Provided are apparatus and systems for performing a swing adsorption process. This swing adsorption process may involve passing fluids through an adsorbent bed unit having a contactor disposed within to separate contaminates from other target components. The process includes a purge stream that introduced into the contactor at a location between a first portion and a second portion of the contactor.

Gas separation is useful in many industries and can typically be accomplished by flowing a mixture of gases over an adsorbent material that preferentially adsorbs one or more gas components while not adsorbing one or more other gas components. The non-adsorbed components are recovered as a separate product.
One particular type of gas separation technology is swing adsorption, such as temperature swing adsorption (TSA), pressure swing adsorption (PSA), partial pressure swing adsorption (PPSA), rapid cycle pressure swing adsorption (RCPSA), rapid cycle partial pressure swing adsorption (RCPPSA), and not limited to but also combinations of the fore mentioned processes, such as pressure and temperature swing adsorption. As an example, PSA processes rely on the phenomenon of gases being more readily adsorbed within the pore structure or free volume of an adsorbent material when the gas is under pressure. That is, the higher the gas pressure, the greater the amount of readily-adsorbed gas adsorbed. When the pressure is reduced, the adsorbed component is released, or desorbed from the adsorbent material.
The swing adsorption processes (e.g., PSA and TSA) may be used to separate gases of a gas mixture because different gases tend to fill the micropore of the adsorbent material to different extents. For example, if a gas mixture, such as natural gas, is passed under pressure through a vessel containing an adsorbent material that is more selective towards carbon dioxide than it is for methane, at least a portion of the carbon dioxide is selectively adsorbed by the adsorbent material, and the gas exiting the vessel is enriched in methane. When the adsorbent material reaches the end of its capacity to adsorb carbon dioxide, it is regenerated by reducing the pressure, thereby releasing the adsorbed carbon dioxide. The adsorbent material is then typically purged and repressurized. Then, the adsorbent material is ready for another adsorption cycle.
The swing adsorption processes typically involve adsorption units, which include adsorbent bed units. These adsorbent bed units utilize different packing material in the bed structures. For example, the adsorbent bed units utilize checker brick, pebble beds or other available packing. As an enhancement, some adsorbent bed units may utilize engineered packing within the bed structure. The engineered packing may include a material provided in a specific configuration, such as a honeycomb, ceramic forms or the like.
Further, various adsorbent bed units may be coupled together with conduits and valves to manage the flow of fluids. Orchestrating these adsorbent bed units involves coordinating the cycles for each of the adsorbent bed unit with other adsorbent bed units in the system. A complete cycle can vary from seconds to minutes as it transfers a plurality of gaseous streams through one or more of the adsorbent bed units.
Unfortunately, conventional swing adsorption processes have certain limitations that are inefficient or do not operate properly for purging the contaminants from the adsorbent beds. That is, the conventional adsorbent bed units provide gas streams from one end or the other end of the adsorbent bed. The purging in conventional systems is time consuming and can be inefficient. For engineered packing, the structure of the bed further complicates the purging of fluids from within the engineered packing if the adsorbent bed is formed into a specific configuration.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the industry for apparatus, methods, and systems that provide an enhanced adsorbent bed unit. The present techniques provide a method and apparatus that overcome one or more of the deficiencies discussed above. In particular, the present techniques provide an adsorbent bed unit that includes a mid-bed purge system that enhances the operations of the swing adsorption processes to provide gas from a location other than the end of the adsorbent bed.

Apparatus and system for swing adsorption processes related thereto


This controlling apparatus of copying machine is connected to a copying machine used in common among a plurality of individuals or groups, and adapted to cumulate and display the copying numbers of papers for every individual or group. The controlling apparatus enables classification of the plurality of individuals or groups into an arbitrary unit of individuals or groups in a predetermined manner, whereby the copying number of papers obtained by each classified unit can be summed and displayed. Moreover, the controlling apparatus gives permission to the copying machine when the copying machine is to be used.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controlling apparatus of copying machine having a function to store the copying number of papers per unit element (minimum unit as the basis for calculation of copying charges or the like, e.g., department, section, or individual person within a company).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The applicant of the present invention has provided a controlling apparatus connected to a copying machine when in use, which has a function to count and store the copying number of sheets per every unit element and to display (output) the same upon necessities.
According to the above apparatus, copying is started by setting a magnetic card named as an element card. The copying number in the state set by the magnetic card is stored in correspondence to each element. Therefore, it is possible to know the copying number of sheets per unit element, and calculate the charges for every unit element.
An apparatus with the same function as above is disclosed also in published specifications of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (unexamined) No. 54-72057 and Japanese Utility Model Publication (examined) No. 1-21312.
In some cases, it sometimes becomes necessary to find the total copying number of each department or section, etc. in order to make a budget for each of them which use the same copying machine in common. In such circumstances as above, the controlling apparatus of the aforementioned type has been brought in the market.
Moreover, it may be required to find the total copying number for a group consisted by a plurality of departments or sections.
For example, supposing that there are the first through fifth sections in the patent department and the first through third sections in the development department, that is, eight sections in total, the sum of the copying sheets either in the group formed of the five sections of the patent department or that formed of three sections of the development department may be sometimes necessitated.
In this case, it would be possible to obtain necessary data by summing manually the copying numbers stored for every section. However, this method wastes time and labor.
In another way, although the total copying number of the patent department can be made clear if it is arranged beforehand that the patent department be considered as a single unit element, it is not possible to know the copying number of each individual section in the patent department. This method is further disadvantageous in that it does not meet the case where a plurality of sections included in the unit element are to be changed, or a plurality of different kinds of sections, i.e., organizations are to be included in a unit element.
Given that the above-described first through third sections in the patent department handle patents related to agricultural machinery, the fourth and fifth sections in the patent department handling patents related to small ships, while the first section in the development department makes research and development of agricultural machinery, with the second and third sections in the development department handling small ships, the above method is not fit for obtaining both of the sum of the copying number of the whole of the patent department (first through fifth sections) and the sum of the copying number of the whole of the group handling the agricultural machinery (that is, first through third sections in the patent department and first section in the development department).

Controlling apparatus of a copying machine having plural memory areas


A sleeve having a tapered outer surface is shrink or interference fitted over the outer surface of a die blank in which is formed a central bore, a larger diameter bore and a transition bore therebetween. The diametrical interference between the sleeve and the die blank is effective in producing an elastic deformation of the smaller diameter bore causing it to assume a conical shape. The die blank and sleeve are restrained within a casing and the inner surface of the die is formed by electrical discharge machining, electrical chemical machining or by other known methods. The die casing and sleeve are removed from the die, allowing the release of the stored strain energy of deformation which causes the smaller bore of the die to assume a conical shape tapering radially outwardly from its inner extremity. The sharp corner that results at the innermost end of the smaller bore is removed by lapping a straight-sided tool through the central opening of the die.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for fabricating an extrusion die and in particular a helical gear extrusion die in which the surface of the die beyond the surface that first forms the contour of the extrusion tapers radially outwardly from the throat or land of the forming surface by reason of the die surface having been formed in a prestressed, elastically deformed condition, which is later removed and the die permitted to assume an equilibrium shape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the process of forming articles by extruding metal through a die having the contour of the part to be formed, it is known in the art that the extrusion expands radially outwardly after being forced through the forming surface of the die. The radial expansion is a result of elastic deformations produced in the extrusion blank during the forming process when the blank is forced through the forming throat. The strain energy stored in the part is released after the extrusion blank passes the forming surface of the die.
Unless the die provides a suitably larger space beyond the forming throat or land than the space at the forming surface, the extrusion will expand into abutting engagement with the die surface and produce an excessively high frictional force. This force may in fact exceed the capacity of the metal forming press to force the extrusion blank through the die and could promote galling of the die surface and lead to premature failure. In any case, an excessive amount of energy is required to produce the extrusion due to the large frictional forces that would result.
The prior art has recognized the difficulties associated with this expansion of the extrusion within the die. Extrusion dies typically are formed so as to produce a greater annular space beyond the forming surface than the space defined by the forming surface. Electrical discharge machining EDM methods, wherein one carbon electrode having the desired shape of the part to be formed is passed through the die to establish the die land, are frequently employed. An electrical current produces a spark between the electrode and the inner surface of the die blank, which operates to remove metal from the die surface in the shape of the carbon electrode. In this way the forming surface of the die is established. However, in order to furnish the relief beyond the forming land, the prior art has typically used a second, in this case, tapered electrode to form a cavity beyond the die land which is tapered outwardly to provide the requisite increased volume to accommodate the radial expansion.
However, because two distinct electrodes are used in conventional forming processes, it is extremely difficult to adapt the electrodes to eliminate geometric discontinuities particularly at the cross section where the tapered surface and the land forming surface intersect.
When the extruded part has a noncircular cross section, particularly when it is lobed, as, for example, a gear, an additional difficulty is presented when the inner surface of the die is formed by a process that requires an electrode or forming tool to be inserted into the die for shaping purposes, but then to be withdrawn and the rest of the die surface formed either by another tool or by the same tool introduced into the die from the opposite direction. When this procedure occurs, in addition to the difficulties associated with aligning the centerlines of the respective tools so that the axes are colinear, the tools must be additionally controlled so that at the cross section where the first shaping operation terminates and the second begins, the tools correspond circumferentially. This circumferential registry is required because of the nonuniform shape of the outer contour of the parts. For example, where the die is to be used for extruding gear teeth, the flanks of the teeth on the die must form a continuous and smooth surface along the full length of the die, even though the surface is shaped by two distinct passes of a tool through the die blank. When the gear teeth are helical, the difficulty of maintaining circumferential registry is compounded by the requirement that the forming tools rotate while they pass axially through the die blank.
Other and more conventional methods are known in the art for forming the interior surface of an extrusion die. For example, grinding and, before the die blank is hardened, milling and broaching techniques are available. Each of these, however, presents the same difficulties of circumferential misalignment and dimensional discontinuity as discussed previously with respect to electrical discharge machining. Grinding, however, increases the cost to produce the die.

