An apparatus and method for transferring data from a source memory (e.g. a host memory) to a peripheral interface via a bus utilizes a transmit buffer memory coupled to the peripheral interface, and a current time counter advancing at the rate at which data is to be transferred from the transmit buffer memory to the peripheral interface. A schedule table data structure stores entries in some or all of its locations, where each location corresponds to a point in time at which data is to be transferred from the transmit buffer memory to the peripheral interface. A schedule table pointer is used for pointing to successive locations in the schedule table. The schedule table pointer advances at a rate faster than the current time counter advances so that the schedule table pointer represents a point in time which is ahead of the point in time currently output by the current time counter. A data transfer is initiated from the source memory to the transmit buffer memory via the bus when a valid entry is stored at the location in the schedule table pointed to by the schedule table pointer. The data is then transferred out of the transmit buffer memory to the peripheral interface when the current time counter reaches the value representing at least the same point in time that was represented by the schedule table pointer when the data transfer was initiated. Data transfers from the transmit buffer memory are thereby synchronized in time with their corresponding entries in the schedule table.

In a networked computer system, a host computer, often referred to as an "end station", is connected to a network via a network adapter. The host computer and network adapter exchange control information and data via a system bus, such as a PCI bus.
In the field of network adapter design it is desirable to maintain high performance in a cost effective manner. One of the most critical factors in adapter cost is the amount of on-board memory required on the adapter. Highest performance is achieved when large amounts of adapter-resident memory is provided. The host can then DMA large amounts of data at a time to adapter-resident memory to await transmission. The performance degradative effects of system bus latency are thereby minimized. This high performance, however, is traded off against the increased cost of the adapter due to the inclusion of expensive adapter-resident memory.
The performance/cost tradeoff is particularly problematic for Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) adapters. ATM is a networking technology used in a variety of telecommunications and computing environments. ATM is designed to support users having diverse quality of service (QOS) requirements. ATM therefore supports a number of different service types including constant bit rate (CBR), variable bit rate (VBR), available bit rate (ABR), and unspecified bit rate (UBR). ATM is a cell based technology; that is, compared to common packet technologies such as X.25 or frame relay, ATM transfers short, fixed length units of information called cells. Accordingly, larger packets or protocol data units (PDU's) from a source are broken up into these fixed length cells for transmission, and then reassembled at their destination.
ATM is a connection oriented networking technology, meaning that all communications between two stations occur via a virtual circuit (VC) which is initially established between them. In order to control the transmission of cells from an ATM adapter over multiple VCs, it is known to employ a scheduling process which scans a schedule table having multiple entries. Each entry in the table represents a given VC for which buffered data is to be transmitted at a given time in accordance with the QOS parameters for the VC. In an ATM adapter employing adapter-resident memory for buffering the data to be transmitted, the data is read from the memory and transmitted on the network as each entry is read.
An end station may have several separate VCs established between itself and another end station with which it is communicating; moreover, it may be communicating with several such end stations at once. A well-designed ATM network adapter should therefore be capable of supporting transmission and reception of data over large numbers, on the order of thousands, of VCs at once. A high performance ATM adapter containing adapter-resident memory for buffering data to be transmitted and received must then contain sufficient memory to buffer data for every active VC. The cost of such an adapter then becomes prohibitive, particularly where the adapter is designed for use in desktop or workstation host computers.
The alternative to such an adapter architecture involves buffering data to be transmitted and/or received in host memory, while only a small number of cells are buffered at any one time in adapter-resident memory. This greatly decreases the amount of memory required on the adapter and thereby substantially reduces its cost. System bus latency now, however, becomes a major factor in the maximum transmission delay. That is, for each entry scanned in the schedule table, data must be transferred from the host to the adapter via the system bus with all its attendant delays. When variable system bus latency must be factored into the maximum transmission delay, the data associated with each schedule table entry may not necessarily be available for transmission until well after the scanning of that entry, thus resulting in potential performance problems. There is therefore a need in the art of network adapter design, and particularly as applied to ATM network adapters, for a low cost adapter architecture employing host memory data buffering while avoiding the attendant performance problems which can result from the system bus latencies involved in transferring the data between the host and adapter.

Apparatus and method for performing look-ahead scheduling of DMA transfers of data from a host memory to a transmit buffer memory


An active energy ray-curable composition comprising. (A) 20 to 80 parts by weight of a compound represented by the following general formula I: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents hydrogen or methyl, X and Y may be the same or different and represent methyl, chlorine, bromine or iodine, and t and u each independently represent an integer of 0-2, PA1 (B) 20 to 80 parts by weight of at least one compound having at least one acryloyl or methacryloyl group in the molecule, or (B-1) 10 to 90 parts by weight of at least one compound having at least two acryloyl or methacryloyl groups in the molecule and (B-2) 1 to 90 parts by weight of at least one monoacrylate or monomethacrylate compound having one acryloyl or methacryloyl group in the molecule, and PA1 (C) 0.01 to 5 parts by weight of an active energy ray-sensitive radical polymerization initiator with respect to 100 parts by weight of the total of components (A) and (B) or components (A), (B-1) and (B-2), PA1 as well as a lens sheet comprising a lens section formed on at least one side of a transparent substrate using the composition.

Lens sheets, which include prism sheets used as backlight units for liquid crystal display devices and the like, Fresnel sheets and lenticular lens sheets used as projection screens for projection televisions and microfilm readers, and lenticular lens sheets used for stereoscopic photography and the like, have lens sections which are formed using active energy ray-curing compositions. Such lens sheets are constructed, for example, with a lens section made of a cured active energy ray-curable composition and formed on a transparent substrate. The active energy ray-curable composition used to form the lens section must have a variety of properties, including adhesion to the transparent substrate, releasability from the lens mold, and suitable optical characteristics.
For example, in the case of backlights used for the color liquid crystal panels in color liquid crystal display devices for notebook computers, and in liquid crystal televisions and video-integrated liquid crystal televisions, it is important to reduce the power consumption to a minimum without lowering the brightness of the backlighting, and therefore greater optical efficiency has been desired for backlights. In this regard there has been proposed a backlight with enhanced brightness, wherein a prism sheet forming a prism row 2 on one side as shown in FIG. 1(a) is mounted on the light-emitting surface 4 of the backlight 3 shown in FIG. 1(b) in the manner shown in FIG. 1(c).
The proposed prism sheet is usually one with a prism row formed by press working on one side of a transparent sheet made of a thermoplastic resin, or one with a prism row, made of an ultraviolet ray-curable composition, formed on one side of a transparent sheet, with the material for the former being polymethyl methacrylate (refractive index: 1.49) or polycarbonate (refractive index: 1.59) and the ultraviolet curing composition used for the latter being a (meth)acrylate-based composition (refractive index of cured resin: 1.49-1.55).
However, with methods of fabricating prism sheets by the pressure formation method using thermoplastic resin transparent sheets, it is difficult to achieve a balance between the refractive index and transparency of the materials to make a prism sheet with a satisfactory brightness-enhancing effect, and with methods of fabricating prism sheets using the latter ultraviolet curing (meth)acrylate-based compositions, it becomes more difficult to sufficiently increase the refractive index the more the brightness of the prism sheet is enhanced. Furthermore, although prism sheets fabricated using materials with high refractive indexes contribute greatly to increased front brightness of the backlight, a disadvantage has been that the light transmittance tends to be lowered.

Active energy ray-curable composition and lens sheet


A surface-controlled, lithium ion-exchanging battery device comprising: (a) A positive electrode (cathode) comprising a first functional material having a first lithium-capturing or lithium-storing surface; (b) A negative electrode (anode) comprising a second functional material having a second lithium-capturing or lithium-storing surface; (c) A porous separator disposed between the two electrodes, and (d) A lithium-containing electrolyte (preferably liquid or gel electrolyte) in physical contact with the two electrodes; wherein at least one of the two electrodes contains therein a lithium source (e.g., lithium foil, lithium powder, stabilized lithium particles, etc) prior to the first charge or the first discharge cycle of the battery device. This new generation of energy storage device exhibits the best properties of both the lithium ion battery and the supercapacitor.

