Allylphosphonate diesters are prepared by reacting an appropriate allyl halide or alcohol with an appropriate phosphite compound in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a phosphinated d.sup.8 transition metal catalyst.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved process for preparing allylic pentavalent organophosphorus compounds. More particularly, this invention relates to a process of preparing allylic pentavalent organophosphorus diester compounds by reacting the corresponding allyl halide with an appropriate phosphite ester compound in the presence of a pentakis (phosphite) complex of a d.sup.8 transition metal.
2. Prior Art
Esters of vinyl phosphonic acid serve as useful reactants in a large number of reactions to form compounds which are useful in agriculture. The versatility of this intermediate material results from reactivity of the vinylic group toward nucleophilic compounds. By manipulations of this reactivity via reaction with nucleophilic compounds such as alcohols, thiols, amines, nitroalkanes, active methylene compounds and the like, a wide class of agricultural chemicals can be prepared. For example, esters of vinylphosphonic acid compounds can be reacted with phosgene or oxalyl chloride to prepare plant growth regulants as described in detail in German Offen No. 2,153,149 (1983). Similarly, such esters can be reacted with amines in accordance with the procedures of Bartlett, et al., Tet Letters 24:2937 (1973) to prepare phosphatase inhibitors.
Furthermore, esters of vinyl-phosphonic acid can be used as precursors in the preparation of compounds which can be used in fields other than agriculture. For example, these compounds can be used in the preparation of heat and light stabilizers for polymers as well as flame retardant or shrinkage retardant additives for polymers. Such uses are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,129,710, 2,784,206, and 2,784,169; German Offen No. 2,745,982; J. Appl. Polyn. Sci. 22: 2403-14 (1978); and the like.
Heretofore, some synthetic procedures for the preparation of vinylic phosphonate compounds have centered on reacting an appropriate vinylic halide with an appropriate trivalent phosphorous ester in accordance with the following reaction scheme: ##STR1## This procedure is known as the Michaeles - Arbuzov reaction. Examples of this procedure are described in "Organic Phosphorus Compounds" Vol. 7, pp. 1-486, John Wiley & Sons (1976). The Michaeles - Arbuzov reaction suffers from a number of well-known inherent defects. For example, except for the .alpha., .beta.-unsaturated systems, reactions involving the Michaeles - Arbuzov reaction have failed.
Similarly, reactions involving the use of transition metal salt catalysts have been used to prepare vinylic phosphonate compounds. For example, the transition metal salt catalyzed reaction of aromatic and vinylic halides with phosphites or similar trivalent phosphorus compounds to prepare the corresponding vinylic phosphonate compound is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,639. This procedure also suffers from a number of defects. For example, severe reaction conditions have limited the application in industrial application.
As an alternative method, we have developed a process for the preparation of vinylic phosphonate ester compounds by isomerizing an allyl phosphonate ester into the desired vinyl phosphonate ester compound. This process is described in more detail in our copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 627,144 entitled "BASE CATALYZED ISOMERIZATION OF ALLYL PHOSPHONATE DIESTERS TO VINYL PHOSPHONATE, DIESTERS", filed concurrently herewith and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,652. While this alternative process provides for excellent yields of the vinylic phosphonate ester compound it has not been totally acceptable primarily due to the lack of an acceptable commercial process for the manufacture of the allyl phosphonate ester precursor. Heretofore, pentavalent allyl phosphonate esters were prepared by either of two processes. One of these processes involves the direct reaction of an allylic halide compound with a trialkyl phosphite compound in the presence of a nickel halide catalyst at a high temperature. This process is described in detail in Japan Kokai No. 73 75, 528. The other process involves heating an allylic halide compound and a trialkyl phosphite compound in the presence of an alkyl amine in a sealed tube. This process is described in detail in Compt. Rend 259:2244 (1964). In both of these processes, conversion of the alkyl halide compound and trialkyl phosphite compound into the described product is low, and yields are not readily reproducible. These methods are obviosly not capable of commercial application for the preparation of allyl phosphonate compounds.
It is thus apparent that a need exists for an improved, practical and efficient method for the preparation of allylic phosphonate diester derivatives, which derivatives can be used as precursors in the preparation of vinyl phosphonate diester compounds.

Method for the preparation of allyl phosphonate diesters


A transparent liquid oral composition comprises a water-soluble copper compound and an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid compound selected from the group consisting of malic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid and water-soluble salts thereof. The composition has an excellent storage stability with maintaining its transparent appearance for a long period of time.

It is well known that water-soluble copper compounds such as copper gluconate and copper citrate have a bad breath inhibiting effect and a dental plaque adherence inhibiting effect. Conventionally, various oral compositions having a water-soluble copper compound blended were proposed as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,044,939, 3,565,933, 3,655,868 and 4,112,066 and Japanese Patent Application Kokai Nos. 56-169619, 56-169620, 60-193910, 61-37720, 61-143317, 62-142109, 1-153620 and 1-153622.
However, water-soluble copper compounds are unstable in aqueous solutions and apt to form insoluble matters due to the oxidation of themselves or the reaction with other components coexistent in the aqueous solutions.
Thus, a transparent liquid oral composition having such a water-soluble copper compound blended would become turbid or produce sediments after a long-term storage because of the formation of the insoluble matters, resulting in injuring the transparent appearance of the product.


Various examples are directed to systems and methods for configuring an application that uses a plurality of microservices. A distributed configuration deploy service (DCDS) may generate a first set of microservice configuration parameter values for a first microservice of the plurality of microservices based at least in part on a first microservice configuration model for the first microservice and at least in part on a second configuration model for a second microservice of the plurality of microservices. A configuration application programming interface (API) may determine that the first set of microservice configuration parameter values do not conflict with first live data at the first microservice. The configuration API may also lock the first microservice; apply the first set of microservice configuration parameter values to the first microservice; and release the locking of the first microservice.

An application may be built to utilize a set of independent microservices. The microservices may be executed at a common computing device or distributed across multiple computing devices. When an application is built with microservices, the microservices may be individually updated, sometimes without the need to modify the application as a whole for each change.

Configuration for application using microservices


A structure and method for damping LC (inductance-capacitance) ringing in integrated circuit (IC) power distribution systems. The structure comprises a resistance electrically connected in parallel with a plurality of electrical switches. The resistance and electrical switches are electrically connected in series with the package and on-chip power distribution circuit. When on-chip switching activity creates a sudden and appreciable change in IC power demand the electrical switches are opened to temporarily increase the resistance in series with the power supply. This serves to dampen the power-distribution LC ringing. Later, the electrical switches are closed to shunt the series resistance and reduce the level of steady-state voltage drop in the power structure.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to damping of LC (inductance-capacitance) ringing effects, and more specifically, to damping of LC ringing effects in IC (Integrated Circuit) power distribution systems.
2. Related Art
In typical IC implementations, circuit activity may be characterized by sudden changes in power demand. For example, the use of clock gating in sequential circuits can suddenly induce or eliminate logic-signal switching in large circuit blocks, by activating or suppressing the application of clock signals to every flip-flop in a clock domain. Whenever the domains are turned on and off, the corresponding and abrupt change in power demand generates a system step response, characterized by an oscillating transient voltage variation across the chip power distribution system (board, package, and on-chip power grid). The response period is a strong function of the power system's inductance and capacitance, and the response phenomenon is often called "LC ringing." The reciprocal of the voltage drop period is called the system "resonant frequency." Owing to resistance in the power distribution network, the step response is "damped", meaning that, over time, the amplitude of the voltage response will eventually decay to a small, steady-state value (the "AC response"). However, any subsequent and significant changes in chip power demand will re-introduce the LC ringing and the corresponding modulation of the power supply voltage. This transient "power noise" can induce functional design failures, or even degrade the reliability of the on-chip circuits. Both outcomes are undesirable.
To reduce the impact of power noise, a power distribution structure is needed which responds differently to sudden changes in power demand. Specifically, a system is needed in which the circuit voltage level, in response to power demand variation, oscillates at lower amplitudes and more quickly decays to the steady-state AC response, as compared to power distribution systems in the prior art. A method is also needed for integrating and operating such a structure in IC applications.

Damping of LC ringing in IC (integrated circuit) power distribution systems

International Business Machines Corporation


An improved motor speed and torque controller for brushless DC motors which provides an unusually smooth torque control arrangement. The controller provides a means for controlling a current waveform in each winding of a brushless DC motor by synchronization of an excitation pulse train from a programmable oscillator. Sensing of torque for synchronization is provided by a light beam chopper mounted on the motor rotor shaft. Speed and duty cycle are independently controlled by controlling the frequency and pulse width output of the programmable oscillator. A means is also provided so that current transitions from one motor winding to another is effected without abrupt changes in output torque.

