A coil configuration and method for transcranial magnetic stimulation enabling stimulation of deep regions of the brain without excessively stimulating the cortex is provided. The coil configuration utilizes at least one coil to produce an off-plane magnetic field to enhance the magnetic field from a top TMS coil. In one configuration three coils, referred to as the Triple Halo Coil and oriented at +30°, 0°, and −30° relative to the plane of the TMS coil, are used. In another configuration a single variable position coil referred to as the Variable Halo Coil and positionable vertically and/or angularly is used.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a non-invasive method for the treatment of neurologic disorders such as depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), and Parkinson's disease. Time varying magnetic fields generate eddy currents in the brain. When a sufficient amount of electric potential is induced on the neurons, it causes depolarization of neuronal membrane and initiates an action potential. When TMS is administered repeatedly over a time, it is called repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and these TMS pulses can inhibit or excite certain regions of the brain. Currently TMS is FDA approved for the treatment of depression.
The existing commercial TMS coils can only stimulate the superficial parts of the brain such as cortex. For successful treatment of other neurological disorders, there is a need for the development of TMS coils that can stimulate deep brain regions. Magnetic field decays rapidly with the distance from the source (coil surface), therefore it is challenging to develop TMS coils for deep brain stimulation. Moreover, magnetic fields with sufficient magnitude to stimulate the deeper regions of the brain generated by conventional TMS coils will over stimulate the surface of the brain.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus and method for stimulating deep brain regions during TMS without overstimulating the surface of the brain. Embodiments of the present invention provide such an apparatus and method. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus and method

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


A dry etching method using no organic resist mask without involving an increase in the number of necessary processes or wafer surface steps. Conventionally, a nitrogen based compound film is formed as a thin anti-reflection film on a gate electrode or aluminum (Al) metallization layer. The nitrogen based compound film thus formed can be used as an etching mask for the material layer by using etching gas capable of forming sulfur (S) in a plasma when dissociated by electric discharges. For instance, a W polycide film masked by a TiON anti-reflection film patterned into a predetermined shape can be etched by S.sub.2 F.sub.2 /H.sub.2 mixed gas. In this case, a nitrogen (N) dangling bond formed on the surface of the TiON anti-reflection film combines with sulfur supplied by S.sub.2 F.sub.2 to form a polythiazyl (SN).sub.x coating, which provides the resulting TiON anti-reflection film pattern with a sufficient etching resistance to act as an etching mask. This etching process emits no carbon to the etching system, thus improving selectivity for a SiO.sub.2 based material layer. The TiON anti-reflection film pattern can also be used as an etching mask for an aluminum metallization layer with a view to reducing after-corrosion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dry etching method employed in such applications as production of semiconductor devices. More particularly, it relates to a dry etching method whereby a nitrogen based compound film can be substituted for a resist mask as an etching mask, thereby preventing promotion of carbon pollution and deterioration of selectivity for an underlying layer and inhibiting after-corrosion.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent trend toward higher integration and performance of such semiconductor devices as VLSIs and ULSIs requires a dry etching method whereby correspondingly higher anisotropy, higher etchrate, higher selectivity, lower pollution, and less damage can be achieved with no compromise in these requirements.
Most typical of the conventional dry etching methods is to etch a target material layer via a resist mask patterned into a predetermined shape. In this method, etching the target material layer into an isotropic shape requires applying a high bias power thereto under low gas pressure to increase the mean free path of ions and the energy of incident ions. At this time, high-energy incident ions will sputter the resist mask, composed of organic materials, and form a carbonaceous decomposition product, which will, in turn, deposit on pattern sidewalls as a carbonaceous polymer, providing sidewall protection effects and contributing to isotropic etching.
In recent years, however, it has been revealed that carbon present in the etching system causes various problems.
One of the problems is a deterioration of the selectivity for silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2) in the presence of carbon. This phenomenon is reported in the Extended Abstract of the 36th Spring Meeting (1989) of the Japan Society for Applied Physics and Related Societies, Vol. 2, p. 572, 1p-L-7 and January's issue of Monthly Magazine "Semiconductor World" (published by Press Journal Inc.) (1990), p. 81-84. The cause of this phenomenon is that an SiO.sub.2 gate oxide film, which would not be etched in theory, is etched slightly when a gate electrode formed thereon is etched by using HBr gas. This cause is somewhat predictable from the descending order in binding energy of an Si--O bond (111 kcal/mole), Si--Br bond (88 kcal/mole), and Si--Si bond (54 kcal/mole). As a result, when an Si based material layer formed on an SiO.sub.2 based material layer is etched by using HBr gas, high selectivity can be expected for the underlying layer, but its actual value is in the order of 10 to 20.
According to the above mentioned sources, such low selectivity for the SiO.sub.2 based material layer can be attributed to carbon pollution. More specifically, any carbon adsorbing on the surface of the SiO.sub.2 based material layer will form a C--O bond (257 kcal/mole), which will override an Si--O bond with a smaller binding energy and form an Si--Br bond with an even smaller binding energy. To improve the selectivity for the SiO.sub.2 based material layer, the above-mentioned Extended Abstract proposes the measure of using HBr gas with higher purity, an etching chamber and pipes of pollution-free material, and an SiO.sub.2 mask as a substitute for a resist mask.
Another problem due to carbon is promotion of after-corrosion in etching an aluminum (Al) based material layer.
Generally, an Al based material layer is etched by using chlorine based gases, typically, BCl.sub.3 /Cl.sub.2 mixed gas. After completion of etching, an etching reaction product AlCl.sub.3, etching gas decomposition products, etc. will inevitably remain on the surface of the wafer carrying the Al based material layer. These residues will not only adsorb on the surface of the wafer but also occlude on the inside of the resist mask and carbonaceous polymer acting as a sidewall protection film. The resulting residual chlorine will absorb water in the air to form an electrolytic droplet, in which aluminum from the Al based material layer will be eluted to promote corrosion. The recent trend in etching the Al based material layer has been toward fabricating a barrier metal or anti-reflection film therewith and adding copper (Cu) thereto to prevent electro-migration. However, these additives will serve to promote more after-corrosion than prevent the after-corrosion.
The present inventor has proposed a dry etching method whereby an Al based material layer is masked with an SiO.sub.2 material layer containing spin on glass (SOG) and etched by using S.sub.2 Cl.sub.2, S.sub.2 Br.sub.2, and other sulfur halides while cooling a target wafer to temperatures below 0.degree. C. In this method, the SiO.sub.2 based material layer is substituted for a resist mask, reducing the quantity of residual chlorine. Further, the sulfur halides, when dissociated by electric discharges, will form free sulfur in a plasma for adsorption on the surface of a cooled wafer. The sulfur thus formed will replace the carbonaceous polymer in depositing on pattern sidewalls and providing sidewall protection effects, thus contributing to anisotropic etching.
Thus, various etching methods have been proposed wherein an SiO.sub.2 based material layer is used as an etching mask to avoid various problems due to carbon. However, there are some problems in putting an SiO.sub.2 mask to practical use in etching processes. First, in a gate electrode forming process using an SiO.sub.2 mask, since a formed gate electrode is eventually coated with an inter-layer insulation film, the SiO.sub.2 mask may be left unremoved without hindering production of a semiconductor device.
Nevertheless, it is preferred to remove the SiO.sub.2 mask in order to prevent an increase in the magnitude of wafer surface steps, which may deteriorate the accuracy of the step coverage photo-lithography for material layers formed in the subsequent processes or photo-lithography. However, any attempt to remove the SiO.sub.2 mask through etching will remove a thin gate oxide film as well, making this process impractical.
Meanwhile, in an Al based material layer etching process using an SOG mask, although after-corrosion is prevented effectively, another process is required for forming an SOG mask. It is also preferred to prevent such an increase in the number of necessary processes.

