The invention relates to a fitting for connecting lengths of pipe by compression, having a substantially cylindrical internal contour. The fitting has a ridge which is configured in a radially outward direction and in which a sealing element is provided. The fitting is slidable onto the lengths of pipe, the internal contour having a region of non-circular cross-section. The invention also relates to a connecting arrangement for connecting lengths of pipe by compression, comprising a length of pipe and a fitting plus a sealing element which is arranged in the ridge. One axial gap which extends over the entire connecting region is formed between the length of pipe and the internal contour of the fitting in the uncompressed state. Such an axial gap with an open end would ensure that a leak exists even in the region of the sealing element in an uncompressed state.

The invention relates to a fitting for connecting lengths of pipe or tube by compression, having a substantially cylindrical internal contour having at least one ridge which is configured in a radially outward direction and in which a sealing element is provided, the fitting being slidable onto the lengths of pipe or tube.
Fittings of the above kind are known per se. Such fittings comprise a connecting socket in which is formed, to receive a sealing element, an elevation radially shaped outwards into a ridge-like form in cross-section. The elevation serves to receive an end of a pipe or tube. To produce a compression connection, the connecting socket is cold-formed to the pipe or tube by means of a compression tool. In the compression, both the ridge-like elevation with the sealing element situated inside it and also the adjoining regions on both sides of the elevation are deformed almost simultaneously, thus producing a non-releasable, permanently sealed connection.
Following the installation of a piping or tubing system, the system is pressurised in a regulation manner. If a point of connection has accidentally not been compressed, this pressure test normally produces a detectable leak. However, if there are adverse pairings of the tolerances of the fitting, sealing element and pipe or tube, it may happen that when the pipe or tube is inserted in the connecting socket the sealing element is subjected to pressure between the fitting and pipe or tube in such a way that no visible leak occurs. Only in subsequent operation does the uncompressed connection become increasingly leaky due to variations in temperature and pressure, which may result in considerable structural damage, particularly where the system is buried.
DE 102 17 824 C1 discloses a pipe connection, comprising a fitting, which is provided at least with a sealing element, and a line pipe, the end region of which comes to bear against a shoulder of the fitting after it has been slid into or onto the fitting. The line pipe has at least one region extending in the longitudinal direction that differs from the ideal circular shape. After the line pipe is inserted into or slid onto the fitting, there is at least one leakage point between the sealing element and the fitting or between the sealing element and the line pipe, which is closed in a gastight or liquidtight manner after a compressing operation. However, the line pipe of this compression connection is complex to produce. In addition, it causes considerable storage and stockkeeping expenditure. Furthermore, when the line pipe is slid into or onto the fitting, the sealing element may be changed in its functional position, in particular the leakage point may be reduced in its dimensions during the rolling or rotating of the sealing element, whereby the desired effect is greatly jeopardised.
Known from DE 197 22 935 C1 is a compression connection in which there is provided a sealing element having a cross-section lying in the circumferential direction which is given a cross-section which differs, in the form of a projection, from the initial cross-section. This produces a leak in the uncompressed state, which is removed after compression. However, the sealing element of this compression connection is complicated and cost-intensive to manufacture. What is more, the desired effect may be greatly jeopardised if, when the pipe or tube is inserted in the connecting socket, the sealing element is rolled or rotated in such a way that the projection of the sealing element is no longer situated in the functional position intended for it.
DE 101 64 568 C1 discloses a pipe connection, comprising a metallic press fitting, which has at least one section which is intended for receiving a sealing element and is formed in a ridge-like manner in cross-section, and a metallic line pipe with a smoothly formed end region. The sealing element has an identical cross-section which differs from the ideal circular cross-section in all cross-sectional planes. The sealing element is dimensioned in such a way and adopts a position radially in relation to the annular ridge and the line pipe in such a way that there forms a gap, which allows the medium that is to be carried to pass through and is closed in a sealing manner after the compressing operation. The sealing element of this compression connection is likewise very complex and cost-intensive to produce. A deterioration of the desired effect as a result of rolling or rotating of the sealing element also cannot be ruled out.
In DE 100 07 914 C1 is described a fitting for making a compression connection to an inserted end of a pipe or tube, which fitting has an end portion on which is arranged an annular ridge in which a sealing ring is provided. Provided at the ridge is a bulge which sets a spacing between the sealing ring and the wall of the end portion. It is only by the compression of this unsealed point that a sealed connecting arrangement is produced. The bulge is produced by a punch which has for example a spherical portion. This makes the transition from the annular groove to the bulge relatively sharp-edged, which means that, depending on the pairing of tolerances, the sealing element does not flow into the bulge in the desired way and the user must take care to see in what position the compression tool is fitted to the connecting socket.
Known from DE 101 18 955 A1 is a pipe connection comprising a metal compression fitting which has a portion which is of a ridge-like form in cross-section and in which a sealing element is arranged. In the fitted but uncompressed state, the sealing element occupies a position radially with respect to the annular ridge and the pipe which, even allowing for production tolerances on the sealing element, compression fitting and pipe, is of a size such that it produces a gap which allows the medium being carried to pass through, which gap is closed with a seal after compression. Something that is disadvantageous about this compression connection is that only a very small tolerance range is available when the fitting, sealing element and pipes are being produced, which means that production is very complicated and cost-intensive. The possibility of using standard pipes is largely ruled out. What is more, the pipe comes to rest in the connecting socket with a relatively large amount of play, as a result of which the pipe may easily slip out of the connecting socket in the course of further installation prior to the compression. This creates a risk of mis-compression.


An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a paper-type detecting unit that detects a paper type of a sheet to be printed, a fixing unit that sets fixing temperature on the basis of the paper type detected by the paper-type detecting unit and fixes a toner image on the sheet, and a fixing-temperature changing unit that changes the fixing temperature of the fixing unit to high temperature when a printed image fixed by the fixing unit is an image that fades or is matte compared with fixing temperature for an image that is rough or is glossy.

Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as a multifunction color copying apparatus (an MFP), types of media on which color image and the like are printed increase. Even when printing media are limited to paper, various types of paper having different thicknesses and the like are used.
Such types of paper are usually distinguished by basis weight (unit: g/m2) indicating weight per a fixed area. For example, papers in groups of basis weights 64 to 105, 106 to 163, 164 to 209, 210 to 256, and 257 to 300 are called plain paper, thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, and thick paper 4. These basis weights are usually written on packages of sheets. A user selects one of the groups of the written basis weights, whereby a printing condition corresponding to a type of paper belonging to the selected group is automatically set. In general, it is desirable to change a printing condition according to basis weight. However, basis weight may be unknown. In such a case, it is difficult to easily detect basis weight. It is possible to calculate basis weight from the density and thickness of a sheet. Although it is difficult to measure the density of a sheet, the measurement of paper thickness is relatively easy compared with the measurement of density. Therefore, there are known devices that detect paper thickness in order to learn a paper type and the like.
One of these paper thickness detecting devices includes a pair of conveying rollers that convey a sheet. The paper thickness detecting device measures a displacement amount of the conveying rollers when the sheet is passed between the conveying rollers and detects paper thickness from this displacement amount. In other words, the conveying rollers are used also as paper thickness detecting rollers.
In another one of the paper thickness detecting devices, a roller exclusively used for paper thickness detection is provided separately from the conveying rollers, a counter plate is provided to be opposed to this roller. The paper thickness detecting device measures an amount of displacement of the paper thickness detecting roller by a sheet entering between the counter plate and the paper thickness detecting roller and detects paper thickness.
Still another one of the paper thickness detecting devices includes, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-2003-237982, a driving roller instead of the counter plate and rotates the driving roller in synchronization with the conveyance of a sheet.
Such paper thickness detecting devices in the past detect paper thickness in any case. A paper type is estimated from the paper thickness. Therefore, usually, this paper thickness detection is performed, density is assumed, a paper type is estimated, and a printing condition, for example, fixing temperature of a toner image developed with a toner is changed according to the thickness of a sheet detected by the paper thickness detection. Consequently, in most cases, satisfactory printing can be performed.
However, as described above, even if paper thickness is fixed, when the density of the sheet is outside an assumed range of values, it is likely that basis weight changes and an optimum printing condition changes. In such a case, a sufficiently satisfactory printed image may not be obtained.

Image forming apparatus capable of changing fixing temperature and image forming method therefor


The present invention stems from the finding that two genes designated R2R1 and R2R2, play important roles in tissue development and cancer biology. In particular, the inventors have discovered that these two genes are expressed in pulmonary cells and are required for late branching morphogenesis of pulmonary epithelium and endothelium and support the development/maintenance of the refined three dimensional architecture of the lung. These genes are essential in the squamous differentiation program and development/maintenance of the progenitor (Krt14 expressing) cell pool. Moreover, the inventors have identified crucial roles for these genes in cancer biology, particularly processes associated with the acquisition of an immortal and metastatic phenotype (including cancer progression and metastasis) and pulmonary and cardiac development. Accordingly, the invention provides compounds and methods for use in the treatment of cardiac and pulmonary diseases and well as in cancer.