Tapered extrusion die and method of forming the same

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A varistor has a disc of ceramic material having opposed faces with face edges. There is an electrode on each face with a gap between each electrode and the edge of the face. Glass passivation is on at least one face in the gap, the passivation not extending from one electrode to the other electrode around the surface of the disc. Because the passivation is only on the planar opposed disc faces, it may be applied in a simple operation such as screen printing. Indeed, the screen printing may be performed while the discs are in the same nest plates as are used for printing of electrode paste. Even though the passivation does not extend from one electrode to the other, it nevertheless breaks a potentially conductive path between the electrodes caused by interaction between the ceramic and encapsulant materials.

The disclosed system relates to metal oxide varistors (MOVs).
Manufacture of a MOV typically involves sintering metal oxide ceramic powder to provide a disc (may also be square or other shapes) body, firing electrodes onto the disc body, attaching leads typically by means of soldering and encapsulating. However it is well known that the choice of encapsulant is critical to ensure good electrical stability over time. It has been found that most standard encapsulation materials will lead to increased leakage and or a drop in the nominal voltage when subject to a biased elevated temperature test, typically called an Accelerated Life Test, e.g. 125° C., at rated bias voltage for 1000 hours.
A conventional approach to addressing this problem is to develop or select a specific material which does not exhibit this problem. Another approach is to apply a passivation material to the exposed surface of the MOV unit to prevent the surface interaction. Developing a custom ensapsulant material is time-consuming and typically results in a non-standard material with associated impact on unit cost. For high volume products, a custom enscapsulant is a suitable approach. However this may not suit low volume products. Therefore, many suppliers take the approach of applying a passivation material to the exposed MOV surface.
Applying a passivation material requires a separate step in the manufacturing process, and it is often difficult to achieve good uniformity of the passivation material coverage.
The disclosed system is therefore directed towards providing an improved method of preventing encapsulant/ceramic interaction from causing faults.


A body of an oil level gauge includes an upper end, a lower end, a surface, a measurement portion, and a projecting portion. The projecting portion includes a middle portion and a lower portion. The middle portion is located at a center in the width direction of the body in the projecting portion. A first slope surface is inclined from the middle portion in the lower portion to a first end in the width direction in the lower portion. A second slope surface is inclined from the middle portion in the lower portion to a second end in the width direction in the lower portion. The middle portion is a part of the projecting portion located at a farthest position from the surface in a direction vertical to the surface. The middle portion is located closer to the upper end than the first end and the second end.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an oil level gauge.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-83167 discloses an oil level gauge configured to be inserted into an oil level gauge guide, and formed in a substantially belt-like shape with a predetermined width. This oil level gauge has projections, each having a chevron cross section, at two positions in a longitudinal direction (vertical direction) thereof. The two projections are provided on both sides of a measurement portion of the oil level gauge in the vertical direction. These projections prevent the measurement portion from coming into contact with an inner wall surface of the oil level gauge guide at the time of inspecting the amount of oil, thereby inhibiting oil adhering to the inner wall from moving to the measurement portion.


Geranium Klemiga is a new and distinct cultivar of germanium, botanically known as Pelargonium.times.zonale Hybriden. It is distinguished from other geranium plants by its neon pink flower, color, medium green foliage, and robust hairy appearance.

Klemiga is a product of a breeding program that had the objective of developing well-shaped, orderly filled, double or semi-double orange flowers with dark foliage. Klemiga originated from an unidentified pollen parent and an unidentified seed parent. Seed was not collected as random. Crosses were made between groups of parent plants with dark pink or neon pink flowers and others with dark leaves. Seeds were collected from these crosses without identifying the parent plant. One of these seeds produced a new cultivar with dark pink flowers, medium green foliage and a robust and hairy appearance. Unexpectedly, the new cultivar had dark pink flowers, medium green foliage, and a robust and hairy appearance. Neither parent has been released to the public nor been commercialized.
The new cultivar was discovered in 1991 in Stuttgart, Germany and selected by the inventor as one flowering plant from among the progeny of an unidentified seed parent and an unidentified pollen parent in a controlled environment. The new seedling was obtained after cultivation of the seed parent with the pollen parent. Klemiga differed from either parent in having a dark pink color in contrast to the orange or salmon color of the parent plants.
Compared with its parents, Klemigas has pink flowers and medium green foliage in contrast to the orange and dark-leaved foliage of the parents. Klemiga requires 23 days to root after cuttings. Precocity is judged to be early to medium.
The first act of asexual reproduction of Klemiga was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in a controlled environment in greenhouses in Stuttgart, Germany by the inventor or technicians working under the supervision of the inventor. Horticultural examination of selected plants demonstrated that the combination of characteristics herein disclosed for Klemiga are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Klemiga has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength. The following observations, measurements, and comparisions described plants grown in Stuttgart, Germany under conditions that approximate those used in commercial pratice. Similar characteristics are found when the plant is grown under controlled environmental conditions in Italy, Germany Teneriffe, and the Netherlands.
Compared to other geranium varieties, Klemiga appears to be unique because of flower color, a flower shape similar to the camellia and the overall combination of flower shape and hairy, grayish-green appearance of the foliage.
Klemiga most closely resembles Klefa. Klefa is too early and too floriferous to have high market value because of its short branches and failure to produce enough leaves to provide a desirable appearance. Klefa is more floriferous than Klemiga, but the regular compact growth of Klemiga and the filling of the flower combines to give it a very desirable appearance. The weather resistance of Klemiga's flowers and foliage is excellent. The new cultivar also maintains continuity in flowering and is suitable for growth in most climates. It is more floriferous in hot climates, but plants tend to be shorter when the climate is consistently too hot. The flower color of Klemiga is new, bright, and highly attractive. Flower filling and flower form are particularly unique features. While the umbel size and shape may not be unusual, the coarse tomentum of the foliage and the brightly multicolored flower parts of this plant offer a starkly attractive and interesting contrast which is believed to have not been previously reported in the species.


Clutch arrangement for a motor vehicle drive train. The clutch arrangement has a first and a second clutch which are embodied as normally open clutches. The first clutch can be activated from an open position into a closed position by means of a first actuator arrangement. The second clutch can be activated from an open position into a closed position by means of a second actuator arrangement. The clutch arrangement has a locking device for locking a clutch in the closed position. Only the second clutch can be locked in the closed position by means of the locking device, while the first clutch cannot be locked in the closed position. Thus, the first actuator arrangement has to be supplied with energy in order to secure the first clutch in the closed position.

The present invention relates to a clutch arrangement for a motor vehicle drive train, wherein the clutch arrangement has a first and a second clutch which are embodied as normally open clutches, wherein the first clutch can be activated from an open position into a closed position by means of a first actuator arrangement, and wherein the second clutch can be activated from an open position into a closed position by means of a second actuator arrangement, and wherein the clutch arrangement has a locking device for locking a clutch in the closed position.
A clutch arrangement of this type is known from document DE 199 17 724 A1. This document discloses a separate locking device for each of the two clutches, said locking devices being activated simultaneously in order to bring about a parking brake function so as to block the transmission in the stationary state.
In addition, document DE 10 2007 023 955 A1 discloses a friction clutch which can be secured by means of a mechanical securing device in a predefined position from which the clutch can be quickly activated.
Clutch arrangements of the type specified at the beginning can be used, for example, as clutch arrangements in double clutch transmissions, wherein the clutch arrangement is arranged between a drive engine and a step-by-step variable speed transmission having a plurality of gearspeeds, and wherein the step-by-step variable speed transmission has two component transmissions here. Each component transmission is assigned different gearspeeds, wherein as a rule one of the component transmissions is assigned the even-numbered gearspeed stages and the other component transmission is as a rule assigned the odd-numbered gearspeed changes.
In addition, a clutch arrangement of the specified type can also be used for a drive train in which the drive engine is formed by an electric motor and in which the transmission has only two gearspeed stages. In this context, the clutch arrangement serves either to shift the one gearspeed stage or the other gearspeed stage into the power flux to a differential of a driven axle.
The clutches are preferably embodied as friction clutches, in particular as wet-running multi-disk clutches. The friction clutches can, however, also be embodied as dry friction clutches.
In the two above-mentioned application cases, the two friction clutches can be activated in an overlapping fashion in order to be able to carry out a gearspeed change under load.
Friction clutches of this type are as a rule activated in an automated fashion by means of actuator arrangements. In this context, stringent safety requirements have to be met since simultaneous closing of both clutches can bring about blocking of the transmission and therefore blocking of a driven wheel.
Friction clutches of this type can either be embodied as normally closed or as normally open friction clutches. Normally closed friction clutches are generally pressed into the closed position, for example by means of a mechanical spring arrangement, and opened by means of the actuator arrangement. Normally open friction clutches are prestressed into an open position, for example by means of a mechanical spring arrangement, and are moved into the closed position by means of an actuator arrangement.
Normally open friction clutches are less problematic in technical safety terms for the reasons mentioned above. However, it is disadvantageous that the friction clutch which is respectively conducting power has to be kept continuously closed during operation of the clutch arrangement by means of the actuator arrangement (as a rule counter to a mechanical spring force), which leads to increased energy consumption.