A problem encountered with conventional DC brushless motor control systems is to provide electrical excitation signals which simulate the combination of an automobile engine and transmission. Conventional control systems frequently control motor speed as a function of the frequency of an oscillator which applies excitation to the motor windings, but have difficulty in duplicating the variable torque as required which simulates power transferred by an automatic transmission. In particular, difficulty has frequently been experienced in conventional control systems in obtaining smooth torque and speed variations from control signals applied to the winding excitation oscillator. Also, a phenomema called notching is frequently experienced during slow rotation of motors utilizing conventional motor control systems. Notching occurs as a result of the transfer of excitation from one winding of the motor to an adjacent winding. The present invention solves the above problems by providing a control system having unusually smooth torque and frequency control.

Controller for computer control of brushless DC motors

Frosch; Robert A. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with respect to an invention of


The present invention is directed to an inkjet recording apparatus 100 capable of performing recording continuously on both surfaces of a web 1, including a plurality of recording heads H1 to H8 disposed on a substrate, driers 5a and 5b for drying the web 1 recorded by the recording heads H1 to H8, and guide rollers A1 to A8, B1 to B8, and G1 to G8 for guiding the web 1, in which a traveling path of the web 1 is switchable so that the web 1 passes between any selected adjacent ones of the recording heads H1 to H8, the recording head upstream of the position where the web passes performs recording on one surface 1a of the web 1, and the recording head downstream of the position where the web 1 passes performs recording on the other surface 1b of the web 1, and an inkjet recording method using the same.

An inkjet recording system is generally used in a large number of fields because a desired design and letters can be recorded.
In recent years, a web having a design and letters recorded on both its surfaces using an inkjet recording system has been required.
A method for performing recording on both surfaces of a web using an inkjet recording system includes a badge type method for performing recording two times by the same inkjet recording apparatus.
An example is a method for performing recording on one surface of a web using an inkjet recording system, then reversing the web, and performing recording on the other surface of the web using the inkjet recording system.
However, such a badge type method is required to apply a large amount of ink depending on a design. Therefore, an image may bleed unless it is dried at once. Therefore, continuous recording cannot be performed, resulting in poor productivity.
On the other hand, an inkjet recording apparatus including two printing units and a drier has been known (see, e.g., Patent Document 1).
Such an inkjet recording apparatus can perform recording continuously on both surfaces of a web.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Inkjet recording apparatus and inkjet recording method using the same


A telescopic flagpole for reducing the manual force required to extend and secure multiple segments. The flagpole includes a plurality of segments including a bottom segment, at least one intermediate segment, and a top segment; a plurality of sleeve assemblies each positioned between an associated pairing of a relatively lower segment and a relatively higher segment; and a plurality of biasing members each urging an associate one of the segments toward an extended position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telescopic flagpoles and more particularly pertains to a new flag pole for providing enhanced access to a flag being displayed and improved manual extension and retraction capabilities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of flagpoles is known in the prior art. Illustrative examples of such devices include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,097; U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,017; U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,835; U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,896; U.S. Pat. No. 859,233; U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,700; U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,042; U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,555; U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,078; U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,615; U.S. Patent Application: 2002/0037192.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a assembly which requires reduced manual force to extend and secure multiple segments in a telescoping arrangement.


A method and apparatus are described for producing negative deuterium ions for use in controlled thermonuclear reactions such as fusion. Negative ions are obtained by bombarding the surface of an ionization electrode with positive ions and extracting negative ions from the electrode. The unique surface layer of the electrode is formed by depositing onto a substrate the products of thermal decomposition of cesium carbonate. This layer, which is easily formed and renewed, is characterized by a very low value of work function of about 1.05 electron volts, which facilitates formation of large quantities of negative ions. Properties of the surface layer, particularly the low value of work function, are reproducible and relatively insensitive to variations in the thickness of the layer and to the substrate material selected for the electrode.

High energy beams of neutral particles such as deuterium and tritium are of interest as fuels in controlled thermonuclear reactions such as fusion. To generate these intense high energy beams, ions are produced and accelerated to the required energy, then neutralized by stripping in a gas, metal vapor, or plasma jet. Negative ions are preferred since the neutralization efficiency is higher for negative ions than for positive ions at the energy levels of interest i.e., at energies greater than 100 keV.
Some experimental work has been performed to produce negative ions by preparing a target having a thick layer of an alkali metal, and bombarding the surface of the target with positive deuterium or tritium ions. Some of the positive ions interact with the target to pick up two electrons and then emerge upon reflection as negative ions. In another method, negative deuterium ions are produced by directing a flow of neutral deuterium atoms into a porous electrode containing a surface layer of barium oxide. Some of the neutral atoms pick up a single electron in passing through the electrode and then emerge as negative ions. Thus far, however, the negative ion currents achieved by these techniques have been impractically low. Formation and maintenance of the desired target surfaces has also proven difficult.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing negative ions.
It is a more particular object of the invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for producing negative deuterium or tritium ions in amounts suitable for use in controlled thermonuclear reactors.
It is also an object of the invention to provide apparatus for producing negative deuterium or tritium ions which includes an ionization electrode having a surface which is easy to form and reproduce.

Method and apparatus for producing negative ions


A thermoformable medical member and heater and method for manufacturing same. A thermoplastic material is converted from a relatively rigid state to a formable state over a narrow temperature range, and, which reverts back to a clinically rigid state within a relatively short period of time, and, which remains in that state even at elevated ambient temperatures.

Thermoformable materials have been used in association with medical structures such as casts, splints, orthotics, etc., for medical purposes for several years. Indeed, such materials offer several benefits over conventional non-thermoformable materials such as faster set times, eliminating the lengthy application process associated therewith and the dampness inflicted on the patients skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,717 is directed to a specific structure for a thermoplastic, thermoformable composite.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,053 discloses utilizing a molecular or intermolecular combination of materials comprised of an inter-penetrating polymer network so as to cause the combined structure to transfer from an amorphous state to a viscoelastic and rubbery state. While such a structure may provide some support to a user, it is not effective when a ridged support is desired such as is typically the case with a splint, cast, orthotic or exoskeleton.
U.S. Pat App. Nos. 20080319362 and 20120101417 both disclose a thermoformable cast or splint that can be used in association with an exothermic heating reaction for causing a thermoplastic material to go from a relatively rigid state to a malleable state so that the material can be formed to a portion of a patient in need of support. Unfortunately, in order to heat the thermoplastic material in such a reaction, the material is placed in a separate and distinct heating bag where the exothermic reaction takes place. After appropriate heating, the thermoplastic material is removed from the bag and ready for use.
In addition, the assignee of the present invention has provided oxygen-based heaters and various packages for same. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,722,782, issued on May 25, 2010; U.S. application Ser. No. 12/376,927, filed on Feb. 9, 2009; U.S. application Ser. No. 12/874,338, filed on Sep. 2, 2010; U.S. application Ser. No. 14/055,250 filed on Oct. 16, 2013; U.S. application Ser. No. 14/058,719, filed on Oct. 21, 2013; U.S. application Ser. No. 14/058,496, filed on Oct. 21, 2013; and, U.S. Ser. No. 13/734,594, filed Jan. 4, 2013, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
These disclosed heaters and packages are successful at providing an oxygen based heater and/or package for same.
While the above disclosed devices and methods may be capable of providing effective formable medical structures, none of them disclose such a device that provides for the conversion of a thermoformable material from a relatively rigid state to a formable state over a narrow temperature range, and, which reverts back to a clinically rigid state within a relatively short period of time, and, which remains in that state even at elevated ambient temperatures. The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.

Thermoformable medical member with heater and method of manufacturing same


An electric power steering apparatus transmits rotational force of a motor to a rack shaft via a driver pulley, a belt, a driven pulley, and a ball nut. A ball bearing and the driven pulley are fitted to the outer circumferential surface of the ball nut. Also, the ball nut is rotationally supported to the inner circumferential surface of a housing via the ball bearing. A female thread portion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the driven pulley. The ball nut has a male thread portion formed in a first end and a flange formed in a second end. By fastening the male thread portion and the female thread portion to each other, the ball bearing is clamped between the flange and the driven pulley, while the ball nut and the driven pulley are fastened to each other.