The expression of intermediate filament (Krt6), EDC (Epidermal Differentiation Complex) and SCC (Stratified epithelium-secreted protein gene complex) genes permits cellular survival in hostile environments. This expression profile leads to squamous differentiation and is a hallmark of skin epithelial cells. The inventors found that this transcriptional program is also vital for the refinement of pulmonary architecture (late branching morphogenesis): cells in distal airways and blood vessels need to assume a flat shape and acquire mechanical flexibility in an oxygen-rich environment. Proteins encoded by the intermediate filament group and associated EDC and SCC genes permit this kind of cell shape and flexibility. At the same time, the lung needs to maintain progenitor cells that are able to differentiate in cells capable of building such proteins. These progenitor or basal cells typically express the intermediate filament gene Krt14.
The lung is exposed to vast amounts of mechanical and oxidative stress and resembles the skin in this respect. The squamous differentiation program as mentioned above is the primary line of defence. Cells that line the distal airways and blood vessels of the lung need to withstand this stress and need to be replaced in case of cell death by a pool of progenitor cells.
Two human pathologies stand out by failure of this system.
                1. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD): Lungs of infants, which are born prematurely, are more susceptible to lung injury such as mechanical stress. Also, lungs of premature infants surviving lung injury often heal with significant scarring or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). These lungs have a limited or underdeveloped regenerative potential.        2. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Lungs of adult COPD patients seem to respond inappropriately to noxious stimuli such as smoking. Although they develop a barrier against these stimuli, their lack of regenerative capabilities in case of cell death leads to deformation of lung airways and blood vessels. Both BPD and COPD lead to significant morbidity and mortality.

Academisch Ziekenhuis Leiden A/U Leiden Uni Medical Ctr


The present disclosure relates to a heat source device and a substrate processing apparatus including same. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a chamber having an inner space in which a substrate is processed; a substrate support provided inside the chamber and supporting the substrate; and a heat source device including a supporting body provided in at least one side of the chamber, and a heat source unit provided parallel to the substrate support so as to heat the substrate. The heat source unit is provided with a first light transmission conduit connected to the supporting body, a heat source provided inside the first light transmission conduit, and a first cooling conduit provided inside the first light transmission conduit while being spaced apart from the heat source, and having a first spraying hole to spray a cooling gas. The temperature of the substrate may be efficiently controlled.

The present disclosure relates to a heat source device and a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, a heat source device and a substrate processing apparatus including same, wherein the heat source device is capable of efficiently control a temperature of a substrate.
Recently, a rapid thermal processing (RTP) method has been widely used as a heat treatment method of a substrate.
The RTP method is performed in such a manner in which radiation light emitted from heat sources such as a tungsten lamp is radiated to a substrate so as to thermally treat the substrate. When compared to a heat treatment method of the related art using a furnace, this RTP method may rapidly heat or cool the substrate, easily regulate and control a pressure condition and a temperature range, thereby improving a heat treatment quality of the substrate.
The graphene is a conductive material that has a thickness of one atomic layer in which carbon atoms form a honeycomb are arranged on a two-dimension, and has been an important model to research various low-dimensional nano-phenomena. Also, the graphene is significantly stable structurally and chemically and also is a very excellent conductive material, and it has been expected that the graphene can move electrons approximately 100 times faster than silicon, and can flow 100 times more electrons than copper.
The graphene is composed of carbon that is a light-weight element, and thus one-dimensional or two-dimensional nano pattern can be easily processed. Particularly, when using the above-described characteristics, semiconductor-conductor properties can be controlled, and a wide range of functional elements such as a sensor and a memory can be manufactured using the diversity of chemical bonds involved in carbon.
Recently, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method by means of the RTP has been introduced as the technique to synthesize the graphene. It has been possible to synthesize the graphene with a large surface area through the CVD method by means of the RTP. In this method, the quality of graphene is influenced by a temperature of a substrate on which the graphene is deposited. Particularly, it is required to rapidly and uniformly decrease a temperature of the substrate after the deposition of graphene.
Therefore, a method for directly cooling the substrate by supplying a cooling gas into a chamber has been used. However, due to residual heat of a heat source and a difference between cooling rates of the heat source, a temperature deviation according to positions of the substrate occurs, and this deviation affects the quality of graphene.

Heat source device and substrate processing apparatus including same


An image processing apparatus selectively sets a feature of securing the confidentiality of real data indicated by allocation data by an enabler attached to the apparatus when the real data left in a storage device are no longer necessary. The image processing apparatus (100) stores in a memory (11) an erasing program for erasing used data in an HDD (19). After executing an image forming process using the data in the HDD 19, if it is detected that an enabler (1) is inserted into an USB interface 20 to lift the restriction on the use of the erasing program, a CPU (10) deletes the allocation data for the unnecessary data and starts the erasing program to overwrite/erase the corresponding real data to secure the confidentiality of the real data. If otherwise, the CPU (10) does not overwrite/erase the real data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and so on for processing an image according to data stored in a storage device such as an HDD (hard disk). More particularly, the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing program and an image processing method for processing the data of the storage device that are no longer needed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image processing apparatus having a security feature of erasing the data that are once stored therein for the purpose of prevention of leakage of information are known. For example, a technique of providing a video data erasing unit that is equipped with a means for controlling the number of times of erasing operations to be performed by the video data erasing unit so as to allow a user to arbitrarily select the number of times of erasing the video data to be erased, considering the security level required for each processing mode in which the video data to be erased are output is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-153516).

Image processing apparatus and image processing method for processing unnecessary data stored in storage device


A package installer identifies a font package that facilitates rendering a font of a file being opened by a user based on font metadata downloaded from the remote server. The font metadata includes information identifying one or more font packages available for download from the remote server. Font metadata associated with each font package further indicates one or more fonts supported by the corresponding font package. A graphical user interface (GUI) is displayed to the user prompting whether the user desires to install the identified font package. The GUI further indicates that an additional font needs to be installed in order to view the file correctly. In response to an input from the user via the GUI, the package installer downloads the font package from the remote server for local installation.

People often send other users documents and images. These files are often of different formats or fonts, as a user could send a Microsoft Word file (.doc file) or a GNU image manipulation program (GIMP) image (.xcf) via email, instant messaging or even on physical media.
Applications can view many different fonts and font scripts in the same document. For example, a document can be created that has right-to-left formatted Arabic script in one section and left-to-right Latin script in another. Due to the nature of how fonts are created and packaged, not all fonts contain all glyphs. In addition, often font designers only do the minimum of characters, such as a-z, A-Z and 1-9. Accented characters such as 'ã' may not be included in the font set, and it is even less likely that characters such as '' will be included. Only a few fonts are installed by default on most operating system (OS) distributions as the fonts are relatively large in size.
Typically in an application, the missing glyphs are shown as black squares with hexadecimal numbers so that a user is aware that some characters are not displayable or recognizable. One solution is for the user to download and install additional fonts that have the required glyphs, usually a specialist font for that language. However, the user has to know what font to download, and it may take the user a few attempts in order to get the right one. As a result, the user has to stop what he/she is doing, and manually search for and install the proper font packages.

Extracting font metadata from font files into searchable metadata for package distribution


Multiwavelength laser sources that are precisely aligned relative to each other and suitable, for instance, for multistation, multicolor ROS. The device is made by growing on a semiconductor substrate a set of epitaxial layers in a laterally injecting laser configuration with progressively narrower bandgap quantum well active regions (and therefore progressively longer wavelength operation) towards the surface of the crystal. Selective etching can then be used to remove all quantum wells with emissions shorter than the ultimately desired wavelength in a given cavity. This approach can be applied to three different types of laser structures; conventional edge emitting lasers, grating surface emitting lasers, and vertical surface emitting lasers. Also described is a vertical cavity, surface-emitting laser with lateral injection employing a reflector structure comprised of a III-V semiconductor layer beneath the active region, and a reflecting mirror above the active region.

A surface skimming laser is a semiconductor light emitting device of diverse and important applications as a result of the close proximity of the laser active region to the surface of the crystal, and the transverse or lateral injection of current into the structure from a diffused p-n junction.
See, for example, my paper in SPIE, Vol. 1582, Integrated Optoelectronics for Communication and Processing (1991), pages 194-205, and a commonly-owned USA patent in my name, U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,18 ('185), the contents of which paper and patent are herein incorporated by reference.
It is also well known that solid state sources offer unique advantages when used as illuminators for an electrooptic modulator or light valve for printing applications. See, for example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,918 ('918). A very desirable enhancement to the performance of this modulator can be achieved by fabricating two sources in close proximity, preferably on the same wafer, with a relative wavelength shift of several nanometers. By using dispersive elements, this wavelength shift can be converted into a linear relative displacement of the light spots in the image plane for the two sources, resulting in an angular displacement of the two beams in a plane beyond that of the beam scanning mechanism, thus enabling the two beams to be sent to different developing stations to facilitate multi-color Xerography. Although there is some wavelength shift that can be realized by varying the drive conditions of the semiconductor laser used in the modulator described in the '918 patent, the shift is in general not great enough for convenient design of the dispersive elements required for this increased performance device.
Moreover, the laser device described in said '918 patent is not of the laterally-injecting nor of the surface-skimming type and therefore does not offer the benefits of the surface-skimming-type laser described in my paper and the '185 patent.


We have developed a reduced Drosophila heart preparation in which dissection of the fly heart removes nervous system input and reveals its inherent myogenic activity, which can be preserved for several hours. High speed image capture combined with computer-based analytical packages allows us to generate the equivalent of M-mode traces obtained from ultrasounds of human hearts.