Supercapacitors (Ultra-capacitors or Electro-chemical Capacitors):
Supercapacitors are being considered for electric vehicle (EV), renewable energy storage, and modern grid applications. The high volumetric capacitance density of a supercapacitor (10 to 100 times greater than those of electrolytic capacitors) derives from using porous electrodes to create a large surface area conducive to the formation of diffuse double layer charges. This electric double layer (EDL) is created naturally at the solid-electrolyte interface when voltage is imposed. This implies that the specific capacitance of a supercapacitor is directly proportional to the specific surface area of the electrode material, e.g. activated carbon. This surface area must be accessible by electrolyte and the resulting interfacial zones must be sufficiently large to accommodate the EDL charges.
This EDL mechanism is based on surface ion adsorption. The required ions are pre-existing in a liquid electrolyte and do not come from the opposite electrode. In other words, the required ions to be deposited on the surface of a negative electrode (anode) active material (e.g., activated carbon particle) do not come from the positive electrode (cathode) side, and the required ions to be deposited on the surface of a cathode active material do not come from the anode side. When the supercapacitor is re-charged, local ions are deposited onto their respective local electrodes (typically via local molecular or ionic polarization of charges). There is no exchange of ions between an anode active material and a cathode active material.
In some supercapacitors, the stored energy is further augmented by pseudo-capacitance effects due to some electrochemical reactions (e.g., redox). In such a pseudo-capacitor, the ions involved in a redox pair also pre-exist in the same electrode. Again, there is no exchange of ions between an anode active material and a cathode active material.
Since the formation of EDLs does not involve a chemical reaction or an exchange of ions between the two opposite electrodes, the charge or discharge process of an EDL supercapacitor can be very fast, typically in seconds, resulting in a very high power density (typically 5,000-10,000 W/Kg). Compared with batteries, supercapacitors offer a higher power density, require no maintenance, offer a much higher cycle-life, require a very simple charging circuit, experience no "memory effect," and are generally much safer. Physical, rather than chemical, energy storage is the key reason for their safe operation and extraordinarily high cycle-life.
Despite the positive attributes of supercapacitors, there are several technological barriers to widespread implementation of supercapacitors for various industrial applications. For instance, supercapacitors possess very low energy densities when compared to batteries (e.g., 5-8 Wh/kg for commercial supercapacitors vs. 10-30 Wh/Kg for the lead acid battery and 50-100 Wh/kg for the NiMH battery). Lithium-ion batteries possess a much higher energy density, typically in the range of 100-180 Wh/kg, based on the cell weight.
Lithium-Ion Batteries:
Although possessing a much higher energy density, lithium-ion batteries deliver a very low power density (typically 100-500 W/Kg), requiring typically hours for re-charge. Conventional lithium-ion batteries also pose some safety concern.
The low power density or long re-charge time of a lithium ion battery is due to the mechanism of shuttling lithium ions between an anode and a cathode, which requires lithium ions to enter or intercalate into the bulk of anode active material particles during re-charge, and into the bulk of cathode active material particles during discharge. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 1(A), in a most commonly used lithium-ion battery featuring graphite particles as an anode active material, lithium ions are required to diffuse into the inter-planar spaces of a graphite crystal at the anode during re-charge. Most of these lithium ions have to come all the way from the cathode side by diffusing out of the bulk of a cathode active particle, through the pores of a solid separator (pores being filled with a liquid electrolyte), and into the bulk of a graphite particle at the anode.
During discharge, lithium ions diffuse out of the anode active material (graphite particles), migrate through the liquid electrolyte phase, and then diffuse into the bulk of complex cathode crystals (e.g. lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, or other lithium insertion compound).
These intercalation or diffusion processes require a long time to accomplish because solid-state diffusion (or diffusion inside a solid) is difficult and slow. This is why, for instance, the current lithium-ion battery for plug-in hybrid vehicles requires 2-7 hours of recharge time, as opposed to just seconds for supercapacitors. The above discussion suggests that an energy storage device that is capable of storing as much energy as in a battery and yet can be fully recharged in one or two minutes like a supercapacitor would be considered a revolutionary advancement in energy storage technology.
More Recent Developments:
Instead of using an inorganic lithium insertion compound, such as LiCoO2 and LiFePO4, that requires lithium insertion into and extraction from the bulk of an inorganic particle (typically 100 nm-20 μm, but more typically 1-10 μm in diameter), several attempts have been made to use organic molecules or polymers as an electrode active material for the cathode (lithium metal alone as the anode). For instance, Le Gall, et al investigated Poly(2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone-3,6-methylene) as an organic polymer cathode [T. Le Gall, et al. J. Power Sources, 119 (2003) 316-320] and Chen, et al used LixC6O6 organic cathode, obtained from a renewable source, in a lithium ion battery [H. Chen, et al. "From biomass to a renewable LixC6O6 organic electrode for sustainable Li-ion batteries," ChemSusChem, 1(2008) 348-355]. In addition, X. Y. Han, et al. studied carbonyl derivative polymers ["Aromatic carbonyl derivative polymers as high-performance Li-ion storage materials," Adv. Material, 19, 1616-1621(2007)] and J. F. Xiang, et al. studied a coordination polymer as a cathode ["A novel coordination polymer as positive electrode material for lithium ion battery," Crystal Growth & Design, 8, 280-282 (2008)].
Unfortunately, these organic materials exhibit very poor electronic conductivity and, hence, electrons could not be quickly collected or could not be collected at all. Although these organic molecules contain carbonyl groups (>C═O) that could readily react with lithium ions (forming a redox pair), this redox mechanism was overwhelmed by the poor electronic conductivity. As a result, the battery cells featuring these organic molecules exhibit poor power densities. Le Gall et al added a large proportion of conductive acetylene black (typically 40-60% by weight) to partially overcome the conductivity issue; but, acetylene black significantly dilutes the amount of the active material. Further, the best achievable specific capacity of 150 mAhlg is far less than the theoretical specific capacity of 705 mAh/g of Poly(2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone-3,6-methylene).
Recently, more electrically conducting carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) containing carbonyl groups were used by Lee, et al to replace the organic molecules for use as a cathode material [S. W. Lee, et al, "High Power Lithium Batteries from Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes," Nature Nanotechnology, 5 (2010) 531-537]. The significantly higher electronic conductivity of CNTs does serve to overcome the poor conductivity problem of organic molecules. However, the CNT-based electrodes prepared by the layer-by-layer (LBL) approach still suffer from several technical and economical issues. Some of these issues are:                (1) CNTs are known to be extremely expensive due to the low yield, low production rate, and low purification rate commonly associated with the current CNT preparation processes. The high material costs have significantly hindered the widespread application of CNTs.        (2) CNTs tend to form a tangled mass resembling a hairball, which is difficult to work with (e.g., difficult to disperse in a liquid solvent or resin matrix).        (3) The so-called "layer-by-layer" approach (LBL) used by Lee, et al is a slow and expensive process that is not amenable to large-scale fabrication of battery electrodes, or mass production of electrodes with an adequate thickness (most of the batteries have an electrode thickness of 100-300 μm). The thickness of the LBL electrodes produced by Lee, et al (a noted MIT research group) was limited to 3 μm or less.        (4) One might wonder how the thickness of the LBL CNT electrodes would impact their performance. The data provided by Lee, et al (e.g. Fig. S-7 of the Supporting Material of Lee, et al) show that the power density dropped by one order of magnitude when the LBL CNT electrode thickness was increased from 0.3 μm to 3.0 μm. The performance is likely to drop even further if the electrode thickness is increased to that of a useful battery or supercapacitor electrode (e.g., 100-300 μm).        (5) Although the ultra-thin LBL CNT electrodes provide a high power density (since Li ions only have to travel an extremely short distance), there was no data to prove that CNT-based electrodes of practical thickness could even work due to the poor CNT dispersion and electrolyte inaccesability issues. Lee, et al showed that the CNT-based composite electrodes prepared without using the LBL approach did not exhibit particularly good performance.        (6) CNTs have very limited amount of suitable sites to accept a functional group without damaging the basal plane or graphene plane structure. A CNT has only one end that is readily functionalizable and this end is an extremely small proportion of the total CNT surface. By chemically functionalizing the exterior basal plane, one could dramatically compromise the electronic conductivity of a CNT.
Most recently, our research groups have reported, in two patent applications, the development of two new classes of highly conducting cathode active materials having a functional group that is capable of rapidly and reversibly forming a redox reaction with lithium ions. These materials are nano graphene (both single-layer graphene and multi-layer graphene sheets, collectively referred to as nano graphene platelets, NGPs) and disordered carbon (including soft carbon and hard carbon). These two patent applications are: C. G. Liu, et al., "Lithium Super-battery with a Functionalized Nano Graphene Cathode," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/806,679 (Aug. 19, 2010) and C. G. Liu, et al, "Lithium Super-battery with a Functionalized Disordered Carbon Cathode," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/924,211 (Sep. 23, 2010).
These new types of cathode active materials (used in the so-called lithium super-battery) include a chemically functionalized nano graphene platelet (NGP) or a functionalized disordered carbon material (such as soft carbon and hard carbon) having certain specific functional groups capable of reversibly and rapidly forming a redox pair with a lithium ion during the charge and discharge cycles of a battery cell. In these two patent applications, the functionalized disordered carbon or NGP is used in the cathode (not the anode) of the lithium super-battery. In this cathode, lithium ions in the liquid electrolyte only have to migrate to the edges or surfaces of graphene sheets (in the case of functionalized NGP cathode), or the edges/surfaces of the aromatic ring structures (small graphene sheets) in a disordered carbon matrix. No solid-state diffusion is required at the cathode. The presence of a functionalized graphene or carbon enables reversible storage of lithium on the surfaces (including edges), not the bulk, of the cathode material. Such a cathode material provides one type of lithium-storing or lithium-capturing surface. (There will be another type of lithium-storing surface, based on simple lithium deposition, to be discussed at a later section).
In conventional lithium-ion batteries, lithium ions must diffuse into and out of the bulk of a cathode active material, such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). In these conventional lithium-ion batteries, lithium ions must also diffuse in and out of the inter-planar spaces in a graphite crystal serving as an anode active material. The lithium insertion or extraction procedures at both the cathode and the anode are very slow. Due to these slow processes of lithium diffusion in and out of these intercalation compounds (commonly referred to as solid-state diffusion processes), the conventional lithium ion batteries do not exhibit a high power density and the batteries require a long re-charge time. None of these conventional devices rely on select functional groups (e.g. attached at the edge or basal plane surfaces of a graphene sheet) that readily and reversibly form a redox reaction with a lithium ion from a lithium-containing electrolyte.
In contrast, the super-battery as reported in our two earlier patent applications (U.S. application Ser. No. 12/806,679 and Ser. No. 12/924,211), relies on the operation of a fast and reversible reaction between a functional group (attached or bonded to a graphene structure at the cathode) and a lithium ion in the electrolyte. Lithium ions coming from the anode side through a separator only have to diffuse in the liquid electrolyte residing in the cathode to reach a surface/edge of a graphene plane. These lithium ions do not need to diffuse into or out of the volume of a solid particle. Since no diffusion-limited intercalation is involved at the cathode, this process is fast and can occur in seconds. Hence, this is a totally new class of hybrid supercapacitor-battery that exhibits unparalleled and unprecedented combined performance of an exceptional power density, high energy density, long and stable cycle life, and wide operating temperature range. This device has the best of both battery and supercapacitor worlds.
In the lithium super-batteries described in these two patent applications, the anode comprises either particles of a lithium titanate-type anode active material (still requiring solid state diffusion), schematically illustrated in FIG. 1(B), or a lithium foil alone (without a nano-structured material to support or capture lithium ions/atoms), illustrated in FIG. 1(C). In the latter case, lithium has to deposit onto the front surface of an anode current collector alone (e.g. copper foil) when the battery is re-charged. Since the specific surface area of a current collector is very low (typically <<1 m2/gram), the over-all lithium re-deposition rate is relatively low (this issue is being overcome in the instant invention).
Herein reported is another superior energy storage device that also operates on lithium ion exchange between the cathode and the anode. However, in this new device, both the cathode and the anode (not just the cathode) have a lithium-capturing or lithium-storing surface (typically both being nano-structured with many lithium-storing surfaces) and both electrodes (not just the cathode) obviate the need to engage in solid-state diffusion. This is illustrated in FIG. 1(D) and FIG. 2. Both the anode and the cathode have large amounts of surface areas to allow lithium ions to deposit thereon simultaneously, enabling dramatically higher charge and discharge rates and higher power densities. The uniform dispersion of these surfaces of a nano-structured material (e.g. graphene, CNT, disordered carbon, nano-wire, and nano-fiber) in an electrode also provides a more uniform electric field in the electrode in which lithium can more uniformly deposit without forming a dendrite. Such a nano-structure eliminates the potential formation of dendrites, which was the most serious problem in conventional lithium metal batteries (commonly used in 1980s and early 1990s before being replaced by lithium-ion batteries). Such a device is herein referred to as a surface-controlled, lithium ion-exchanging battery.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Surface-controlled lithium ion-exchanging energy storage device