Clutch arrangement and method for actuating same

GETRAG Getriebe-und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG


An aerobic step includes a body having a middle exercise area and four sides. A maximum height of the body is positioned in the middle exercise area. The middle exercise area has a domed shape and curves downwardly to the four sides. The four sides define two longitudinal sides and two transverse sides. The middle exercise area includes a layer of material co-molded with and supported by a main body portion which promotes gripping and non-slippage. The layer of material includes a pattern of grooves. Two handles are defined along a lower portion of the body in the form of cutouts. An edge material is co-molded with and positioned on the lower edge of the body for contacting the ground. The body has a convex upper surface, and a concave lower surface which promotes stacking for storage, or for adding additional height by nesting two or more steps together.

Aerobic, fitness, or exercise steps are used by individuals to do various exercises and activities for exercise to improve one's health, for rehabilitation, or for other reasons. Various steps are known which allow the user to elevate oneself a distance from the ground. There is a continuing need for improvements in aerobic, fitness or exercise steps (herinafter referred to as an "aerobic step" or "step").


A driver circuit for driving a display panel is formed on a substrate and is organized into two families of sections. Each section includes a logic circuit, a level shifter, a decoder, an operational amplifier, and an output pad. In the first family, each section is laid out in the stated sequence (logic circuit, level shifter, decoder, operational amplifier, output pad). In the second family, each section is laid out in a different sequence: output pad, operational amplifier, logic circuit, level shifter, decoder. The output pads in the two families of sections are located on opposite sides of the substrate, and every output pad is adjacent to the operational amplifier to which it is connected. This arrangement reduces signal-to-signal variations in the output characteristics of the driver circuit and improves the slew rate of the output signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver circuit and driver cell for a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A driver circuit for a display device is generally formed as an integrated circuit chip. The chip is sometimes referred to as a source driver because it is connected to the source terminals of transistors in the display panel of the display device.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional source driver chip 10. The chip includes logic circuits 11, level shifters 13, decoders 13, operational amplifiers (OP-AMPs) 14, output pads 15, and one or more ladders 18 formed on a rectangular chip substrate 16. Responsive to input of an image data signal, the logic circuits 11, level shifters 13, decoders 13, and operational amplifiers 14 select voltages generated by the ladders 18 to generate voltage signals representing the gradation levels of pixels in the image.
The logic circuits 11, level shifters 13, decoders 13, and operational amplifiers 14 are conventionally laid out in the order shown, with the logic circuits 11 near one long side 16A of the chip substrate 16 and the operational amplifiers 14 near the opposite long side 16B. The output pads 15 are formed on both long sides 16A, 16B of the substrate. Descriptions of driver circuits of this type can be found in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 2009-59957 and 2009-253374.
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a conventional driver circuit, showing the part encircled by the dotted line X in FIG. 1. There is one logic circuit 11, one level shifter 12, one decoder 13, one operational amplifier 14, and one output pad 15 for each column of pixels in the display panel. That is, there is one output signal channel for each column of pixels. The logic circuit 11, level shifter 12, decoder 13, and operational amplifier 14 for one channel constitute a driver cell. The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of input data through the driver cells.
The driver cells for two channels are normally formed as a single circuit group. FIG. 2 shows two such circuit groups A and B. The output pads 15 of adjacent circuit groups are disposed on opposite sides of the chip substrate 16. In FIG. 2 the output pads 15 of circuit group A are on side 16A and the output pads 15 of circuit group B are on side 16B.
The operational amplifiers 14 are connected to the output pads 15 by metal wiring patterns 17A, 17B. Metal wiring patterns 17B extend from the operational amplifiers 14 in circuit group B to output pads 15 on the adjacent side 16B, but metal wiring patterns 17A must make lengthy detours around circuits 11-14 to reach the output pads 15 on the opposite side 16A.
A problem with the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 is that since the length of the metal wiring patterns connecting the operational amplifiers to the output pads differs from channel to channel, the output characteristics of the channels are non-uniform. A particular problem is that the wiring resistance in the long metal wiring patterns 17A adversely affects the slew rate of the signals output from circuit group A.

Driver circuit and driver cell generating drive signal for display panel


This invention relates to a novel hybridoma strategy that uses CD27+ B cells cultured in vitro to induce IgM to IgG class switch prior to fusion with a fusion partner. Hybridomas resulting from the fusion between CD27+ B cells and a fusion partner cell line and antibodies secreted from the hybridomas are included in the invention.