Despite recent advances in preventing deaths related to cardiac disorders, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in industrialized countries (Thom et al., Circulation 113:e-85-151, 2006). As life expectancy increases, the population profiles in these countries are changing to include increasing numbers of middle-aged and elderly individuals. In both industrialized countries as well as in countries that are becoming industrialized a number of other factors such as altered life styles, urbanization, and as yet unidentified genetic and environmental factors combine to compound the effects of aging on CVD (Lakatta, Heart Fail. Review 7:29-49, 2002). Cardiac arrhythmias are common in patients with cardiac dysfunction and some forms of arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillations, increase with age (Lakatta and Levy, Circulation 107:346-354). However, the mechanisms underlying arrhythmias and heart failure have remained elusive, in part, because heart diseases in humans are associated with a complex array of hormonal, physiological, genetic and biochemical abnormalities. In addition, vertebrate heart structure is very complex, as is the process of its embryological development from a simple tube-like structure.
Since heart function is so essential for survival, it is difficult to study strongly deleterious heart abnormalities in vertebrate systems. Increasing insights into the molecular genetics of CVD suggest that the genetic heterogeneity underlying heart disease is very high (Priori and Napolitano, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1015:96-110, 2004). This aspect of heart disease is difficult to examine in vertebrate systems. The relatively long lifespan of mammalian systems precludes a simple approach to elucidate the aging-related factors contributing to the genesis and facilitation of arrhythmic disorders. More importantly, hereditary and/or acquired arrhythmic disorders in mammalian hearts usually lead to sudden death, making the study of genetic interactions or polygenetic disorders extremely difficult in mammals (Roberts, J. Am. Coll. Card. 47:9-21, 2006). Thus Drosophila, a system that is already a powerful genetic model, provides unique advantages for studying heart aging and disease.
The basic mechanisms of heart development and function are conserved between Drosophila and vertebrates (Bodmer, Trends Cardiovasc. Med. 5:21-27, 1995; Harvey, Dev. Biol. 178:203-216, 1996; Bodmer and Frasch, in Heart Development, eds. Rosenthal and Harvey (Academic Press, New York), pp. 65-90, 1999; Cripps and Olson, Dev. Biol. 246:14-28, 2002; Seidman and Seidman, J. Clin. Investig. 109:451-455, 2002; Bodmer et al., in Comprehensive Insect Science, edited by L. Gilbert, Latrau, K., and Gill S. (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2005), Vol. 2, pp. 199). We have begun to use the fly heart and the power of Drosophila genetics to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying aging of cardiac tissue and their contribution to cardiac disorders and arrhythmias.
A number of genetic defects that contribute to arrhythmogenic disorders have been identified in humans. Many of these identified genes encode K+ channels such as the Human Ether-a-go-go Related Gene (HERG), which encodes a channel underlying the rapid phase of cardiac repolarization (IKr), as well as the KCNQ1 gene, which encodes a subunit of a K+ channel responsible for the slower repolarizing current (IKs) (for reviews see Jentsch, Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 1:21-30, 2000; Robbins, Pharmacol. Ther. 90:1-9, 2001; Sanguinetti, Nature 440:463-469, 2006). Mutations in these K+ channels commonly lead to a loss or decrease in channel function resulting in reduced cardiac repolarization and prolonged cardiac action potentials that increase the risk of early after-depolarization (EAD). In humans, this prolonged repolarization phase, which manifests as a prolonged QT interval on the surface electrocardiograms (ECGs), is known as long QT syndrome (LQTS); it is associated with increased risk of Torsades des Pointes (TdP) ventricular arrhythmias, which would cause recurrent syncope or sudden cardiac death. Age, environmental stressors, exercise, genetic modifiers and some commonly prescribed drugs have also been shown to produce arrhythmic disorders such as LQTS, but the complex interactions between these acquired and inherited factors for arrhythmogenesis remain to be determined (Priori and Tristani-Firouzi, Circ, Res. 94:140-145, 2004; Roberts, J. Am. Coll. Card. 47:9-21, 2006).
A systematic genetic analysis will be required to identify genetic variations (polymorphisms) in known genes as well as to identify novel genes and gene products that influence the risk of arrhythmias. Because susceptibility to drug-induced LQTS is likely to have a genetic basis, a functional assessment of genetic mutations and identification of interactions between genes that contribute to arrhythmias would permit more appropriate drug administration to patients with CVD (Grunnet et al., Heart Rhythm 2:1238-1249, 2005).
Thus, there is a need for improved methods and compositions for determining the effects of various genes, and mutations in these genes, on heart function. Moveover, there is a need for improved methods and compositions for screening drugs and other treatments for their effects on heart function. The present invention meets this and other needs.

Compositions and methods for screening cardioactive drugs

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


HOPS™, which stands for “Hands On Proactive Strategy” is software and a business management method about making routine things happen routinely, and about having everyone be able to find the information they need, when they need it, to do the job they need to do. The solution to information sharing (and other closely related process) problems is an elegant set of software combined with behaviors that help the organization share information.

For decades people have struggled to complete the tasks assigned to them in the time provided. The problem is usually not ignorance of what is to be done. Neither is it unwillingness to do the assigned work in the prescribed time. The problem is the lack of proactive methods, practices, information and systems support.
In manufacturing, these matters have been addressed by the widely publicized Toyota Production System and its practices of Lean Production. In many professional settings and in white collar, administrative or clerical work, no such parallel systems, methodologies or processes exist. Instead, employees are drowning in a program du jour of piecemeal solutions, which may address some of the needs of the company, but do not satisfy the needs of the people doing the work.
Technology has made greater strides in the past decade than any other. More computers with more power are interconnected more effectively than ever before. Massive amounts of data are accessible at the desktops of virtually any company that chooses to have it that way. Yet, people complain about overload, stress and burnout. Productivity has grown dramatically in many industries, but in other segments of the economy—administrative and professional services, sales support, health care, legal, accounting, banking, etc.—productivity gains have been far less impressive.
A frequent problem is that information is not shared freely, and sometimes not shared at all. This lack of accurate, timely shared information is a huge problem for many organizations, since decisions are only as good as the knowledge/information on which they are based. The motives behind not sharing information are often not malicious, but are rooted in being too busy, following the wrong behaviors or struggling with inconvenient or unwieldy systems. Some people hoard information to fuel their need for power. Other information languishes unshared in the minds of employees or resides passively in the databases of the company. Flawed information leads to flawed plans, and no matter how precise the execution, flawed plans usually lead to failure. Ineffective follow-up or follow-through leads to unnecessary crises and emergencies. If the result of such behaviors and processes is not outright failure, then it is certainly a less satisfying kind of success.
Many organizations spend countless hours in meetings that do little more than "get everyone on the same page." Then there is the problem of taking action—timely, crisp and appropriate action following important contacts with customers, suppliers and other constituents.
In the latter 1990's companies raced to "reengineer", but often simply spread the same work among fewer people. The reengineered processes were still tangles; the necessary information to do the right things, in the right ways resided in the heads of a few people, many of whom were casualties of downsizing/early retirement. The result was systems that only provided what IT required—not what the users needed. Sticky notes, piecemeal programs and standalone systems on employees' PCs-systems are prevalent; these systems are unshared, unsupported and often not secure. Customers, suppliers, and employees are frustrated when planning/executing simple tasks fails, due to the lack of the right information, inadequate system support and most of all, the failure to follow the right interpersonal behaviors. Prompt, effective follow-through is the exception, not the rule.
Once again, this is not due to irresponsible people. Desktops and computer monitors covered with notes and reminders leaves people handling hundreds of voicemail and email messages each day in hopes of conveying or receiving the right information, coordinating the right actions and being responsive to peers, customers and suppliers.
Furthermore, every office has dozens or perhaps hundreds of "tickler files" residing in the desks of secretaries, assistants and junior level professionals, or on the ubiquitous personal computers resident on everyone's desktops. There are as many formats for "ticklers" as there are people devising them. Unless they are part of a integrated calendar management software suite, which most computers have but most users ignore, these reminder systems are random, fragmented and ineffective.
There is thus a need to improve upon management processes to avoid these continuing difficulties.

Implementation of hands on proactive strategy


The present invention relates to a group of glycosyltransferase, and an application thereof. Specifically, provided is using glycosyltransferase GT29-32, GT29-33, GT29-34, GT29-4, GT29-5, GT29-7, GT29-9, GT29-11, GT29-13, GT29-17, GT29-18, GT29-19, GT29-20, GT29-21, GT29-22, GT29-23, GT29-24, GT29-25, GT29-36, GT29-37, GT29-42, GT29-43, GT29-45, GT29-46, PNUGT29-1, PNUGT29-2, PNUGT29-3, PNUGT29-4, PNUGT29-5, PNUGT29-6, PNUGT29-7, PNUGT29-8, PNUGT29-9, PNUGT29-14, and PNUGT29-15, as well as derived polypeptides thereof to catalyze the first glycosyl at position C-20, the first glycosyl at position C-6, and the first glycosyl at position C-3 of a tetracyclic triterpene compound substrate to elongate a carbohydrate chain, thereby obtaining a catalytic reaction of ginsenoside products such as ginsenoside Rg3, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rb3, saponin DMGG, saponin DMGX, gypenoside LXXV, gypenoside XVII, gypenoside XIII, gypenoside IX, notoginsenoside U, and notoginsenoside R1, notoginsenoside R2, notoginsenoside R3, 3-O-β-(D-xylopyranosyl)-β-(D-glucopyranosyl)-PPD, 3-O-β-(D-xylopyranosyl)-β-(D-glucopyranosyl)-CK, 20-O-Glucosylginsenoside Rf, and Ginsenoside F3. Glycosyltransferase in the present invention can further be applied to construction of artificially synthesized ginsenoside, novel ginsenoside, and derivatives thereof.