Dry etching method utilizing (SN).sub.x polymer mask

c/o Sony Corporation 7-35, Kitashinagawa 6-chome


The disclosure relates to radiological image intensifier tubes, and more particularly to means to improve the image resolution of these tubes and/or correct their brightness curve at output. The image intensifier tube comprises an input screen comprising a scintillator borne by an aluminium substrate. A porous layer of alumina is interposed between the scintillator and the substrate. The alumina layer is dyed so as to absorb the light emitted by the scintillator towards the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to radiological image intensifier tubes, and more particularly to means for improving the image resolution of these tubes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An image intensifier tube is a vacuum tube comprising an input screen, located at the front of the tube, an electronic optical system and a screen for the observation of the visible image located at the rear of the tube, on the same side as an output window of this tube.
In X-ray or radiological image intensifier tubes, the input screen furthermore has a scintillator screen which converts the incident X photons into visible photons.
FIG. 1 gives a schematic view of a radiological type of image intensifier tube such as this.
The radiological image intensifier tube 1 comprises a glass envelope 2, one end of which, at the front of the tube, comprises an input screen 3 exposed X photon radiation.
The second end of the envelope forming the rear of the tube is closed by an output window 4 transparent to light.
The X-rays are converted into light rays by a scintillator screen 5. The light rays excite a photocathode 6 which produces electrons in response.
The electrons produced by the photocathode 5 are accelerated towards the output window 4 by means of different electrodes 7, and by an anode 8 positioned along a longitudinal axis 13 of the tube and forming the electronic optical system.
The output window 4 is formed by a transparent glass part which, in the example shown, bears a cathodoluminescent screen or output screen 10, made of luminophores for example.
The impact of the electrons on the cathodoluminescent screen or output screen 10 makes it possible to reconstitute an image (amplified in luminance) which was initially formed on the surface of the photocathode 6.
The image displayed by the output screen 10 is visible through the glass part which constitutes the output window 4. Generally, optical sensor devices (not shown) are positioned outside the tube in the vicinity of the output window 4 to pick up this image through the window 4 and enable it to be observed.
In the most recent observations, the input screen 9 comprises an aluminium substrate covered by the scintillator 5, itself covered by an electrically conductive and transparent layer 11, made of indium oxide for example. The photocathode is deposited on this transparent layer 11.
The X-rays strike the input screen on the aluminium substrate side. They go through this substrate and then reach the material constituting the scintillator.
The light photons produced by the scintillator are emitted in about every direction. However, to increase the resolution of the tube, the scintillator material chosen is generally a substance such as caesium iodide (CsI) which has the property of growing in the form of crystals perpendicular to the surface on which they are deposited. The needle crystals thus deposited tend to guide the light perpendicularly to the surface, which favors high image resolution.
The French patent application No. 88.09938 dated Jul. 22, 1988 describes the way to improve this resolution by reducing the mean cross-section of the needle crystals of the scintillator, through the surface condition of the layer on which the scintillator is made to grow.
The quality of the image resolution may also be lowered because light photons generated in the scintillator start off again towards the side on which the X-rays arrive. These photons strike the aluminium substrate with an incidence that is random. They are reflected by the aluminium substrate frontwards, hence towards the photocathode, but the path of these photons is such that the result is a loss of resolution: for a same X-photon incidence, it is possible to arrive at a situation where electrons are created at points in the photocathode that are different from those required.
FIG. 2 gives a view, in greater detail, of the input screen 9 and illustrates this loss of resolution by showing, side by side, the different paths followed by two light photons PL1, PL2 arising out of the impact of an X photon on the scintillator 5, resulting in the formation of electrons at different points of the photocathode. The input window 3, through which the X-rays arrive, constitutes the aluminium substrate bearing the cesium iodide scintillator 5, the crystals 5a of which are perpendicular to the surface and tend to channel the light photons. The transparent conductive sub-layer referenced 11 is positioned between the scintillator 5 and the photocathode 6.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the light photon PL2 is emitted backwards, i.e. towards the substrate 3, with an incidence such that it is reflected by the substrate towards the photocathode 6, the path that it takes in the scintillator 5 being a needle crystal different from the one in which it has been generated: this fact illustrates the loss of resolution.

Radiological image intensifier tube with dyed porous alumina layer


A speed reduction method for a hand-carried engine-driven working machine is provided in which a speed reduction of an engine can be attained reliably and safely by preventing the occurrence of lean come-down phenomenon in such a state that the engine is operating in a practical revolution speed range. An acceleration is calculated based on a change in revolution speed, and when the acceleration becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold, an ignition timing is retarded by a desired amount based on a determination that the engine is being decelerated, and further, a fuel flow rate is also increased, whereby the decelerated state of the engine is maintained without fail, so that the occurrence of lean come-down phenomenon is prevented in the process of reducing the revolution speed of the engine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a speed reduction method for a hand-carried engine-driven working machine such as a lawnmower or a chainsaw.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most of engines mounted on hand-carried engine-driven working machines which are currently marketed are expected to use gasoline as a fuel. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the load to the environment, a biofuel which is a mixture of gasoline and bioethanol has started to be propagated, and there are now demands for engines which can deal with such a biofuel.
When a biofuel is used for a gasoline engine, the fuel becomes lean due to the difference in theoretical air-fuel ratio between gasoline and bioethanol. This causes a tendency that the idle speed of the engine is increased or that the speed reduction control on the engine is deteriorated. In particular, in a practical revolution speed range in which a throttle valve of a carburetor is fully opened to increase the revolution speed of the engine to a working revolution speed range, there occurs a so-called lean come-down phenomenon which is a phenomenon in which when the engine is decelerated from a high-speed operating state, the engine has difficulty in reducing its revolution speed down to a clutch-in revolution speed or lower, for example, down to an idle speed range. Once this phenomenon occurs, a working portion such as a rotating blade of the hand-carried engine-driven working machine becomes reluctant to stop, resulting in a dangerous condition.
In addition to the case where the biofuel is used, this lean come-down phenomenon also occurs due to a change in density of air which is triggered by, for example, temperature, atmospheric pressure or elevation, a reduction in internal resistance of the engine associated with aged deterioration, or an increase in amount of air which is triggered by a reduction in airtightness or wear of carburetor parts.
In the lean come-down phenomenon, the phenomenon in which the idle speed of the engine is increased can be dealt with by making use of an approach disclosed in Patent Literature 1 (JP2011-012685), for example. The approach as prior art is such that a revolution speed in an idle revolution speed range is stabilized to a predetermined target revolution speed by controlling an ignition timing (retarding the ignition timing).
In the above-mentioned approach as prior art, however, the acceleration performance of an increasing or decreasing process of the revolution speed of the engine is largely affected, that is, the acceleration in such a change is made difficult to occur. Therefore, the applicable control range is limited to a low revolution speed range including the idle revolution speed range, which is lower than the clutch-in revolution speed which is the lowest revolution speed in the practical revolution speed range of hand-carried engine-driven working machines, leading to a problem that the approach as prior art has difficulty in application to middle to high revolution speed ranges of the practical revolution speed range including the working revolution speed range.

Speed reduction method for hand-carried engine-driven working machine


A process for manufacturing a salt core to be introduced into a foundry mold by casting of parts made of aluminum, aluminum alloy, or light alloys obtained according to casting operations in order to form a foundry preform. The core is a salt powder and undergoes for its shaping an isostatic compression of the salt powder. The core obtained with the desired shapes is then introduced into the foundry mold to make the form to be obtained, and the shape resulting from the foundry operation is a preform including the salt powder core obtained by isostatic compression. The preform is then forged with its core at a pressure ranging between 600 and 700 MPa to obtain the final form of the product to be obtained, and the core subsequently removed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the technical field of the design of cores for foundry parts to be subsequently forged.
2. Description of the Related Art
The core, in foundry, enables to form hollow shapes in foundry parts. It is generally made of sand or of salt.
For a better understanding of aspects of the invention, the different technologies used to design different types of cores will be briefly reminded, with their limits, in relation with the drawings.
FIGS. 1A-1B show a blown sand core or a blown salt core before and after assembly of the particles.
According to this first implementation, the sand (1) is coated with a bonding agent (2) which hardens on shooting of the core. The sand and the bonding agent are introduced into a nozzle and air is pressurized upstream of this nozzle. The core box is located downstream. The pressure is released and projects the sand into the core box, which may be hot or cold. The sand fills the core box cavity and is set by the bonding agent. The filling of complex shapes is difficult to adjust. Also, in certain cases of use of two sand supply points in the core box, shape and section variations should be limited. However, in this implementation, the sand grains are not deformed and a grain cluster is obtained (FIG. 1B) with porosities (p).
In the case of a blown salt core implementing the same process, the operation takes place in similar conditions, with the same constraints and disadvantages, especially regarding porosity.
Another known solution is that of the sintered salt core illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2B.
In this case, the salt core manufacturing technique comprises a first coining operation followed by a sintering of a mixture of a salt powder with a bonding agent and a mould-release agent. The salt grains are designated with reference (3) and the grain bonds obtained according to the process are designated with reference (4). The coining provides a core which is sufficiently solid to be manipulated. Its solidity is completed after a high-temperature sintering operation. During the sintering, the bonding agent is in a semi-solid or liquid state and fills part of the porosities persisting after the coining.
After cooling, the bonds created by the bonding agent give the core a high breakage resistance but the compressibility remains high since not all porosities (p) are filled. Further, the coining operation results in shape and size limitations to be able to form the core.
The use of the solutions implemented according to prior art thus has limits, with a degree of porosity of the obtained core capable of having adverse effects on casting of the foundry material.
Further, the core obtained according to the previously-mentioned processes, and by their heterogeneous structure, is partially inappropriate for other processing, such as for example a forging operation.
Independently from the foundry core issue, the Applicant is the designer of the COBAPRESS process (registered trademark) defined in European patent 119 365.
This process implements, for aluminum alloys, two successive casting operations to obtain a preform, which is then placed in a forging die to be forged. This technology is very widely exploited and developed by the Applicant, but also by others, since patent EP 119 365 belongs to the public domain.
The Applicant has also developed many improvements to the basic technology of the COBAPRESS process with, for example, the insertion of metal inserts into the preform, which is then forged. This has been defined in patent EP 586 314. The inserts are arranged once and for all in the preform and the final part is obtained.
Unlike foundry cores, inserts cannot be subsequently removed.
There thus is a major obstacle, for the discussed reasons.
In the context of the cast-forged technology, corresponding to the COBAPRESS process, the use of cores has been provided. For example, patent application PCT WO 2009/050382 provides the use of a salt or sand core, formed by means of a cold or hot box or "croning" inserted in a foundry preform to be then submitted to a preform forging operation. In practice, this patent application, which attempts to broaden the core forming mode, essentially refers to a core formed of sand or of resin, which corresponds to the initially-mentioned prior art. This core is actually provided with at least one gas discharge duct to discharge the gases out of the mold during the molding operation. Such gases, according to the Applicant of this patent application, may originate from the combustion of the resins or bonding agents contained in the core. Further, in this document, the gas discharge duct(s) help positioning the core in the mold in the molding operation. This thus generates a very specific structure, with technical constraints associated with this specific implementation and, in particular, specific means for the tightness of the preform blank.
Patent EP 850 825 also discloses the use of a core of lost material to form the hollow portion of a bicycle pedal crank. This core is continued by a support portion used to position the support inside of the foundry mold having the metal cast therein. The ensuing forging operation requires a previous partial removal of the core. This thus requires very specific operations with risks of leaving core fragments in the mold, which may be disturbing and create weak areas during the forging operation.
Patent application WO 84/04264 further discloses the use of salt cores used in foundry molding with a compaction effect (squeeze casting). In this case, the liquid metal is pressurized to 70 MPa as explained by the patentee at page 6, line 30, with a material in the liquid state. This pressure remains very low and does not correspond to a forging pressure, which approximately ranges from 600 to 700 MPa. This document is thus limited to the sole foundry application.
Based on the above considerations, the Applicant has searched for a solution capable of overcoming all the mentioned disadvantages and constraints of prior art.
The Applicant has followed a different approach from previously-described techniques, based on a new concept of foundry core manufacturing design capable of being implemented with no modification of the preform structure for the preform forging operation, and thus of the core surrounded with solid metal at pressures approximately ranging from 600 to 700 MPa.
The solution found and abundantly tested has enabled to validate the Applicant's choice for the manufacturing of this core.