A recording/playback device includes an information conversion unit converting video or audio information, received from an external source, to video or audio data for recording on a rewritable optical disk, a recording unit recording the video or audio data on said optical disk, and a playback unit playing back the video or audio data recorded on said optical disk, in which the optical disk has at least two recording layers and, when the video or audio data is recorded in two or more layers of the optical disk and then a part of the video data or audio data recorded in each layer is erased, a part of the video or audio data left unerased is moved so that a number of layers, in which the video or audio data left unerased is recorded, is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording/playback device, a recording device, and a recording/playback method for recording data on a multi-layer optical disk.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been a method for recording multiple channels of video or audio data on an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) recorder and a method for recording still image information in two compression methods in a digital camera as conventional art. Examples of those methods are disclosed in JP-A-2002-344892 and JP-A-2001-24929. However, they do not correspond to technologies for recording data on a multi-layer optical disk.

Recording/playback device, recording device, and recording/playback method


The present invention provides a fast and efficient means for identifying kinetically stable proteins. As used herein the term “kinetically stable protein” means a protein that is trapped in a specific conformation due to an unusually high unfolding barrier that results in very slow unfolding rates. The present inventors are the first to discover the existence of a correlation between kinetic stability and SDS-induced denaturation. Thus, the invention provides methods for identifying kinetically stable proteins comprising the step of testing the proteins for resistance to denaturation by SDS. In one embodiment, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is one simple method for quickly identifying and selecting kinetically stable proteins.

Kinetic stability is a poorly understood property of a select group of naturally occurring proteins that are trapped in their native conformations by an energy barrier, and consequently are resistant to unfolding. Kinetic stability can be best explained by illustrating the unfolding process as a simple equilibrium reaction between two protein conformations, the native folded state (N) and the unfolded state (U), separated by a higher energy transition state (TS) (FIG. 1). Since the height of the TS barrier determines the rate of folding and unfolding, kinetically stable proteins possess an unusually high energy TS, which results in extremely slow unfolding rates that virtually trap the protein in its native state (FIG. 1A). Even though the overall change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG) may be favorable for unfolding under extreme solvent conditions, such as high concentrations of denaturant, the high activation energy of the TS significantly slows down the unfolding rate (FIG. 1B). It has been suggested that the presence of a high kinetic energy barrier separating the folded and unfolded states is an evolutionary feature intended to allow proteins to maintain activity in the extreme conditions they may encounter in vivo (1). The examples of the kinetically stable proteins α-lytic protease (extracellular enzyme) (1), Escherichia coli OmpA (bacterial membrane protein) (2), and pyrrolidone carboxyl peptidase (hyperthermophilic protein) (3), illustrate the kinetic adaptation of proteins that must retain enzymatic function in conditions where degradation might easily take place. In addition, thermodynamic stability alone does not fully protect proteins that are susceptible to irreversible denaturation and aggregation arising from partially denatured states that become transiently populated under physiological conditions (4). Therefore, the development of a high kinetic energy barrier to unfolding may serve to protect susceptible proteins against such harmful conformational "side-effects".
The physical basis for kinetic stability is poorly understood and no structural consensus has been found to explain this phenomenon. In previous studies, the addition of hydrophobic residues on the protein surface (5), the engineering of disulfide bonds (6), and the introduction of metal-binding sites (7) have been shown to increase kinetic stability. A connection between kinetic stability and oligomeric quaternary structure has also been proposed (8). In the case of some hyperthermophilic proteins, electrostatic interactions have been suggested to be a major factor in their slow unfolding due to the formation of ion pairs (9, 10). However, there is evidence that some kinetically stable proteins retain their slow unfolding rate even at low pH, where electrostatic interactions should be significantly weakened (3, 11). Thus, it appears that no common structural feature exists to explain kinetic stability, and perhaps this property may be achieved by different means, depending on the individual protein.
Under native conditions, kinetically stable proteins have limited access to partially and globally unfolded conformations (12). These properties impart a strong proteolytic resistance by reducing the occurrence of accessible conformations susceptible to proteolytic attack (12, 13). Some kinetically stable proteins have also been found to be resistant to denaturation by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Among them are the β-sheet proteins streptavidin (14), transthyretin (15), P22 tailspike protein (16), and the e-coli membrane protein, OmpA (2).
The ability to quickly and easily identify kinetically stable proteins would have a myriad of applications in the biotechnology industry, pharmaceutical industry, and in basic life science research.

Methods of identifying kinetically stable proteins


A statistical and functional correlation strategy to identify changes in cellular pathways specifically linked to impaired cognitive function with aging. Analyses using the strategy identified multiple groups of genes expressed in the hippocampi of mammals, where the genes were expressed at different levels for several ages. The aging changes in expression began before mid-life. Many of the genes were involved in specific neuronal and glial pathways with previously unrecognized relationships to aging and/or cognitive decline. These identified genes and the proteins they encode can be used as novel biomarkers of brain aging and as targets for developing treatment methods against age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

