/or promoting wound healing.

Method for treating skin aging and photodamage by using


A magnetometer for a force sensor assembly includes first inner and outer coils that are spaced axially apart from second inner and outer coils. Between the inner and outer coils is a plurality of magnetic strips. These magnetic strips are disposed at axially distinct portions within the inner and outer coils to detect magnetic field asymmetry. A drive circuit is connected to the inner coils and the outer coils generate an alternating magnetic field. The magnetometer of this invention creates an artificially enhanced demagnetization field reducing hysteresis within the sensor assembly.

This invention generally relates to a magnetometer for a torque sensor. More particularly, this invention relates to a magnetometer including several coils disposed relative to each for measuring torque related divergent magnetic fields.
A non-contact force sensor includes a force transducer element that responds to the application of force by generating a magnetic field. The generated magnetic field is then detected by a magnetometer. The force transducer element typically includes a magnetoelastic material that responds to the application of force by generating a magnetic field. The application of force to the magnetoelastic material creates shear stresses within the magnetized regions causing the direction of the magnet field generated by the force transducer element to shift from a substantially circumferential direction to a helical direction. The helical shifting of the magnetic field is detected as an axial component of the magnetic field. The axial component of the magnetic field is proportional to the applied force and provides an accurate and reliable indication of torque applied to a torque element.
Sensing of the magnetic field and specifically the axial components of the distortions in the magnetic field caused by force is accomplished through the use of a magnetometer or magnetic field sensor. A commonly used type of magnetic field sensor is a flux gate sensor, which is fabricated as a coil of magnet wire that generates a magnetic field to magnetically saturate a core of magnetically saturatable material. The coil is energized by an alternating current that provides periodic magnetic saturation of the core. The magnetic field produced by the force transducer is superimposed on the periodic magnetic field generated by the coils. The superimposing the magnetic field produced by the torque transducer shaft creates an asymmetry in the magnetic saturation of the coils. Changes in the inductance of the coils due to the magnetic saturation results in a voltage that is induced to the coils. It is this voltage that is measured to determine the amplitude and direction of force applied to the force transducer element.
It is commonly observed within magnetoelastic torque transducers a magnetic hysteretic effect wherein the zero-torque magnetic field emanating from the transducer does not return to zero amplitude following the application and removal of a stimulus torque. It is observed that the amplitude of the magnetic hysteresis resulting from the application of a force varies with the square of the magnetic flux passing within the transducer element, as a consequence of the magnetic field generated in the transducer from this force.
Consequently it is an object of the current invention to provide a means of attenuating the effects of magnetic hysteresis within the transducer through the operation of the magnetometer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The invention relates to therapeutic uses of isolated fractions of mastic gum for treating optic neuropathy. More particularly, the invention relates to methods of treating optic neuropathy conditions using compositions comprising isolated fractions of mastic gum.