Process for manufacturing a salt core by isostatic compaction for parts implementing successive foundry and forging operations


A collapsible shipping container comprising a base portion, three walls which are hinged to the base at their respective lower edges, a fourth wall which assembles to the base by sliding into a channel, four identical corner posts having a pair of channels for sliding on to the vertical edges of the four sides, and a top lid. The hinges on the side walls allow the three hinged side panels to fold over onto each other in a tightly layered configuration. The hinges do not carry a load which allows the containers to be stacked. The corner posts have locking pins which fit into holes on the tops of the walls to firmly lock the walls together. Skids are provided on the bottom portion to allow the container to be picked up and moved by forklifts. The top lid holds the corner posts and completely encloses the collapsed container. Alternatively, the container may accept snap-in casters on the bottom.

The present invention relates generally to the field of containers for the transportation of general cargo, and in particular, to containers which may be collapsed into a compact configuration for storage or return to a point of origin.
Shipping containers in which the walls fold to form a collapsed configuration are well known. Such containers have the advantages of allowing a compact folded configuration which facilitates storage and shipment. Quite commonly, a manufacturer ships parts to a distant point of assembly from which empty containers must be returned to the manufacturer. It is of course highly inefficient to ship empty containers; therefore, many attempts have been made to develop a collapsible container which demonstrates efficiency, durability, ease of use, minimum collapsed configuration, flexibility of use, and strength.
One of the problems associated with the use of collapsible containers is ensuring that the unfolded configuration has the requisite degree of strength. Various patents disclose the use of corner posts to tie together the side panels in a collapsible shipping container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,656 issued to Kridle on Aug. 16, 1966 for "Demountable Shipping Case" discloses a collapsible shipping container with a base having a flange around its outside edge, four rectangular side panels, four corner posts each having a pair of channels to receive the vertical edges of the side panels, and a cover. The side panels of Kridle, however, are not hinged and the corner posts do not disclose the use of pins to tie the side panels together.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,045 issued to Heller on Nov. 13, 1979 for "Loading Platform" does, however, disclose corner posts which have a plate at the top with a slot to receive extensions formed in the top edges of the side panels.
Another shipping container disclosing corner connectors is U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,099 issued to Fties et al. on Aug. 17, 1993 for "Plastic Knock Down Bin-Pallet for Loading, Transporting and Storing Fruits, Vegetables, Fish or Other Foods." Fties et al. disclose corner connectors which have a pair of channels for interlocking with the side panels of a collapsible container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,814 issued to Chiswell on Sep. 17, 1968 for "Collapsible Shipping Container" discloses a container having a base and four corner posts, four detachable side panels and a roof section. The same type of corner posts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,604 issued to Flanders on Sep. 27, 1977 for "Disassembleable, Reusable Container." In both of these patents, the corner posts are simple angle pieces which do not provide channels to receive the edges of the side panels.
Many designs of collapsible shipping containers employ the concept of folding the side walls about hinges. Some of the problems associated with the use of hinges include the durability of the container and its strength, both in the collapsed and the unfolded configuration. One particular problem is to avoid the loading of the hinges which can promote premature failure in the fully unfolded configuration and which may limit the ability of the folded or collapsed configuration to be stacked for efficient shipment. The following are examples of patents for collapsible shipping containers in which some or all of the walls are hinged to the bottom portion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,779 issued to Zimmerlund on Aug. 22, 1989 for "Container" is a somewhat complicated arrangement for folding the sides together to form a compact package. Zimmerlund does, however, recognize the problem of arranging the hinges so that the panels bear on one another and not on the hinge structure itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,763 issued to Kirkley on Oct. 19, 1993 for "Collapsible Container" discloses a container in which two of the side walls are hinged and two of the side walls are removable for stacking onto the folded hinged sides. Kirkly does not disclose the use of corner posts and the appropriate stacked configuration is obtained by folding the side panels about central hinges.
A final example of a shipping container in which the sides are hinged is U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,925 issued to Mills on Jun. 26, 1962 for "General Cargo Shipping Container." Mills recognizes the desirability of being able to open a side of a shipping container for easy loading and unloading.


A method for registering medical images of different types, includes: receiving a selection of at least one point in a first medical image that is acquired in non-real time; extracting, from the first medical image, a first anatomic object which includes the selected point and a second anatomic object which is adjacent to the selected point; extracting, from a second medical image that is acquired in real time, a third anatomic object which corresponds to the first anatomic object and a fourth anatomic object which corresponds to the second anatomic object; and registering the first medical image and the second medical image based on a geometric relation between the first, second, third, and fourth anatomic objects.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to methods and apparatuses for registering medical images of different types.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, since high-resolution medical images may be obtained and medical instruments may be precisely operated due to the developments of medical technologies, a method has been developed to perform a medical treatment while observing the inside of a body of a patient by directly inserting a catheter or a medical needle into a blood vessel or a desired body region after making a small hole in the skin of the patient without making in the body a cut for exposing a treatment region. This method is referred to as an image-based surgical operation, an interventional image-based surgical operation, or a mediate image-based surgical operation. An operator detects the position of an organ or the occurrence of a disease based on an image. In addition, since a patient breathes or moves during a surgical operation, the operator should detect a change in the position of the organ caused by breathing or movement of the patient. Therefore, the operator should perform a surgical operation by rapidly and accurately detecting the breathing or movement of the patient based on a real-time image. However, it is not easy to detect, in real time with the naked eye, the shape of an organ or the occurrence of a disease. Unlike an ultrasound image, a magnetic resonance (MR) or computed tomography (CT) image enables the operator to clearly identify an organ and a disease. However, since an MR or CT image may not be acquired in real time during a surgical operation, the MR or CT image may not reflect the breathing and movement of a patient during the surgical operation.

Method and apparatus for registering medical images


An energy replenishment quantity control system 100 for controlling a replenishment quantity of each energy source in a moving body V which utilizes more than one kind of energy source, comprises a route searching part C10 configured to search a route to a destination, an energy cost calculating part C12 configured to calculate an energy cost of each energy source in using the respective energy sources based on information about the route searched by the route searching part C10, an energy replenishment quantity controlling part E14 configured to control the replenishment quantity of the energy sources based on the energy costs calculated by the energy cost calculating part C12.