Many problems associated with antisera were circumvented with the seminal discovery of mouse hybridomas capable of secreting specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against predefined antigens by Kohler and Milstein (Kohler G. and Milstein C., 1975 Nature 256: 495). Since the report of Kohler and Milstein, the production of mouse monoclonal antibodies has become routine.
Monoclonal antibodies are produced by hybrid cells that result from a fusion between normal B-lymphocytes and myeloma cells. The myeloma cell lines used for fusion are B-lymphocyte tumor cell lines that grow well in vitro and can propagate indefinitely, in contrast to normal B-lymphocytes that cannot replicate or produce antibody in vitro for more than a few days. Cells derived from a fusion of the two types of cells combine the in vitro growth characteristics of the myeloma cell line with the production of an antibody derived from the B-lymphocyte.
Hybrid cells (hybridomas) are generally produced from mass fusions between murine splenocytes, which are highly enriched for B-lymphocytes, and myeloma "fusion partner cells" (B. Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell (Garland Publishing, Inc. 1994); E. Harlow et al., Antibodies. A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, 1988). The cells in the fusion are subsequently distributed into pools that can be analyzed for the production of antibodies with the desired specificity. Pools that test positive can be further subdivided until single cell clones are identified that produce antibodies of the desired specificity. Antibodies produced by such clones are called monoclonal antibodies.
Many investigators have attempted to generate human monoclonal antibodies by generating hybridomas with human B-lymphocytes (N. Chiorazzi et al, J. Exp. Med. 156:930 (1982); C. M. Croce et al., Nature 288:488 (1980); P. A. Edwards et al, Eur. J. Immunol. 12:641 (1982); R. Nowinski et al, Science 210:537 (1980); L. Olsson et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77:5429; J. W. Pickering et al, J. Immunol. 129:406 (1982)). Unfortunately, these hybrid cells exhibited poor growth in vitro, low levels of antibody expression, instability of antibody expression, and a poor ability to be cloned by limiting dilution.
Consequently, diverse and cumbersome approaches have been used to produce human monoclonal antibodies. These include "humanizing" mouse antibodies by creating hybrid murine/hybrid immunoglobulin genes and generating antibodies in transgenic mice that bear human immunoglobulin gene loci. However, these methods are only able to produce antibodies that have been generated in mice by the murine immune system. They do not allow the isolation, production, and use of the naturally-occurring antibodies, the immunological memory that the human immune system produces in response to infections and other antigen exposures. The ability to make monoclonal antibodies directly from human B-lymphocytes is therefore needed and would be of considerable value.
Recently, there has been progress in generating human monoclonal antibodies by generating hybridomas using the SP2/0 cell line as a fusion partner. The SP2/0 cell line is an immortal murine myeloma cell line (a malignant B-lineage cell) that expresses an endogenous murine telomerase gene. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030224490 discloses the genetic modification of the SP2/0 cell line to ectopically express interleukin-6 (IL-6) and human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT).
However, progress in making fully human monoclonal antibodies has been hampered by the absence of human myelomas suitable for use as fusion partners with the desirable attributes of mouse myeloma cells such as stability, and high antibody production. The use of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has proved to be quite efficient for human lymphocyte immortalization (Kozbor D, and Roder J., J. Immunology 1981; 127:1275; Casual O, Science 1986; 234:476), but has certain limitations such as low antibody secretion rate, poor clonogenicity of antibody-secreting lines and frequent loss of antibody expression.
Immortalized human B cells have been employed for monoclonal antibody production. This approach involve the steps of: (a) isolation of peripheral blood lymphocytes enriched in B cells; (b) transformation of the B cells with EBV-viruses or fusion with immortalized human lymphoblastoid cells, and (c) massive screening for the B cell transformants or hybridomas exhibiting the desired antigen-binding specificity. B cell transformation itself is an inefficient process yielding at best 0.1-10% stable transformants. Thus most B cells with the desired specificity are lost in the pool used for subsequent selection process. Whereas researchers have attempted to enrich the population of B cells expressing the desired immunoglobulin by in vitro immunization/activation with the antigen of interest, the activation is again inefficient in the sense that non-specific B cells also proliferate during this process. The identification of specific antibody producing B cells thus largely depends on the final stage of screening, during which tens and thousands of transformed B cell clones are tested for their abilities to bind the antigen. This approach is time consuming and labor intensive.
The production of high-affinity antibodies is dependent on B cells expressing antibodies that have undergone the process of somatic hypermutation, which is the result of a complex set of events that mostly occur within germinal centers (GC). A post-germinal center B cell is a cell that that has undergone somatic hypermutation of its immunoglobulin genes. After completing the germinal center maturation response, B cells can become either memory B-cells, which circulate in the blood and form the foundation of a future immune response against the original antigen, or plasma cells, which home to the bone marrow, terminally differentiate, and secrete immunoglobulins. The development of memory B cells and plasma cells takes place in germinal centers of lymphoid follicles where antigen-driven lymphocytes undergo somatic hypermutation and affinity selection, presumably under the influence of helper T cells.
Typically, to generate hybridomas that secrete human antibodies, human peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations (PBMCs) are fused with a fusion partner cells because human splenic mononuclear cells, which contain ˜40% B cells, are not readily available. PBMCs are readily accessible by routine phlebotomy, but contain only about 5% B-cells (Klein et al., 1997 Blood 89: 1288; Dessain et al., 2004 J. Immunol. Methods 291: 109; Tian et al., 2007 Mol Immunol 44: 2173). However, only about 15% of the B-cells available in peripheral blood express class-switched, post-(GC antibodies (Klein et al., 1997 Blood 89: 1288; Tian et al., 2007 Mol Immunol 44: 2173). Accordingly, fusions with unselected PBMCs commonly yield hybridomas that express IgM antibodies with germline sequences, which are not as desirable as class switched, post-GC antibodies. A disadvantage of prior art methods is the high background of IgM secreting hybridomas. The present invention serves to address the low yield and success rate in generating desirable IgG class switched, post GC antibodies.
Botulism is a life-threatening, flaccid paralysis caused by a neurotoxin produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum neurotoxin poisoning (botulism) arises in a number of contexts including, but not limited to, food poisoning (food borne botulism), infected wounds (wound botulism), and "infant botulism" from ingestion of spores and production of toxin in the intestine of infants. Botulism is a paralytic disease that typically begins with cranial nerve involvement and progresses caudally to involve the extremities. In acute cases, botulism can prove fatal.
Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is found in nature as seven antigenically distinguishable proteins (serotypes A, B, Cl, D, E, F, and G). Botulinum neurotoxin acts at neuromuscular junctions. In addition BoNT has been designated as a category A select bioterrorism agent by the United States Government because of its extreme lethality and its availability from environmental sources (Arnon et al., 2001 JAMA 285:1059-70; Greenfield and Bronze, 2003 Drug Discov. Today 8:881-8; Marks, 2004 Anesthesiol. Clin. North America 22:509-32). An inhaled lethal dose of BoNT for a 70 kg person is less than 1 microgram; 1 gram contains enough BoNT to kill one million people (Arnon et al., 2001 JAMA 285:1059-70). Thus, devastatingly lethal amounts of BoNT could easily be transported and distributed in secret. Because of the requirement for immediate and prolonged ICU support for exposure victims, a limited civilian exposure could easily overwhelm the intensive care unit capability of a typical American city (NIAID, 2002b).
The chief countermeasures for BoNT exposure have historically been the botulinum toxoid vaccine and therapeutic antibodies. The existing vaccine is an inactivated pentavalent toxoid that induces a potent neutralizing antibody response (Amon et al., 2001 JAMA 285:1059-70; Gelzleichter et al. 1999 J. Appl. Toxicol. Suppl. 1:S35-8; Siegel, 1998 Immunol. Res. 17:239-51). However, it has not been recommended for use in the general population because the naturally occurring disease is rare and widespread vaccination would render vaccinees resistant to BoNT, which may be required for medical indications such as blepharospasm, dystonia and torticollis (Bell et al., 2000 Pharmacotherapy 20:1079-91). Use of the toxoid vaccine following BoNT exposure is of no value because it is slow to induce a neutralizing antibody response (Amon et al., 2001 JAMA 285:1059-70).
The effectiveness of therapeutic antibody treatments for BoNT exposure is well established. BoNT-neutralizing immunoglobulin (BoNT-Ig) given prior to BoNT exposure can prevent or eliminate complications (Arnon et al., 2001 JAMA 285:1059-70; Gelzleichter et al. 1999 J. Appl. Toxicol. Suppl. 1:S35-8; Siegel, 1998 Immunol. Res. 17:239-51). BoNT-Ig given after exposure can prevent progression of symptoms, although it cannot reverse synaptic injury that has already occurred. However, the effectiveness of the currently-available BoNT-neutralizing antibodies is limited. Thus, there is a need for additional therapeutic antibodies for BoNT. The present invention satisfies this need.

Method of making hybrid cells that express useful antibodies


The present invention provides an apparatus and improved method of friction stir spot welding that assures a predetermined bottom thickness and a reduction in variation in a series of resultant spot welds. The advantage of the present invention lies in that the plunge distance is controlled from the top plane of the anvil against which the bottom thickness is specified, and systematically adjusted to account for changing system parameters, such as, but not limited to, deflection and thermal expansion of the weld gun. The present invention also provides for improved and controlled weld quality through implementation of a dwell operation or dwell operations, whereby weld heat input is manipulated by causing the weld tool to dwell in a dwell region or at a desired depth or depths within the workpiece(s) for a predetermined time interval to achieve desired mechanical properties of the resultant weld joint.

Welding is a manufacturing or fabrication process that bonds materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence—the process by which two separate units grow together, fuse, or merge into a single body. The materials are joined by liquefying or plasticizing (e.g., soften without liquefying) the areas to be bonded together, generally through the application of heat and/or pressure over time, promoting coalescence of the liquefied or plasticized material, and allowing the coalesced material to cool, thereby solidifying the bond. Welding can be used, for example, to join two or more workpieces or for operating on a single workpiece (i.e., to repair a crack or join a member.)
The quality of a weld is predominantly determined by its strength and the strength of the material around it. Weld quality is influenced by various factors, the most influential factor being the method of welding.
One such method is friction welding. Traditional friction welding, which is a form of solid-state welding, involves the rubbing of two workpieces together at a controlled speed to create mechanical friction. The friction generates heat that allows both components to reach a plastic state. Once a plasticized region is created, the workpieces are forced together to form a bond. The bond is initiated when layers of plasticized material from both components intertwine and create new layers of combined material. The bond is finalized by stopping the relative movement of the workpieces and allowing the plasticized region to solidify, thereby joining the pieces.
Friction stir welding, a species of traditional friction welding and solid-state joining techniques, combines the processes of extruding and forging. Friction stir welding uses a wear resistant, cylindrical shouldered tool with a profiled pin. Frictional heat is generated between two or more adjacent workpieces by slowly forcing the welding tool into the joint line between the workpieces and contemporaneously rotating the tool. The tool is fed into, and translated along the joint line between the two work regions, which are butted together, at a constant traverse rate. The frictional heat causes the workpieces to yield and soften without actually reaching the material's melting point. As it does so, the plasticized material is transferred from the leading edge of the tool to the trailing edge of the tool shoulder and pin, leaving a solid phase bond between the two workpieces.
Friction stir spot welding is a variation of the friction stir welding solid-state technique. To that regard, a friction stir spot weld is produced by the application of pressure and heat that is generated by friction between a rotating, wear-resistant profiled tool and the workpiece(s). However, unlike standard friction stir welding, the weld tool in friction stir spot welding does not traverse along the joint line of the workpieces, but is rather plunged into the workpiece(s) and contemporaneously rotated to produce a single spot weld.
The strength of a friction stir spot weld or joint is predominantly influenced by the plunge depth of the weld tool or the remaining thickness of the weld. Current friction stir spot weld machines utilize one of two methods to reach plunge depth: (1) Force and Time-Controlled, i.e., welding at a certain force level for a specified time interval; and (2) Time-Controlled, e.g., welding at a programmed plunge depth with a programmed plunge speed. With the addition of a given plunge speed, a weld time is calculated from the desired plunge depth, at the end of which, welding is ended. However, in these traditional friction stir spot weld methods, a "plunge depth" that is not a true depth of plunge is programmed. In this invention, plunge distance is used instead of the conventional plunge depth. Plunge distance is defined as the distance the weld tool is plunged relative to a point of reference on its rotational axis. Bottom thickness of a friction stir spot weld is defined as the remaining thickness at the bottom of the hole left by the weld tool (dimension C in FIG. 4).