Brain aging processes are enormously complex phenomena that affect multiple systems, cell types and pathways, and result in cognitive decline and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Landfield P W et al., J Neurobiol 23: 1247-1260 (1992). Although several biological mechanisms have been putatively linked to brain aging or Alzheimer's disease, including inflammation, oxidative stress, Ca2+ dyshomeostasis (Landfield, P W & Pitler T A, Science 226: 1089-1092 (1984); Landfield P W et al., J Neurobiol 23: 1247-1260 (1992)), mitochondrial dysfunction and chronic exposure to adrenal stress hormones (Landfield P W et al., Science 214: 581-584 (1981); Porter N M & Landfield P W, Nature Neurosci 1: 3-4 (1998)), the specific mechanisms and pathways, if any, through which they are linked to impaired brain function are not understood.
It is widely thought that gene expression changes contribute to many aspects of declining function with aging. Finch C E, Longevity, Senescence and the Genome, 37-42 (Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago, 1990). It is also thought that gene expression changes are important for processing and storage of memory. However, not all genes that change expression in the brain with aging are thought to be important for cognition.
Gene-expression changes that specifically contribute to age-related memory decline should selectively change with brain aging and should be correlated specifically with measures of age-associated cognitive decline; that is, a subset of the full set of aging-dependent genes should also correlate with age-related cognitive decline. See, Lockhart D J & Barlow C, Nat Rev Neurosci 2: 63-68 (2001) and Mirnics K, Nat Rev Neurosci 2: 444-447 (2001).
If a subset of age-dependent genes also shows expression patterns directly correlated with age-related memory decline, then such a subset of "aging and cognition-related genes" (ACGs) would be extremely helpful as biological indexes ("biomarkers") for assessing or diagnosing the degree of age-related cognitive impairment in individual subjects. In turn, the ability to measure aging-related cognitive impairment quantitatively is essential for discovering new therapeutic targets, and developing new strategies and pharmaceutical compounds for counteracting normal age-related cognitive decline and/or age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Parkinson's disease (PD).
Identifying ACGs in any mammalian species therefore, might have great therapeutic usefulness. Moreover, because of the well-established homologies of most genes across mammalian species and because of the clear similarities in patterns of brain aging and cognitive decline across species, identification in any mammal would have human health implications. Furthermore, because the primary risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease is aging itself, therapeutic approaches developed for aging-related cognitive impairment should also help ameliorate cognitive decline from age-related neurodegenerative disease. Thus, there is a clear need for identifying ACGs but, to date, such genes have not been discovered for any mammal.
Gene microarray technology provides a powerful approach for unraveling the complex processes of aging. To date, however, its impact has been limited by statistical problems, small sample sizes, and difficulty in assessing functional relevance. Moreover, studies that have examined gene expression during brain aging using microarrays have not used sample sizes large enough to provide adequate statistical power for formal statistical testing. Lee C K et al., Nature Genetics 25: 294-297 (2000); Jiang C H et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98: 1930-1934 (2001) Therefore, even the genes they have reported to change with aging have not been validated by accepted statistical criteria.
The extremely large data sets generated by microarrays pose formidable bioinformatics and resource problems that have to date limited the impact of this powerful technology. Because of these difficulties, most microarray studies have relied on simple fold change comparisons in small samples. However, neither fold change analyses nor the small sample protocols widely used allow the direct estimates of variance necessary for defining type I error (false positives). In addition, fold change criteria, by definition, select for large changes. Therefore, they exhibit low detection sensitivity (high false negatives, or type II error), and are unable to identify the modest changes that often characterize functionally important (and, therefore, tightly regulated) genes. The inability to assign type I error is a particularly critical problem for microarray studies because the thousands of comparisons of gene expression in such analyses greatly increase the expected false positives. For example, even if group sizes were sufficient for formal statistical analyses, and 5000 gene transcripts were each tested by t-test for differences between two conditions at p≦0.05, the false positive rate is equal to the p-value and, consequently, 5% of the 5000 tested transcripts (250) would be expected to be found significant by chance alone.
Although microarray studies have some important offsetting advantages that improve statistical confidence (e.g., co-regulation of genes within a functional group), there is increasing recognition that microarray experiments should generally meet the same statistical standards as other biological experiments or, at least, should systematically estimate the degree of statistical uncertainty. Several strategies to improve statistical confidence have been developed for small-sample microarray studies, but these generally rely on indirect estimates of variance and/or greatly sacrifice sensitivity (i.e., stringent p-values).
Another highly important problem of microarray studies is that of determining which of the hundreds of expression changes that may be observed are likely to be functionally relevant. Correlation analysis is one quantitative approach to linking gene expression with function, although it also requires relatively large sets of independent samples. Expression-function correlations fulfill a key prediction of a causal relationship (i.e., that causally related variables should co-vary) and therefore, can serve as a valuable tool for the identification of candidate functionally relevant genes. Nonetheless, there have been few correlation studies attempting to link cognitive dysfunction with univariate gene expression patterns across individual subjects, much less using the massive amounts of data generated in microarray analyses.

University of Kentucky Research Foundation


A curable resin composition comprising (a) an acrylic polymer having a plurality of alicyclic epoxide functions, and (b) an amount effective to initiate the curing reaction of the acrylic polymer (a) upon heating of a heat-latent cation polymerization initiator. The composition finds its uses in coating compositions, sealants, potting and casting compositions.

This invention relates to a novel resinous composition containing an acrylic polymer having a plurality of alicyclic epoxide functions. The composition may be cured or crosslinked through the cationic polymerization of the epoxide function and is useful as a resinous component of coating compositions, sealants, potting or casting compositions and the like.
Cationic polymerization of epoxy resins using a cationic polymerization initiator is well-known. Usable initiators include Lewis acids, Friedel-Crafts catalyst, boron trifluoride-ether complex, photodegradable onium salts (S, Se, Te), diallyl iodonium salts and the like. Initiators of this type are generally not selective with respect to the reaction temperature. Therefore, an epoxy resin containing these initiators begins to cure even at room temperature.
Japanese Patent Kokai (Laid Open) application Nos. 37003/83 and 37004/83 disclose another type of cationic polymerization initiator. They are aliphatic or aromatic sulfonium salts capable of generating carbonium cations upon heating to an elevated temperature. Initiators of this type are known as "heat-latent cationic polymerization initiator". U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 07/356,903 and 07/532,716, both assigned to the assignee of this application, also disclose a heat-latent cationic polymerization initiator. Epoxy resins containing the heat-latent initiators are therefore normally nonreactive but capable of curing at a temperature above the cleaving temperature of the initiator. This provides a heat-curable, one-component epoxy resin composition having a greater storage stability and a longer pot life.
Epoxy resins or polymers used heretofore for this purpose are limited to glycidyl ether or ester epoxy resins, typically bisphenol A epoxy resins, and homo- and copolymers of glycidyl acrylate or methacrylate (hereinafter collectively referred to as "(meth)acrylate").
We have now found that acrylic polymers having a plurality of alicyclic epoxide functions are more sensitive to the cationic polymerization than glycidyl epoxy resins in the presence of a heat-latent cationic polymerization initiator. The present invention has its basis on this finding.

Heat-curable resin composition containing acrylic polymer having alicyclic epoxide functions


A stoker grate for circulating a combustible material includes a stationary grate sheet support and a moveable grate sheet support fitting with prop rolls on the stationary grate sheet support. The moveable grate sheet support includes a pair of moveable grate sheet supports opposed to each other and another pair of arc-shaped moveable grate sheet supports opposed to each other to form a long annular-shaped assembled support, stationary grate sheets fitting with mounting transverse beams of the stationary grate sheet support, moveable grate sheets fitting with mounting transverse beams of the moveable grate sheet support, the moveable grate sheets and the stationary grate sheets being disposed alternatingly, and a transmission unit. The driving moveable grate sheet support is hinged to the adjacent driven moveable grate sheet support and the driven moveable grate sheet supports are hinged to each other.

The invention relates to a boiler stoker, especially to the grate of horizontal circulating burning-up combustible material.
At present, the grates for stoker-fired boiler can be classified in structure into two kinds, i.e. the reciprocating grate and the chain grate. The fuel is fed continuously from one end of the grate surface and travels horizontally across the grate to the opposite end as it burns. The residual ash is discharged from the opposite end. The above mentioned stoker grates have the following defects: 1) the coal is ignited mainly by means of the heat radiation from the furnace arch, the ignition begins from the upper layer towards the lower layer of the coal bed in a direction which is opposite to the direction of air flow, the upwards air flow counterworks the downwards transmission of coal ignition, resulting in an unfavorable burning state, cause incomplete combustion and unable to burn the low grade coal; 2) the resident time of coal burning on the grate can not be long as the grate has a limited length, so the coal can not be fully burn up; and 3) the bottom layer of the coal is ignited at last, resulting in the fine coal particles to leak out from the vent slits of the grate and cause a big loss of coal.

Stoker grates for circulating combustible material


A technology is described for prioritizing electronic files for backup to a backup storage. An example method may include determining a defined file value of an electronic file identified for backup to a backup storage. A backup priority may be assigned to the electronic file based in part on the defined file value of the electronic file, and a backup entry for the electronic file may be added to a backup queue. Thereafter, the backup entry for the electronic file may be retrieved from the backup queue, wherein the backup priority for the electronic file may be higher as compared to backup priorities of other electronic files represented by backup entries in the backup queue, and a copy of the electronic file represented by the backup entry in the backup queue may be sent to the backup storage.

Many companies and individuals face the challenge of how to best protect important data from loss. End user computing devices and the data stored on the computing device may be at risk due to hardware failures, loss, theft, accidental deletion, and malicious entities. End users understand these risks and in the absence of a solution, end users may take the initiative to backup important electronic files. For example, end users may manually copy important electronic files to a backup storage or utilize a backup tool. Some end users may utilize a remote managed backup service, sometimes referred to as backup-as-a-service, to provide a system for the backup, storage, and recovery of electronic files. Centralized backup systems can include a client application that executes according to a schedule, such as once a day, at night while a computing device is not being used, or a client application may continuously monitor electronic files for changes. A backup system may collect and transfer electronic files to a data repository located on one or more remote servers.


An optical medium having a high refractive index without anisotropy and a wide transmission wavelength is obtained. The cubic crystal material is αβO3, where α is at least one of K, Ba, Sr, Ca, and β is at least one of Ta, Ti. Optimally, the cubic crystal material is KTa1-xNbxO3, where composition x is 0≦x≦0.35. This composition enables to raise refractive index while its phase transition temperature is below a room temperature.