The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus.
Conventionally, electric power steering apparatuses (hereinafter, referred to as EPS) have been known that apply force of a motor to the steering system of a vehicle to assist steering operation of the driver. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-25246 discloses an EPS that includes a rack-and-pinion mechanism as a steering system. The rack-and-pinion mechanism includes a pinion, which rotates according to a steering operation, and a rack shaft, which meshes with the pinion. The rack-and-pinion mechanism converts rotation of the pinion to linear motion of the rack shaft, thereby changing the direction of wheels. The rack shaft includes a ball screw mechanism, which converts rotation of a motor to linear motion of the rack shaft. That is, the rotational force of the motor is used to assist the motion of the rack shaft, which in turn assists steering operations.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, an EPS 100 transmits rotational force of a motor 101 to a rack shaft 106 via a cylindrical driver pulley 102, a timing belt 103, a cylindrical driven pulley 104, and ball screw mechanism 105. The ends of the rack shaft 106 are each coupled to a wheel via a ball joint.
The ball screw mechanism 105 includes a ball screw portion 105a, which is formed in part of the rack shaft 106, and a ball nut 107, which meshes with the ball screw portion 105a via balls. The ball nut 107 has a flange 107a, which is formed on the outer circumferential surface at a first end 107d, and a male thread 107b, which is formed on the outer circumferential surface at a second end 107e. A lock nut 108 is fastened to the male thread 107b.
The driven pulley 104 and a ball bearing 109 are arranged along the outer circumferential surface of the ball nut 107 and between the flange 107a and the lock nut 108. The driven pulley 104 is arranged to contact the flange 107a, and the ball bearing 109 is arranged to contact the lock nut 108. The driven pulley 104 and the ball bearing 109 (the inner race of the ball bearing 109, to be precise) are brought into an area contact with each other at a position between the driven pulley 104 and the ball bearing 109 with respect to the axial direction of the ball nut 107.
The driven pulley 104 has an annular step 104a, which is located on the inner circumferential surface at an end separated away from the ball bearing 109. The step 104a is formed at the end of the driven pulley 104 that is separated away from the ball bearing 109 by increasing the inner diameter of the driven pulley 104 without increasing the outer diameter thereof. The step 104a contacts the flange 107a in the axial direction of the ball nut 107.
The driven pulley 104 and the ball bearing 109 (the inner race) are clamped between the flange 107a of the ball nut 107 and the lock nut 108, which is fastened to the male thread 107b. Accordingly, the driven pulley 104 and the ball bearing 109 are restricted from moving in the axial direction relative to the ball nut 107. The driven pulley 104 and the ball bearing 109 are fixed to the ball nut 107 so that the ball nut 107 rotates integrally with the driven pulley 104.
In recent years, the energy saving aspect of EPS has been receiving attention, and more and more models of cars have been equipped with an EPS like that disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-25246. On the other hand, demands for reduction in the weight and costs of EPS have become more and more intense. To meet such demands, an EPS having a reduced number of components and a simple structure has been desired.


A microbial sensor, system, and method that can be used to determine a chemical environment and/or substrate concentrations in anaerobic or aerobic environments, such as soils, sediments and ground waters, are disclosed. An exemplary system uses one or more (e.g., inert) measurement electrodes and a reference electrode. The reference electrode can include an electrode exposed to atmospheric oxygen (e.g., a cathode) or an electrode exposed to stable anaerobic or aerobic conditions. The exemplary microbial sensor system measures open-circuit voltage to characterize the chemical (oxidizing or reducing) environment and/or recovery voltage to measure substrate concentrations in the subsurface.

Microbial fuel cells were developed primarily for the conversion of waste products (sewage, farming wastes, etc.) into electrical energy. However, other applications of microbial fuels cells include use as analytical sensors and bioremediation. The primary difference in the microbial fuel cells for energy production and/or bioremediation applications versus the analytical applications is the magnitude of the current generated. Energy production and bioremediation application generally require anodes and cathodes with large surfaces to increase the production of current, whereas high current is not of primary importance for analytical sensor applications.
Microbial fuel cell technology can be roughly divided into two basic types of designs: 1) reactor designs, and 2) probe designs. The two designs have been used for energy production, bioremediation, and analytical applications. The differences between the two designs are based on: 1) the placement and orientation of the anode and cathode, 2) method of substrate (oxidizable organic materials) introduction to the anode, and 3) the method of providing the ultimate electron acceptor (e.g., oxygen, ferricyanide, and the like) to the cathode.
Reactor Designs
A reactor design typically incorporates the anode inside of an anode chamber where the wastewater or natural waters are flowed through the chamber. The cathode design is considerably more varied and includes: 1) air cathodes, 2) cathodes located in a separate cathode chamber, and 3) poised electrodes. Air cathodes are incorporated into the wall of the anode chamber and allow the diffusion of atmospheric oxygen through a semi-permeable membrane to a cathode located within the anode chamber. Cathodes located in a separate cathode chamber are separated from the anode chamber using a semi-permeable membrane. The cathode chamber is typically filled with an oxygenated aqueous solution, or alternatively filled with a solution (e.g., ferricyanide) capable of accepting electrons from the anode. The chamber design is used for energy production, bioremediation, and analytical applications.
The reactor design applications for analytical sensor have been primarily limited to applications where high concentrations (e.g., millimolar (mM)) of organic substrates exist in wastewaters and/or sludges associated with sewage plants and solid waste disposal facilities. One significant application for microbial sensors is the determination of biological oxygen demand (BOD) in wastewaters. Microbial sensors designed for the determination BOD of wastewaters typically use a reactor design. Wastewater is transported in pipes at treatment facilities, and therefore it is convenient to divert the flow of the wastewaters through reactors for the measurement of BOD.
Typical BOD sensors measure the electrical current between the anode and cathode (or poised electrode) as the metric for BOD. Disadvantages of such sensors using a reactor design for analytical applications for characterizing submerged sediments and natural waters include:                The reactor design requires the substrate in water to be passed through an anode chamber. This is not a viable option if the anode is being directly inserted in sediments, soils and groundwater.        Reconfiguration of reactor designs to match the actual site conditions is difficult and not suitable for a majority of the sites.        Most reactor designs are optimized (anode and cathode size, microbial composition, and performance) for energy production that is not an important parameter for an analytical sensor.        Reactor design is not convenient for the deployment of multiple sensors to characterize the chemical (oxidizing and reducing) environment of a site.
The sensors rely on current measurement to determine microbial activity/substrate concentration; such current measurement may not be sensitive enough to measure desired microbial activity.
Probe Designs
Probe design generally include separate anode and cathode components that are not placed into chambers. The probes are usually placed into natural environments, or artificial ponds/digesters at wastewater treatment facilities. The anode is placed in either anaerobic sediment in natural environments, or at an anaerobic zone in wastewater treatment ponds/digesters. The cathode is typically placed into an oxygenated zone above the anaerobic zone where the anode is deployed. The probe design is used for energy production, bioremediation, or analytical applications.
Anode and cathode probes are used in the production of electrical power in marine environments. In these cases, the anodic probe is buried in the anaerobic marine sediments and the cathodic probe is positioned above the anaerobic sediments in the oxygenated water. The typical application of these benthic probes is the production of energy for navigation buoys and other marine instrumentation. Benthic probes are primary used for power production and not as analytical sensors.
A probe that uses three electrodes for energy production and organic contaminant removal at wastewater or sewage treatment facilities based on changing conditions of the organic contaminants present in the water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,299,999, issued in the name of Chang et al. ("the '999 patent"). The three-electrode system was developed for energy production and contaminant removal, not as an analytical sensor. A primary concern of the '999 patent is the optimization of electrical current in changing environments. The three-electrode system has a floating cathode and an anode placed into the sediment or sludge at the bottom of a digester. The third electrode is located in the water column between the anode and cathode to serve as either and anode or cathode depending on the water conditions.
A BOD analytical system combines the anode and the electron acceptor into the same probe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,762, issued in the name of Kruber et al. The probe design does not use oxygen as the ultimate electron acceptor, but rather uses a three-electrode system: counter electrode, microbial electrode and reference electrode with a potentiostat.
Microbial fuel sensors have been deployed in the environment to measure microbial activity in groundwater for bioremediation applications. One application deployed an anodic probe within a monitoring well to determine the reduction of uranium (VI) to uranium (IV) at a site located in Rifle, Colo. The cathode was located at the surface of the site. Reagents were injected into the contaminated groundwater to induce the reduction of uranium. The injection of reagents resulted in relatively high substrate concentrations (e.g., on the order of mM) in the aquifer. The electrical current was measured between the anode and cathode as the metric for acetate concentrations. The cathode was placed into an oxidizing environment at ground surface.
A microbial sensor system was used to evaluate the operating characteristics of the system when exposed to very low concentrations (e.g., on the order of micromolar (uM) or nanomolar (nM)) of substrates. The results of the investigation indicated that microbial sensors have environmental applications at low substrate concentrations and/or in the evaluation of turnover rates. The electrical current was measured between the anode and cathode of the system as the metric for substrate concentration. The investigation performed in 2014 and was cited by the authors as being the first investigation of microbial sensors being exposed to very low concentrations of substrates. The anode was placed into the anaerobic zone of the chamber (bottom) while the top zone of the chamber was oxygenated. The cathode was placed into the oxygenated zone. The system was developed to determine if microbial sensors could detect current at very low concentrations in a variety of sediments, not as a practical analytical system that could be deployed in the field.
Below are illustrative disadvantages of the prior art probe designs and methods for analytical applications of characterizing submerged sediments and natural waters.                The probe designs place the anode in the anaerobic zone (sediment or water) but most designs place the cathode in an aerobic zone located above the anaerobic zone within the same pond or test chamber, or at the surface. This limits the ability to deploy the system at sites with completely anaerobic conditions.        The probes designs do allow for reconfiguration of the probes for deployment in a variety of environments including soils, sediments and groundwater.        The systems use measurement of current as the metric of substrate concentration or turn-over rate.        Multiple sensor deployments require using multiple reference electrodes.        The systems require use of a cathode or a poised electrode.