Conventionally, a hybrid vehicle which efficiently uses electric energy stored in a battery so that the hybrid vehicle can use up the electric energy stored in the battery on arrival to a destination where it can charge the battery is known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 for example).
Such hybrid vehicle controls consumption of the electric energy stored in the battery while determining distribution of outputs by an engine and an electric motor based on a distance to a destination and a remaining battery level, or while determining a target battery level at each location on a route based on information derived from a driving schedule set in advance such as a route, a travel distance, a position of a chargeable location, and an available time for charging at the chargeable location, and based on a remaining battery level.
A hybrid vehicle with an information presenting device which presents a reachable region where the hybrid vehicle can swing by before reaching its destination without replenishing energy on the way to the destination is known (see Patent Document 3 for example).
This hybrid vehicle derives the reachable region based on a remaining energy level and determines if it is necessary to replenish energy to reach the destination. Only if the hybrid vehicle determines that it is necessary to replenish energy, this hybrid vehicle presents a driver appropriate energy replenishing points in consideration of an energy replenishing cost in the case of utilizing each of the energy replenishing points.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. H08-265909    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 3539497    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent No. 3758140

Energy replenishment quantity control system


A gesture related to portions of handwritten text is recognized. Furthermore, an action is performed against the portions of the handwritten text. The action is associated with the recognized gesture.

A common problem in data entry systems is processing data corrections (editing). This is particular true for handwriting recognition systems, where some of the signals received for handwritten text may include special symbols which are created by a writer as gestures over or in close proximity to some portions of the handwritten text. The primary problem with this form of correction is that the writer attempted edits (via the special symbols) can overlap some of the handwritten text. This makes it extremely difficult to translate the handwriting text and identify what editing the writer desired by the special symbols.
Conventionally, a writer's gestures, which are used to create special editing symbols, are incorporated as part of the overall handwritten text image. Correspondingly, the special symbols are not separable from the substantive text images before character recognition can be applied. Character recognition translates the text images into machine-readable characters for use in electronic systems and applications (e.g., word processors, spreadsheets, calendars, etc.).

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A computer program product, system, and computer implemented method for automatic maintenance of standby databases for non-logged workloads, the process comprising: maintaining a redo stream of redo records sent from a primary database to a standby database, identifying a change made at the primary database for which a redo record was not created, inserting a placeholder redo record into the redo stream corresponding to the change identified at the primary database for which the redo record was not created, sending, to the standby database, a copy of one or more data blocks corresponding to the change that is associated with the placeholder redo record, receiving the placeholder redo record from the redo stream, identifying the copy of the one or more data blocks sent from the primary database corresponding to the placeholder redo record, and applying the copy of one or more data blocks to update the standby database.

A standby database is a database replica a primary database. Standby databases may be created to protect against disasters, data corruption, and/or supplemental reporting. For example, if a primary database is destroyed or if data stored in the primary database is corrupted, a failover may be performed such that a standby database becomes the new primary database. As another example, many reporting applications execute on standby databases to offload computer processing from the primary since the data between the standby and the primary are generally synchronized. Some of these reporting applications require the data on the standby to be as close to or as near identical to the primary as possible.
Typically, a standby database is maintained by applying redo logs from the primary database to the standby database. At the standby, the received copies of redo logs are used to reconstruct changes made to the contents of the primary database, e.g., where information maintained in the redo log is sent to the standby database and applied to its contents. For example, when redo records are generated in response to logged changes made to the contents of a primary database, these records are sent to a standby database where the same changes are made to ensure that the contents of the standby database remain identical to those of the primary database.
However, there are circumstances where the standby database is not continuously kept in synch with the primary database. This is because there may be numerous costs associated with the synchronization process, including for example, overhead to perform redo generation/writing, redo archiving, redo transport on the primary, and/or latency costs for wait times for confirmation of synch completion at the standby. Depending on the type of workload performed on the primary, adding this additional overhead for the synch process may create significant performance problems at the primary. Therefore, some systems are configured to allow logging to be turned off at the primary for a variety of reasons including costs associated with the synchronization process even though a standby is implemented. This may result in the standby not being synchronized with the primary.
The problem is there are some downstream applications that may rely on the fact that the standby database is continuously kept in synchronization with the primary database. For example, there may be reporting applications that require the data on the standby database to be as close to or as near identical to the primary database as possible. As another example, if the primary database is destroyed or if data stored in the primary database is corrupted, the standby database may become the new primary database. If the standby is not synchronized with the primary, then there may be data inconsistency problems when the standby database becomes the new primary database.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved approach to implement a primary database and standby database that addresses the above-described problems.

Method and system for automatic maintenance of standby databases for non-logged workloads


A secondary source of dispatch information is provided in the event of a failure of a primary source of dispatch information. The second source of dispatch information can be accessed electronically by service technicians in the field when the primary source of dispatch information fails so that service technicians do not have to contact operators in a central office to obtain the dispatch information. The secondary source of dispatch information can distribute the dispatch information in a number of ways including e-mail, web and other methods.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems that use redundancy to provide access to information stored on failed systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing access to dispatch information for service technicians to more effectively schedule their tasks in the event that their primary source of dispatch information is unavailable.
2. Background of the Invention
Integrated dispatch systems (IDSs), such as Telcordia's Media Vantage Force, are commonly used to schedule dispatch of service technicians. These service technicians can be generally classified as either installation technicians or maintenance technicians. Installation technicians primarily install new services. Maintenance technicians primarily respond to trouble calls. The service technicians are placed in the field to respond to service orders that can range in nature from installations to repairs.
Internally, service orders are tracked using documents called trouble tickets. The trouble tickets contain information related to service jobs that are to be performed by the service technicians. Generally, the trouble tickets are maintained in electronic form and stored in the IDS. The IDS is responsible for scheduling the service jobs using the information contained in the trouble tickets.
Database servers in IDS systems use proprietary software (e.g., Telcordia's Media Vantage Force software) to retain all information about customers who had have reported problems and the status of installation orders. Generally, the information is stored in the electronic trouble tickets described above. These database servers are accessed to obtain dispatch information that is required to efficiently dispatch service technicians to complete their jobs. If access to the dispatch information is interrupted (for example, due to a power failure or some other interruption), and is not available to the technicians, the technicians cannot efficiently determine where they should be or what jobs that should complete. Consequently, their productivity is greatly reduced.
There has been a move to mechanize distribution of dispatch information to technicians. Mechanization allows decentralized access to the dispatch information and reduction in the effort required to respond to technician dispatch requests. For example, a technician equipped with a laptop computer can access dispatch information in the IDS' database servers via a wireless network in a mechanized dispatch information system. Generally, an application server provides the interface for the technician to access the dispatch information.
Paper records have been maintained during the mechanization process to provide a backup in the event of a failure of the IDS system. In the loop maintenance operating system (LMOS) Mapper dispatching system, for example, reports are run periodically throughout the day that obtain a snapshot of the load at the time the report was run. The load indicates where technicians are dispatched and what jobs they were working on. Though these reports are generally a few hours old, they provide a backup in the event of an IDS failure that prevents technician access to the dispatch information. When such failures occur, technicians in the field contact operators to get dispatch information such as new task updates or information regarding existing tasks. The operator identifies the appropriate paper record report that contains the dispatch information that is required to respond to the technician's query.
One problem with older systems such as LMOS Mapper is limited capacity. Large service companies, such as large telephone companies, can have more than 15,000 technicians to service maintenance and installation requests. This number of technicians exceeds the capacity of the LMOS Mapper dispatch system. As a result, newer systems are being developed to handle these larger numbers of technicians. One of the ways for achieving the increased capacity in the new systems is to eliminate the generation of the backup paper records. Elimination of the backup paper records frees processor cycles that can be used to service the larger number of technicians. However, elimination of the paper records also precludes their use by operators to assist technicians in the event of IDS failure.
Another problem that arises from the move to mechanized dispatch information distribution is that fewer staff are retained to answer calls from service technicians when the IDS failed. The remaining staff would be likely overwhelmed by dispatch information request calls made by the thousands of technicians in the field in the event of an IDS failure.
As a result, without the paper records, it is generally difficult for a large service company to dispatch its service technicians when access to the IDS is interrupted. Compounding the problem, the remaining staff cannot hope to respond to the thousands of technician requests that would occur in the event of an IDS system failure. Consequently, 15,000 technicians or more could be left with literally nothing to do. This possibility is a significant risk associated with newer systems.
Newer systems may also include one or more terminals available that can be used to access the information in a database server to be used for dispatching technicians. These direct access terminals do not adequately solve the foregoing problems for at least two reasons. First, there is insufficient staff to operate such terminal(s). Second, these terminals cannot be used if the database itself fails. As a result, even direct database access terminals do not assure adequate coverage in the event of system failure.

System and method for providing service technicians access to dispatch information


A system and method for converting a sliding door installation in which the door is mounted within at least one section of track mounted on the upper, or lintel, side of the door opening into a swing open or hinged door. According to one aspect an elongate support member that includes a first end and a second end is used. The first end of the elongate member adapted for insertion into the section of track mounted on the lintel side of the door opening. A mechanism for hingedly supporting a door from the elongate support member is also included, so that the hinged door may be supported from the elongate support member to close off at least part of the door opening. According to another aspect, a system or kit is taught for converting a hinged, bi-folding door to a hinged, double door system. The kit allows the use of the existing doors by providing a set of spacers that allow proper fit of the existing doors and allow clearance for the hinges within the door opening.