Conventionally, optical components such as an optical lens and a prism arc used for optical apparatuses such as a camera, a microscope and a telescope; electronograph system recording apparatuses such as a printer and a copier; an optical recording medium such as DVD; and an optical device. For example, it is necessary to make the beam diameter of a laser beam for recording as small as possible so as to raise recording density in the field of an optical recording. Thus, in order to focus shorter wavelength light efficiently, a lens and a prism that retain high optical transmittance to a short wavelength band with a high refractive index, without anisotropy, is necessary.
For example, the beam spot diameter of a laser beam is determined by a wavelength λ of a light source and a numeric aperture NA of a lens, and is known as 0.8×λ/NA. An information capacity of 4.7 GB can be recorded in a conventional DVD recording apparatus having a 5-inch disk using a semiconductor laser with a 650 nm wavelength and a lens having NA=0.6. Recently, DVD (Blu-ray) recording apparatuses with enlarged NA and decreased wavelength have been developed. These apparatuses have realized a storage capacity of about 23 GB in a 5-inch disk using a semiconductor laser with a 405 nm wavelength and a lens having NA=0.85 as a light source.
Additionally, a near field recording method is known to raise recording density by Evanescent light at the reflecting surface using a minute lens with a high refractive index. This minute lens is a hemispheric lens called SIL (Solid Immersion Lens) and is placed between an optical recording medium and an objective lens. In such an optical system, the beam spot diameter of a laser beam transmitted through the objective lens equivalently becomes λ/(nk×NA) (n is the refractive index of a SIL) and can focus to 1/n compared to those without a SIL. (e.g., See Nonpatent Document 1). In the area where the gap between the recording surface of the optical recording medium and the bottom surface of the SIL is below ¼ of the light wavelength, a laser beam transmitted through the SIL is outputted in a same disposition as an interior of the SIL. Then, the beam spot diameter is focus to 1/n of a diffraction limit.
Above referenced SIL becomes NA=n2sin θ when incident angle is θ and has a great influence on the refractive index of an optical medium. For this reason, the optical medium with a high refractive index is crucial and an isotopic optical medium without birefringence is crucial at focal power. In addition, it is important to be an optical medium whose optical transmittance does not deteriorate to the short wavelength band. Beside a SIL, optical components such as a camera, a microscope and a stepper have implemental constraint and, a small lens with a high refractive index and high focal power is necessary. If the lens is of the same size, large NA, high focal power and bright lens is preferable. In the same way, a prism may be realized small and sufficient spectroscopic characterization by using high refractive index materials.
Concerning the above mentioned viewpoint, high refractive index glasses and crystal materials have been examined. For the glasses, high refractive index glasses containing much La and Pb, and TeO2-based glasses are known. However, an optical medium that can realize a refractive index of 2.2 in a visible wavelength band has not been developed. There is a problem in that optical transmittance at around 400 nm deteriorates by raising refractive index.
Meanwhile, concerning the crystal materials, a lot of lenses with a high refractive index have been developed by using oxide crystals (e.g., See Patent Document 1). However, optically isotropic materials without birefringence are limited to cubic crystal structure. Although, many crystals are disclosed in the Patent Document 1, isotopic materials are limited to SrNbO3, SrTaO3, Bi20SiO12, Bi20GeO12, Bi4Ge3O12 and GaP. Concerning these crystals, the refractive index in the visible wavelength band is from 2.06 to 2.22.
In addition, high-intensity liquid crystal projectors require a prism for a polarization optical system, which has high optical transmittance of the visible wavelength band without anisotropy of refractive index, and has a high refractive index. Although borosilicate glasses were used conventionally, there was a disadvantage that photo-elastic effect is large. Thus, it is examined to use high refractive index glasses such as lead-containing glasses. However, there has been a problem that these glasses have low transmittance in the short wavelength band, and cannot be used in the wavelength band used for the liquid crystal projector.
Furthermore, an air pollution measuring device has no absorption up to a long wavelength band of around 5 μm, and requires optical materials with a high refractive index. Conventionally, optical transmittance in the long wavelength band of the optical medium is as follows. An optical transmission range of silica based glasses is up to around 2 μm and silica based glasses have a low refractive index. Fluoride glasses such as ZBLAN (ZrF4—BaF2—LaF3—AlF3—NaF) have high optical transmittance but the refractive index is low around 1.5. Calcogenite glasses such as Ge—Sb—Se have high optical transmittance but have problem in toxicity. Therefore, optical medium with high optical transmittance in the long wavelength band and a high refractive index is required.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open No. 2000-19301
Nonpatent Document 1: Sharp Technical Report "Trend of high-capacity optical disk" Vol. 72, December, 1998, pp. 9-12

Optical medium, an optical lens and a prism

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A removable cover for lug nuts, used for mounting a wheel rim on a vehicle, characterized by having a plurality of flat side surfaces which engage the complimentary sides of a lug nut where adjacent side surfaces are separated by a slot so that the side surfaces will function as a spring to retain the cover on the lug nut.

This invention relates to a protective decorative cap for covering tile lug nut and bolt or stud for attaching a wheel rim to a car, truck, bus, or the like. A variety of such protective, decorative caps have been developed. A common problem encountered is to ensure that the cover will remain on the lug nut on the vehicle during use. For example, in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,409, the cover is retained by means of a plurality of clips within the shell cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,305, McCauly, relies on a plastic insert within the decorative shell for permanently mounting the insert within the shell and an annular-longitudinal portion of the insert as internal threads for mating engagement with the thread of the stud.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,967, Rosenbaum, utilizes a resilient, compressible retainer having legs which align with the flats of a bolt head or nut over which a generally cylindrical cap is applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,462, Thiel utilizes at least two axial profile webs on the internal face of the casing arranged to engage and hold the cap on the nut.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,533, Chartier utilizes an annular channel formed in the inner wall of the cap for receiving a snap fit engagement with a lower circumferential flange of a particular type of fastener head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,739, Standlake, uses a wheel cover having ,a plurality of tubular extensions for attaching the wheel cover to the lug nuts of the wheel.
French Patent No. 2386-722 utilizes two diametrically opposite tongues to retain the cap on the bolt.


First and second C-shaped clamping members are provided to engage a ladder and a roof rack. One of the clamping members is mounted on an actuator rod, the other on an actuator housing. A pistol grip handle and trigger mechanism enable the two clamping members to be ratcheted into secure clamping engagement with the two items. A quick release plate allows the clamp to be easily opened for disengagement. In a second embodiment, a compression spring draws the two clamping members together when the quick release plate is engaged.

The present invention is directed to the field of attachment. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a quick connect clamp which permits a ladder to be securely fastened to a rack, such as a vehicle roof rack.
Carpenters, painters, roofers, and do-it-yourselfers struggle to secure a ladder to a vehicle. Any variety of ropes, bungee cords, and assorted other devices are used in an attempt to securely fasten a ladder to the roof or side of a vehicle. These devices are time consuming to put on and take off and frequently fail to hold the ladder securely, risking damage to the ladder, the vehicle to which it is insecurely attached and to other traffic (pedestrian and vehicular) which may be unfortunate enough to be in the way when these devices let loose. What is needed is a clamp which can be quickly connected and released and, which holds securely while it is engaged.
The quick connect ladder clamp of the present invention fills this need. This clamp comprises a first clamp member for engaging a portion of the roof rack; a second clamp member for engaging a portion of the ladder; an actuator rod attached to one of the first and second clamp members; an actuation housing attached to another of the first and second clamp members; means to move the actuator rod within the actuation housing; means to lock the actuator rod in a fixed position relative to the actuation housing; quick release means to permit the first and second clamp members to release their grip on the roof rack and the ladder. Preferably, the actuator rod is non-circular in cross section, most preferably, oval with a row of teeth formed on at least one edge thereof.
The actuation housing has a pistol grip handle attached thereto and the first and second clamp members extend laterally from the actuator housing generally orthogonal to the pistol grip handle. In the preferred embodiment, the first and second clamp members are C-shaped. A trigger mechanism has a portion thereof extending into said actuator housing engaging a face of a washer, the opposite face being in contact with a coil spring. The quick release means comprises a plate with an oval recess which receives the oval actuator rod, the plate being pivotally engaged by an overhanging lip on a front portion of the actuator housing and biased into a canted position by a spring, whereby a portion of the oval recess engages the teeth on the oval rod and retains the actuator housing in locked position relative to the actuator rod. In a second embodiment, the means to move the actuator rod in the actuation housing further comprises a coil spring.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification.


A green waste bundling device is configured to compactly bundle tree branches, tree limbs, and other yard debris. The bundling device has a frame and a bundling assembly attached to the frame. The frame includes a generally U-shaped interior portion configured for receipt of yard debris. The bundling assembly includes a winch and a strap, with the strap configured to span the interior portion of the frame. The strap has a retainer element removably securable to a securing eye on the frame. The winch may be manually operated using a handle or electrically operated using a remote control.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a green waste bundling device that binds limbs, shrubs, and other green waste together tightly. The brush bundling and bailing device bundles green waste in a more compact form, allowing more debris to be placed in proper disposal areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
When trimming trees, shrubs, and other yard items, people typically end up with a number of limbs and debris littered on the ground. Individuals can try to bind the limbs together for transport, only to be left unsuccessful due to the bundles being too large and heavy to transport. Homeowners must then pay others to dispose of green waste. This entire process can be incredibly frustrating, expensive, and time consuming. Therefore, there exists a need for a device that facilitates the bundling of yard debris.
It is therefore desirable to provide users with a device capable of binding limbs, shrubs, and other yard debris into a compact configuration, offering ease and convenience when disposing of green waste.
It is further desirable to provide a green waste bundling device that may be manual or remotely controlled, ensuring bundles of green waste are tightly wound together.
It is still further desirable to provide a green waste bundling device that prevents limbs, shrubs, and debris from falling out of place in bundles and creating an additional mess.
It is yet further desirable to provide a green waste bundling device that eliminates the need to make trips or paying an individual to take green waste to a disposal site or landfill.
It is still yet further desirable to provide a green waste bundling device that saves extensive amounts of time, effort, and money when disposing of limbs, shrubs, and other items.
Other advantages and features will be apparent from the following description, and from the claims.