Ginsenoside is a generic term for saponins isolated from the plants of Panax genus (such as ginseng, Panax notoginseng, American ginseng, etc.) and Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and is a class of triterpenoids. Ginsenosides may also be called as ginsenosides, notoginsenosides, and gypenosides depending on the source from which they are isolated. Ginsenosides are the main biologically active ingredient in these medicinal plants. Currently, about 150 kinds of saponins have been isolated. Structurally, ginsenosides are mainly bioactive small molecules formed by glycosylation of sapogenins. There are only a few saponins of ginsenosides, mainly of which are protopanoxadiol and protopanaxatriol of dammarane type tetracyclic triterpenes, and oleanolic acid. Glycosylation of sapogenin can increase its water solubility, alter its subcellular localization, and produce different biological activities. Most of the protopanaxadiol saponins are glycosylated on the C3 and/or C20 hydroxyl groups, while the protopanaxatriol saponins are glycosylated on the C6 and/or C20 hydroxyl groups. Different types of glycosylation and varying degrees of glycosylation modification produce ginsenosides with a multitude of molecular structures.
Ginsenosides with different glycosylation modifications have different biological activities. For example, Rb1, Rb2 and Rb3 are Rds with a molecule of glucose, arabinose and xylose extended on the C20-O-Glc, respectively. The experiment has confirmed that the rich saponin Rb1 has the effects of protecting nerve cells and anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation; Rb2 has the effects of inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and tumor metastasis, reducing blood glucose in diabetic mice and reducing blood lipid; Rb3 has the effects of slowing down myocardial ischemia and anti-depression.
Ginsenosides are prepared by using total saponins of ginseng or Panax notoginseng or rich saponins as raw materials, depending on a hydrolysis method of chemical, enzymatic and microbial fermentation. Since wild ginseng resources have been basically depleted, ginsenoside resources are currently derived from artificial cultivation of ginseng or notoginseng. Their artificial cultivation has a long growth cycle (generally 5-7 years or more) and is geographically restricted. It is often subject to pests and diseases, thereby requiring a large amount of pesticides. Therefore, there is a serious continuous cropping obstacle during the artificial cultivation of ginseng or Panax notoginseng (the ginseng or Panax notoginseng plantation needs to fallow for more than 5-15 years to overcome the continuous cropping obstacle), so the yield, quality and security of ginsenosides are all facing challenges.
The development of synthetic biology offers new opportunities for heterologous synthesis of plant-derived natural products. Using yeast as a chassis, through the assembly and optimization of metabolic pathways, it has been realized to synthesize artemisinic acid or dihydroartemisinic acid with cheap monosaccharides, and then to produce artemisinin by one-step chemical conversion, which indicates the synthetic biology has a great potential for drug synthesis in natural products. Ginsenoside monomers are heterologously synthesized by synthetic biological methods using the yeast chassis cells, and the raw materials are cheap monosaccharides, and the preparation process is a safe and controllable fermentation process, thereby avoiding any external contamination (for example, pesticides used in the artificial planting of raw plants). Therefore, the preparation of ginsenoside monomer by synthetic biology technology not only has cost advantages, but also ensures the quality and safety of the finished product. Synthetic biological techniques are used to prepare a sufficient amount of various high-purity natural and non-natural ginseno side monomers for activity determination and clinical experiments to promote the development of innovative drugs for rare ginsenosides.
In recent years, through the transcriptome and functional genomic studies on ginseng, notoginseng and American ginseng, the analysis of the saponin synthesis pathway of ginsenosides has made great progress. In 2006, Japanese and Korean scientists identified the terpenoid cyclase element (dammarenediol synthase, PgDDS), which converts epoxy squalene to dammarene diol. From 2011 to 2012, Korean scientists further identified cytochrome P450 elements CYP716A4 and CYP716A53v2, which oxidize dammarene diol to protopanaxadiol and further oxidize protopanaxadiol to protopanaxatriol.
The artificial synthesis of these pharmaceutically active ginsenosides by synthetic biological methods requires not only the construction of a metabolic pathway for the synthesis of sapogenins, but also the identification of a UDP-glycosyltransferase that catalyzes the glycosylation of ginsenosides. The function of UDP-glycosyltransferase is to transfer glycosyl groups from glycosyl donors (nucleoside diphosphates such as UDP-glucose, UDP-rhamnose, UDP-xylose and UDP-arabinose) to different glycosyl acceptors. According to the genome analysis of plants that have been sequenced, the plant genome often encodes hundreds of different glycosyltransferases. Since the substrates (including glycosyl donors and glycosyl acceptors) that may be catalyzed by UDP-glycosyltransferase are very diverse, the functional identification of this UDP-glycosyltransferase poses great difficulties. Until 2014, the first UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGTPg1) involved in ginsenoside glycosylation was identified by Chinese scholars, which can be transferred to a glucosyl group on the C20 hydroxyl group of the Protopanaxadiol ginsenoside. Subsequently, Korean scientists cloned two UDP-glycosyltransferase elements (PgUGT74AE2 and PgUGT94Q2) in ginseng, which can transfer a glucosyl group and a glucosyl extension to the C3 position of the Protopanaxadiol saponin. Almost at the same time, Chinese scholars also independently cloned two glycosyltransferase elements UGTPg45 and UGTPg29, which have the same functions as PgUGT74AE2 and PgUGT94Q2, from ginseng. In 2015, Chinese scholars further identified a UDP-glycosyltransferase element (UGTPg100) that can transfer a glucosyl group to the C6 position of the Protopanaxatriol. In 2015, Korean scholars discovered a glycosyltransferase GpUGT23 that extends a glucosyl group on C20 of Protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol saponin in Gynostemma pentaphyllum. However, up to now, in addition to a glycosyltransferase plant extending a glycosyl at the C3 position, other glycosyltransferases in ginseng that catalyze the extension of the carbohydrate chain have not been reported.
Under this background, the inventors have cloned and identified the glycosyltransferase which can extend a glucosyl or xylosyltaxol on the C20 of the Protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol saponin and the glycosyltransferase which can extend a xylosyltaxol on the C6 of the protopanaxatriol saponin. The glycosyltransferase can be used for the preparation of ginsenosides including ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rb3, gypenoside LXXV, gypenoside XVII, notoginsenoside U, notoginsenoside R1, notoginsenoside R2 and notoginsenoside R3.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Group of UDP-glycosyltransferase for catalyzing carbohydrate chain elongation and application thereof

CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences


A laser transmitter is amplitude modulated with a chirp signal to illumin an entire scene or field of view. A mixing process occurs in the received light path using an electro-optic light modulator positioned just in front of the focal plane detector array. The detector array detects and integrates the mixed light signal over some field of view. Numerous image frames are recorded periodically in the time over the FM period. The Fourier transform taken over time for a pixel establishes the range to the target in that pixel. Performing the Fourier transform for all pixels yields a three-dimensional image of objects in the field of view. Such an arrangement yields a scannerless ladar possessing high range resolution with no range ambiguities.

Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,514, (the '514 patent) issued Mar. 4, 1997 to the same inventors as the present application, assigned to the same assignee as the present application, and incorporated herein by reference. The '514 patent describes a technique for achieving high range resolution for a single pixel ladar by employing frequency modulation (FM) radar ranging principles.
Three-dimensional imaging of a scene is achieved by mechanically scanning the single pixel ladar or by building arrays of such ladars. To perform ranging on a single pixel, the ladar's laser transmitter is amplitude modulated with a radio-frequency subcarrier which itself is linearly frequency modulated. The target-reflected light is incoherently detected with photodiode and converted into a voltage waveform.
The voltage waveform is then mixed with an undelayed sample of the original laser amplitude modulation waveform. The output of the mixer is processed to remove "self clutter" that is commonly generated in FM ranging systems and obscures the true target signals. The clutter-free mixer output is then Fourier transformed to recover target range.
The '514 patent teaches the use of a single pixel ladar and does not teach or suggest the use of focal plane detector arrays similar to ones used in television cameras. Such focal plane detector arrays may be incorporated into a ladar to image scenes without mechanical scanning. "Characterization of a Scannerless Ladar System", Sandia National Laboratories, December, 1993, and Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,616, issued Jun. 19, 1990, both of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe a scannerless ladar system with a gain-modulated micro-channel plate image intensifier (one form of an electro-optic modulator) in front of a focal plane detector array. In such a system, the illumination source is an array of light emitting diodes which are amplitude modulated with a constant frequency sinusoid.
The same modulation as applied to the light emitting diodes is applied to the image intensifier. The intensifier effectively controls the amount of light reaching the detector array as a function of the relative phase between the modulation on the received light and the modulation applied to the intensifier. In the most basic sense, the signal processor maps pixel amplitude to this relative phase which is then used to estimate range to the target.
The Sandia Labs and Scott ladar systems will yield range ambiguities which are periodic with half of the wavelength of the modulation. The Sandia Labs and Scott ladar systems do not employ frequency modulation of the AM rate nor does it employ FM radar range-gate formation algorithms. As a result, range resolution may be limited.