Apparatus and method of solid-state welding


An auxiliary paint brush bucket that has a planar front wall, an arcuate rear wall and a bottom wall to form an open top container. The front surface of the front wall has a plurality of conical shaped raised bumps thereon formed in a predetermined pattern so that a paint roller may be squeezed against the front wall surface to remove excess paint and it runs down the channels between the respective bumps. A unique pair of laterally spaced clips are formed on the top edge of the rear wall so that it can be removably installed along the inner surface of either a two gallon or five gallon paint bucket.

The invention relates to painting and more specifically to an auxiliary paint brush bucket that can be mounted in the interior of a two gallon or five gallon paint bucket along its top edges.
Presently, both amateur and professional painters used hand rollers for applying paint to wall surfaces. These hand rollers are dipped into the bucket of paint and the roller is pressed against some type of a surface for removing the excess paint. Often this surface turns out to be a screen that is detachably mounted in the interior of the bucket adjacent its top edges. Certain surfaces require a paint brush to used, and a separate bucket is required to hold the paint brush when it is not being used. Also, if two different colors of paint are being used, each requires its own separate bucket.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel auxiliary paint brush bucket that can be detachably installed along the inner surface of a two gallon or five gallon paint bucket.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel auxiliary paint brush bucket that has a front wall surface formed with conical shaped bumps that function as a paint roller squeeze surface.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel auxiliary paint brush bucket that allows for two different colors of paint to be located in a single paint bucket.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel auxiliary paint brush bucket that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel auxiliary paint brush bucket that helps increase a painter's productivity by saving time and hassle.


A method of oxidatively cleaving polyethylenically unsaturated compound having a pair of carbon atoms ethylenically bonded to other carbon atoms but singly bonded to each other or a pair of carbon atoms ethylenically bonded to other carbon atoms but separated from each other by a saturated carbon atom to produce a carboxylic acid is disclosed. A hydroperoxide such as hydrogen peroxide is used as the oxidant and a salt of vanadic acid such as sodium metavanadate is used as a catalyst to oxidatively cleave such an unsaturated compound in a polar organic solvent. Ethylenically unsaturated compounds that do not contain carbon-carbon double bonds separated by one or two carbon-carbon single bonds, such as a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid present in a mixture with the polyethylenically unsaturated compound, are not oxidized or only minimally oxidized.

Carboxylic acids are commercially important. They can be used as ingredients for making plasticizers, lubricants, dielectric fluids, and synthetic fibers. The short-chain aliphatic carboxylic acids are colorless liquids, each of which has a characteristic odor that is often sharp or penetrating. For example, the distinctive taste and odor of acetic acid make it an important flavoring agent.
Fatty acids are long chain (generally about C.sub.4 or greater) carboxylic acids. Naturally occurring fatty acids generally have 10 to 22 carbons. Some fatty acids have commercial uses. For example, oleic acid can be used for making plasticizers, coatings, etc. The higher fatty acids are generally derived from animal oils, vegetable oils, and fish oils. Often, when an oil is hydrolyzed, a mixture of fatty acids is formed. Such mixtures usually contain both monoethylenically unsaturated and polyethylenically unsaturated fatty acids. Generally unsaturated carboxylic acids can be oxidatively cleaved to form smaller molecular weight carboxylic acids.
A number of methods have been disclosed to oxidatively cleave the double bonds of unsaturated compounds to form carboxylic acids. In these reactions, oxidants and catalysts are generally required. Olin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,226,357) disclose a method for producing polycarboxylic acids by treating cyclo-aliphatic olefins with sulfuric acid and subsequently treating the sulfation product with nitric acid or other oxidants in the presence of a catalyst such as vanadic acid.
Ellingboe (GB Patent No. 524,163) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,203,680), discloses a method for producing saturated aliphatic carboxylic acids by the oxidation of long chain unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, erucic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid, with highly concentrated nitric acid. The oxidation reaction is catalyzed by a catalyst, namely a vanadium compound such as ammonium vanadate.
Although the above methods can be used for producing carboxylic acids, the use of nitric acids is problematic. Often, toxic gases (NO.sub.x), as well as other undesirable oxidation side-products are produced. The NO.sub.x gases present a health problem. Further, processing necessary to remove the undesirable side products results in increased cost of production for the desired products.
Other oxidants have also been used for the oxidative production of carboxylic acids. Ralston et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,133,008) disclose a process for cleaving unsaturated fatty acids, glycerides thereof, and water soluble soaps thereof by an alkali metal hypochlorite in the presence of a hypochlorite-decomposing agent. The suitable hypochlorite-decomposing agents disclosed include iron, cobalt, manganese, and nickel compounds. Dunlop et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,186) disclose the oxidation of levulinic acid to succinic acid. In this reaction, vanadium pentoxide is used as a catalyst, and air or other oxygen-containing gas is used as an oxidant. Zaldman et al., J. AM. Oil Chem. Soc., 65:611-615 (1988) disclose the use of oxidants, such as ozone, sodium hypochlorite, potassium permanganate, potassium bichromate, chromic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, for the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids.
Several methods based on the use of hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant for producing carboxylic acids are known. For example, Nakazawa (U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,272) discloses the use of hydrogen peroxide in oxidizing a Dieis-Alder reaction product of maleic anhydride and a diene and/or the corresponding acid catalyzed by at least one of tungstic acid, molybdic acid, heteropoly acids thereof, and mixed coordination heteropoly acids. Nakazawa et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,863) disclose a process for preparing carboxylic acid by subjecting an oxidation product produced by reacting a peroxide with an unsaturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acid or aliphatic olefin to oxidation by oxygen or oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst. Other than hydrogen peroxide, a few other hydroperoxides are also disclosed.
A variety of catalysts has been used to catalyze oxidative reaction to produce carboxylic acids. Ellingboe (GB Patent No. 524,163 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,203,680) disclose the use of ammonium vanadate catalyst with nitric oxide as the oxidant. Olin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,226,357) disclose the use of a catalyst such as vanadic acid, manganese, chromium, vanadium, tungsten, or compounds thereof, such as nitrates, oxides, or sulfates, in a nitric acid solution.
Drent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,328) discloses a process for the selective oxidative carboxylation of a conjugated diene with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst to produce alkene dicarboxylic acid diester.

Oxidative cleavage of polyethylenically unsaturated compound to produce carboxylic acid


A hand tool (100, 200, 300) includes a working head (102), a handle (104) connected to the working head (102), and a handle protector (110, 302, 502) attached to the handle (104) proximate the working head (102). The handle protector (110, 302, 502) is manufactured from a metal sheet. Further, at least one portion of the handle protector (110, 302, 502) extends into the handle (104) to facilitate attachment of the handle protector (110, 302, 502) to the handle (104).

Hand tools, such as, axes, hammers, or the like are well known in the art. A hand tool typically includes a working head attached to a handle. During an operation of the hand tool, a portion of the handle near the working head may accidentally strike an external object. Since the handle is usually made of a lighter and lower impact resistant material as compared to that of the working head, such accidental impacts may lead to damage of the handle. Further, vibrations from the impact may propagate to the hands of the user gripping the handle, and cause inconvenience.
Solutions to the above problems include providing the working head with an integral handle protector that extends down and shields the portion of the handle vulnerable to accidental impacts. However, the working head is usually made of a costly material and requires various complicated manufacturing processes, such as, casting, forging etc. Thus, integrally manufacturing a handle protector with the working head may be complicated and costly. Alternatively, the handle protector may be manufactured separately and mechanically fastened to the handle and/or the working head via rivets, interference fits, or the like. However, mechanical attachments may not be able to withstand repeated impacts and may fail during usage.
Therefore there is a need for a handle protector that overcomes the aforementioned problems.


There are provided a base station apparatus, a terminal apparatus, and a communication method which are capable of realizing a LTE-A system with improved throughput by performing a CA technology including an unlicensed band while suppressing interference from an existing system. A base station apparatus according to the present invention, which is included in a communication system that applies a communication scheme applied to a first frequency band capable of being used as a dedicated frequency band to a second frequency band different from the first frequency band and is capable of communicating with a terminal apparatus by using the second frequency band and the second frequency band. The base station apparatus: adds at least signal null periods to a frame of a second signal transmitted using the second frequency band; and sets a frame length of a signal frame included in the frame of the second signal transmitted using the second frequency band to be less than a frame length of a signal frame included in the frame of the first signal transmitted using the first frequency band.