A tie down system for a two wheeled vehicle includes a support plate providing a wheel chock for receiving the front wheel of the vehicle and a pair of diverging arms extending away from the wheel chock. An adjustable strut connects between the ends of the diverging arms and the frame of the vehicle rearwardly of the pivot connection between the front wheel and the frame. Once adjusted, the struts act like solid links resisting any forces applied by the vehicle when it is being towed. Suitable locks may connect the struts and the vehicle frame providing a measure of security.

The problem is to tie down and preferably lock a two wheel vehicle, such as a motorcycle or bicycle, on a trailer, in the bed of a pickup or other truck or to a stationary location. In other words, a system is needed to secure the two wheel vehicle in place so it won't fall over or bounce in a manner that damages the motorcycle or the transport vehicle during transit and provide a measure of security when the motorcycle is on a transport vehicle or when stationary.
Most of the prior art tie down systems involve nylon straps which the user must attach to the motorcycle in some manner and then to the transport vehicle. Attachments to the transport vehicle are generally not difficult because pickup trucks and trailers may be equipped with tie down connections. Attachments to the motorcycle are much more difficult because there is typically no convenient, adequate and secure connection on the motorcycle. In other words, attaching the strap to the motorcycle is a hit-or-miss proposition and is often not as secure as originally believed. In addition, nylon straps deteriorate with weather and the passage of time and usually cannot be locked. Furthermore, nylon straps are subject to being cut so the motorcycle is relatively easy to steal.
Although there are some proposals for non-strap type motorcycle tie down devices, they are not widely commercially available.
Disclosures relevant to the disclosure of this invention are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,078,821; 6,065,914; 6,171,034; 6,761,519 and printed patent application 2003/0059269.


The present invention discloses a multi-layered stretched resin film which comprises a base layer (A) containing 40 to 90 wt % of a polyolefinic resin and 10 to 60 wt % of an inorganic fine powder or an organic filler; and an amorphous resin-containing layer (B) provided on at least one side of such base layer (A), and containing 0 to 85 wt % of a polyolefinic resin and 15 to 100 wt % of an amorphous resin; where the amorphous resin-containing layer (B) has a porosity of 5% or below. Such multi-layered stretched resin film is successfully exempt from being waved or curled due to vehicle contained in offset printing ink during offset printing, and can thus ensure excellent printability.

Synthetic paper has proposed and put into practical use in recent years in place of conventional natural pulp-made paper, where the synthetic paper comprises a base layer made of a biaxially stretched polypropylene film containing 5 to 40 wt % of an inorganic fine powder, and a paper-like layer stacked on the top and back planes thereof, which is made of a uniaxially stretched polypropylene film containing 8 to 65 wt % of an inorganic fine powder (U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,950, Japanese Examined Patent Publication Nos. 46-40794, 60-36173 and 62-35412).
Offset printing, so-called lithograph, is generally applied for printing on paper, polyethylene terephthalate film, polyamide film, coated paper and the like, since the technique can readily provide multi-color printing. Typical composition of a general-purpose, dry-type offset printing ink is shown below.

TABLE 1Composition of Offset Printing Ink (weight part)ink forink forink forsheetnon-paperrotary offsetprintingprintingpresspigment252525resin253025drying oil203410high-boiling-point,25 536petroleum-base solventdrier 1 2—others 4 4 4total100100100
The vehicle described in the above refers to a liquid component among various components composing printing ink, and is responsible for dispersing pigment to thereby keep fluidity of the ink; for ensuring smooth movement of the ink from an ink pot to a printing plane after being transferred among individual rollers, plate and blanket; and for fixing the pigment onto the printing plane through solidification. In response to recent strong requirement to shorten the drying time of the offset printing ink for more rapid printing, there is an increasing trend of using quick-drying ink having compounded therein a vehicle which mainly comprises a drying oil added with resin and mineral oil (high-boiling-point, petroleum-base solvent).
Printing with such quick-drying offset printing ink on the synthetic paper comprising a polyolefinic film or such film compounded with an inorganic fine powder, however, undesirably swells the polyolefin per se due to the vehicle contained in the quick-drying offset printing ink to thereby produce local surface waving or curling of the printed film, which has been an obstacle for the practical use. So that the conventional offset printing ink for polyolefinic film has been such that having a special formula without mineral oil at the sacrifice of the quick-drying property.
Such special offset printing ink for polyolefinic film, however, requires long drying time and has been only available in limited printing works and manufacturers, so that there has been a strong need for a new polyolefinic film on which the general-purpose offset printing ink of oxidation polymerization type (drying oil type) is available.
That is, in the general printing works, offset printing is practiced on pulp-base paper such as wood free paper and coated paper using generally-commercialized, quick-drying ink, so that printing on the polyolefinic film or synthetic paper requires temporary replacement of such ink with the special offset printing ink suitable for such non-absorbent material. Such replacement of the ink is, however, considerably time- and labor-consuming, so that the general printing works have not been positive about printing on the polyolefinic film or synthetic paper, which has been one factor obstructing the generalization of the polyolefinic film or synthetic paper in offset printing.
One approach has been made (Laid-Open Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-333466), in which a polyolefinic resin added with an amorphous resin is used as a part of the multi-layered film. Such technique is, however, still not successful in solving the problem of swelling of the film (referred to as "solvent attack" hereinafter) as a whole due to vehicle (in particular high-boiling-point, petroleum-base solvent such as mineral oil) contained in the offset printing ink.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a multi-layered stretched resin film excellent in ink drying property, and less causative of surface waving or entire curling even if the film is subjected to offset printing using a general-purpose, quick-drying offset printing ink.


An intraoral discluder for preventing chronic tension headaches, common migraine headaches, and temporomandibular disorders that are caused or perpetuated by chronic activity of the temporalis muscle. The discluder includes a trough, contoured to encompass at least one maxillary or mandibular incisor, from which extends a protruding platform, for engagement by the opposing incisors. The trough can be retained on the teeth by any adaptable material than can flow around the teeth and then maintain its shape. Once in place in the wearer's mouth, one or two opposing incisors will come into contact with the platform prior to the upper and lower posterior and/or canine teeth coming into contact, regardless of the position of the mandible, thereby reducing the intensity of the activity of the temporalis muscle. In addition, a special post on the discluder's platform is engageable directly with one or more opposing incisors, to act as a stop and thereby inhibit excessive retrusive movement of the mandible and urge the mandible toward a more protrusive position. This can reduce the intensity of undesired clenching, and it can enhance the size of the wearer's pharyngeal airspace, thereby reducing the incidence and severity of snoring.

The present invention relates generally to intraoral devices and, more particularly, to an intraoral discluder for use in relieving tension headaches, common migraine headaches, and temporomandibular disorders.
Tension and muscle contraction headaches affect many people every day. The headaches are often recurring and, without effective treatment, can become very painful, restricting an individual's ability to think clearly and function effectively. The discomfort associated with tension and muscle contraction headaches is usually due to pain from strained and fatigued muscles of the head. The majority of the muscles of the human head are not sufficiently strong to elicit the type of pain and discomfort associated with tension and muscle contraction headaches. That is not the case with the temporalis muscle, however, which is located on the side of the skull and extends from just behind the eye to just behind the ear, and which is an extremely powerful muscle that functions to close or elevate the jaw.
Under normal circumstances, the temporalis muscle should not exert a large static force by contracting isometrically, except possibly during normal chewing. Inappropriate isometric contraction of the temporalis muscle is commonly known as "clenching" and is clinically known as myofascial dysfunction. The intensity of the myofascial dysfunction varies according to the mandible's anterior/posterior position, with the intensity increasing as the mandible's position moves posteriorly. Unfortunately, myofascial dysfunction is particularly difficult to detect or diagnose, because the act of clenching is a relatively motionless act that is commonly done while a person is concentrating on another topic, or while sleeping.
As the muscular contraction condition of "clenching" continues, the muscle becomes fatigued and susceptible to spasm and cramping. The pain from spasming and cramping temporalis fibers is severe and is usually diagnosed as a common migraine. Headache sufferers who seek the assistance of a physician typically are treated with muscle relaxants, analgesics, and/or physical therapy for the muscle fatigue. However, medications and physical therapy require continual treatment, and they treat only the symptoms of the underlying problem, not the source of the problem itself.
Headache sufferers who seek the assistance of a dentist typically are diagnosed as having a temporomandibular disorder and are treated with an intraoral "jaw-positioning" appliance. Unfortunately, the intraoral appliances provided by dentists frequently are not entirely effective, because they only approximate the relative positions of the upper and lower teeth with respect to each other, allowing clenching to continue with minimal mandibular movement. Further, these intraoral appliances ordinarily cannot be used by patients who have malocclusions, protrusions or retrusions of the mandible, or other irregular teeth or mandibular orientations. Typically, the intraoral appliance must also be fabricated by a dentist at a prohibitive cost to a majority of individuals who suffer from tension headaches and common migraine headaches. Lastly, most intraoral jaw-positioning appliances and other types of semi-custom intraoral discluders can be used only on the upper teeth. However, in some circumstances, use of the appliance on the upper teeth is impossible due to malocclusions and irregular orientation of the teeth.
One intraoral appliance that avoids the drawbacks mentioned immediately above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,150 to Boyd, Sr. That appliance includes a trough sized and configured to be releasably retained by a wearer's maxillary incisors and further includes a dome projecting posteriorly from the trough and defining a surface to be contacted by at least one opposing incisor. When the appliance is properly positioned in the wearer's mouth, the temporalis muscles are rendered ineffective, thus relieving tension headaches, common migraine headaches, and temporomandibular disorders. However, it is believed that this appliance can sometimes still allow limited clenching of the temporalis muscle, particularly when the mandible is located in its furthest posterior position.
It should be apparent from the foregoing discussion, that there remains a need for an even more effective intraoral discluder configured to be placed on either the upper teeth or the lower teeth, to prevent contact of the upper and lower teeth in all mandibular movements and to further inhibit undesired isometric contraction of the temporalis muscle. The present invention satisfies this need.