Scannerless ladar architecture employing focal plane detector arrays and FM-CW ranging theory

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


An integrated process for forming a 4T SRAM and a mixed-mode capacitor, with logic, on the same integrated circuit, is provided. A semiconductor substrate is provided having field isolation regions, with a gate and gate oxide between the field isolation regions. Polysilicon interconnects are formed over a portion of the field isolation regions, only in a first memory region, and a bottom capacitor plate over a field oxide region in a capacitor region. Active regions are formed in the substrate, adjacent to each gate. Insulating spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the gates, polysilicon interconnects and the floating gate, and later removed from the interconnect. A layer of titanium silicide is formed over the gates and capacitor bottom plate, and also over the polysilicon interconnects and active regions. An interpoly oxide is formed over the semiconductor substrate. An opening is formed in the interpoly oxide over the polysilicon interconnect. A second layer of polysilicon is deposited over the substrate. The second layer of polysilicon is patterned to form a top capacitor plate, and to form a load resistor for the SRAM.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to an integrated process for forming a four-transistor SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and mixed-mode capacitors with logic on the same integrated circuit (IC).
(2) Description of the Related Art
Two of the major classifications of devices manufactured by the semiconductor industry are logic and memory. Logic devices are used primarily to process information, while memory devices are used for information storage. Traditionally, while these two device types are found in virtually all electronic systems, such as computers and the like, they have been manufactured on separate integrated circuits and connected only at the card or board level. This has been due to differences in manufacturing processes, cost considerations, economies of scale, and other difficulties in fabricating the different device structures on the same substrate.
However, trends in the semiconductor industry are driving toward making it both desirable and feasible to blend memories and logic on the same integrated circuit (IC). Cost and performance are two of the factors contributing to these trends. While significant economies of scale can be realized by the separate batch processing of large numbers of semiconductor wafers for the two types of device, due to the different process steps needed to produce them, cost savings may also be realized by forming logic and memories on the same integrated circuit. For example, due to the decreased amount of chip area required for a blended logic/memory IC, as compared to the area needed on separate IC's, the product yield can be increased, saving manufacturing cost.
Performance enhancements may also make blending logic and memories on the same IC attractive for particular applications. In electronic systems in which logic and memory are packaged separately, data signals between the two may have to pass through several levels of packaging, i.e., through the originating IC chip to external pins, then through card and/or board wiring, and finally into the receiving IC including its internal wiring, all of which cause undesirable propagation delays. As device densities have increased and device sizes have decreased, transistor switching speeds no longer limit the logic delay or access time of the IC. Rather, the time for the device to charge capacitive loads is the limiting factor for IC performance. The capacitive load is partially dependent on the length of lines interconnecting devices, and so minimizing these connection lengths, as through combining logic and memory on the same IC, will enhance performance.
The applications for blending memory and logic on the same IC are varied, and increasing. See "Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era", Volume 2, Process Integration, S. Wolf, pp. 571-572. Some applications add special logic circuits to memory designs, while others add memory structures to primarily logic IC's.
One example of blending technologies is the formation of both bipolar and CMOS device structures on the same chip, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,602 (Takemoto) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,762 (Vora), but the process technology to simultaneously form MOS logic and memories is not discussed.
An example of the addition of memory structures to logic IC's is the Intel 80486 microprocessor, which in addition to the main processor logic has an embedded SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) used as a first-level cache.
It may also be desirable to integrate mixed-mode capacitors with logic and memory on the same IC. Capacitors are a basic building block of many electronic circuits, and may be used for analog application s such as switched capacitor filters, or for digital applications such as the storage node for a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)
the ability to build capacitors suitable for either digital or analog circuits is referred to as mixed-mode.
One popular process sequence for logic devices is the salicide (self-aligned silicide) process, which is used in forming FET transistors, and which provides self-aligned, low-resistance source/drain contacts. After the gate oxide and polysilicon gate are formed, and after source/drain ion implantation, a layer of reactive metal such as titanium, cobalt or the like is deposited and annealed. The metal reacts with the silicon to form a silicide, such as TiSi.sub.2 (titanium silicide), over the source and drain regions, providing a lower resistance contact than that of the diffused junction alone, which is especially valuable as IC feature sizes have been reduced below 1 micrometer.
A Static RAM, or SRAM, of the prior art is shown in FIG. 1. Depicted is one memory cell of a poly-load, or 4T (four transistor), SRAM in which load devices R1 and R2 are high resistance-value resistors. Access transistors N3 and N4 are NMOS devices whose states are controlled by wordline WL, and when conducting connect the bit lines BL1 and BL2 to the main storage element, the flip-flop circuit of NMOS devices N1 and N2.
Buried contacts are used at nodes Q1 and Q2 to connect the doped polysilicon gate electrodes of devices N1 and N2 to the source/drains of access transistors N3 and N4--this connection is commonly referred to as a local interconnect.

Method of making a semiconductor device having 4t sram and mixed-mode capacitor in logic

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd


Systems and methods for updating advertisements embedded in a media asset scheduled for download at a future time. The media guidance application may receive a request from a user to download a media asset at a future time, where the media asset includes a plurality of embedded advertisements. The media guidance application may determine whether to update an embedded advertisement in the plurality of embedded advertisements. After determining to update the embedded advertisement, the media guidance application may replace the embedded advertisement with an updated advertisement in the media asset.

Downloading media content for viewing at a future time has become popular as of late in all forms of media. For example, many subscription services allow the user to download episodes of a television series for advanced viewing. Conventional systems may embed advertisements when downloading the media content. However, the conventional systems do not account for updating the embedded advertisements to reflect the user's latest preferences.

Systems and methods for determining whether to update embedded advertisements in downloaded content using advertisement update criteria


This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for managing a capacitor system. In one aspect, an energy storage system includes a capacitor system, a charging circuit, and a controller. The capacitor system includes one or more capacitors. The charging circuit is configured to charge the capacitor system to a first target voltage. The controller is configured to detect a first condition and is programmed, in response to the first condition, to instruct the charging circuit to charge the capacitor system to a second target voltage that is less than the first target voltage. The controller is programmed to provide a notification that the capacitor system is operating in a degraded state.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for managing an energy storage system, such as a capacitor system. The disclosure relates more particularly to operating a capacitor system in a degraded state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many different types of energy storage systems, such as systems including batteries or capacitors, are known. Such conventional energy storage systems may be implemented to provide power to another system, such as a starter motor in a commercial truck. These systems can be expensive to own and operate, and thus it is beneficial to reduce downtime that can occur due to a failure event that may occur related to an energy storage system.
However, when such a failure event occurs, conventional energy storage systems will generally become completely inoperable, which in turn can disable the devices being powered by the energy storage system.

System and methods for managing a degraded state of a capacitor system


A thrust-out type container for a rod-like article generally comprises a driving cylinder extending in a vertical direction, a cylindrical holder extending in the vertical direction inside the driving cylinder, and a guide cylinder adapted to restrict a movement of the holder so that the holder can not be non-rotatable with respect to the driving cylinder but movable in the vertical direction. The driving cylinder includes an outer cylinder formed on its inner peripheral surface with a first groove and an inner cylinder lying inside the outer cylinder and slidably engaged with the first groove so as to be movable in the vertical direction and formed on its inner peripheral surface with a second groove. An upper portion of the holder defined as a cup is configured so that the rod-like article can be attached thereto and a lower portion of the holder defined as a stem extending downward from the cup is adapted to be slidably engaged with the second groove of the inner cylinder.

The present invention relates generally to a thrust-out type container for a rod-like article such as a lipstick.
A container of this type is well known and an example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-189245. The container disclosed in this Publication extends in a vertical direction and comprises a core cylinder to which the rod-like article is attached, an outer cylinder formed with a groove, and an inner cylinder interposed between these core cylinder and outer cylinder wherein the core cylinder is provided with a pair of arms radially extending from outer peripheral surface of the core so as to be slidably engaged with the groove. The inner cylinder is formed with a pair of guide means through which the respective arms extend toward the groove. These guide means are formed so as to be opposed to each other in radial direction of the inner cylinder and one guide means is an opening extending in the vertical direction through the peripheral wall of the inner cylinder while the other guide means is a U-shaped notch extending downward from the upper edge of the inner cylinder.
In the case of the container disclosed in the Publication, a length by which the rod-like article can be thrust out, i.e., a distance by which the rod-like article can move upward within the container depends on a direct distance from a lower end to an upper end of the groove on the outer cylinder. Therefore, if it is intended to increase the length by which the rod-like article can be thrust out, a vertical dimension (i.e., height) of the container will be inevitably increased. From the viewpoint of the container's design, it may be sometimes required to minimize the vertical dimension of the container in consideration of its appearance. However, it is difficult for the container disclosed in the Publication to fulfill such requirement.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thrust-out type container for a rod-like article improved so that a vertical dimension of the container can be minimized without reducing the amount of the rod-like article that can be thrust out.