Mastic, also known as gum mastic or mastic gum, is a tree resin obtained as an exudate from Pistacia lentiscus L., a member of the family Anacardiaceae. Mastic was used in the ancient Mediterranean world for treating various conditions, such as, gastrointestinal disorders such as gastralgia, dyspepsia and peptic ulcer. Oral administration of mastic to human patients with duodenal ulcer and to experimental rats with induced gastric and duodenal ulcers has been disclosed to have therapeutic effects (Al-Habbal et al (1984) Clin Exp Pharmacop Physio 11(5):541-4; Said et al (1986) J Ethnopharmacol 15(3):271-8).
U.S. Patent Application Publication No 2005/0238740 discloses that certain fractions extracted from mastic resin exhibit anti-microbial and anti-cell proliferative activities.
Paraschos et al (2007), authored by some of the inventors of the aforementioned patent application, disclose preparation of a total mastic extract without polymer (TMEWP), prepared by polar solvent extraction of crude mastic and removal of the insoluble polymer poly-β-myrcene therefrom, and acidic and neutral fractions separated from TMEWP (Paraschos et al (2007) Antimicrob Agents Chemother 51(2):551-559).
EP Patent Application No. 1520585 discloses use of a product obtained from a plant of the genus Pistacia for the manufacture of a medicament for treating or preventing cancer.
International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2005/112967 discloses the purification from mastic of anti-cancer material having anti-proliferative effects, which is found in a soluble fraction obtained by suspending mastic in a solvent selected from a non-acidic, aliphatic hydrocarbon, an aqueous solution containing at least 25% of a water-soluble, non-acidic, aliphatic hydrocarbon, or a combination thereof, and removing the insoluble fraction.
International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/186766 to some of the inventors of the present application, relates to compositions and formulations comprising isolated fractions derived from Cupressaceae plant material, use thereof for treating fibrotic conditions and neurodegenerative disorders.
International patent application publication No. WO 2010/100650 to some of the inventors of the present application, relates to therapeutic uses of gum mastic, and compounds found therein including polymeric myrcene, and to methods of treating impaired neurological function using compositions comprising polymeric myrcene.
International patent application publication No. WO 2010/100651 to some of the inventors of the present application, relates to compositions isolated from mastic gum, and their therapeutic use and to compositions comprising an isolated fraction of polymeric myrcene and formulations which maintain the biological activity of the active polymer.
Chinese Patent No. CN 103656290 discloses a method for the treatment and preparation of optic atrophy, which is mainly composed of a combination of compounds, including, rehmannia, cicada, angelica, astragalus, Breit, frankincense, myrrh, mulberry, Scrophulariaceae and other drugs prepared by a certain weight ratio. A drug of the disclosure has Shugan eyesight, detoxification, cooling Run liver function, for the treatment of optic atrophy quickly, effectively, with non-toxic side effects.
The optic nerve contains axons of nerve cells that emerge from the retina, leave the eye at the optic disc, and go to the visual cortex where input from the eye is processed into vision. Optic neuropathy refers to damage to the optic nerve due to any cause. Damage and death of these nerve cells, leads to characteristic features of optic neuropathy. The main symptom is loss of vision, with colors appearing subtly washed out in the affected eye. On medical examination, the optic nerve head can be visualized by an ophthalmoscope. A pale disc is characteristic of long-standing optic neuropathy. In many cases, only one eye is affected and patients may not be aware of the loss of color vision until physical inspection.
Optic neuropathy can result from various reasons, such as, Ischemic optic neuropathy, Optic neuritis, Compressive optic neuropathy, Infiltrative optic neuropathy, Traumatic optic neuropathy, mitochondrial optic neuropathy, Nutritional optic neuropathies, toxic optic neuropathies, hereditary optic neuropathies, and the like. Very few treatments of optical neuropathy are currently used, and most have a limited effect on specific type of optic neuropathy.
Glaucoma is one of the leading cause of blindness in the world. There are a variety of different types of glaucoma, all sharing the same pathophysiology of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) loss (Neuroprotection in glaucoma, Kaushik S, Pandav S S, Ram J J Postgrad Med. 2003 January-March; 49(1):90-5). The most common forms of glaucoma are primary open angel glaucoma (POAG), Primary close glaucoma (PCAG), primary congenital glaucoma (PCG). Glaucoma can also arise as a secondary complication of other pathophysiological conditions. Examples for secondary glaucomas are pigmentary, steroid-induced, exfoliation, angle recession, phacolitic and vascular glaucoma. The common mechanism of the disease is the elevated intraocular pressure (TOP) that induces stress on the RGCs and consequentially leads to their gradual loss. Therapeutic approaches that delay or halt RGCs loss have been recognized to be potentially beneficial to preserve vision in glaucoma. Indeed, currently available treatments focus on intraocular pressure (TOP) reduction, either by drugs or surgical intervention (Current and emerging medical therapies in the treatment of glaucoma, Bagnis A, Papadia M, Scotto R, Traverso C E, Expert Opin Emerg Drugs. 2011 June; 16(2):293-307). Additionnally, neuroregenerative therapies might have the potential to halt RGC loss through cell survival mechanisms (Glaucoma 2.0: neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, neuroenhancement, Chang E E, Goldberg J L, Ophthalmology. 2012 May; 119(5):979-86). However, these interventions not always halt progression of the glaucoma and loss of vision among patients.
Thus, there is a need in the art for compositions that are useful and effective in treating conditions of optical neuropathy, resulting from various reasons. The art does not provide any teaching that isolated fractions of mastic gum can be used for treating optical neuropathy conditions.