Intraoral discluder and method for relieving migraine and tension headaches and temporomandibular disorders


A plurality of gaming terminals 10, a terminal image display panel 16 and an upper display 700 which display effect images in accordance with the gaming state of a game on the gaming terminals 10 and display at least one of the effect images in three dimensions, a terminal controller 630, which switches at least one of the effect images on the terminal image display panel 16 and the upper display 700 from two dimensional display to three dimensional display when the gaming state satisfies a predetermined condition, and a center controller 200.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine running a common game.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional gaming machine includes a plurality of gaming terminals, terminal controllers provided for the respective gaming terminals to cause each gaming terminal to execute a game, and a center controller controlling the terminal controllers. Such a conventional gaming machine is disclosed in, for example, the specification of Published U.S. Application No. 2006/0009283.
In the meanwhile, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-313668, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-340, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-25540, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-87449 disclose a gaming machine in which symbols look three dimensional and conspicuous as the colors or the like of the symbols are changed, a gaming machine in which symbols look three dimensional reel as depth is added to the symbols, a gaming machine in which symbols on a reel look three dimensional as a lens is provided on the reel where the symbols are printed, and the like.
Each terminal controller individually runs a game for the associated gaming terminal, and awards a payout based on the game. The center controller provides a common game, in which two or more players compete against one another for various jackpots, such as a progressive jackpot and a mystery jackpot, through the gaming terminals. Thus, how to run a common game at each gaming terminal has traditionally been an important element of improving the entertainment characteristic in the gaming machine having the plurality of gaming terminals.
The object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine having a function of running a common game capable of realizing a high entertainment characteristic, and a playing method of the gaming machine.

Gaming machine with common game featuring 3D effects


In a power converter, a deviation calculator calculates, in each cycle, a deviation between a value of an input electrical parameter of a switch circuit and a target value selected by a selector in a previous cycle. The input electrical parameter depends on the input power to the switch circuit. A second calculator calculates, in each cycle, a value of a second feedback controlled variable such that the value of the second feedback variable approaches the value of the input electrical parameter. A controller controls, in each cycle, the selector to select one of the value of the first feedback controlled variable and the value of the second feedback controlled variable as the target value for the next cycle according to the deviation calculated by the deviation calculator.

DC-DC converters, as an example of power converters, are often used in electronic devices, electronic systems, and the like. DC-DC converters normally use a switch circuit comprised of switching elements and an inductor, and perform on-off control of the switching elements to convert, via the switching elements and inductor, an input DC voltage into an output DC voltage different from the input DC voltage.
These DC-DC converters are classified broadly into voltage-mode control DC-DC converters and current-mode control DC-DC converters. A voltage-mode control DC-DC converter is designed to perform on-off control of each of the switching elements using a voltage feedback loop of its output voltage. In contrast, a current-mode DC-DC converter is designed to perform on-off control of each of the switching elements using the combination of the voltage feedback loop and a current feedback loop of a current flowing through the inductor as an inductor current.
A current-mode DC-DC converter performs feedback control that:
measures the difference of a measured output voltage and a target voltage;
performs a PI algorithm based on a proportional gain term and an integral gain term using the difference as an input of the PI algorithm to thereby determine a target value of an input current, which is an example of an input electrical parameter supplied to the switch circuit, which reduces the difference;
compares a measured value of the input current to the DC-DC converter with the target value of the input current to obtain the difference between the measured value and the target value of the input current; and
determines a manipulated variable for each of the switching elements, thus reducing the difference between the measured value and the target value of the input current.
In such a current-mode DC-DC converter, there have been disclosed some technologies for reducing an overshoot of an output voltage occurring when the DC-DC converter is activated; one example of these technologies is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-118571.
The technology applied in a DC-DC converter disclosed in the Patent Publication reduces a value of the integral gain term when the DC-DC converter is activated in comparison to a normal value of the integral gain term used when the DC-DC converter is operating normally. This reduces the increase of the output voltage based on the proportional gain term, thus preventing the occurrence of an overshoot of the output voltage.

Power converter with current feedback loop


Current transformer circuit systems and methods dynamically switch a load. The current transformer circuit includes a current source circuit including at least one current transformer to produce a current output wave. A burden circuit includes at least one burden resistor and a voltage sensor, at least a portion of the current output wave to be passed through the burden resistor, and the voltage sensor to sense a voltage across the respective at least one burden resistor. A switch circuit includes at least one switch, the switch circuit coupled to the burden circuit. A microcontroller circuit includes a microcontroller, the microcontroller circuit coupled to a power circuit and the switch circuit, the microcontroller being configured to control the switch circuit to dynamically switch a secondary loading of the at least one current transformer between the burden resistor and a low resistance load.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to current transformer circuits, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for dynamically switching the load of the current transformer circuit.
Currently, current transformers require a large size for accurate measurement. If a current transformer is too small, it may saturate during operation. Saturation causes inaccurate measurements of the current passing through a load of a current source. Unfortunately, larger current transformers cost significantly more than a smaller transformer, as well as take up more space.
Additionally, the current transformers may also be used to power the electrical device's circuitry, thereby replacing a traditional power supply to save both space and cost. This function requires the electrical device to switch between a measurement mode for measuring the current of the current source and a power supply mode to power the electrical device's circuitry.
There is a need, therefore, for improved electrical devices that utilize smaller current transformers, use the current transformers to power the circuitry of the electrical device, and provide measurement of the current of a current source while minimizing cost and size.

Systems and methods for dynamically switching a load of a current transformer circuit


A method for constructing a physical scale model of a structure includes creating a computer model of a structure using a structure design program run on a personal computer, printing out views of the interior and exterior walls of the structure on adhesive-backed paper, affixing the pieces of paper bearing the printed views of the structure to pieces of rigid stock such as cardboard or foam core to create walls, then cutting or trimming the pieces as necessary and assembling them to form the three-dimensional scale model of the structure. A kit for practicing the method contains computer software for allowing a user to custom design a building, a supply of printer-compatible adhesive-backed paper, and a supply of rigid stock of the proper thickness to represent the scale thickness of the walls of the structure. The kit may also include a videotape containing step-by-step instructions on how to construct the scale model, and a table for building displaying the completed model, the table having a hole formed in the surface thereof to allow a basement of the model to project below the surface.

In the fields of building construction and architecture it is often desirable to create a physical scale model of a structure prior to beginning construction of the actual structure. Such a scale model may be displayed to potential customers as a sales tool, or to give a customer the opportunity to view a three-dimensional representation of a proposed building design so that the customer may make decisions regarding the design and other features of the building before beginning construction.
In the past, scale models have been built by skilled craftsmen working from either construction blue prints of a building and/or from an artist's rendering. Such models require many hours of work to complete, and accordingly are very expensive to produce.
In recent years, computer programs have been developed that allow a user to design a structure using a computer. In the course of designing a structure using such a program, the user creates a computer model of the structure. A computer model generally consists of data describing the layout and structure of the building, and may contain a great deal of information related to and describing the interior and exterior appearance of the structure, such as paint colors, types of wood trim and paneling, floor coverings, etc. After the computer model of the structure is complete, some building design programs also generate blue prints and materials lists which may be used in the construction of the actual building.
Several commercially available home-computer software packages allow a user to custom design a home, select interior color schemes and decor, and display on the computer monitor three-dimensional perspective views of the interior and exterior of the building. One such computer program is CompleteHome.RTM. sold by Sierra On-Line, Inc. Although such computer programs provide color, 3-D views of the structure from any desired vantage point, it is sometimes still desirable to have a physical scale model of a structure in order to gain a full appreciation for its appearance. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new, computer-based method for decreasing the time, cost, and level of skill necessary to create a physical, three-dimensional scale model of a structure.


A self contained disposable toothbrush comprising a reservoir having a threaded end adapted to receive a cap in one of two positions. A brushing assembly is pivoted on the cap so that in a pre-use position the brushing element is positioned along side the reservoir. The brushing element contains bristles and an elongated connecting passage. When the brushing element is pivoted and snapped to the use position where it extends from the reservoir, the passage to the bristles is connected to liquid in the reservoir for moistening a dehydrated dentifrice. When the brushing operation is completed, the cap is unscrewed, the contents of the reservoir used for rinsing and the cap reconnected to the reservoir by a second set of threads such that the brushing element, after use, is contained within the reservoir.