Microbial sensor system for the assessment of subsurface environments


Thermosettable resins, including epoxy resins, polythiirane resins and vinyl ester resins were prepared from compounds containing one or more discotic mesogenic moieties. The resultant thermosettable resins may be processed to provide the discotic liquid crystalline state. The thermosettable resin compositions can be employed in coating, casting, encapsulation, electronic or structural laminate or composite, filament winding, molding and the like applications.

A molecule composed of a disk-shaped, rigid, essentially planar core to which four or more flexible aliphatic chains or tails are attached forms the basic structure inherent to the discotic mesogen. This disk-like anisotropy of molecular shape leads to the discotic mesophase wherein the disk-like molecules organize together into thermotropic liquid crystalline columnar structures. By way of contrast, the more commonly encountered rodlike anisotropy of molecular shape, does not lead to the discotic mesophase. According to S. Chandrasekhar and G. S. Ranganath, Rep. Prog. Phys., 53(1), 57 (1989), discotic liquid crystallinity is generally classified into two structural categories: "The columnar phase, in its simplest form, has long-range translational periodicity in two dimensions and liquid-like disorder in the third, whereas the nematic phase is an orientationally ordered arrangement of discs without any long-range translational order." The discotic nematic phase contrasts to the nematic phase exhibited by numerous rodlike mesogenic molecules in that the director represents the preferred orientation of the short molecular axis versus the long molecular axis for rodlike mesogenic molecules. Some variation on the flat, planar core structure of the discotic mesogen can be tolerated while still preserving the columnar mesophase. For example, G. Cometti, E. Dalcanale and A. Du Vosel, Liquid Crystals, 11(1), 93-100 (1992) have prepared bowl-shaped molecules which exhibit a columnar liquid crystalline phase. Similarly, J. Malthete and A. Collet, Nouve. J. Chem., 9, 151 (1985) have replaced the flat, planar core structure with a conical one providing molecules which still exhibit a columnar mesophase. The presence of the flexible aliphatic chains or tails attached to the disk-shaped core is critical to achieving the discotic liquid crystalline state. Chemical structure, length and presence of branching are some of the variables relating to the aliphatic chains that are frequently manipulated to modify discotic mesophase structure and behavior. Regarding the number of flexible aliphatic chains that are required to achieve the discotic liquid crystalline state, it is fully recognized that certain exceptional molecules exist, such as the 1,7,13-trialkanoyldecacyclenes prepared and characterized by E. Keinan, S. Kumar, R. Moshenberg, R. Ghirlando and E. Wachtel, Adv. Mater., 3, 251 (1991) and the 1,3,5-tri(4-alkoxyphenoxycarbonyl)benzenes (the hexyloxy and decyloxy homologs) prepared and characterized by S. Takenaka, K. Nishimura and S. Kusabayashi, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst., 111, 227-236 (1984). Thus the discotic liquid crystalline state depends upon the intermolecular attraction between the disk-like core structures leading to molecular stacking coupled with hydrophobic interaction between aliphatic chains which precludes long range three dimensional order. Thus for the 1,7,13-trialkanoyldecacyclenes the presence of the large polycyclic aromatic core maximizes attractive core to core interactions and thus appears to reduce the requirement for hydrophobic interaction between the aliphatic chains required for the discotic mesophase to be achieved. For the 1,3,5-tri(4-alkoxyphenoxycarbonyl)benzenes (the hexyloxy and decyloxy homologs), interaction of the 4-alkoxyphenoxycarbonyl groups induces molecular symmetry as determined by conformational isomerization around the ester plus increased polarizability due to the alkoxy groups and thus appears to reduce intermolecular attraction between the disk-like core structures required for the discotic mesophase to be achieved.
For molecules such as triglycidyloxynaphthalenes, specifically, 1,3,6-triglycidyloxynaphthalene, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1-268,715-A; the triglycidyl ether of trihydroxybiphenyl, tetraglycidylbenzophenone, and the tetraglycidyl ether of bisresorcinol, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,934; 1,3,5-triglycidyloxybenzene, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,488; 3,3',5-triglycidyloxybiphenyl disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,583; the diglycidyl ethers of tetra-C.sub.1-12 hydrocarbyl group substituted dihydroxybenzenes, disclosed in WO 86/03507; the diglycidyl ethers of tetra-C.sub.1-10 hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy group substituted dihydroxybenzenes, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,464; or the monoepoxyhexahydrobenzyl (mono-, di-, or tri-glycidyloxy substituted)benzoates disclosed in SU 591,471 discotic liquid crystallinity is not reported nor expected. In the relationship between the core to core interactions and the hydrophobic interaction between the aliphatic chains required for the discotic mesophase to be achieved, a certain minimum constraint in the size and other variables of the aromatic core and in the number, structure (size, type, etc.) of aliphatic chains exists. Thus, the benzene, naphthalene, biphenyl or benzophenone groups of the aforementioned compounds possess inadequate core to core attractive interactions in combination with inadequate hydrophobic interactions between the aliphatic chains (glycidyl groups, hydrocarbyl groups, etc.) substituted therein to be discotic mesogens.
Diglycidyl ethers of bis(anthrols) and bis(naphthols) of the following formulas are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,424: ##STR1## wherein each X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 is independently an alkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a halogen atom having an atomic number of from 9 to 35, inclusive; m is 0, 1 or 2; n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and A is a divalent hydrocarbon radical selected from the group consisting of and alkylene group containing from 3 to 8 carbon atoms, or a radical derived from a non-aromatic carbocyclic group or a dialkyl aromatic or non-aromatic carbocyclic group containing from 7 to 24 carbon atoms in which each alkyl group contains from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and the carbocyclic group comprises a central non-aromatic ring containing 5 to 7 carbon atoms in a ring or a central aromatic carbocyclic ring, each central ring optionally bridged or fused with a non-aromatic or aromatic carbocyclic ring. When A is a dialkyl aromatic or non-aromatic carbocyclic group, it should be understood that the bonds from A to the anthrol or naphthol group are from the alkyl substitutents of the dialkyl carbocyclic group. Discotic liquid crystallinity is not reported nor expected for these compounds. Specifically, diglycidyl .alpha.,.alpha.'-bis(10-anthr-9-one)-p-diisopropylbenzene with a melting point of 160-170 deg. C. and the diglycidyl ether of .alpha.,.alpha.'-bis(1-hydroxy-2-naphthyl)-p-diisopropylbenzene with a melting point of 167-168 deg. C. were prepared and polymerized with a variety of phenolic and amine curing agents. Discotic liquid crystallinity is not reported for either of these compounds nor the polymerized compositions thereof.
Liquid crystalline polymers containing disk-like mesogens both in the main chain of the polymer backbone and as side chains have been prepared. For example, W. Kreuder and H. Ringsdorf, Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun., 4, 807-815 (1983) prepared discotic polysiloxanes containing pentaalkyloxysubstituted triphenylene moieties attached as side chains to the polymer backbone via flexible spacers. Similarly, W. Kreuder, H. Ringsdorf and P. Tschirner, Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun., 6, 367-373 (1985) prepared discotic polyesters containing tetraalkyloxysubstituted triphenylene moieties incorporated into the main chains of the polymer backbone. Both classes of polymers exhibited discotic liquid crystalline behavior. Virtually all of the discotic liquid crystalline polymers known to date are thermoplastic.
The present invention provides the heretofore unknown classes of thermosettable epoxy, polythiirane and vinyl ester resin compositions containing one or more discotic mesogenic moieties. Said resins exhibit unique molecular order in the melt phase as a result of the discotic mesogenic moieties contained therein. Surprisingly, in certain compositions of the present invention, the flexible aliphatic chains or tails required for discotic liquid crystallinity can be completely replaced by thermosettable glycidyl ether moieties, while still maintaining discotic liquid crystallinity. The discotic liquid crystalline morphology can result in enhanced physical and mechanical properties, such as, for example, increased strength and thermal stability.
The term "discotic mesogenic moiety" or "discotic mesogen" is used herein to describe a molecule composed of a disk-shaped, rigid, essentially planar core to which flexible aliphatic chains or tails may be attached. Said flexible aliphatic chains or tails are attached via functional groups present in the discotic mesogenic moiety. Furthermore, the vicinal epoxide group, the vicinal thiirane group and the vinyl ester (prepared via reaction of the epoxide group and a polymerizable ethylenically monounsaturated monocarboxylic acid) group are all considered as members of the group of flexible aliphatic chains or tails.