Use of isolated fractions of mastic gum for treating optic neuropathy


A method and an apparatus for improving the segmentation of a three-dimensional B-mode image by limiting the volume of pixel intensity data projected onto the imaging planes. If the volume of interest contains moving ultrasound scatterers, e.g., blood flowing in an artery or vein, the Doppler shift present in the ultrasound reflected from the flowing blood can be detected and then used to limit the amount of pixel data which is projected. The velocity or power data is used to identify those intensity values to be projected onto the imaging plane. This is accomplished by locating a reference data volume of pixels for which the velocity or power value is non-zero and then defining a source data volume which is essentially a function of that reference data volume. The reference data volume comprises pixels acquired from echo return signals reflected by the moving ultrasound scatterers. The source data volume comprises both pixels acquired from echo return signals reflected by the blood flow and pixels acquired from echo return signals reflected by the artery or vein containing that blood flow. Pixels outside the source data volume are not used to reconstruct the projected images of the artery or vein.

Conventional ultrasound scanners create two-dimensional B-mode images of tissue in which the brightness of a pixel is based on the intensity of the echo return. In color flow imaging, the movement of fluid (e.g., blood) or tissue can be imaged. Measurement of blood flow in the heart and vessels using the Doppler effect is well known. The frequency shift of backscattered ultrasound waves may be used to measure the velocity of the backscatterers from tissue or blood. The change or shift in backscattered frequency increases when blood flows toward the transducer and decreases when blood flows away from the transducer. The Doppler shift may be displayed using different colors to represent speed and direction of flow. In power Doppler imaging, the power contained in the returned Doppler signal is displayed. The color flow mode displays hundreds of adjacent sample volumes simultaneously, all color-coded to represent each sample volume's velocity. The color flow image may be superimposed on the B-mode image.
The present invention is incorporated in an ultrasound imaging system consisting of four main subsystems: a beamformer 2 (see FIG. 1), processor subsystem 4, a scan converter/display controller 6 and a master controller 8. System control is centered in master controller 8, which accepts operator inputs through an operator interface (not shown) and in turn controls the various subsystems. The master controller also generates the system timing and control signals which are distributed via a system control bus 10 and a scan control bus (not shown).
The main data path begins with the digitized RF inputs to the beamformer from the transducer. The beamformer outputs two summed digital baseband receive beams. The baseband data is input to B-mode processor 4A and color flow processor 4B, where it is processed according to the acquisition mode and output as processed acoustic vector (beam) data to the scan converter/display processor 6. The scan converter/display processor 6 accepts the processed acoustic data and outputs the video display signals for the image in a raster scan format to a color monitor 12. The scan converter/display controller 6, in cooperation with master controller 8, also formats multiple images for display, display annotation, graphics overlays and replay of cine loops and recorded timeline data.
The B-mode processor 4A converts the baseband data from the beamformer into a log-compressed version of the signal envelope. The B function images the time-varying amplitude of the envelope of the signal as a grey scale using an 8-bit output for each pixel. The envelope of a baseband signal is the magnitude of the vector which the baseband data represent.
The frequency of sound waves reflecting from the inside of blood vessels, heart cavities, etc. is shifted in proportion to the velocity of the blood cells: positively shifted for cells moving towards the transducer and negatively for those moving away. The color flow (CF) processor 4B is used to provide a real-time two-dimensional image of blood velocity in the imaging plane. The blood velocity is calculated by measuring the phase shift from firing to firing at a specific range gate. Instead of measuring the Doppler spectrum at one range gate in the image, mean blood velocity from multiple vector positions and multiple range gates along each vector are calculated, and a two-dimensional image is made from this information. The color flow processor produces velocity (8 bits), variance (turbulence) (4 bits) and power (8 bits) signals. The operator selects whether the velocity and variance or the power are out-put to the scan converter. The structure and operation of a color flow processor are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,629, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The acoustic line memories 14A and 14B of the scan converter/display controller 6 respectively accept processed digital data from processors 4A and 4B and perform the coordinate transformation of the color flow and B-mode data from polar coordinate (R-.theta.) sector format or Cartesian coordinate linear array to appropriately scaled Cartesian coordinate display pixel data stored in X-Y display memory 18. In the B-mode, intensity data is stored in X-Y display memory 18, each address storing three 8-bit pixels. Alternatively, in the color flow mode, data is stored in memory as follows: intensity data (8 bits), velocity or power data (8 bits) and variance (turbulence) data (4 bits).
A multiplicity of successive frames of color flow or B-mode data are stored in a cine memory 24 on a first-in, first out basis. The cine memory is like a circular image buffer that runs in the background, continually capturing image data that is displayed in real time to the user. When the user freezes the system, the user has the capability to view image data previously captured in cine memory. The graphics data for producing graphics overlays on the displayed image is generated and stored in the timeline/graphics processor and display memory 20. The video processor 22 multiplexes between the graphics data, image data, and timeline data to generate the final video output in a raster scan format on video monitor 12. Additionally it provides for various greyscale and color maps as well as combining the greyscale and color images.
The conventional ultrasound imaging system collects B-mode or color flow mode images in cine memory 24 on a continuous basis. The cine memory 24 provides resident digital image storage for single image review and multiple image loop review and various control functions. The region of interest displayed during single-image cine replay is that used during the image's acquisition. The cine memory also acts as a buffer for transfer of images to digital archival devices via the master controller 8.
Two-dimensional ultrasound images are often hard to interpret due to the inability of the observer to visualize the two-dimensional representation of the anatomy being scanned. However, if the ultrasound probe is swept over an area of interest and two-dimensional images are accumulated to form a three-dimensional volume, the anatomy becomes much easier to visualize for both the trained and untrained observer.
In three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of B-mode intensity data, the intensity data is difficult to segment due to poor contrast as well as the presence of noise and speckle in the data. However, if the region of interest can be limited, segmentation of the three-dimensional B-mode image could be improved.