There have been numerous proposals for self contained toothbrushes that allow a user to use dentifrice to brush their teeth liquid to rinse and dispose of the used components after completing the brushing operation. Problems exist with devices of this type. The first is that there are rather elaborate and bulky mechanisms for connecting the dentifrice, bristles, and reservoirs together in a fashion that can be conveniently used by persons wishing to brush their teeth. The second is when the brushing operation is over, multiple parts must be disposed of. In instances where a storage for parts are provided in the tooth brush, it acts as extra bulk to the container in the disposal condition. This suffers from the disadvantage of being bulkier in a pocket or carrying case until an individual comes to a trash receptacle for appropriate disposal.


A device for measuring radiation dosage is disclosed, comprising a flexible sheet, one or more detector assemblies disposed on the sheet, and detector retaining means for retaining the one or more detector assemblies on the sheet such that the one or more detector assemblies adopt the same curvature as the sheet when the sheet is deformed. Each one or more detector assembly comprises a plurality of beads threaded onto a fibre, the plurality of beads comprising radiation-sensitive material for recording information about a radiation dosage to which each bead is exposed, and the detector retaining means is configured to permit each one or more detector assembly to be subsequently detached from the sheet without removing the plurality of beads from the fibre. A method of detecting radiation dosage using the device is also disclosed.

Radiation dosimeters have been developed which comprise glass beads strung onto a thread. When a bead is exposed to radiation, an electron in a low energy state absorbs energy from an incident photon and transitions to a higher energy state. As a result, the electron is excited and become trapped in a high energy state. The number of excited electrons is proportional to the radiation dose. The radiation dosage received by the bead can subsequently be determined by various methods, for example by heating the bead to trigger thermo-luminescence, such that the energy of the emitted photons provides a measure of the radiation dose to which the bead was exposed. However, such dosimeters can only provide a measure of radiation dosage along the axis of the thread.
The invention is made in this context.

Device and method for measuring radiation dosage


Liquid crystal compositions are provided having a high “higher limit temperature” of a nematic phase, a low “lower limit temperature” of a nematic phase, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, low threshold voltage and large specific resistance. The composition includes at least one compound selected from a group of compounds represented by formula (1) as a first component, at least one compound selected from a group of compounds represented by formula (2) as a second component, at least one compound selected from a group of compounds represented by formula (3) as a third component, and at least one compound selected from a group of compounds represented by formulae (4) and (5) as a fourth component:

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid crystal composition suitable for use in an active matrix (AM) element, and an AM element including the composition.
2. Related Art
On a liquid crystal display element, classification based on an operating mode of liquid crystals includes phase change (PC), twisted nematic (TN), super twisted nematic (STN), optically compensated bend (OCB), in-plane switching (IPS), vertical alignment and so forth. Classification based on a driving mode includes a passive matrix (PM) and an active matrix (AM). PM is further classified into static, multiplex and so forth, and AM is classified into a thin film transistor (TFT), a metal insular metal (MIM) and so forth. TFT is further classified into amorphous silicon and polycrystalline silicon. The latter is classified into a high temperature type and a low temperature type according to a production process. Classification based on a light source is a reflection type utilizing a natural light, a transmission type utilizing a backlight and a semi-transmission type utilizing both the natural light and the backlight.
These elements include a liquid crystal composition having suitable characteristics. General characteristics of the composition should be improved to obtain an AM element having good general characteristics. Table 1 below summarizes a relationship between the two general characteristics. The general characteristics of the composition will be explained further based on a commercially available AM element. A temperature range of a nematic phase relates to the temperature range in which the element can be used. A desirable range at a higher limit temperature of the nematic phase is 70° C. or more and a desirable range at a lower limit temperature is −20° C. or less. The viscosity of the composition relates to the response time of the element. A short response time is desirable for displaying a moving image. Accordingly, a small viscosity of the composition is desirable. A small viscosity at a low temperature is more desirable.
TABLE 1General Characteristics of a Liquid Crystal Compositionand an AM ElementGeneral Characteristics of aGeneral Characteristics of an AMNo.CompositionElement1Temperature range ofUsable temperature range is widea nematic phase is wide2Viscosity is small1Response time is short3Optical anisotropy is suitableContrast ratio is large4Threshold voltage is lowElectric power consumptionis small and a contrastratio is large5Specific resistance is largeVoltage holding ratio is large and acontrast ratio is largeNote1A liquid crystal composition can be injected into a cell in a short time.
The optical anisotropy of the composition relates to the contrast ratio of the element. A product (Δn·d) of the optical anisotropy (Δn) of the composition and the cell gap (d) of the element is designed to be approximately 0.45 micrometers to maximize the contrast ratio of the element. Accordingly, the optical anisotropy of the composition is in the range from 0.08 to 0.12. A low threshold voltage in the composition contributes to a small electric power consumption and a large contrast ratio of the element. Accordingly, a low threshold voltage is desirable. A large specific resistance of the composition contributes to a large voltage holding ratio and a large contrast ratio of the element. Accordingly, a composition having a large specific resistance in the initial stage at not only room temperature but also high temperatures is desirable. A composition having a large specific resistance at not only room temperature but also high temperatures even after it has been used for a long time is desirable.
A desirable AM element has such characteristics as a large usable temperature range, a short response time and a large contrast ratio. The response time is desirably shorter if even by 1 msec. Therefore, a composition having such characteristics as a high higher limit temperature of the nematic phase, a low lower limit temperature of the nematic phase, a small viscosity, a low threshold voltage and a large specific resistance is desirable. The conventional compositions and elements are disclosed in the following patent documents: JP H9-59623 A/1997; JP H9-71779 A/1997; JP H11-29771 A/1999 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,878 A); JP 2001-288470 A/2001 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,938 B2); JP 2002-285157 A/2002 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,784 B2); JP 2003-238960 A/2003; JP 2004-149691 A/2004 (U.S. Pat. No. 0089844 A1).

Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display element

Abstract: wherein R1 is alkyl; R2 is alkenyl; R3 is alkyl or alkenyl; A1 and A2 are 1,4-phenylene, for example; Z1, Z2, and Z3 are a single bond, for example; Y1 and Y2 are fluorine, for example.


The instant invention relates to the Fluorochemical composition comprising a dispersion or a solution of a fluorinated compound, wherein said fluorinated compound comprises the reaction product of at least two reactants A and B wherein reactant A being a compound of formula (I);Rf—O—(CF(CF3)CF2O)mCF(CF3)—X—Y—Z  (I)with    Rf being a perfluorinated alkyl group,    m being from 3 to 25;    X being a carbonyl group or CH2;    Y being a chemical bond or an organic divalent or trivalent linking group bearing a functional or difunctional isocyanate reactive group;    Z being an organic group bearing at least one cationic group,reactant B being a polyfunctional isocyanate or a mixture thereofand optionally one or more isocyanate-reactive co-reactants C.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluorochemical compositions that can be obtained by reacting a polyisocyanate compound with at least one particular isocyanate reactive fluorinated polyether compound bearing at least one cationic group, and their use for rendering substrates like paper, textiles and leather oil repellent.
Description of Related Art
Commercially available oil- and/or water repellent compositions are typically based on fluorinated compounds that have a perfluorinated aliphatic group. Such compositions are also described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,175 and EP-A-435 641. The commercial success of this type of compositions can be contributed to their high effectiveness.
Fluorinated compounds based on perfluorinated ether moieties have also been described in the prior art for rendering fibrous substrates oil- and water repellent. For example perfluorinated polyether compounds have been disclosed in EP-A-1-038 919, EP-A-273 449, U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,179 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,761. It was found that previously disclosed compositions based on perfluorinated polyether compounds may not be very effective in rendering substrates oil- and/or water repellent.
An important requirement for the treatment of paper to make it suitable for use in contact with food, is the minimization of any risk of contamination of the packaged food by any substances which are harmful or potentially harmful for human and animal health. The optimum situation is when the paper doesn't contain any harmful substances at all or at least doesn't release harmful substances during its use.
The fluorochemicals should impart the required oleophobic characteristics to the treated paper.
Perfluoroalkyl derivatives are generally mixtures of molecules of different chain length, containing four to twenty carbon atoms. The disadvantage of this kind of chemistry is the difficulty to completely eliminate the undesired, persistent and bioaccumulative pollutants perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). The challenge is to find PFOA/PFOS free fluorochemicals with the same or similar application performance compared to existing products.
The compounds disclosed in WO-03/100158 tried to overcome the obstacles of the prior art and describes fluorochemical compositions comprising a dispersion or a solution of a fluorinated compound, wherein the fluorinated compound is the reaction product of a fluorinated polyether and a polyisocyanate. The here described compositions are useful for rendering fibrous materials oil- and water repellent.
However, it has shown that the compositions described by WO 03/100158 cannot be solubilized or dispersed sufficiently in glycol or glycol/water mixtures, which is necessary in order to apply the fluorochemical composition evenly on fibrous substrates, in particular on paper.
Surprisingly, it was found that an isocyanate-reactive fluorochemical polyether bearing at least one cationic group, when reacted with a polyfunctional isocyanate, provides for a PFOA/PFOS free fluorochemical compound that are extremely good soluble or dispersible in glycol or glycol/water mixtures and can therefore by applied evenly on fibrous substrates and that show afterwards unexpected good performance in respect to oil- and/or water repellency, in particular when used on paper.

Fluorochemical composition and use thereof