(a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a method and system for converting existing sliding or track door installations to swing open or hung door systems. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, to a system and method for using the existing doors of a track based system to convert the track based system to a swing away or hung door.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
Many homes as well as offices and other structures make use of sliding door mechanisms for supporting screen doors, bi-folding doors and the like. The sliding door mechanisms typically include tracks which accept the wheels and travel mechanism of the sliding door. Unfortunately these tracks and travel mechanisms frequently fail due to wear or poor design practices. Typical locations of failure include wear of the tracks or the wheels and other traveling mechanisms that are incorporated into the door itself. The failure of any of these mechanisms is usually a difficult problem to repair.
For example, one area of failure of the systems is failure of the track. The track is usually permanently attached to the structure, and not easily replaced for repair. Also, sections of track are typically sections of extruded aluminum which can accommodate some, but not all sliding mechanisms. Thus when the track portion fails due to deformation or wear the user has to accept the poor working condition of the track system or tear out and replace the entire track with track sections that match the wheels, or change the track sections as well as the wheels or other sliding mechanisms found on the door.
Solutions that address the problems associated with failed sliding systems of sliding screen doors, bi-folding doors and the like typically call for replacement of the wheels on the door or replacement of the track as well as the wheels. Other approaches, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,267 to Smiley teach attachment of a screen door to the sliding door on a sliding door system. The Smiley invention, however, is disadvantaged in that it uses one of the sliding doors to support the screen door. This results in a system that can allow the screen door to be kept in a partially open position if the sliding door is not at a position on the track that allows the screen door to reach the frame of the door assembly. Also, the Smiley device is particularly useful when the sliding door is in a fully closed position or in a fully open position. The screen door will not close properly in situations where the sliding door is somewhere between fully open or fully closed.
Another example of known art is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,332 to Mlenek. The Mlenek invention teaches a swinging screen door for sliding glass doors. The swinging screen door of the Mlenek invention mounts in a secondary frame that attaches to the frame of the sliding glass doors. The Mlenek device provides a solution for situations where a swinging door needs to mounted next to the sliding glass door. However, the secondary frame structure required by the Mlenek device can complicate the installation by requiring frame members that can accept or mount over the existing, primary door frame.
Thus it can be appreciated from the above discussion that there remains a need for a system for replacing a sliding door, particularly a sliding screen door or bi-folding doors, with a swing away door system. Importantly, there remains a need for a system that requires little modification of the existing sliding door installation to mount. Moreover there remains a need for a system that is economical, simple, and that can be used with any of the common or well known hinged or hung door mounting systems.
It will also be understood that there remains a need for a simple mounting structure that takes advantage of as much of the existing structure as practicable.
It has been discovered that the problems left unanswered by known art can be solved by providing a system for converting sliding door installations, such as sliding screen doors or bi-folding doors into swing away or hung door systems which include a track for the sliding doors. A preferred embodiment of the invention includes:
a) an elongate support member that includes a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end being adapted for insertion into the track used with the sliding doors; and PA1 b) means for hingedly supporting a door from the elongate support member. PA1 1) a set of spacers for mounting against the door opening and supporting a hinge; PA1 2) a set of hinges, preferably a pair of hinges, for mounting on the spacers and supporting the doors; and PA1 3) means for retaining the doors in a closed position.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the elongate support member is made from a furring strip which is retained in the track by means of a fastener through the track and one of the ends of the elongate support member. Additionally, the system may include a section of material that serves to seal off any gaps between the elongate support member and the glass panel in the sliding glass door installation as well as to stiffen the elongate support member.
The elongate support member provides a surface from which a swing open, or hung, type door may be supported. Accordingly, in a highly preferred embodiment of the invention the practice of the system includes a method that allows the user to convert the existing sliding screen door into a hinged, or hung, door. Clearly it is contemplated that a replacement swing-open, or hinged, screen door may be used to replace a sliding screen door which may have been previously mounted in the support frame of the sliding glass door structure. However, the instant invention allows the user to use a few simple components to convert the existing sliding door into a hinged installation.
It is important to note that the instant invention accommodates any width door. Thus, while the preferred embodiment of the invention makes use of the existing screen door, it is contemplated that the user may use the invention with any door of a standard height and replace the sliding screen door.
Yet another feature of a highly preferred embodiment of the invention is that since the system uses the existing frame structure of the sliding screen door, the user does not have to replace or modify the frame structure of the sliding doors to mount the a hinged screen door over the sliding door.
According to another embodiment taught herein, a kit and a method for converting bi-folding doors to swing away or hung type doors is disclosed. According to this embodiment the user can convert existing bi-folding doors to hinged, hung, doors that use the existing door opening in the structure.
Well known bi-folding doors comprise of at least two rectangular panels that are hinged together along an edge. A section of track is attached below the lintel of the door opening. One of the two panels includes a pivot pin which mounts in a pivot pin receiver near or along the track. The other panel includes a rolling or sliding mechanism that rides in the track and which allows the folding of the two panels along the hinge. In order to convert the bi-folding door installation to a hinged door installation a kit as taught herein is used to provide the necessary hardware and transform the bi-folding doors into hinged doors. The kit for transforming a bi-fold installation to a hung installation includes the following elements:
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the kit is used to transform a two panel bi-folding door installation into a double door, hinged door installation. Transformation begins with the user first removing the double paneled bi-fold door from the track and pivot pin receivers. The track, which is typically found on the lintel side of the opening, may be removed if desired. The bi-fold hardware is then removed from the bi-fold door to separate each panel into two separate panels. The spacers are then placed against the vertical sides of the door. The hinges are then mounted on each of the panels of the original bi-fold door. The hinges and door panels are then mounted over the spacers. The means for retaining the doors in a closed position is then attached to the opening and to the doors if necessary.
The spacers are mounted on the vertical sides of the opening of the door to support hinges that will used to hang the hinged doors and to provide enough clearance for the hinge mechanisms to fit between the door and the door opening and any existing moldings that may be found along the door opening. Also, since the bi-folding doors are of a size to allow sufficient clearance to permit movement within the door opening, the spacers have been adapted for allowing the door panels to fill the door opening and square the door, and may even be used to allow the door panels to clear any side moldings that may be present.
Thus it will be appreciated that these disclosed embodiments allow the replacement of track mounted doors bi-folding doors with hinge mounted doors. Importantly, the instant invention allows the conversion of track mounted installations to hinged installations without having to replace the existing doors.
It will be appreciated that the disclosed invention allows the installer to use the existing installation to convert the door into a hinged door system. Thus this embodiment allows the user to convert the door system with minimum waste.
It has been discovered that an advantage of the instant invention is that most sliding screen door installations, as well as most bi-folding door installations may be converted to hinged, or hung, doors with a few simple components, without wasting or having to dispose of the existing door panels.
It should also be understood that while the above and other advantages and results of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, showing the contemplated novel construction, combinations and elements as herein described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it is understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included within the scope of the claims, except insofar as they may be precluded by the prior art.

System for converting sliding doors to hung doors


This invention concerns a free radical polymerization process, selected chain transfer agents employed in the process and polymers made thereby, in which the process comprises preparing polymer of general Formula (A) and Formula (B) comprising contacting: (i) a monomer selected from the group consisting of vinyl monomers (of structure CH2═CUV), maleic anhydride, N-alkylmaleimide, N-arylmaleimide, dialkyl fumarate and cyclopolymerizable monomers; (ii) a thiocarbonylthio compound selected from Formula (C) and Formula (D) having a chain transfer constant greater than about 0.1; and (iii) free radicals produced from a free radical source; the polymer of Formula (A) being made by contacting (i), (ii) C and (iii) and that of Formula (B) by contacting (i), (ii) D, and (iii); and (iv) controlling the polydispersity of the polymer being formed by varying the ratio of the number of molecules of (ii) to the number of molecules of (iii); wherein Q, R, U, V, Z, Z′, m, p and q are as defined in the text.