Epoxy resins containing discotic mesogenic moieties


A radio frequency system. In some embodiments, the system includes a one-bit receiver, and the one-bit receiver includes a digital pseudo random noise generator, a one-bit digital to analog converter, a power combiner, a one-bit analog to digital converter, and a digital subtraction circuit. The digital pseudo random noise generator produces a signal added to the received signal before analog to digital conversion. After analog to digital conversion, a delayed version of the dither is subtracted from the digital signal.

Radio frequency transmitters and receivers may include digital signal processing elements for performing various functions, as well as analog radio frequency components. The analog radio frequency components may significantly increase the cost, mass, and power consumption of a radio frequency transmitter or receiver.
Thus, there is a need for a radio frequency transceiver having a simple, low-cost analog radio frequency portion.

Composable transceiver using low bit count inputs and outputs


An electron current generator is disclosed which includes a non-electrical heat source, a heat pipe having its first end in thermal relationship with the heat source, and a second end projecting upwardly therefrom and constituting a thermionic emitter enclosed within a chamber containing an alkali metal vapor at a substantially reduced atmospheric pressure. A substantial portion of the chamber wall constitutes a thermionic collector which is cooled by an appropriate cooling means to enhance current generation. A body of liquid metal is disposed between the heat source and heat pipe as a thermal stabilizing agent while a solid state diode is arranged in a forward bias situation in the electrical output of the generator to stabilize the voltage thereby forming a constant voltage current generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to direct current generators employing a thermionic emitter within an evacuated chamber, the chamber containing an alkali metal vapor at low vapor pressures. The present invention particularly relates to employing such an apparatus in combination with a non-electrical source of heat to generate a desired direct current.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From the early experiment of Becqueral, Guthrie, Edison and others, it was known that by heating a metal, it is possible to "evaporate" ions or electrons from the metal. This electron or ion emission is related to the temperature of the emitting metal. It has been found that at lower temperatures the thermionic emission from metals is predominantly positive but that at much higher temperatures the negative or electron emission rapidly surpasses the positive and becomes all-important. It is thought that the initial positive emission from metals is largely due to impurities and the positive emission is seen to decrease as a function of time even where the temperature of the metal is held such that predominantly positive emission would be expected.
It has been observed that some metals emit electrons much more copiously than others. A notable example is thorium, an observed film of which on tungsten gives very copious electron emissions at high temperatures. This high temperature electron emission generally follows the Richardson-Dushman equation: EQU I.sub.s =AT.sup.2 e.sup.-B/T
I.sub.s is the thermionic current density. A is a proportionality constant which for thoriated tungsten is about 3. T is the absolute temperature while e is the base of natural logarithms. B is a constant equal to the work function of the metal divided by the Boltzmann constant. For thoriated tungsten the value of B is approximately 30500. Thus, for all practical purposes, the generation of usable levels of current occurs only when the emitting metal has a temperature above 1500.degree. C.
It is a known practice in the prior art to dispel the electron cloud which tends to form immediately above the surface of the metal during this high temperature electron emission. Thermionic devices containing a low pressure gas are known in the prior art to reduce the space charge since the passage of electrons emitted by the thermionic emitter through the gas will produce ionization by colliding with the gas molecules. The ionization gives rise to more electrons and positive ions, the latter being attracted to the space charge where they neutralize the charge.
In the invention the cesium vapor acts to lower the work function of the nickel of the collector and to eliminate the space charge by ionizing when it comes into contact with the hot tungsten emitter. The ionization of the vapor by electron flow in the low pressure chamber is minor.
Prior art thermionic devices operate with a small spacing, typically 0.005 inch, between the emitter and the collector. However, with such close spacing, a virtual "short" is formed under large current flows, eliminating the potential difference between the emitter and the collector.
The problem, then, is to maintain closeness without suffering the elimination of potential between the emitter and the collector. The closer the spacing between emitter and collector, the more efficient the operation of the thermionic device. The present invention utilizes a conductor and diode network in direct connection between emitter and collector. In order to maintain a potential difference the diode network is inserted in the center of the connector and outside network is inserted in the center of the connector and outside of the vacuum area of the device away from the heat generated by the tungsten. In this operation the distance between the emitter and collector is great enough to create a high resistance so that current flow within the vacuum chamber is small. The current flow is from the emitter through the diode to the collector. By the use of the solid state diode network the potential difference between the emitter and collector is maintained at a constant voltage thereby enabling the power output of the thermionic device to increase.
Quite remarkably, the prior art has failed to appreciate that a large space charge within an area of high resistance can be used to remarkable advantage by leaving the tungsten with a deficiency of electrons resulting in a more positive charge on the tungsten. The large area separating the collector and emitter in the invention does not permit current flow but enhances the flow through the conductor and diode network connection of the emitter and collector.
Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to present a low voltage high current generator which creates dc power directly from a non-electrical source of heat. It is a further object of the present invention to enhance the current generation by providing a means for cooling the collector or anode of the thermionic current generator.
It is a further object of the invention to use at least one diode in the forward bias between the emitter and the collector.

Cesium vapor thermionic current generator


The present disclosure relates to selected antigenic proteins obtained from the outer membranes of Moraxella catarrhalis, that have been found by the inventors to have a variety of useful properties. These proteins, termed OMPs ("Outer Membrane Proteins"), are characterized as having molecular weights of 30, 80 and 100 kD, respectively. Studies set forth herein demonstrate that monoclonal antibodies directed against these proteins confer a protective effect against infection by Moraxella catarrhalis organisms in animal models, demonstrating the potential usefulness of such antibodies in conferring passive immunity as well as the potential usefulness of these OMPs, or variants thereof, in the preparation of vaccines. Also disclosed are DNA segments encoding these OMPs, methods for preparing the antigens, or variants, through the application of recombinant DNA techniques, as well as diagnostic methods and embodiments.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to various outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Moraxella catarrhalis which have been found by the inventors to be useful targets in immunotherapy, such as in the preparation of vaccines or protective antibodies for use in treatment of Moraxella catarrhalis-related diseases. In particular aspects, the present invention concerns antigens identified by molecular weights of 30, 80 and 100 kD, recombinant clones encoding these antigens, antigen fragments derived therefrom, equivalents thereof, as well as to antibodies reactive with these species. Further, the invention concerns methods for the detection of Moraxella catarrhalis antigens and antibodies, as well as the use of specific antigens both in passive and active immunity against Moraxella catarrhalis infections.
2. Description of the Related Art
It was previously thought that Moraxella catarrhalis (previously known as Branhamella catarrhalis or Neisseria catarrhalis) was a harmless saprophyte of the upper respiratory tract. However, during the previous decade, it has been determined that this organism is an important human pathogen. In fact, recent studies have established this Gram-negative diplococcus as the cause of a number of human infections (Murphy, 1989). For example, Moraxella catarrhalis is a leading cause of otitis media, acute maxillary sinusitis as well as generalized infections of the lower respiratory tract (see, e.g., Murphy et al., 1989). Studies have established that the incidence of otitis media and sinusitis attributed to Moraxella catarrhalis infections is increasing, with it being about the third most common causative organism. In fact, reports have identified otitis media as the most common disease for which infants and children receive health care (Consensus, 1989).
The "Consensus" report referred to above concluded that prevention of otitis media is an important health care goal due to both its occurrence in infants and children, as well as certain populations of all age groups. In fact, the total financial burden of otitis media has been estimated to be at least 2.5 billion annually, or approximately 3% of the health care budget. Vaccines were identified as the most desired approach to the prevention of this disease for a number of reasons. For example, it was estimated that if vaccines could reduce the incidence of otitis media by 30%, this outcome could bring about an annual health care savings of at least $400 million. However, while some progress has been made in the development of vaccines for 2 of the 3 common otitis media pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, there is no indication that similar progress has been made with respect to Moraxella catarrhalis. This is particularly troublesome in that Moraxella catarrhalis now accounts for approximately 17-20% of all otitis media infection (Murphy, 1989).
Previous attempts have been made to identify and characterize Moraxella catarrhalis antigens that would serve as potentially important targets of the human immune response to infection (Murphy, 1989; Goldblatt et al., 1990; Murphy et al., 1990). Generally speaking, the surface of Moraxella catarrhalis is composed of outer membrane proteins (OMPs), lipooligo-saccharide (LOS) and fimbriae. As Murphy points out, Moraxella catarrhalis appears to be somewhat distinct from other gram-negative bacteria in that attempts to isolate the outer membrane of this organism using detergent fractionation of cell envelopes has generally proven to be unsuccessful in that the procedures did not yield consistent results. Moreover, preparations were found to be contaminated with cytoplasmic membranes which suggest an unusually characteristic of the Moraxella catarrhalis cell envelope.
However, workers in the field have demonstrated the existence of 7 or 8 major OMP species, and these appear to be fairly consistent from Moraxella catarrhalis strain to strain, in spite of the great diversity of stains tested. For example, Campagnari et al. has identified the OMPs by letters A-H beginning with a band of molecular weight 98 Kd (OMP-A) and proceeding to the band with a molecular weight of about 21 Kd (OMP-AH). (Campagnari et al., 1987).
The LOS of Moraxella catarrhalis has also been suggested as a possible target for vaccine development. LOS has been isolated from Moraxella catarrhalis strains and subjected to SDS-PAGE and silver staining (Murphy, 1989). It was reported that all but one strain produced an identical pattern of LOS staining. Thus, it appears that the LOS of Moraxella catarrhalis is very highly antigenically conserved, thus raising the feasibility of using a portion of the LOS molecule as a vaccine component.
Lastly, the Fimbriae have been suggested as a possible vaccine candidate. Fimbriae apparently play a role in adherence and colonization of mucosal services in some bacteria. Workers in the field have postulated that if antigenically conserved epitopes are expressed on fimbriae and can be identified, then it is possible that antibodies to such epitopes might be useful therapeutically, or that such epitopes can serve as vaccine components.
Unfortunately, although various subcomponents of the Moraxella catarrhalis cell have been suggested as places to begin a search for vaccine candidates, there has still been no such candidate identified. Certainly, no antigenic epitope or epitopes have been shown to induce protective antibodies. Thus, it is clear that there is currently a need to identify which, if any, Moraxella catarrhalis component may serve as useful antigens that can, for example, be employed in the preparation of both passive and active immunotherapeutic reagents such as vaccines. Additionally, once such an antigen or antigens is identified, there is a need for providing methods and compositions which will allow the preparation of these vaccines and quantities that will allow their use on a wide scale basis in therapeutic protocols.