The standardization of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system which is a wireless communication system of 3.9G mobile phones has been completed, and the standardization of LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) (also referred to as IMT-A) system which is an enhancement of the LTE system as one of 4G wireless communication systems is being currently performed.
In the LTE-A system (from LTE Rel. 10 on), a carrier aggregation (CA) technology of using one system band of the LTE system as a component carrier (CC) (also referred to as a serving cell) and simultaneously using a plurality of CCs has been adopted. In a case where CA is performed, one CC is used as a primary cell (Pcell) capable of realizing all functions, and other CCs are used as a secondary cell (Scell).
Reserving frequency resources while coping with a rapid increase in data traffic in the LTE system is an important issue. A frequency band assumed for the LTE system so far has been a frequency band referred to as a so-called licensed band permitted for use by a country or a locality in which a radio communication operator provides services, and has limitations in an available frequency band.
Thus, the provision of an LTE system that uses a frequency band referred to as a so-called unlicensed band which does not require permission for use by a country or a locality has been recently discussed (see NPL 1). The CA technology adopted by the LTE-A system is also applied to an unlicensed band, and thus, it is expected that the LTE-A system will be able to cope with a rapid increase in data traffic with high efficiency.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Base station apparatus, terminal apparatus, and communication method


A treatment method for polyene resins used in thiol-ene formulations, especially norbornene resins, significantly stabilizes thiol-ene compositions made from batches of polyene resin which otherwise give compositions with poor dark stability. The treatment comprises contacting the polyene with an amphoteric treating agent selected from the group consisting of silicated magnesium oxide, basic aluminum oxide, silica gel, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, barium oxide, and barium hydroxide, and then separating the resin from the treating agent prior to mixture with a polythiol to form a thiol-ene composition. The treatment method significantly reduces ionic content in polyene resins, particularly chloride ion but also sodium and potassium ions. Consequently, treatment is also beneficial with polyene resins which do not produce substantial dark stability problems. Reduction of the ionic content of the resin is desirable to produce cured thiolene polymers with low electrical conductivity and low corrosiveness.

In thiol-olefin cooxidation reactions it has been reported that chloride ion and bromide ion shortened an initial slow oxygen-absorbing phase while iodide ion prolonged the initial phase and decreased its rate. Bredereck et al, Chemische Berichte, 93 2415-2423 (1960); D'Souza et al, J. Org. Chem. 1987, 41, 1729-1740. Several hypotheses are offered in the latter reference as possible explanations of the difference between chloride/bromide and iodide in this reaction, but no conclusions are drawn as to which of the hypotheses are correct.
Organohalo compounds, such as tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate and tetrabromophthalic anhydride (0.1-10 % ) in combination with mercaptans (0.05-5% ) are said to improve melt spin properties of polyolefin compounds. Chem. Abst., 80:1222322 (abstracting JP 48004374).
The polymerization of methacrylate ester monomers during neutralization, washing and/or extraction with base is reported to be inhibited by adding 0.03-0,3 % NaNO.sub.2 and/or KI to the solutions. Chem. Abst., 106; 156990r (abstracting CS 229529).
Heat stability of a nylon to polymer containing a copper stearate, KI, and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole is reported to be improved over comparable formulations omitting either the KI or the mercapto compound in Chem. Abst., 81:137494f (abstracting JP 49053944).
Halogen containing compounds such as 2,4-bis(trichloromethyl)-6-methyl-s-triazine are reported as components of an initiator system, which also uses an organic thiol component, for anaerobically curing formulations in Chem. Abst., 100: 69316h (abstracting U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,108).
In Bartlett et al, JACS, 72, 1051-1059 (1950), iodine was reported to have a dual effect on peroxide catalyzed polymerizations of vinyl acetate, rapidly accelerating polymerization at moderate concentrations but behaving as a rather strong inhibitor at low concentrations. I.sub.3.radical is postulated as a terminator of growing polymer chain to explain the inhibition affection. A polar mechanism is postulated to explain the acceleration at higher concentrations.

High purity resins for thiol-ene polymerizations and method for producing same


A method and apparatus for providing a mobile video blog (vlog) service in a communication network are disclosed. For example, the method captures video content sourced from a mobile device used by a mobile user through a mobile vlog posting service portal, and provides a vlog viewing function accessible to a viewer through a vlog viewing service portal, wherein the vlog viewing function affords viewing of the video content and is provided in accordance with a user profile of the viewer, wherein the user profile comprises a viewing preference of the viewer.

Existing web log (blog) or video blog (vlog) allows mobile device users to post contents with the convenience of their mobile devices. However, these blogs or vlogs operate independently from the wireless networks and the subscriber profiles of the mobile device users from the wireless networks who view these blog or vlog are not available to the blog operator or vlog operator.

Method and apparatus for providing a mobile video blog service


The present invention discloses a system for cultivating surface-growing floating aquatic plants, in particular, duckweeks or lemnoideae species, on a non horizontally positioned sheet-like substrate. The aforementioned system comprises (a) a predetermined volume of growth media flowing through sheet-like substrate provided with a predetermined inoculum of said aquatic plants; (b) at least one sheet-like substrate; (c) an irrigation mechanism configured to a top down irrigation flow in said sheet-like substrate; and (d) a regulation mechanism configured to control said irrigation flow. The present invention further discloses methods for cultivating the aforementioned aquatic plants.

Duckweeds are flowering aquatic plants which float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. They arose from within the arum or aroid family (Araceae), often are classified as the subfamily Lemnoideae within the Araceae. Classifications created prior to the end of the 20 th century classify them as a separate family, Lemnaceae. The flower of the duckweed genus Wolffia is the smallest known, measuring merely 0.3 mm long.
Duckweeds have received research attention because of their great potential to remove mineral contaminants from waste waters emanating from sewage works, intensive animal industries or from intensive irrigated crop production. Duckweeds need to be managed, protected from wind and maintained at an optimum density to obtain optimal growth rates. One traditional use of Duckweeds is as a vegetable foodstuff. In many parts of the world, Duckweeds are consumed by domestic and wild (fowl, fish, herbivorous animals and humans). The smallest of duckweeds (of the Wolffia genera) has been used as a nutritious vegetable by Burmese, Laotians, and the people of northern Thailand for generations. Duckweed makes a fine addition to a salad and is quite tasty.
Duckweeds (most of genera species) comparatively to other aquatic plants, even the terrestrial, have a high binding capacity (fixation) of various minerals (cations and anions) from their growth medium. This property is exploited for cleaning water supplies (water depollution) but at the same time, this property constitutes a major restriction to use such plants as a source for human food alternative unless the cultivation environment is tightly controlled.
Symbiotic duckweed-bacteria cultures have been used to improve wastewater treatment and starch-biomass production from wastewater (production of energy/chemical feedstock) by duckweed. (http://duckweed2013.rutgers.edu/presentations/16_toyama_tadashi.pdf). JP patent pub no. S6352960 teaches fermentation of alcohol from a starch forming plant body, by cultivating a photosynthetic bacterium and microalga in an organic waste liquor, adding a rotifer and a water flea to the resultant growth liquid, cultivating Wolffia and duckweed in the presence thereof with the food chain between them, and utilizing the starch forming ability of the duckweeds, in particular, Wolffia.
The natural habitat of duckweed is floating freely on the surface of fresh or brackish water sheltered from wind and wave action by surrounding vegetation. The most favorable circumstance is water with decaying organic material to provide duckweed with a steady supply of growth nutrients and trace elements. A dense cover of duckweed shuts out light and inhibits competing submerged aquatic plants, including algae.
Duckweed fronds are not anchored in soil, but float freely on the surface of a body of water. Wolffia fronds are oblate spheroid shaped with no visible roots or leaves. They can be dispersed by fast currents or pushed toward a bank by wind and wave action. If the plants become piled up in deep layers the lowest layer will be cut off from light and will eventually die. Plants pushed from the water onto a bank will also dry out and die. Disruption of the complete cover on the water's surface permits light intrusion and the growth of algae and other submerged plants that can become dominant and inhibit further growth of a duckweed colony. The most rapid reproductive rate occurs when the plant is at a surface concentration on 100 grams per square meter. Homogeneous dispersion, including stacking up to 20 layers, may occur at up to 700 grams per square meter. Initially, small clusters are formed held together by capillary forces. These merge into a continuous layer which can then stack to several layers.
Duckweed plants can double their mass in two to eight days under a variety of conditions of nutrient availability, sunlight, and temperature. This is faster than almost any other higher plant. Average growth rates of unmanaged colonies of duckweed will be reduced by a variety of stresses: nutrient scarcity or imbalance; toxins; extremes of pH and temperature; crowding by overgrowth of the colony; and competition from other plants for light and nutrients.
To cultivate duckweed a grower needs to organize and maintain conditions that mimic the natural environmental niche of duckweed: a sheltered, pond-like culture plot and a constant supply of water and nutrients from organic or mineral fertilizers.
The system for cultivation of aquatic plants, for example, a cultivation pond, a raceway type cultivation apparatus, a tubular type cultivation system, a liquid membrane-forming cultivation system have been well known. However, there are various shortfalls in these cultivation systems, such as requiring large water body area, expensive leveling of large areas, potential for contamination of the water, energy intensive water circulation of large amounts of water volumes, accumulation of toxins in the older plants residing in the water for protracted times, low yield due to overcrowding, inefficient use of light energy per unit of cultivation surface area, difficult to implement as mass production due to access limitations, harvesting difficulties et al. Transferring cultivation of a surface floating species to a solid non horizontal substrate is non intuitive and is particularly difficult because the duckweed does not anchor itself to a substrate but rather floats, which would cause it to fall off a non horizontal substrate when subjected to water shear flow forces occurring parallel to the substrate surface. Furthermore, if cultivating the Wolffia for human nutrition or other purpose where the objective of cultivation is for the harvested Wolffia to consistently comply with certain chemical composition requirements, then the non-horizontal cultivation would present difficulties in supplying the tiny plant proper nourishment both in terms of nutrient and of lighting conditions to avoid highly fluctuating composition, including of undesired trace elements and harmful microbiological infestation.
In view of the above, there is still a long felt need to address the challenges of solid substrate cultivation systems and methods for cultivating surface-floating plants, in particular, duckweeds in an efficient, low cost, controlled plant quality, space-saving and high yield manner.