Method and apparatus for segmenting B-mode intensity data using doppler shift data in three-dimensional ultrasound imaging


A method is described that automatically invokes in software a method call to a messaging service in response to an awareness that a proxy for a messaging service resource is needed. The method call requests the messaging service to create the messaging service resource.

Component based software environments use granules of software (referred to as "components" or "component instances") to perform basic functions. The functional granularity offered by a plurality of different components provides a platform for developing a multitude of more comprehensive tasks. Some examples of component based architectures include Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Component Object Model (COM) and Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) among others.
A container is a type of software platform that largely defines the operating environment of the software components that it "contains". The platform or operating environment defined by a container is usually at least partially defined by a set of "services". For example, in the case of a J2EE container, the layer of services offered by the J2EE container include a Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) service, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) service and a Java Messaging Service (JMS) among others.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary implementation of a physical machine 101 (e.g., a computer) having a plurality of containers 103_1 through 103_Z. Each container 103_1 through 103_Z is depicted as containing its own respective application software programs 106_1 through 106_J and 107_1 through 107_K that, in the case of a component based environment are each constructed from their own respective component instance(s).
For example, in the case of J2EE EJB containers, application programs are made of one or more Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) component instances, or, in the case of J2EE web containers, application programs are made of one or more Java servlet component instances and/or Java Server Pages (JSPs) (for Web containers). A Java servlet is used to support the invocation of functional task(s) called from a web page (such as a JSP) that has been downloaded to a client computer. A web page is a text document typically written in a markup language (such as HTML or XML).
Each container 103_1 through 103_Z is depicted as having its own associated layer of services 104_1 through 104_Z. A messaging service 105_1 through 105_Z is depicted as being associated with each container's respective layer of services 104_1 through 104_Z. In component based architectures, a messaging service is a body of software ("program code") that is responsible for the delivery of a message to the component to which the message has been sent. As such, messaging service 105_1 is responsible for the delivery of messages to applications 106_1 through 106_J, and, messaging service 105_Z is responsible for the delivery of messages to applications 107_1 through 107_K.
The applications observed in FIG. 1 may receive messages, for instance, as a consequence of component-to-component messaging (e.g., a first component invokes a method performed by a second component), or, web page to component messaging. In the case of J2EE, the messaging services 104_1 through 104_Z correspond to instances of the Java Messaging Service (JMS). Note that each messaging service 105_1 through 105_Z may be different instances of the same program code. Each messaging service instance may also support the sending of messages from the applications of its respective container to destinations residing outside its respective container.

Automated creation/deletion of messaging resources during deployment/un-deployment of proxies for the messaging resources