Thrust-out type container for a rod-like article


A battery pack includes: a bare cell; a protection circuit module electrically connected to the bare cell; a thermistor configured to sense a temperature of the bare cell and electrically coupled to the protection circuit module, the thermistor having a lead, the lead having a lead end portion adjacent to the protection circuit module, the lead end portion having a first side facing the protection circuit module; and a support between the first side of the lead end portion and the protection circuit module.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery back including a protection circuit module having a plurality of bare cells and a thermistor that senses the temperature of the bare cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, mobile electronic devices have been increasingly widely available with the rapid development of the electronics and communications industries. Secondary batteries are widely used to economically power these mobile electronic devices.
In addition, secondary batteries can be used for medium and large apparatuses such as electric tools, electric bicycles, and electric vehicles which require high output and high power, in addition to mobile phones and notebook computers. The medium and large apparatuses generally require a high-output and high-power power source, such that the secondary batteries are used in a battery pack that operates as a single power source by connecting a plurality of secondary batteries in parallel or in series.
Battery packs that include a plurality of secondary batteries further include various protection devices for safety. A thermistor, which is one of the various protection devices and which can be used to measure a temperature, senses the temperature of a bare cell and transmits the measurement to a protection circuit module so that the protection circuit module can cut the current flow through the battery pack when the temperature of a battery pack rapidly increases before the battery pack generates excessive heat or ignites.

Battery pack having protection circuit module


A display apparatus includes a display panel that displays an image in response to a data voltage, a data driving unit that outputs the data voltage in response to a driving signal, and a printed circuit board that outputs the driving signal and that has a static electricity discharge circuit. The discharge circuit discharges high-voltage static electricity, which is introduced into the data driving unit, to ground. Accordingly, the display apparatus prevents the data driving unit from being damaged by the high-voltage static electricity.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a display apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a display apparatus capable of protecting internal driving chips from high-voltage static electricity
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been extensively used due to their inherent advantages such as slimness, light weight and low power consumption. The LCD includes a controller that generates and outputs control signals, a data driving chip that outputs data signals in response to the control signals, and a liquid crystal display panel that displays images in response to the data signals.
The data driving chip is electrically connected to one end of the liquid crystal display panel and constitutes a panel module together with the liquid crystal display panel. The panel module is entirely shielded by a case typically formed of metal, except for the front surface of the liquid crystal display panel that displays the images.
Unlike the case, however, the liquid crystal display panel includes nonmetallic material, so static electricity is induced to the liquid crystal display panel. Such static electricity is introduced into the data driving chip attached to the liquid crystal display panel, causing damage to the data driving chip. In addition, the static electricity applied to the data driving chip is introduced into the controller that is electrically connected to the data driving chip, so that other internal circuit devices of the controllers are also damaged by the static electricity.


A baby bottle storage assembly includes a bottle that has a cylindrical body, a chamber formed therein, and has open top and closed bottom ends. First and second coextensive protective caps are conjoined to the top and bottom ends. The second protective cap has a cavity positioned adjacent to the body's bottom end, defining a storage chamber when the second protective cap is secured to the bottom end. A first discharge nozzle is intercalated between the first protective cap and the body's top end, and has a nipple protruding outwardly from the first protective cap. Spare discharge nozzles are housed within the storage chamber and are intercalated between the second protective cap and the body's bottom end such that the spare discharge nozzles are isolated from ambient surroundings. The first and spare discharge nozzles are formed from resilient rubber material.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to bottles assemblies and, more particularly, to a baby bottle storage assembly for use when feeding an infant.
2. Prior Art
It is well known that older babies and toddlers usually hold their own bottles. Often, the result of this is that the bottle is purposely or inadvertently dropped by the child onto the floor or carpet. As such, the bottle, especially the simulated nipple portion thereof, becomes contaminated with dirt and germs that can be harmful to the youngster, should they resume drinking from the contaminated nipple. The only options left for parents are to clean and sterilize the contaminated nipple, or to find a clean and sterilized nipple and attach it to the bottle.
The process of properly cleaning and sterilizing a nipple is actually rather time consuming and involves washing the nipple for extended periods of time at high temperatures. Most parents substitute this lengthy procedure for a simple rinse of the nipple under cold tap water, which truthfully only removes the dirt but does not eliminate small microbes and viruses that the bottle may have come in contact with. As for finding a replacement nipple, most busy and hurried parents finds this to be too much of a time consuming process, thus explaining why they simply choose to quickly rinse the bottle under some tap water.
Accordingly, a need remains for a baby bottle storage assembly in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a baby bottle assembly that is easy and convenient to use, practical in design, and significantly improves a parent's ability to provide their child with sanitary bottle nipples. Such a baby bottle assembly provides a stored sterilized and clean nipple on the bottle itself. A parent or caregiver simply removes the contaminated nipple and replace it with a clean one. This is a much less time consuming task than searching for a clean nipple or attempting to properly sterilize the contaminated one. In addition, the dirty nipple can conveniently be stored in the previous location of the clean nipple so that same is not misplaced prior to the cleaning thereof.

Baby bottle with a spare nipple storage assembly


A polyetherimide composition includes a polyetherimide and two or more of a residual metal content, a sulfate anion, a phosphate anion, a nitrite anion, a nitrate anion, or a combination including at least one of the foregoing, a residual solvent content, a phosphorus-containing stabilizer, and alkali metal halide, alkaline earth metal halide, alkali metal carbonate, or a combination including at least one of the foregoing, wherein each of the aforementioned components, when present, is included in the composition in a particular amount. The resulting polyetherimide composition exhibits two or more useful properties. The polyetherimide composition can optionally further be combined with a polymer different from the polyetherimide to provide a thermoplastic composition. Methods of making the polyetherimide composition and articles including the polyetherimide composition are also described.

Polyetherimides are a class of high performance polymers that can be processed to make molded articles, fibers, films, foams, stock shapes, powders, and the like. Polyetherimides further have high strength, toughness, heat resistance, modulus, and broad chemical resistance, and so are widely used in industries as diverse as automotive, telecommunication, aerospace, electrical/electronics, transportation, and healthcare. Polyetherimides have shown versatility in various manufacturing processes, proving amenable to techniques including injection molding, extrusion, and thermoforming, to prepare various articles.
Polyetherimides can be derived from a dianhydride and an organic diamine. Alternatively, the manufacture of polyetherimides can be by polymerization of alkali metal salts of dihydroxy aromatic compounds, such as bisphenol A disodium salt (BPA-Na2), with a substituted bis(phthalimide). Polyetherimide compositions have been the subject of intensive research and development, with the general goal of providing very pure, low color, polymers that meet exacting property standards. While these polyetherimides are excellent for their intended purposes, obtaining these compositions can be expensive, time-consuming, or require specialized or costly equipment. There accordingly remains a continuing need in the art for polyetherimide compositions that are suitable for a wide range of applications and that have a useful combination of properties, but that can be produced quickly or economically.

Polyetherimide compositions, methods of manufacture, and articles prepared therefrom


A securing apparatus for mechanically securing at least one connecting plug to a housing is provided, where the securing apparatus contains (a) a bow-like shaped base body, where the body can slide laterally onto the housing, and be fixed to the housing, (b) at least one receiving section, which is formed on the base body and which is designed for receiving the connecting plug, and (c) a plurality of strip-shaped, tightenable securing devices, which are capable of securing the connecting plug to the base body and/or the base body to the housing.

Control apparatuses, in particular, safety control apparatuses, which are intended for controlling a machine or a technical system and which have a modular construction design, have previously been described. In the case of modularly constructed control apparatuses it is possible to combine, for example, various control modules of different performance classes: digital or analog, secure and/or insecure input and output modules, as well as network modules individually with one another, in order to provide the control apparatus with the control functions. These modular control apparatuses often comprise a so-called head module having connecting interfaces for connecting one or more connecting plugs. In this case such connecting plugs are, for example, so-called M12 connecting plugs. To prevent the plug connection from unintentionally disengaging when, for example, vibrations occur, it has proved to be expedient to provide appropriate securing measures that can effectively prevent an unintentional disengagement of the plug connection. When used in safety critical areas, measures to prevent tampering with the electrical plug connection are also necessary.

Securing apparatus for mechanically securing at least one connecting plug to a housing


Toner fusing rolls with improved properties are formed with an outer layer comprising an addition-cured silicone elastomer. Such as elastomer is formed by crosslinking hydride substituted organopolysiloxanes and polyimides substituted with unsaturated hydrocarbon radicals.