Methods and compositions relating to useful antigens of moraxella catarrhalis


An electronic timepiece in which scheduled time data on specified date or on specified day of the week are set into a counter and their contents are displayed. When the scheduled time comes, an alarm sound is generated. If specific data are inserted instead of the instruction data representative of the date or the day of the week, the timepiece generates the alarm sound repeatedly at the scheduled time. A number of scheduled contents can be set using the same circuit construction and set action for generating repeatedly the alarm sound can be made easily.

This invention relates to an electronic timepiece capable of generating an alarm sound and more particularly to an electronic timepiece capable of setting a number of scheduled contents using a simple circuit construction and capable of repeatedly generating the alarm sound by means of a simple set action.
There has conventionally been available an electronic timepiece having to function of setting data such as the scheduled date, hour and minute to a register so as to generate an alarm sound when the scheduled time comes, and the function of generating the alarm sound every day when the scheduled time comes. These functions, however, have been carried out by using separate circuits, and time data is also made by first manipulating a selector switch for selecting the function modes and then setting desired data corresponding to the mode into counters.


A narrow band F2 laser system having two laser subsystems. The first laser subsystem is configured to provide a very narrow band pulsed beam at a first narrow wavelength range corresponding to a first natural emission line of the F2 laser system. This beam is injected into the gain medium of the second laser subsystem in a first direction where the beam is amplified to produce a narrow band pulsed output beam. The seed laser subsystem also produces a second pulsed beam at a second wavelength range corresponding to a second natural emission line of the F2 laser. This line is injected into the gain medium of the second laser subsystem in a second direction opposite said first direction. The second beam is amplified in the gain medium of the second laser subsystem depleting the gain medium of gain potential at the second wavelength range. (This amplified second beam is preferably wasted.) With the gain potential at the second undesired wavelength the range thus reduced the portion of light at the second wavelength range in the output beam is greatly reduced.

KrF excimer lasers are the state of the art light source for integrated circuit lithography. Such lasers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,840, U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,324 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,323. The lasers operate at wavelengths of about 248 nm. With the KrF laser integrated circuits with dimensions as small as 180 nm can be produced. Finer dimensions can be provided with ArF lasers which operate at about 193 nm or F2 lasers which operate at about 157 nm. These lasers, the KrF laser, the ArF laser and the F2 lasers, are very similar, in fact the same basic equipment used to make a KrF laser can be used to produce an ArF laser or an F2 laser merely by changing the gas concentration, increasing the discharge voltage and modifying the controls and instrumentation to accommodate the slightly different wavelength.
A typical prior-art KrF excimer laser used in the production of integrated circuits is depicted in FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B. A cross section of the laser chamber of this prior art laser is shown in FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 1A, pulse power system 2 powered by high voltage power supply 3 provides electrical pulses to electrodes 6 located in a discharge chamber 8. Typical state-of-the art lithography lasers are operated at a pulse rate of about 1000 to 2000 Hz with pulse energies of about 10 mJ per pulse. The laser gas (for a KrF laser, about 0.1% fluorine, 1.3% krypton and the rest neon which functions as a buffer gas) at about 3 atmospheres is circulated through the space between the electrodes at velocities of about 1,000 to 2,000 cm per second. This is done with tangential blower 10 located in the laser discharge chamber. The laser gases are cooled with a heat exchanger 11 also located in the chamber and a cold plate (not shown) mounted on the outside of the chamber. The natural bandwidth of the excimer lasers is narrowed by line narrowing module 18 (sometimes referred to as a line narrowing package or LNP). Commercial excimer laser systems are typically comprised of several modules that may be replaced quickly without disturbing the rest of the system. Principal modules include:
Laser Chamber Module,
High voltage power supply module,
High voltage compression head module,
Commutator module,
Output Coupler Module,
Line Narrowing Module,
Wavemeter Module,
Computer Control Module,
Gas Control Module,
Cooling Water Module
Electrodes 6 consist of cathode 6A and anode 6B. Anode 6B is supported in this prior art embodiment by anode support bar 44 which is shown in cross section in FIG. 1B. Flow is counter-clockwise in this view. One corner and one edge of anode support bar 44 serves as a guide vane to force air from blower 10 to flow between electrodes 6A and 6B. Other guide vanes in this prior art laser are shown at 46, 48 and 50. Perforated current return plate 52 helps ground anode 6B to the metal structure of chamber 8. The plate is perforated with large holes (not shown in FIG. 3) located in the laser gas flow path so that the current return plate does not substantially affect the gas flow. A peaking capacitor bank comprised of an array of individual capacitors 19 is charged prior to each pulse by pulse power system 2. During the voltage buildup on the peaking capacitor, one or two preionizers 56 weakly ionize the lasing gas between electrodes 6A and 6B and as the charge on capacitors 19 reaches about 16,000 volts, a discharge across the electrode is generated producing the excimer laser pulse. Following each pulse, the gas flow between the electrodes of about 1 to 2 cm per millisecond, created by blower 10, is sufficient to provide fresh laser gas between the electrodes in time for the next pulse occurring one half to one millisecond later.
In a typical lithography excimer laser, a feedback control system measures the output laser energy of each pulse, determines the degree of deviation from a desired pulse energy, and then sends a signal to a controller to adjust the power supply voltage so that energy of the subsequent pulse is close to the desired energy. These excimer lasers are typically required to operate continuously 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for several months, with only short outages for scheduled maintenance.
A well-known technique for reducing the band-width of gas discharge laser systems (including excimer laser systems) involves the injection of a narrow band xe2x80x9cseedxe2x80x9d beam into a gain medium. In one such system, a laser called the xe2x80x9cseed laserxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmaster oscillatorxe2x80x9d is designed to provide a very narrow laser band beam and that laser beam is used as a seed beam in a second laser. If the second laser functions as a power amplifier, the system is typically referred to as a master oscillator, power amplifier (MOPA) system. If the second laser itself has a resonance cavity, the system is usually referred to as an injection seeded oscillator (ISO) and the seed laser is usually called the master oscillator and the downstream laser is usually called the power oscillator.
In gas discharge lasers of the type referred to above, the duration of the electric discharge is very short duration, typically about 20 to 50 ns (20 to 50 billions of a second). Furthermore, the population inversion created by the discharge is very very rapidly depleted so that the population inversion effectively exists only during the discharge. In these two laser systems, the population in the downstream laser must be inverted when the beam from the upstream laser reaches the second laser. Therefore, the discharges of the two lasers must be appropriately synchronized for proper operation of the laser system. This can be a problem because within typical pulse power systems there are several potential causes of variation in the timing of the discharges. Two of the most important sources of timing variations are voltage variations and temperature variations in saturable inductors used in the pulse power circuits. It is known to monitor the pulse power charging voltage and inductor temperatures and to utilize the data from the measurements and a delay circuit to normalize timing of the discharge to desired values. One prior art example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,325 which is incorporated herein by reference. There in the prior art timing errors can be reduced but they could not be eliminated. These errors that ultimately result are referred to as xe2x80x9cjitterxe2x80x9d.
A typical KrF laser has a natural bandwidth of about 300 pm (FWHM) centered at about 248 nm and for lithography use, it is typically line narrowed to about 0.6 pm. ArF lasers have a natural bandwidth of about 500 centered at about 193 nm and is typically line narrowed to about 0.5 pm. These lasers can be relatively easily tuned over a large portion of their natural bandwidth using the line narrowing module 18 shown in FIG. 2. Also for the KrF and ArF lasers, the absolute wavelength of the output beam can be determined accurately by comparing its spectrum to atomic reference lines during laser operation. F2 lasers typically produce laser beams with most of its energy in two narrow lines centered at about 157.63 nm and 157.52 nm.
Often, the less intense of these two lines (i.e., the 157.52 nm line) is suppressed and the laser is forced to operate at the 157.63 nm line. The natural bandwidth of the 157.63 nm line is pressure dependant and varies from about 0.6 to 1.2 pm. An F2 laser with a bandwidth in this range can be used with lithography devices utilizing a catadiophic lens design utilizing both refractive and reflective optical elements, but for an all-refractive lens design the laser beam should have a bandwidth to produce desired results. It is also known that the centerline wavelength of the output beam will vary somewhat depending on condition in the discharge region.
Lasers for lithography equipment are very complicated and expensive. Further reduction in bandwidth could greatly simplify the lens design for lithography equipment and/or lead to improved quality of integrated circuits produced by the equipment. Thus, a need exists for lithography lasers (including KrF, ArF and F2 lasers) with substantially reduced bandwidth.
The wavelength of KrF and ArF lasers is relatively easily controlled over ranges of a few hundred picometers corresponding to their natural bandwidths. The F2 laser or the other hand has in part been considered untunable since the a large portion of its output is concentrated in two narrow lines. Several techniques have been prepared for selecting one of the lines and eliminating energy in the other line.
In many line selected laser systems, such as the KrF and ArF systems, a buildup in a narrow frequency band suppresses buildings in other spectral regions. However, weak interaction between the various laser frequencies may reduce the effect of this mechanism. F2 laser systems provide very large gains allowing substantial intensity build-up or merely a single pass through the gain medium. Initial light levels make originals as so-called spontaneous emissions at any potential laser line. When these spontaneous emissions are amplified, the light is referred to as amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) and it may become a part of the output laser beam reducing the quality of the beam. In the case of the F2 laser many efforts have been made to suppress the 157.52 nm line while maintaining efficient production of the desired 157.63 nm line. For use as a lithography light source, there is a desire to reduce the intensity of the 157.52 nm line to less than 01.% of the 157.63 nm line.
What is needed is a better F2 laser system in which the 157.52 nm line is suppressed to insignificance.
The present invention provides a narrow band F2 laser system having two laser subsystems. The first laser subsystem is configured to provide a very narrow band pulsed beam at a first narrow wavelength range corresponding to a first natural emission line of the F2 laser system. This beam is injected into the gain medium of the second laser subsystem in a first direction where the beam is amplified to produce a narrow band pulsed output beam. The seed laser subsystem also produces a second pulsed beam at a second wavelength range corresponding to a second natural emission line of the F2 laser. This line is injected into the gain medium of the second laser subsystem in a second direction opposite said first direction. The second beam is amplified in the gain medium of the second laser subsystem depleting the gain medium of gain potential at the second wavelength range. (This amplified second beam is preferably wasted.) With the gain potential at the second undesired wavelength the range thus reduced the portion of light at the second wavelength range in the output beam is greatly reduced. In a preferred embodiment a pulse power supply is provided which is specially configured to precisely time the discharges in the two laser subsystem so that the discharges are properly synchronized, and laser gas comprises F2 at a partial pressure less than about 1% with a buffer gas comprised of helium or neon or a combination of helium and neon. Control of center wavelength of the output beam may be provided by adjusting one or more of the following parameters in the first laser: the total laser gas pressure, the relative concentration of helium or neon, F2 partial pressure, laser gas temperature, discharge voltage and pulse energy.
For precise jitter control in preferred embodiments include a pulse power system with a pulse transformer unit having two sets of transformer cores. A single upstream pulse compression circuit provides high voltage pulses in parallel to the primary windings of all of the cores in both sets. Separate secondary conductors (one passing through one set of cores and the other passing through the other set of cores) provide very high voltage pulses respectively to separate downstream circuits supplying discharge pulses to the electrodes in each of two separate laser chambers. In preferred embodiments line narrowing is accomplished within the resonant cavity of the seed laser and/or the output of the seed laser could be line narrowed using a pre-gain filter.