This invention relates to a free radical polymerization process with characteristics of a living polymerization system in that it is capable of producing polymers of pre-determined molecular weight with narrow molecular weight distribution (low polydispersity), and, by successively adding different monomers, can be used to make block polymers. The process can be used to produce polymers of more complex architecture, including variously branched homo- and copolymers. The use of certain reagents in this process and the polymers produced thereby are also claimed. Novel chain transfer agents for use in the process are also claimed.
There is increasing interest in methods for producing a variety of polymers with control of the major variables affecting polymer properties. Living polymerizations provide the maximum degree of control for the synthesis of polymers with predictable well defined structures. The characteristics of a living polymerization are discussed by Quirk and Lee (Polymer International 27, 359 (1992)) who give the following experimentally observable criteria:                "1. Polymerization proceeds until all of the monomer has been consumed. Further addition of monomer results in continued polymerization.        2. The number average molecular weight (or the number average degree of polymerization) is a linear function of conversion.        3. The number of polymer molecules (and active centers) is a constant which is sensibly independent of conversion.        4. The molecular weight can be controlled by the stoichiometry of the reaction.        5. Narrow molecular weight distribution polymers are produced.        6. Block copolymers can be prepared by sequential monomer addition.        7. Chain end-functionalized polymers can be prepared in quantitative yield."
Living polymerization processes can be used to produce polymers of narrow molecular weight distribution containing one or more monomer sequences whose length and composition are controlled by the stoichiometry of the reaction and the degree of conversion. Homopolymers, random copolymers or block polymers can be produced with a high degree of control and with low polydispersity. Swarc (Adv. Polym. Sci. 49, 1 (1983)) stated that living polymerization to give polymers of narrow molecular weight distribution requires the absence of chain transfer and termination reactions, the elementary reactions being only initiation and propagation, which take place uniformly with respect to all growing polymer chains. Later Inoue and Aida in an article on living polymer systems (Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, Supplement Volume, Wiley Interscience New York 1989) stated "If chain transfer and terminating agents are present in the polymerization system the living character of the polymerization is lost, and the formation of polymer with narrow molecular weight distribution does not result."
However, it has been shown that if the chain transfer process is reversible then polymerization can still possess most of the characteristics of living polymerization. A variety of terms have been used to describe polymerizations believed to involve this mechanism including "immortal polymerization", equilibration polymerization", "polymerization with degenerative chain transfer" and "living polymerization with reversible chain transfer". Quirk and Lee (Polymer International 27, 359 (1992)), who recommend the last terminology, point out that the Criteria 3 and 4 mentioned above need to be modified when describing these polymerizations to encompass the fact that the total number of polymer molecules is determined by the total number of moles of transfer agent plus the number of moles of initiator.
Block copolymer syntheses by free radical polymerization in the presence of certain dithiocarbamate or xanthate derivatives as initiator-transfer agents-chain terminators (iniferters) have been described. In these examples the dithiocarbamate or xanthate derivative is used as a photochemical initiator. For a discussion of this chemistry see recent reviews [Moad et al. in Comprehensive Polymer Science; Pergamon: London, vol 3, p 141 (1989)]. The dithiocarbamates (for example, benzyl dithiocarbamate) have very low transfer constants (<<0.1) and are ineffective in the context of the current invention. Greszta et al. (Macromolecules, 27, 638 (1994)) have described the application of chain transfer chemistry in living radical polymerization and have proposed and rejected the use of dithiocarbamates in this context because of the low transfer constant and the problem of side reactions. JP 04198303 A2 discloses polymerization in the presence of triarylmethyl dithiocarboxylates of the following structure
as initiators of polymerization to yield block polymers which may have low polydispersity (all examples have Mw/Mn3 1.4). These compounds have a very weak carbon-sulfur bond that cleaves under polymerization conditions to give a stable triarylmethyl radical and a thiocarbonylthiyl radical. The product triarylmethyl radical is known to be a poor initiator of radical polymerization. They are thus ineffective in the context of this invention.Rizzardo et al. (Macromol. Symp. 98, 101 (1995)) review polymerization in the presence of addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents but do not mention the possibility of low polydispersity products.Polymers or oligomers of the following structure are known as macromonomers.

These macromonomers which are addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents are disclosed in J Macromol. Sci.-Chem. A23, 839 (1986) and International Patent publications WO 93/22351 and WO 93/22355. Free radical polymerization with living characteristics utilizing these macromonomers as chain transfer agents is disclosed in International Patent Application PCT/US95/14428. The process of this invention has the advantages of compatibility with a wide range of monomers and reaction conditions and will give good control over molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, i.e., polydispersity, and polymer architecture.

Polymerization with living characteristics

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation


An ethylene/α-olefin copolymer comprising a component produced by a non-single-site polymerization catalyst and a component produced by a single-site polymerization catalyst, its preparation and use are described. The copolymer has an α-olefin content of 5 to 20 percent by weight and shows at least two CRYSTAF peak temperatures differing by at least 15° C. and/or at least two DSC melting peak temperatures differing by at least 15° C.

It is well known in the field of film production that the modulus or stiffness of a resin film increases with increasing resin density. Correspondingly, lower resin density usually results in increased impact and tear strengths. In the case of films of resins made by conventional Ziegler catalysts (which are typical examples of non-single-site polymerization catalysts) alone, improving the stiffness of a film construction, a requirement for many industrial and packaging films, entails inevitable tradeoffs, i.e., increased density to improve stiffness typically sacrifices impact and tear strengths.
Lower haze and higher gloss are other film attributes that improve with lower resin density. If both haze and gloss as well as stiffness of a film are to be optimized, another compromise has to be made with conventional Ziegler catalyzed resins. Therefore, it would be desirable to have available a resin, in particular, a polyethylene resin which despite a relatively low density and favorable film properties associated therewith such as, e.g., high impact and tear strengths (toughness) as well as low haze and high gloss, shows a modulus (stiffness) that renders the films made therefrom suitable for applications such as industrial and packaging film.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,525 to Lo et al., the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a catalyst composition for preparing a high activity catalyst supported on silica which produces, in a single reactor, polyethylene with a broad or bimodal molecular weight distribution. The catalyst is prepared from the interaction of calcined silica with dibutylmagnesium, 1-butanol and titanium tetrachloride and a solution of methylalumoxane and ethylenebis[1-indenyl]zirconium dichloride.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,076 to Nowlin et al., the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses resins which are in situ catalytically produced polyethylene resin blends of a broad bimodal MWD that can be processed into films on existing equipment and exhibit good processability in blown film production, reduced tendency towards die-lip buildup and smoking in on-line operations. The preferred catalyst for producing these resins comprises a catalyst including a support treated with a dialkylmagnesium compound, an aluminoxane, at least one metallocene and a non-metallocene transition metal source as well as an alkylaluminum compound as cocatalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,456 to Mink et al., the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, is directed to an activated catalyst composition for producing bimodal MWD high density and linear low density polyethylene resins, which activated catalyst does not require alkylaluminum cocatalyst. A preferred catalyst comprises, as support, silica impregnated with a dialkylmagnesium compound and an organic alcohol reagent, e.g., butanol. Said support is contacted with at least two transition metal compounds, at least one of which is a metallocene, and, as activator, aluminoxane, either alone or admixed with metallocene compound.
Other background references include EP 0 286 177, EP 0 643 084, Kyung-Jun Chu et al., "Variation of molecular weight distribution (MWD) and short chain branching distribution (SCBD) of ethylene/1-hexene copolymers produced with different in-situ supported metallocene catalysts," Macromol. Chem. Phys. 201 (2000), 340-348, and literature cited therein, C. Gabriel et al., "Comparison of different methods for the investigation of the short-chain branching distribution of LLDPE," Polymer 42 (2001) 297-303, and literature cited therein, and J. D. Kim et al., "Copolymerization of Ethylene and 1-Hexene with Supported Metallocene Catalysts: Effect of Support Treatment, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 20 (1999), 347-350, and the literature cited therein.

Ethylene/α-olefin copolymer made with a non-single-site/single-site catalyst combination, its preparation and use


There is disclosed an impact resistant polystyrene composition which comprises 5 to 98% by weight of an (a) styrenic polymer having a syndiotactic configuration and 2 to 95% by weight of a (b) styrene/diolefin diblock copolymer, styrene/diolefin/styrene triblock copolymer or styrene/diolefin random compolymer, each having a hydrogenation rate of 70 to 98 mol %, and optionally a (c) rubbery elastomer having an olefinic component or polyolefin, a (d) poly(phenylene ether), etc. The above composition is greatly enhanced in its impact resistance and elongation properties without deterioration of heat resistant stability of color tone, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an impact resistant syndiotactic polystyrene composition which is well suited for molding electric and electronic materials such as connectors and print-circuit board; industrial construction materials; automobile parts such as connectors to be mounted on vehicles, wheel cap and cylinder head cover; domestic electrical appliances; various machine parts; and industrial materials such as pipes, sheets, trays and films.
2. Description of Related Arts
A styrenic polymer having syndiotactic configuration (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as SPS) is excellent in heat resistance and chemical resistance but is poor in impact resistance and therefore, it has heretofore been limited in the scope of application usable as a construction material. In order to solve the problem, improvements have been made on the impact resistance of SPS, for example, by blending a rubbery elastomer and/or other thermoplastic resin with SPS. (Refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 257950/1987, 146944/1989, 182344/1989, 279944/1989 and 64140/1990.)
For example, there are available SPS containing a styrenic compound as a component and as a rubbery elastomer (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 146944/1989), a SPS/rubber composition incorporated with a block or graft copolymer containing atactic polystyrene chain as a compatibilizer (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 279944/1989), and the like.
However, since there is used in the above-mentioned improved technique, a rubbery component or a block or graft copolymer containing atactic polystyrene chain as a compatibilizer for the purpose of improving the compatibility between SPS and the rubbery component that are incompatible with each other and enhancing the dispersibility and interfacial strength of the rubbery component, the problem still remains unsolved in that the working effect as the compatibilizer and the enhancement of impact resistance have still been insufficient. Although the use of a styrene/diolefin-based copolymer, for example, improves the toughness of SPS, the problem still remains unsolved in regard to heat resistant stability by reason of the presence of a double bond. The use of a hydrogenated styrene/diolefin copolymer rubber results in insufficient compatibility with SPS and also in insufficient improvement on toughness in spite of improved heat resistant stability. On the other hand, in the case of adding a large amount of a poly(phenylene ether) for the purpose of enhancing the impact resistance, the addition thereof inevitably brings about the deterioration of the resultant composition with respect to the hue and long-term heat resistance as well as the decrease in the crystallinity of the SPS.