System for cultivating aquatic plants and method thereof


In order to discipate energy from a high pressure fluid without causing damage and environmental nuisanse an energy loss device is used. This device includes energy loss paths including void areas arranged to draw energy from the high pressure fluid as it passes through the path. These paths may also include turns and other features to enhance energy loss.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices which provide velocity control of high pressure flowing fluids, both liquids and gases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the handling of flowing high pressure fluids, it has been customary to utilize orifice means having a high velocity short throat section to attain energy losses or high pressure drops. If the fluid is in a liquid state and liable to flash, that is, vaporize or turn to a gaseous condition on the downstream side of the orifice or valve opening, it may condense implosively and induce damaging shock waves, cause erosion, and the like. Also, as the velocity of the fluid in the valve exceeds the velocity of the fluid in the line, several disturbing reactions occur. The most serious problem is rapid erosion of the valve seat plug by direct impingement of the liquid and any foreign particles suspended therein. Additional erosion results from cavitation. Cavitation may be defined as the high speed implosion of vapor against the valve trim and body.
In addition to the severe problems resulting from erosion, the increased velocity also causes the flow characteristics of the valve to become unpredictable and erratic. This occurs because the changes in velocity significantly affect the valve vena contracta vortexes and fluid enthalpies.
Other objectional problems created by the high fluid velocity in the valve are severe noise generation, trim fatigue and possible degradation of flowing fluid materials such, for example, as polymers.
The foregoing and other deficiencies were somewhat overcome by more recent devices which affect dissipation of energy of a flowing high pressure fluid by subdividing it into a plurality of passageways and labyrinths in which there are rapid changes of direction. An example of such devices may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,074 and 3,513,864. These devices are formed as a series of cylindrically stacked members having inlets and outlets formed along concentric circular peripheries of each member with a labyrinth being formed there between.
Fluid borne noise downstream of control valves is very high. If not treated or contained within a pipe, this noise can result in sound pressure levels of 110 to 170 dB three feet from the valve exit. Sound sources of this magnitude are hazardous, to personnel and frequently result in complaints from local residents.
Mufflers and silencers can only attenuate fluid borne noise 20 to 30 dB. Therefore, only partial success has been achieved with them in obtaining desired sound pressure levels.
Furthermore, a typical path treatment system i.e., the muffler, lagging support structure etc is very cumbersome and expensive, often, the total cost of path treatment can exceed the valve cost many times over.


A field emission device cathode (10) may be fabricated by forming a dielectric layer (14) on an upper surface of a resistive layer (12). A gate layer (16) is formed on the dielectric layer (14). An opening is formed in the gate layer (16) and a microtip cavity (18) is formed in the dielectric layer (14). The microtip cavity (18) extends through the opening in the gate layer (16) to the resistive layer (12). A conductive layer is formed on the gate layer (16) and the resistive layer (12) within the microtip cavity (18) to form a conductive opening layer (20) on the gate layer (16) and a microtip cavity layer (22) on the resistive layer (12). A nonrefractory metal layer is formed on the conductive opening layer (20) and the microtip cavity layer (22) to form a nonrefractory layer (26) on the conductive opening layer (20) and to form a microtip metal nonrefractory base layer (24) on the microtip cavity layer (22) such that the microtip metal nonrefractory base layer (24) serves as the base layer for a microtip (28) within the microtip cavity (18). A microtip metal refractory tip layer (30) is formed on the microtip metal nonrefractory base layer (24) to serve as the tip of the microtip (28). Finally, polishing is performed to remove a portion of the layers on the gate layer (16). The polishing continues until the microtip (28) is exposed.

Field emission display technology may be used in a wide variety of applications including flat panel displays. The technology involves the use of an array of field emission devices. Each field emission device has an anode, cathode, and gate. Each field emission device cathode includes a microtip for emitting electrons. The fabrication of field emission device cathodes requires multiple steps. These fabrication steps are complex and require expensive materials and equipment. The fabrication steps also require a high degree of precision.
One common technique for fabricating cathode microtips involves high-angle evaporation of a sacrificial or "lift-off" layer followed by vertical evaporation of the microtip metal. The sacrificial layer is formed on top of the gate and on the edges of an opening in the gate. The openings in the gate begin to become restricted as the sacrificial layer is applied. As the microtip is formed through the opening and inside a cavity, the evaporated microtip metal also builds up on top of the sacrificial layer. The sacrificial layer, along with all of the overburden or subsequent microtip metal layers, is later "lifted-off" to preserve the underlying microtip and structure. The deposition and removal of this sacrificial layer is demanding and critical to proper device operation. One common technique of high-angle evaporation of a sacrificial layer is known as nickel evaporation in which a nickel layer serves as the sacrificial layer. However, the nickel layer tends to grab onto the gate layer, resulting in low reliability of the "lift-off" technique.
Another technique for applying a sacrificial metal layer is electroplating. One technique of electroplating is known as nickel electroplating. Nickel electroplating involves the application of a nickel layer to serve as the sacrificial layer during the fabrication of the cathode microtips. Just as in nickel evaporation, the sacrificial layer protects the integrity of the underlying microtip and structure. The sacrificial layer, along with all of the overburden, is later removed in the "lift-off" process. Nickel evaporation and nickel electroplating are expensive, time consuming, technically challenging, and sometimes unsuccessful. Further, the "lift-off" process does not always provide the desired separation of the nickel layer from the gate layer in order to expose the microtip.
Current techniques for fabricating cathode microtips use expensive refractory metals such as niobium and molybdenum. These refractory metals have a high melting point which is necessary when fabrication techniques such as high-angle evaporation are used. In order to conserve expensive refractory metals, the microtips are made smaller. Accordingly, the openings in the gate leading to the microtip must also be smaller and require the use of an expensive, high precision stepper to fabricate the openings in the gate.

Field emission device cathode and method of fabrication


A method is provided to operate a computer to interoperate with a portable media player. The method includes processing signals provided from the portable media player to the computer that are indicative of whether an accessory has been connected to the portable media player, to determine whether the accessory has been connected to the portable media player. Based on a determination that the accessory has been connected to the portable media player, physiologic data of a user that was provided to the portable media player from a wireless physiologic data gathering device, is received from the portable media player, into the computer, via the accessory.

The use of devices to obtain exercise performance information is known. For example, simple mechanical pedometers have been used to obtain information relating to walking or running. A typical mechanical pedometer is a standalone device merely displays an indication of number of steps taken which, typically at most, can be converted to distance traveled by multiplying the number of steps taken by an estimated average stride size.
Recently, more sophisticated devices are known. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,550 (the '550 patent), a foot-mounted unit, including a sensor for sensing motion of the foot of a user, is configured to provide motion information wirelessly—to a wrist-mounted unit. The wrist-mounted unit includes a display for displaying information to the user based upon data accumulated by the foot-mounted unit and transmitted wirelessly to the wrist-mounted unit. In addition, as described in the '550 patent, the wrist-mounted unit may be coupled to a computer and/or a network server via a network. The user can operate software running on the computer and/or the server to analyze received data and/or to select operating parameters for the wrist-mounted unit and/or the foot-mounted unit.
The inventors have realized that a media jukebox computer application, including functionality to interact with a portable media player, may be synergistically combined with functionality to handle physiologic data from a physiologic data gathering device that is in communication with the portable media player for providing physiologic data to the portable media player.

Integrated media jukebox and physiologic data handling application


A method and system are disclosed to optimize an integrated circuit layout design by determining possible lengths of layout rows that will reduce the total area of the integrated circuit layout (FIG. 4B). The possible row lengths (401B) are determined and stored in a memory unit as a set of possible optimal row length values. A set of possible optimal row heights corresponding to the determined set of possible rowlengths is determined and the total chip area is iteratively calculated. Optimal values of rowlength and row height are chosen based upon the maximum chip area reduction. Once the optimal row length and height parameters are chosen, transistor devices placed in each row of the integrated circuit layout are folded to achieve the optimal row length and height.