Injection seeded F2 laser with line selection and discrimination


An apparatus for retrieving data from a first network site for use by a second network site utilizes a template that specifies the location of the data within a response solicited from the first network site. The template is a mark-up document having a similar format to the response and thus, it is not an application program. A marker is included within the template to determine the location of the data within the response. A matching mechanism, which may be used with any template, is utilized to compare the template with the response to determine the exact location of the data within the response. The data may be retrieved when its location within the response is ascertained. Once retrieved, the data may be used by the second network site for display in a format that is specified by the second network site. Accordingly, data is located within the response with a template and not with a scanning application program.

The World Wide Web is a collection of servers connected to the Internet that utilize the Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP"). HTTP is a known application protocol that provides users with access to documents (e.g., web pages) written in a standard mark-up page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML"). HTTP is used to transmit HTML web pages between a remote computer (e.g., a server) and a local computer in a form that is understandable to browser software (e.g., Netscape Navigator.TM., available from Netscape Communications Corporation of Mountain View, Calif.) executing on the local computer.
Among a number of basic document formatting functions, HTML enables software developers to specify graphical pointers (commonly referred to as "hyperlinks") on displayed web pages ("base web pages") that point to other web pages ("remote web pages") typically resident on remote servers. Once the remote web page is displayed, a user of a local computer system may freely review its contents and perform any functions that it provides. One such function, for example, may be obtaining specified data ("data") from the remote site. After the data is retrieved, it may be displayed by the local computer system in a selected format specified by the remote web page. Problems may arise, however, when utilizing such web page function. Primarily, access to the data through the remote web page interface may be cumbersome and thus, not intuitive to the user. Accordingly, the user may not be able to retrieve the desired data from the remote site. Similarly, even if the data is retrieved from the remote site, its display in the selected format also may be cumbersome and thus, not in a form that is easily understood by the user.
The art has responded to these and similar problems by enabling a base web site to automatically extract data from a remote web page, and then display the retrieved data in a format specified by the base web site. Accordingly, the base web site, and not the user, accesses the remote page to retrieve the data. A typical process that may be used for retrieving and displaying such data may begin when a user requests the data while accessing a base web page. In response, the base web site directs a data request to the remote site requesting the data. After retrieving the request, the remote site typically generates a response web page having the data. The response web page then is directed to the base web page for processing.
Instead of displaying the response web page which, undesirably, is in a form specified by the remote site, the base site executes a specially designed scanning procedure that scans the response web page for the data. Once the data is retrieved from the response by the scanning procedure, it may be displayed, via the base web page, in a format that is designed specially by the base web page.
As noted above, the scanning procedure is specially designed to retrieve the data from the remote web page. Such scanning procedure is implemented by writing an application program that utilizes either conventional procedural or object oriented programming techniques. To be effective, such program must be preconfigured with the location of the data to be retrieved within the remote web page. Accordingly, a new scanning application program must be written each time the format of a response web page is modified. Developing such new scanning application programs are very time consuming, however, thus adding to the overall cost of developing and maintaining the base web site.
It therefore would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that enables a base web page to efficiently retrieve information from a remotely linked web site without requiring that a scanning program be developed.

Apparatus and method for retrieving data from a network site


The stator, rotor and/or flex shaft of a progressive cavity motor is made up of composite materials, e.g., fiberglass and resin, in a variety of combinations with and without bonded resilient elastomers. The composites are formulated to provide resiliency and non-resiliency where needed. The flex shaft between the rotary power source and the rotor is made of composite materials and designed to absorb the orbital and gyrational movement of the rotor.