Impact resistant polystyrene composition


The present invention has an object to provide a method for separating and purifying a PHA without causing a serious decrease of the molecular weight to obtain a highly pure PHA in a high yield, which comprises efficiently removing cell components other than PHA particles from a cultured PHA-containing microbial cell. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for obtaining an agglomerate of PHA particles.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (hereinafter referred to briefly as "PHA" s) are thermoplastic polyesters which are synthesized and stored as an energy storage substance in cells of a variety of microorganisms. The PHAs, which are produced by microorganisms using natural organic acids or oils as carbon sources, are completely biodegraded by a microorganism in soil or water to be taken up in the carbon cycle of the natural world. Therefore, PHAs can be said to be an environment-conscious plastic material which hardly causes adverse effects for ecological system. In these years, a synthetic plastic came into a serious social problem in view of environment pollution, waste disposal and oil resource, thus the PHA has attracted attention as an eco-friendly green plastic and its practical applications are longed for. Also in the field of medical treatment, it is considered possible to use PHAs as implant materials which do not require recovery, or vehicles for drug. Thus, practical applications thereof have been expected.
Since PHAs synthesized by a microorganism are stored in cells usually in the form of granules, it is required a procedure for separating PHAs from microbial cells to utilize them as plastics. The known technology for separation and purification of PHAs from microbial cells can be roughly classified into technologies which comprise extracting a PHA from microbial cells with organic solvents capable of solving a PHA and technologies which comprise removing cell components other than PHAs by cell disruption or solubilization.
In earlier researches, many technologies for separating and purifying PHAs by extraction using organic solvents were reported (see Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-55-118394, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-57-65193, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-63-198991, Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-02-69187 and Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-07-79788). In these reports, halogen compounds such as chloroform were used as organic solvents having the highest solubility of PHAs, but when a PHA was dissolved in such a solvent, viscosity of solution became very high and handling of the solution became difficult. Therefore, for extracting a PHA, it was needed to set the polymer concentration in a range as extremely low as about 2 to 3%, thus significantly large amount of solvent was required. In addition, for crystallizing a PHA from a solvent layer in a high yield, a large amount as 4 to 5 times as the above solvent of poor solvents for a PHA, such as methanol and hexane, were separately required. Accordingly, for production on an industrial scale, large-scale equipment is required. Moreover, a PHA cannot be produced in a low cost since these technologies require huge amount of solvent, and therefore it takes much cost for solvent recovery and cost due to solvent loss. Due to such reasons as mentioned above, these methods have not been put into practice.
On the other hand, various technologies have been reported which comprise solubilizing and removing cell components other than PHAs by chemical treatments or physical disruption treatments to recover PHAs in the form of granules.
As a method for chemically treating a microbial cell (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "cell"), J. Gen. Microbiology, 1958 vol. 19, p. 198-209 discloses a technology which comprises treating a suspension of a microbial cell with sodium hypochlorite and solubilizing cell components other than a PHA to recover the PHA. In this technology, marked degradation of a PHA is caused in solubilizing the cell components other than the PHA, and processing ways into products are limited. Moreover, sensible smell of chlorine is left behind in PHAs, which is undesirable for a polymer product. Thus, this technology is not considered to be suitable for practical use. Japanese Kokoku Publication Hei-04-61638 discloses a recovering process which comprises heat treatment in combination with use of an enzyme and/or a surfactant. In this process, heating a suspension to 100° C. or above beforehand is required to decompose nucleic acids, since the suspension becomes highly viscous by free nucleic acids when cells are dissolved by an enzyme treatment. However, the molecular weight of a PHA decreases markedly by heating to 100° C. or above, and an application to products will become impossible. Moreover, despite this technology is very complicated and requires many processes, purity of an obtained PHA is as much as about 88% in general, and 97% even at the maximum. Additionally, a technology which comprises treating a PHA-containing microbial cell with a surfactant, decomposing a nucleic acid released from the cell with hydrogen peroxide at 80° C. for 3 hours, and separating a PHA with a purity of 99% (see Japanese Kohyo Publication Hei-08-502415), and a technology which comprises heating a suspension of a PHA-containing microorganism to 50° C. or higher under a strongly acidic condition of below pH 2, and separating a PHA (see Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-11-266891) have been proposed. Under these heating conditions, the molecular weight of the PHA decreases remarkably, therefore even if its purity is improved, applications to products are still impossible.
On the other hand, as a method applying physical disruption treatments, a technology have been reported, which comprises carrying out an alkali addition with a high-pressure disruption or a combination of a high-pressure disruption. Although "Bioseparation", 1991, vol. 2, p. 95-105 does not describe purity or yield of a polymer, cell components remain in a poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) fraction and the purity of PHB is presumably not high since high-pressure disruption is carried out under a condition where pH is returned to neutral after adding alkali to a cell suspension containing PHB. Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-07-31487 discloses a technology which comprises heating to 80° C. after an alkali addition to a cell suspension containing a PHA, stirring the mixture for 1 hour and recovering a polymer by centrifugation; Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-07-31488a discloses a technology which comprises carrying out high-pressure disruption at 70° C.; and a technology considered to develop the method described in the above "Bioseparation", 1991, vol. 2, p. 95-105, that is a technology which comprises carrying out high-pressure disruption at 70° C. or higher after the alkali addition in Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-07-31489, respectively. By these technologies, since the processes are carried out in high temperature conditions, there is a tendency toward remarkable decrease in a molecular weight of a PHA in some conditions. Moreover, purity is also as low as about 66 to 85%, thus these technologies may not be applied to actual industrial processes.
As mentioned above, we can find it very difficult to recover a PHA from a cultured cell without decreasing the molecular weight but with high purity and a high yield in a low-cost on an industrial production.
By the way, when a PHA is obtained by a technology comprising solubilizing to remove cell components other than a PHA by a chemical or physical treatment and recovering the PHA in the form of granules, the obtained PHA usually occurred as a form of fine particles having diameters of several microns. It is more difficult to separate such fine particles from a liquid medium as compared with the case of particles having a larger diameter. Moreover, these fine particles are considered to have problems such as a risk to cause dust explosion and/or accumulation in lungs when aspirated, thus care should be taken for handling.
In order to avoid these problems, there have been attempts to enlarge the particle diameter by agglomerating a PHA. For example, an agglomeration method by heating or an alkaline metal salt has been developed. As a method of agglomeration by heating, a technology is disclosed, which comprises agglomerating PHB by heating a PHB-containing suspension to the vicinity of the melting point of PHB (180° C.) (see Bailey, Neil A.; George, Neil; Niranjan, K.; Varley, Julie. Biochemical Engineering group, University Reading, "I Chem E Res. Event, Eur. Conf. Young Res. Chem. Eng." (Britain), 2nd edition, Institution of Chemical Engineers, 1996, vol. 1, p. 196-198). Moreover, Japanese Kohyo Publication Hei-07-509131 discloses a technology to enlarge a particle diameter of a copolymer comprised of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) (hereinafter such copolymer is referred to as "PHBV"), which comprises injecting steam with an appropriate temperature and pressure directly into an aqueous suspension of PHBV, and heating -and stirring the suspension at 120 to 160° C. However, they are not practical since these technologies require heating at a high temperature, the molecular weight of PHA decreases remarkably, and further special equipment with a pressure resistance is required. Alternatively, as a method for agglomerating a PHA by adding an alkaline metal salt, a technology for agglomeration using a divalent cation (see J. Biotechnol., 1998, vol. 65 (2, 3), p. 173-182, and Japanese Kohyo Publication Hei-05-0507410) has been disclosed. However, these technologies are not preferable in, for example, that polymer agglomeration strength is not always high, that a metal salt is contaminated into a polymer, and the like ploblems. Alternatively, a technology which comprises agglomerating PHB by blowing ultrafine bubbles into a PHB suspension to raise a flock to the surface (see Spec. Publ.-R. Soc. Chem., 1994, vol. 158 (Separations for Biotechnology 3), p. 113-119) has also been reported. However, the agglomerate obtained by this technology has a diameter of 2 to 45 μm, and cannot be said as a sufficient size.
Thus, any methods for controlling a molecular-weight decrease of a PHA and carrying out agglomeration effectively have not been known in the state of the art.
As described above, there lies a large obstacle for practical applications in studies of PHAs, which are one species of biodegradable polymers derived from microorganisms, since any processes with low costs and suitable for industrial productions have not been established respectively in recovering PHAs from microbial cells, and further in agglomerating PHA particles carried out according to need.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of collecting highly pure polyhydroxyalkanoate from microbial cells

Abstract: The method for recovering a PHA according to the present invention is a method which comprises efficiently disrupting a cell to recover the PHA by carrying out a physical disruption treatment and an alkali addition at low temperature for an aqueous suspension of the PHA-containing microbial cell, and then treating the PHA with an enzyme and/or a surfactant. Moreover, the particle diameter of the PHA may be enlarged by suspending the PHA in a hydrophilic solvent and/or water, and stirring at a temperature equal to or below the boiling point of said suspension, to agglomerate said PHA.