In electrophotographic copying processes, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoconductive surface and then developed with a thermoplastic toner powder. The toner is thereafter fused to a substrate by passing the substrate, (e.g., a sheet of paper on which toner powder is distributed in an imagewise pattern) through the nip of a pair of rolls. At least one of the rolls is heated and has a resilient surface so that the thermoplastic toner powder softens and bonds to the substrate.
A persistent problem in this operation is the adherence of heated toner to the fusing roll. As a result, a false offset image appears on sheets of paper subsequently passing through the rolls and performance of the fusing roll degrades. Upon continued heating, such roll degradation causes uneven surfaces and defective patterns in thermally fixed images.
Toner fusing rolls are composed of a cylindrical core which may contain a heat source in its interior and a resilient covering layer surrounding the core. A thin layer of a suitable primer is advantageously coated on the surface of the core in order to improve bonding to the covering layer. Roll coverings are commonly made of fluorocarbon polymers or silicone polymers, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymers, which have a low surface energy to minimize toner adherence. Frequently, release oils (e.g., containing functionalized poly(dimethylsiloxanes)) are applied to the roll surface to prevent adherence of toner to the roll. However, such release oils can interact with the roll covering layer to cause eventual roll swelling, softening and degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,341 discloses fusing rolls comprising a crosslinked elastomer prepared by copolymerization of dimethylsiloxane, diphenylsiloxane and vinylsiloxane monomers. Incorporation of 5-15 mole percent of diphenylsiloxane recurring units afforded improved resistance to swelling by release oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,621 discloses a roll for use in electrostatography with a surface layer comprising a crosslinked elastomer prepared by copolymerization of a polyfunctional silicone hydride, a vinyl polyorganosiloxane and a polyorganosiloxane filler. The roll afforded improved resistance to swelling by release oils.
Roll coverings usually contain a filler to strengthen the polymeric covering layer. A particularly useful filler is thermally conductive and provides thermal stability to the polymer layer. Such fillers are needed when fabricating fusing rolls with the commonly used poly(dimethylsiloxane) rubber polymers.
Fusing rolls with covering layers made of poly(dimethylsiloxane), despite their common use, have a number of deficiencies. There thus exists a need in the art for a polymeric covering layer which is thermally stable, resistant to chemical degradation, and thermally conductive.

Addition-cured silicone elastomers and coated fusing rolls using such elastomers


The present digital camera system includes interchangeable lens barrels, and a digital camera having a first camera body to which the interchangeable lens barrel can be attached or another digital camera having a second camera body. The first camera body contains a first image pickup element having a reference pixel pitch and a first optical LPF (low pass filter). The second camera body contains a second image pickup element having a pixel pitch different from the reference pixel pitch, a second optical LPF and a compensating optical element. The compensating optical element is a glass plate having no double refraction characteristic for compensating an amount of the change in optical path length due to the decrease in thickness of the second optical LPF with respect to the first optical LPF. The present digital camera system allows the replacement of an interchangeable lens without generating various kinds of aberration among camera bodies having different pixel pitches.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens-interchangeable digital camera system and a digital camera, interchangeable lens and camera body thereof.
2. Related Art Statement
A conventional digital camera includes an optical low-pass filter (called optical LPF hereinafter), containing crystal or the like having a double refraction characteristic, in the front of the surface of an image pickup element in order to reduce false color (such as moiré) of a high frequency component of a shot image. A single lens reflex digital camera system has been provided in which a lens (lens barrel) is interchangeable with respect to the camera body. Image pickup elements having different numbers of pixels, that is, having different pixel pitches are built in multiple bodies of the lens-interchangeable digital camera system. Furthermore, multiple kinds of interchangeable lens can be attached to the body.
An optical LPF having thickness corresponding to the pixel pitches is provided in the front of the surface of the image pickup element having different pixel pitches as described above in the single lens reflex camera body.
The thickness of the optical LPF is set in accordance with the pixel pitch of the image pickup element as described above because a luminous flux having passed through the optical LPF is divided into non-refractive normal light and abnormal light (double refractive) and the divided luminous fluxes must be launched into adjacent pixels of the image pickup element in order to prevent the occurrence of the moiré. Therefore, the thickness of the optical LPF must be changed in accordance with the pixel pitch.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 7-123421 and No. 2000-244821 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2552855, which will be described later as Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, respectively, discloses propositions relating to optical path length control and/or spatial frequency characteristic control by operating an optical LPF in a conventional digital camera.
An image pickup apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a switching circuit for switching a first image pickup mode and a second image pickup mode. In the first image pickup mode, color natural image signals are generated by using electric signals output from an image pickup element. In the second image pickup mode, high resolution image signals are generated for a single colored or monotonous image. An optical LPF is retractable in accordance with the switching, and the change in optical path length is corrected by using another optical system. With the image pickup apparatus, high resolution image signals can be generated for a monotonous image.
An image pickup apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 drives switching of a dummy glass for optical length correction and an optical LPF corresponding to driving modes of an image pickup element. The dummy glass for optical path length correction and the optical LPF constitute an LPF block. With the image pickup apparatus, the occurrence of pseudo signals caused by changes in spatial sampling characteristic due to special driving of the image pickup element can be effectively suppressed.
In an image pickup apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, when a frame reading mode is selected, correction optical means, instead of an optical low pass filter, is inserted to an incident optical path onto an image pickup means. The correction optical means has the same optical length as that of the optical LPF. With the image pickup apparatus, aliasing does not occur even when the vertical scan frequency for sampling is changed from 525 to 262.5. Therefore, the deterioration in image quality does not occur.
Some single lens reflex digital camera system may apply LN element (LiNbO3) as an optical LPF, instead of crystal. The LN element is extremely thin and has the same double refraction characteristic as that of crystal. In order not to significantly change pixel pitches in every camera body of the digital camera system, the size of the image pickup element may be changed so as to change the number of pixels. When the LN element is applied, the optical path length of the luminous flux does not significantly change since the LN element is thin. Therefore, an interchangeable lens can be interchanged between digital camera bodies having different pixel pitches.

Lens-interchangeable digital camera system


An apparatus for dispensing a volatile substance includes an electromechanical dispenser attached to a pivot arm, and a cartridge for holding a plurality of reservoirs each containing a volatile substance. The cartridge is rotatable such that any one of the reservoirs can be positioned in an engagement position, in which the volatile substance can be dispensed. The cartridge has a cam feature consisting of a contoured circumferential surface that alternately rises and falls. The pivot arm operates in tandem with the cam feature such that, when the cartridge is rotated, the dispenser alternately engages and disengages from successive reservoirs, and remains out of the path of motion traversed by the reservoirs as the cartridge rotates from one engagement position to a subsequent engagement position. The electromechanical dispenser may be a piezoelectrically actuated vibratory type liquid atomization apparatus, and the volatile substance may be a fragrance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electromechanical dispenser for dispensing a volatile substance, such as a piezoelectrically actuated vibratory type liquid atomization apparatus for emitting a fragrance. More particularly, it relates to such a dispenser having a single dispensing mechanism, such as a single atomization device, and a carousel that holds multiple receptacles each containing a volatile fragrant substance, the single atomization device being capable of engaging any of the receptacles by means of movement of the receptacles, such as by rotation of the carousel relative to the atomization device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electromechanical dispensers for dispensing a volatile substance, based on a variety of operating principles or technologies, are known in the art. For example, such a dispenser may comprise a heating element for heating the volatile substance to promote vaporization and a fan or blower to generate a flow of air to direct the evaporate out of the device into the surrounding environment. Examples of dispensers of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,559 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0107139 and 2002/0066798. The heating element may be omitted from such a device, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,713,024, or it may be replaced by an alternative means to promote evaporation, such as a diffusion screen, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,659. The fan or blower may also be omitted, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,768, according to which a heated aromatic material emanates from the dispenser into the environment upon opening of an otherwise sealed receptacle containing the material. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,726 describes a variation to the fan or blower, namely, a bolus generator that delivers a pulse of air to eject a scent ring, similar to a smoke ring exhaled by a smoker. Another type of electromechanical dispenser is an ultrasonic device such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,632, in which a fragrance solution, in the form of a thin liquid membrane formed on a vibrating surface, is vaporized by being made to absorb the energy of ultrasonic waves. Dispensers of volatile substances based on other operating principles, as well as other variations in dispensers of any given type, are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Regardless of the operating principle of the dispenser, it is not uncommon to include in the dispenser elements for automation and control such as a motor, a controller, and the like, to control such factors as the frequency and duration of emissions of the volatile substance, which in turn determine the intensity of the emitted fragrance. While it is of course possible to design a dispenser devoid of electrical or even mechanical components, inasmuch as many volatile substances of interest will spontaneously vaporize, in practice, such technologically primitive devices generally exhibit a variety of performance limitations, particularly with respect to the ability to vary the modes of, or otherwise control, operation of the device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,605,692 and 2,103,609, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0058595, and UK Patent Application Publication GB 2 256 589 offer examples of simple devices of this sort having limited or no mechanical features.
An example of a piezoelectrically actuated vibratory type liquid atomization apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,430, which is assigned to the assignee of this invention and incorporated herein by reference. As described therein, a piezoelectrically actuated vibratory type liquid atomization apparatus comprises a piezoelectric actuating element coupled to a liquid atomization plate. The piezoelectric actuating element vibrates the liquid atomization plate, in response to alternating electrical voltages applied to the actuating element. The vibration of the plate causes atomization of a liquid supplied to it by a liquid delivery system, which is arranged to deliver the liquid while the atomization plate is being vibrated. An electrical circuit is provided to supply the alternating electrical voltages to conductive elements that are arranged to be in electrical contact with opposite sides of the actuating element to apply the alternating voltages across the actuating element. The conductive elements may also serve to support the actuating element and the liquid atomization plate in a housing that contains the device.
Other examples of piezoelectric vibratory type liquid atomization apparatuses of a variety of types are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,419, 6,085,740 and 4,301,093, and published European Patent Application EP 0 897 755.
In regard to fragrance dispensing devices, it is known that if a user is continually exposed to the same odor or fragrance, the user's olfactory sense can become desensitized to the scent. This phenomenon is referred to as "fragrance fatigue." One way to overcome fragrance fatigue is to provide a dispenser capable of emitting different fragrances. Thus, many of the above-mentioned documents suggest a device having multiple receptacles for containing volatile substances, respectively, such that the device can hold and emit multiple, different fragrances. The different receptacles may be stationary, such as in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,726, or they may be movable, e.g., radially disposed on a tray or cartridge that may be rotated to align a given receptacle with a heater and/or an exit hole, or the like, for emission of the substance in the receptacle, such as are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,805,768, 5,605,692 and 2,103,609, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002/0066798 and 2003/0107139, and UK Patent Application Publication GB 2 256 589. While in some cases a single dispensing mechanism (e.g., a heater and/or an exit hole) serves all of the multiple receptacles, in other cases, each of the multiple receptacles is provided with its own dispensing mechanism, in part or in whole.
Pending PCT Application No. PCT/US03/36090 (now published as International Publication No. WO 2004/043502 A1), filed Nov. 10, 2003, assigned to the assignee of this invention and incorporated herein by reference, teaches an apparatus including multiple volatile substance reservoirs, each of which is provided with its own piezoelectrically actuated atomization device. While such an apparatus is capable of providing enhanced performance, for example, in the way of a variety of modes, fragrance combinations, and control or programming, the provision of multiple atomization devices significantly increases the cost of manufacture. Thus, there remains a need for a compact piezoelectric atomization apparatus, or other type of electromechanical dispenser, capable of dispensing a variety of volatile substances with some degree of operational flexibility, that can be operated by a user in a highly convenient, simple manual fashion but that can also be provided with a degree of automation and programming control, and that can be manufactured, and hence sold, at a low cost.