Progressive cavity pumps have been known since their invention was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,892,217, entitled "Gear Mechanism" to Moineau. The helicoidal rotor and the stator engage with each other along a sealing line to create cavities which progress axially as the rotor is rotated relative to the stator. Because of the required sealing and sliding contact concept of a Moineau pump, the stator and the rotor become subject to extensive wear, which necessitates frequent replacement of the stator and/or the rotor. Commercially available Moineau pumps, as well as those disclosed in the prior art, require extensive disassembly of the pumping apparatus to replace the worn stator and/or rotor, in addition to the down time loss of use. In a pump device, rotary motion is applied to the rotor which causes fluids and solids to be passed therethrough. Where the progressive cavity device is used as a motor, one method is to apply fluid pressure to the cavity to cause the rotor to rotate, the power therefrom having many uses. In the case of use in drilling wells, the ability to decrease the frequency of down time and extend the useful life of the motor is a desired objective.
In a progressive cavity pump or motor, problems arise because the axial centerline of the rotor is required to orbit or gyrate relative to the centerline of the stator. Thus, there is a great deal of flexture that must be accounted for to obtain long life of parts. The art is filled with various types of universal joints, flexible shafts, and mechanical connections to compensate for the orbital or gyrating type of motion. Many of these are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,923,376 and 2,739,650.
Heretofore, the conventional Moineau pump and motor art has used a rubber or elastomer materials bonded to steel for the stator contact surface. Such elastomers include not only natural rubber, but also synthetics, such as G.R.S., Neoprene, Butyl and Nitrile rubbers, although there are other types such as soft PVC. The key, of course, is to make the elastomer property soft enough to maintain the sealed cavity, yet be hard enough to withstand the abrasive wear from the working contact between the rotor and the stator. The rotor in these instances is usually made of steel. Some efficiency of the pump/motor is lost because the elastomer mold must be thicker at the peaks of the helicoid in order to create the progressive cavity. This lack of uniform thickness creates compressibility differences which, at increasing pressures, causes bypass of the fluids being pumped. Thus, the pump/motor reaches a point where it is less efficient at ever increasing pressure. Because of the different thicknesses, there are different expansion characteristics and different rates and the pump does more work and builds up heat from the friction.
Rubber used as the stator contact surface is not preferable in high temperature environments because of its low heat conductivity. In addition, as progressive cavity devices increase in diameter and/or length, flow characteristics to maintain a successful and long lasting bond of the rubber to a steel housing becomes more difficult. Also, where hydrocarbons make up the material to be pumped, such as in oil producing wells, rubber is known to deteriorate. One attempt to overcome these problems is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,426 by using multiple stators connected in series with separate but connected rotors for each stator. The stators surfaces, however, are still composed of rubber.
Moineau type rotor and stator devices have been used heretofore for downhole drilling motors for drilling straight or deviated boreholes in earth formations. For instance, see the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
3,840,080 PA1 3,912,426 PA1 4,415,316 PA1 4,636,151 PA1 5,090,497 PA1 5,171,138
In applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,281 and copending application Ser. No. 08/637,086 composites are taught for the progressive cavity pump/motor parts and for the tubing used to carry fluids to the progressive cavity pump.
In the prior art references there is no teaching of using composites as defined herein in Moineau type motors wherein at least one of the status and rotor is comprised of a composite material. Copending application Ser. No. 08/637,086 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,019 teaches such use in pumps.
Composite fibers have been taught for a variety of products for their numerous characteristics of high strength, stiffness, light weight, etc., but have not been utilized successfully for use in Moineau pump/motor designs.

Progressive cavity motors using composite materials


In a tractor having a hood and a frame with a latch to establish a closed position of the hood on the frame, the present invention includes a frame track and a hood track secured to the frame and hood respectively, a pair of hood guides secured to the hood and movable in the frame track, a pair of frame guides secured to the frame and movable in the hood track and a mechanism for automatically rigidly connecting the hood to the frame in the closed position.

This invention relates generally to tractors and more particularly concerns the connecting mechanism used to secure the hood of the tractor to the frame of the tractor.
The hoods on both construction and farm tractors are required to protect the components located under them from damage due to the debris in the environment in which they work. It would also act as an insulating element to reduce the noise produced by the components located on the hood.
To accomplish these goals the conventional hood is a substantial structure in both its size and weight. It is also substantial that the hoods have traditionally been rigidly secured to the frame of the tractors by devices such as nuts and bolts and have become assemblies of similarly rigidly secured sections which permit the individual serving and particular element located under the hood to remove a single section without having to manipulate the entire hood. The difficulty with these traditional configurations is that they require tools to remove either the entire hood or sections of the hood as well as either extremely strong individuals to remove the hood or a mechanical device to assist the individual in the removal.
One solution to the traditional problem is presented by the structure in U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,887, but this solution also still leaves a plurality of problems unsolved. The first problem of this patented solution is that the hood cannot be completely detached from the frame without mechanical assistance. The second problem of this arrangement is that the stays, 12, interfere with individual servicing the element position under the hood. With the final problem being the noise produced by the vibration of the hood during the operation of the vehicle.
It is, an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism to secure the hood to the vehicle frame that permits the partial or complete removal of the hood without the need for tools or mechanical lifting devices.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which will also produce unrestricted access to the components position under the hood in both the partial and complete removal position.
Finally it is an object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which will not be a source of vibration caused sound.


A race horse selector includes three discs mounted on a common pivot pin behind a cover disc. Different sized discs are used to expose the outer margins. The margins are divided into equal sectors and numbers 1-12 randomly distributed thereon. The cover member has four spaced openings, one spanning all three discs to identify the win, place and show horses, and/or a Trifector race selection, an opposite one spanning the two outer discs to identify a Quinella or Perfecta race selection and two intermediate openings exposing the smallest and largest discs to identify the second half of a Daily Double and other selections. A locating tab on each disc extends radially outwardly of the cover disc with an outer clamp member extended back over or into the cover disc. Locating indicia on the back permits positioning the tabs such that a number sector is aligned within the openings, without viewing the openings. The bettor positions all three tabs and then reverses the assembly to uncover the numbered sectors on the discs aligned with the four openings.

This invention relates to a random race winner selector apparatus and particularly random race horse selector device for use by a bettor at a conventional race track for horse racing.
Horse racing is a widely enjoyed sport in the United States and other parts of the world. As employed herein a race horse includes trotters as well as the conventional racehorses. A participant attending a race track normally engages in placing a wager as to the horse which will win, with various wagers available. The bettor normally purchases various programs and betting sheets which not only identify the horses in the several separate races, but the betting permitted at each of the individual races. In addition, various publications are available and widely purchased by those in attendance which includes information on the characteristics of the track, the several horses and the jockey riding the horse that day, and the like. These publications are normally prepared by various recognized handicappers and include their expert opinion based on past performance data with respect to a particular horse and/or jockey. Such publications are relatively essential to a considered judgement in betting at a race track. Various types of multiple bets or wagers are of course provided, such as the Daily Double, the Quinella, the Perfecta, the Trifecta and the like. Such wagers are, of course, well known. The Daily Double requires a selection of the wining horse of the first and second races of the day. The Quinella requires the selection of two horses in a given race, and if either horse wins and the other runs second, a winning selection has been made. The Perfecta is similar to the Quinella except that the bettor must pick the one and two finishers in the exact order of finish in the race. A Trifecta provides for a similar selection by the bettor of the first, second and third finishers in the exact order of finish. In addition, of course, the bettor can provide for various other modifications, such as boxing of the selection.
Such systems of information are of course essentially noted above to a reasoned decision. However under certain instances, a bettor may desire not to go through such a reasoned judgement, and may desire to make some form of random, arbitrary selection.


The invention relates to an electric drive, in particular for a vehicle, comprising an electric motor (1) and a power supply (6), the power supply (6) being on the radial outer surface of the electric motor (1), and around the electric motor (1) angularly, in particular over an angle of 360°.

Today's drives of this type usually have, in the power supply, energy-storing cells such as batteries that are understood in particular to be rechargeable, such as lithium-polymer batteries. In addition, pulse inverters are usually included in such a drive.
In this case, the energy-storing cells perform the task of providing the energy required for operation of the drive, in particular moving the vehicle, and/or storing the energy during charging. The pulse inverter converts the DC voltage provided by the battery into a typically three-phase AC voltage with which an electric motor, such as a synchronous or asynchronous machine, is then operated via power electronics that control the stator windings.
The energy-storing cells, pulse inverters and power electronics are usually manufactured independently of each other, and form independent units that are connected to each other by wire harnesses. In this case, a suitable compromise must always be found as part of the system design between the magnitude of the currents flowing in the system and the voltage level.
For a drive with a power of, for example, 100 kW the battery could either be designed with a DC voltage of 100V and an output current of about 1000 A, or with higher voltages and accordingly lower currents.
For example, in the field of application of today's electric vehicles, a voltage of about 400-600V has prevailed for the time being, resulting in currents in the range of a few hundred amperes. Low voltages and higher currents are not feasible to implement in drives to-date, since the cross-sections of the current-carrying cables and motor windings would need to increase massively, which would lead to an increase in vehicle weight and cost.
The voltage level of, typically, >400V furthermore leads in the prior art to considerable demands in terms of electrical safety of such systems, and introduces considerable difficulty regarding insulation of the individual components of the vehicle chassis and the corresponding insulation monitoring.
These expenses could be reduced only once voltages drop to <60V, as far as VDE standards are concerned. However, the significantly increased currents required in this case cannot be handled in a cost-efficient manner in the drives to-date as a result of distances that must be covered and the required conductor cross-sections.
An essential criterion in the design of an electric or hybrid drive for a vehicle in such a case is the volumetric energy and/or power density, that is, the volume of the electric drive train based on the energy content (that constitutes a measure of the range of the vehicle) and/or based on the weight of the power train.