A floor scrubber comprising a scrubber head and a base assembly, with the base assembly including wheels for movably supporting the floor scrubber on a floor and the scrubber head being movably mounted to the base assembly. The floor scrubber includes a head adjustment assembly operable to place the scrubber head into three orientations including a raised orientation, a standard cleaning orientation, and an increased cleaning pressure orientation in which additional downward force is applied to the scrubber head.

The present invention is directed to a floor scrubber with a scrubber head adjustment assembly.
Floor scrubbers are used to clean floor surfaces and include a scrubber head that may be positioned against the floor to provide scrubbing action on the floor. An operator may walk behind the floor scrubber, with the scrubber head being movable between a raised orientation for transporting the floor scrubber when not being used for cleaning, and the noted cleaning orientation in which the scrubber head is positioned against the floor.
Different types of scrubber heads may be mounted to a floor scrubber, including a rotary scrubber head in which the pad is circularly rotated against the floor surface and an orbital scrubber head in which the pad is moved against the floor in an eccentric manner without completely spinning. In the case of orbital scrubber heads, cleaning fluid is conventionally discharged directly onto the floor surface in front of the advancing scrubber head. The cleaning fluid is then worked against the floor surface by the pad of the scrubber head.

Floor scrubber with scrubber head adjustment assembly


Recording devices are disclosed having data storage units using disk-shaped storage media, data allocation storage units for storing allocation information of each stored data, and control units for writing and reading data using the allocation information in the data allocation storage, and also have use status storage units for storing use status information indicating each storage area in the data storage units is a valid area having data written therein or an invalid area having no data written therein. If the control units receive a read request for the data stored in the data storage units, the control units select only data of valid areas using the use status information in the use status storage units and read out the data.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a recording device and a recording system for recording various data using a recording disk, such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and transferring the recorded data to another recording device to enable backup, and particularly to a technique for high-speed backup of data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recording devices and recording systems for recording various data using recording disks, such as magnetic disks or optical disks, are broadly used. As recording devices which enable backup of data to another recording device, for example, many relatively large-scale recording devices are employed for business use which enable backup to another recording device through a leased or public telecommunication line. As for personal computers, it is known that data on an integrated hard disk device can be backed up to another integrated hard disk device through an internal signal line or can be backed up to an external hard disk device through a connection cable. The purpose of backup is, for example, to prevent loss of data due to failures in the recording devices, natural disasters such as earthquakes, or other accidents. To simplify the explanation, all of the above-described telecommunication lines, signal lines and connection cables will be referred to as a signal line in the following description.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of conventional recording devices and a recording system which enable backup.
In FIG. 12, reference numerals 1 and 2 each represent a recording device using a recording disk. Reference numeral 3 represents an administration device for administering the recording devices 1 and 2, including the backup of data. Reference numeral 5 represents a signal line directly connecting the recording devices 1 and 2. Reference numeral 6 represents a signal line connecting the recording device 1 with the administration device 3. Reference numeral 7 represents a signal line connecting the recording device 2 with the administration device 3. The recording devices 1 and 2 are indirectly connected with each other by the signal lines 6 and 7 through the administration device 3. A typical recording system may have one of the paths of the signal line 5 and the signal lines 6 and 7, or may have both of these paths.
The illustrated recording devices 1 and 2 have the same structure. In the recording device 1, a data storage unit 12 for storing various data using a recording disk, a data allocation storage unit 13 for storing data allocation indicating where and what data are recorded on the recording disk, and a control unit 11 for controlling transmission/reception of data to/from outside through the signal line 5 or 6, writing of data received from outside, recording of written data allocation information to data allocation storage unit 13 and reading of data from the recording disk on the basis of data allocation storage unit 13 are provided. Also, recording device 2 is provided with similar units, i.e., a data storage unit 22, a data allocation storage trait 23 and a control unit 21.
In the case of reading data from data storage unit 12 of recording device 1 and writing the data to data storage unit 22 of recording device 2 for backup, for example, data is sent directly from the recording device 1 to recording device 2 through the signal line 5, or data is sent indirectly from recording device 1 to recording device 2 through the signal line 6, administration device 3 and signal line 7. When the path of signal line 5 and the path using signal lines 6 and 7 are both provided, the burden of the operation for backup of data from recording device 1 to recording device 2 in the administration device 3 can be reduced by directly sending the data through signal line 5.
Generally, in a recording device using a recording disk, when erasing recorded data, only data allocation information, such as addresses of start and end storage areas of data stored in the data allocation storage unit, is erased, without erasing the actual data stored in the data storage unit. For example, in recording device 1, data written in data storage unit 12 is not erased and only data allocation information in data allocation storage unit 13 is erased. This is because when writing new data, a storage area having no data allocation information in data storage unit 12 may be overwritten with the new data, and it is not necessary to take time to erase data written in data storage unit 12.
FIG. 13 shows a simplified example of data storage unit 12 and data allocation storage unit 13 in the situation of erasing data in the recording device 1.
The left side of FIG. 13 shows data storage unit 12 and data allocation storage unit 13 before erasing data. The right side of FIG. 13 shows data storage unit 12 and data allocation storage unit 13 after erasing data.
Data storage unit 12 is a recording disk having, recording tracks TR0 to TR7. Each track is divided into seven sectors, which are smallest recording units (storage areas). Therefore, there are fifty six sectors SC0 to SC55 for the eight recording tracks TR0 to TR7.
In data allocation storage unit 13, allocation information of seven data D1 to D7 is recorded. For example, data D1 is recorded in sectors SC0 to SC5 of track TR0, and data D5 is recorded in discontinuous storage areas in the recording disk, i.e., sector SC19 of track TR2 to sector SC24 of track TR3 and sectors SC43 to SC47 of track TR6.
In recording device 1 of FIG. 13, for example, when data D5 is erased from the left side of FIG. 13, which shows the state-before erasing data, only allocation information of data D5 is erased from data allocation storage unit 13 and data storage unit 12 remains unchanged, as seen from the right side of FIG. 13, which shows the state after erasing data. On the right side of FIG. 13, which shows the state after erasing data, the data recorded in sector SC19 of track TR2 to sector SC24 of track TR3 and sectors S43 to SC47 of track TR6 remains as it is.
In the case of backing up, to recording device 2 of FIG. 12, the data in recording device 1 in the state after erasing data shown on the right side of FIG. 13, the contents of data D5 recorded in sector SC19 of track TR2 to sector SC24 of track TR3 and sectors SC43 to SC47 of track TR6 in data storage unit 12 are read out from recording device 1 and written to recording device 2 as they are, though the data need not be backed up.
FIG. 14 shows the states of data allocation storage units and data storage units on both the reading side and the writing side in the case of carrying out backup between the conventional recording devices.
The left side of FIG. 14 shows data storage unit 12 and data allocation storage unit 13 of recording device 1 as the data reading side. The right side of FIG. 14 shows data storage unit 22 and data allocation storage unit 23 of recording device 2 as the data writing side.
In FIG. 14, since allocation information of data D5 is erased in data allocation storage units 13 and 23, sector SC19 of track TR2 to sector SC24 of track TR3 and sectors SC43 to SC 47 of track TR6, where data D5 is stored, in data storage unit 12 on the reading side shown on the left side of FIG. 14, are not used and have invalid data. In short, the data in sectors SC19 to SC24 and sectors SC43 to SC47 in data storage unit 12 is not erased and remains as data even if its allocation information is erased, which is data of invalid areas.
In data storage unit 22 on the writing side shown on the right side of FIG. 14, since all the data in data storage unit 12 is written as it is, the data in sectors SC19 to SC24 and sectors SC43 to SC47, which are invalid areas, is also written.
However, recording devices with larger capacity as desired because of the spread of multimedia and networking in recent years and, therefore, recording disks have had larger capacity. In this situation, for example, the quantity of invalid data, such as erased data in a recording disk used for a long time, may be increased to a level that is not negligible. Therefore, at the time of backup, the time required for reading and writing the erased data is increased and a very long time is necessary for backup. Since, during backup, the capability of the recording device may be limited or the recording device may not be used, the increase in backup time raises a problem.

Recording device and recording system using recording disk, and backup, method for the same

International Business Machines Corporation