Electromechanical apparatus for dispensing volatile substances with single dispensing mechanism and cartridge for holding multiple receptacles


Disclosed is a gamification system for overlaying user-controlled graphical targeting elements over a real-time video feed of an instrument being inspected, and providing interactive controls for firing virtual weapons or other graphical indicators to designate and/or record the presence of contaminants, defects, and/or other issues at specific locations within or on the instrument. The system may receive and present images of the instrument under inspection in a graphical user interface (“GUI”). The system may receive user input that tags a particular region of a particular image with an issue identifier, and may generate a visualization that is presented in conjunction with the particular image in the GUI in response to receiving the input. The visualization corresponds to firing of a virtual weapon and other gaming visuals associated with tagging the particular region of the particular image with the issue identifier.

Medical instruments must be free of contaminants, defects, and/or other issues before they may be safely used in a medical procedure. Any single issue may cause infection, harm, or even death if it is not caught and corrected prior to using the medical instrument in a medical procedure. However, medical instrument inspection may become a tedious task, and the technicians performing the inspections may lose focus when inspecting tens or hundreds of such instruments in a day. Consequently, a technician may overlook, miss, or improperly identify issues which may lead to improperly sanitized medical instruments or medical instruments with defects being used in medical procedures.

Systems and methods for gamification of instrument inspection and maintenance


Disclosed herein are methods of manufacturing toothpaste compositions comprising calcium carbonate.

There are problems associated with filling the toothpaste package effectively and reliably if the toothpaste exhibits the stringy effect and tailing, particularly for toothpaste formulations containing a significant proportion of calcium carbonate particles.
Specifically, traditional manufacturing processes result in toothpastes having a granular texture which is not satisfactory because consumers require toothpaste compositions which are smooth in texture.
There is accordingly a need in the art for a method of manufacturing a toothpaste composition which contains calcium carbonate particles and exhibits good rheological properties, in particular reduced stringiness and reduced tailing, and has a smooth texture.
In addition, it is well known to manufacture striped toothpastes, in which a first toothpaste phase is provided with stripes of a second phase, of toothpaste or gel, when the toothpaste is extruded as a strip from a tube or other packaging. The first toothpaste phase is typically white and the second phase is typically colored. It is an important aesthetic requirement for the consumer that the differently colored phases have a sharp boundary between them and that the different colorants do not appear to bleed from one phase into the adjacent phase.
The binder component in the toothpaste has a significant impact on the stripe quality of the extruded strip to form a stable extrudable paste including the abrasive particles and the liquid phase. In striped toothpaste formulations containing a significant proportion of calcium carbonate particles, it is known to use a binder system which controls the stripe quality. In particular, it is known to use a binder system incorporating the combination of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and magnesium aluminium silicate (MAS) to provide a high stripe quality. However, the use of magnesium aluminium silicate (MAS) suffers from the problem that currently there are only a few qualified suppliers of toothpaste-grade magnesium aluminium silicate (MAS), which increases the cost and complexity of the supply chain.
There is accordingly a need in the art for a method of manufacturing a striped toothpaste composition which exhibits high stripe quality but avoids the supply chain problems of the known binder system incorporating the combination of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and magnesium aluminium silicate (MAS).

Processes for preparing toothpaste compositions


The current invention discloses a type of micronized powder for manufacturing sintered Neodymium magnetic material, a target type jet mill pulverization method to prepare the micronized powder, and the resulting pulverized powder. The Neodymium magnet powder created under the method is of sphericity of greater than or equal to 90% and of particle adhesion rate of less than or equal to 10%. A is the diameter of the target center, B is the diameter of the side nozzle, and C is the distance between the target center and the nozzle. The relationship amongst A, B and C is A/B=m×(C/A+B), where m ranges from 1 to 7. A velocity of the jet stream from side nozzle is between about 320 m/s to about 580 m/s.

Sintered Neodymium multiphasic material in the main R2T14B phase has properties including superior magnetic performance, relatively inexpensive production cost and low processing difficulty resulting its widespread applications in national pillar industries including energy, communication, transportation, national defense and medical with huge market demands. Currently, Sintered Neodymium materials are commonly prepared by powder metallurgy, wherein the final magnetic properties largely depend on quality of the powder before compression. Particle-size distribution of the powder is critical in determining magnetization as well as coercivity of magnets in final production. Hydrogen decrepitation (HD) and jet mill ultrafine pulverization are commonly adopted as secondary crushing methods in modern industrial production for manufacturing micronized powder. Uniform particle-size distribution and controllable particle-size result these two methods preferable in high-quality Sintered Neodymium magnetic powder manufacturing. As the last process of micronized powder production, jet mill pulverization is a key element in the entire manufacturing process. In order to obtain satisfying magnetic orientation, the desired magnetic powder should meet the following conditions: {circle around (1)} magnetic powder are of small particles-size (about 3 μm to about 4 μm) with low dispersion; particles of about 3 μm to about 4 μm in particle-size take up about 95% of the entity with no presence of particles of less than 1 μm or greater than 7 μm in particle size; all particles should be single crystals. {circle around (2)} magnetic particles are spherical or substantially spherical. {circle around (3)} minimum crystallographic defects in magnetic powder particles. {circle around (4)} particles are broken preferably along the grain boundary to prepare as many surfaces in Nd-rich phase as possible for all particles, which effectively prevent the occurrence of different grain boundaries in liquid phase sintering. {circle around (5)} minimum impurities and gas absorption on magnetic powder particle surfaces, especially oxygen. The previous five conditions listed above are essential for manufacturing high-quality sintered Neodymium magnetic materials.
Nitrogen gas is now commonly adopted in jet mill pulverization, which effectively prevents the particles from oxidization. However, coarse powder produced by HD, even after dehydrogenation treatment, contains hydrogen, which reacts easily with nitrogen gas under certain circumstances, increasing the content of nitrogen in the magnet and reducing the performances of produced magnetic material as results. Meanwhile, the low molecular mass and low kinetic energy transfer efficiency of nitrogen gas decrease the efficiency of collision between coarse powder particles.
Literature data show, there are patents regarding sintered magnetic material have mentioned improvements gas source in jet mill pulverization. The prior art discloses a method for preparing a Re—Fe—B type permanent magnet material containing small amount of nitrogen, wherein argon or nitrogen of no more than 10 deg. are recommended as protection gas in the pulverizing process to reduce nitrogen content in magnetic material. However, no information regarding the influence of argon gas source on powder preparation and on produced powder after pulverization. According to a patent regarding manufacturing permanent Neodymium material, the mixture of nitrogen and argon could be used as the source gas for jet mill. The patent pointed out that the usage of such mixture increases the success rate of one-time collision between Neodymium particles, but no implementation methods and efficiency reports were disclosed regarding such method. Moreover, there are patents disclose the usage of gas with smaller molecule mass than nitrogen such as hydrogen and helium and gas with larger molecule mass than nitrogen such as argon as the source gas for jet mill. However, hydrogen is explosive when combined with oxygen and helium reduces the particle-size during pulverization producing more ultrafine powder at slow rate with expensive cost. Therefore, in summary, adopting nitrogen as the source gas for jet mill pulverization is practical in applications. The focus of our work aims to overcome the side effects such innovation brings.

Micro powder for preparing neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet material, method for preparing powder by target-type jet milling, and powder

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