As designers strive to improve the capabilities of new ICs, minimization of IC size continues to be an underlying goal. Typically, IC designs utilize previously developed circuit designs, from a library of circuit designs in new combinations and configurations to create wholly new designs capable of performing new functions or perhaps optimizing the performance of the previous IC designs. While some individual IC designs have been optimized in terms of performance and size, the combination of these circuits with other circuits into new custom designed ICs often utilize a re-configuration of transistor geometry to provide the optimal design of the overall new custom designed IC.
When custom designing a new high performance IC, individual transistors may be tuned to provide optimal speed. However, manually tuning individual transistor is both tedious and error-prone. While some automated transistor sizing tools exist to optimize individual transistors, the individual transistors still benefit from an optimal physical layout design to provide an optimal IC. Conventional layout designs place individual transistors on a layout using a row-based design style. In most cases, conventional row-based layout designs result in an inefficient utilization of chip area because the individual transistors are of non-uniform size and shape.
Transistor folding is a method of re-configuring the geometry of a known transistor design in order to minimize total chip area, while retaining the performance characteristics of the known design. In custom IC physical layout design, high performance requirements of new circuit designs nay necessitate the integration of various transistor devices of different sizes. In the typical row-based layout design style, non-uniform transistor heights in a row tend to waste overall IC chip area. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a system and method of transistor device folding which takes advantage of the different rows' lengths to achieve efficient area utilization of the entire IC layout.

Method and apparatus to optimize an integrated circuit design using transistor folding


A collection game apparatus includes a random selection assembly which includes a base portion, a distributor pipe assembly supported by the base portion, and a funnel-shaped perimeter wall supported by a top portion of the distributor pipe assembly. A plurality of objects are provided to be collected, and the objects are grouped into color coded sets. The objects to be collected are randomly distributed by the distributor pipe assembly of the random selection assembly. A plurality of containers are provided for storing and carrying objects that are collected. Preferably, the random selection assembly and the objects to be collected, which are balls, float in water. The base portion of the random selection assembly is inflatable. The distributor pipe assembly includes a pipe-support body supported by the base portion. The pipe-support body includes a riser portion supported by the base portion and a baffle plate supported by a top part of the riser portion. The baffle plate includes a plurality of pipe-receiving apertures. A plurality of pipes are supported by the pipe-support body, and each of the pipes includes a pipe inlet portion elevated above a pipe outlet portion. A ball placed at a pipe inlet portion will roll through a pipe and out the pipe outlet portion under the influence of gravity. Each pipe outlet portion is positioned with respect to the riser portion for discharge of an object from the pipe outlet portion transverse to the riser portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to games and, more particularly, to games in which the object of the game is to be the first person to obtain a specified collection of game objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Games come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and objectives. There is a type of game, herein referred to as a collection game, in which the object of the game is to be the first person to accumulate or collect a specified set of game objects. For example, in the game of checkers, the object of the game is to collect all of the opponents pieces. In the card game called "war", the object of the game is to collect all of the opponents cards. In the game of "Monopoly" the object of the game is collect the most money and property. It is noted, however, that a collection game does not appear to be available for use in a water environment, such as a swimming pool. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a collection game that can be played in a water environment such as a swimming pool.
An element in many games that are played is a random selection device. Often the random selection device is a pair of dice or a spinner. Other random selection devices include a randomly shuffled deck of cards. Such random selection devices discussed thus far involve manual manipulation, and a person need not be physically active to use the random selection device. In fact, the person can be seated and substantially inactive to use the random selection device. For purposes of overall health and physical activity, it may be desirable for a person to move one's body around when playing a collection game. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a random selection device that is used in a collection game that requires a player to physically move around to play the game and use the random selection device.
For a collection game that is used in a swimming pool, it would be desirable if all the components of the game floated in water. This means that the random selection device as well as the objects that are collected should float in water.
A particular object that is used in many games in the ball. The ball is so common, perhaps, because of its characteristic of moving randomly and unpredictably in many instances. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a swimming pool game that uses a floating random selection device and that uses a plurality of floating balls.
In some collection games, all players compete to collect as many as possible of a single class of items. The winner of such a game will be the person who collects the most items. In other collection games, each player has a designated class of items to collect, and the winner of the game is the first person to collect a complete set of designated items. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a collection game that employs a random selection device that can be played either to collect the most of a single class of items or to collect a complete set of designated items.
Although it is desirable to have a collection game that uses a random selection device that can be played in a swimming pool or the like, it would also be desirable is such a game could be played on dry land as well.
In a collection game that uses different sets of items to be collected by different players, it is often desirable to differentiate between items in different sets by using color coding of items. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a collection game that uses a random selection device in which different classes of objects to be collected are designated by color coding of the objects.
When a collection game is played indoors on a table or other horizontal surface, such as a floor, the table or horizontal surface serves as a storage area for the items that are collected. However, in a swimming pool, such a table or horizontal surface is not readily available. Therefore, for a collection game that is played in a swimming pool, it would be desirable to provide a portable container for each player so that the player can store and carry collected items during the course of the game.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to games that use balls and distributor devices that distribute balls in a random manner, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,989,252, 4,039,193, 4,048,731, 4,094,508, 5,197,735, 5,370,391, 5,393,060, and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 265,487. Although the patents cited above differ in many respects, they share some common characteristics. None of the cited patents disclose a collection game that can be played in a swimming pool, that used floating components, and that uses a floating random selection device that requires a player to move around in a swimming pool to use the random selection device.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use games that use balls and distributor devices that distribute balls in a random manner, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a collection game apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) can be played in a water environment such as a swimming pool; (2) provides a random selection device that requires a player to physically move around to play the game and to use the random selection device; (3) provides a random selection device and objects to be collected that float in water; (4) provides a swimming pool game that uses a floating random selection device and that uses a plurality of floating balls; (5) can be played either to collect the most items of a single class of items or to collect a complete set of designated items; (6) uses a random selection device that can be used either in a swimming pool or on dry land; (7) uses color coding to designate different classes of objects to be collected; and (8) provides a portable container for each player so that the player can store and carry collected items during the course of the game. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique collection game apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.


It is known in the art to characterize, by means of special bits in the time-division multiplex signal frame, transmission paths in a PCM transmission system which do not convey a useful signal, or to refrain from transmitting a signal through a non-occupied transmission path. To prevent the necessity of resolving the frame structure down to the bit plane for enabling recognition of the identification of non-occupied and undisturbed transmission paths, a digital signal pattern is used which is periodical, is distributed over the time-division multiplex frames and cannot be simulated by frame alignment of system alarm words nor by the useful information. If more specifically the inverted version of the standardized alarm-indication-signal AIS is used as the digital signal pattern, then the additional circuit cost and design effort in realizing arrangements for producing and recognizing this pattern is very low because of the fact that AIS-generators and AIS-recognition circuits already present in existing equipment can be utilized very efficiently in such a realization.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an arrangement for producing information identifying non-occupied transmission paths in a digital transmission system. The transmission system is composed of a currently operating system for transmitting useful information in accordance with the time-division multiplex method, and a stand-by system.
2. Prior Art
The German "Auslegeschrift" DE-AS 27 53 420 discloses an arrangement for switching from operational to stand-by transmission paths in transmission systems for digital signals. In this known arrangement, predetermined bit positions in the time-division multiplex frame are used for identifying non-occupied transmission paths. However, these predetermined bit positions in the time-division multiplex frame signal are not available in every time-division multiplex transmission system. In the frame structure of a standardized 2 Mbit/s time-division multiplex systems, the frame alarm word and the system drawn word are alternatively transmitted in the first time slot of the frame. In the system alarm word, the bit positions 5 to 8 are freely available for the system user for transmitting additional information. Up to 16 different messages can be transmitted by means of these four bits that are commonly referred to as Y-message bits. In a standardized 8 Mbit/s and also in a standardized 34 Mbit/s time-division multiplex transmission system, such Y-message bits are not available. In a standardized 140 Mbit/s time-division multiplex transmission system, the frame structure comprises two Y-message bits in the bit positions 15 and 16 in set I (cf. for example TEKADE Technische Mitteilungen 1984, pages 17 to 22, more specifically page 17).
If the Y-message bits of the time-multiplex frame are used for the purpose of identifying non-occupied transmission paths, then this type of identification cannot be utilized for all types of time-division multiplex transmission systems, as such Y-message bits are not available in every frame structure (compare those of the 8 Mbit/s and 34 Mbit/s time-division multiplex transmission systems) or only a small number of different messages can be transmitted (in the 140 Mbit/s time-division multiplex transmission system having two Y-message bits, only four different messages can be transmitted).
In the arrangement disclosed in German "Auslegeschrift" DE-AS No. 27 53 420, the substitute switching from n currently operating systems to one stand-by system is effected by means of control arrangements included in the line terminal equipment of the stand-by system. The control arrangements always insert in the position of the Y-message bits an operational status character or, in the case of mal-functioning, the addresses of the currently operating system to be switched-over; the operating status character in the two transmission directions of the stand-by system can also be a standardized alarm-indication signal, commonly referred to as AIS.
The AIS is used in the digital transmission technique to report a transmission disturbance, for example a frame alignment disturbance (cf. the European Patent EP-Bl-0 031 943), and is a permanent-1 signal. According to European Patent, EP-Bl-0031943, this signal is produced by an AIS-generator arranged in the line terminal equipment and is used to suppress a subsequent alarm in the subsequent signal path. This prevents alarm signals from occurring in the entire down-stream section of the transmission path in the event of a disturbance in the upstream sections of the transmission path. From European Patent EP-Bl-0 031 943 it is known that it is also possible to include such AIS-generators in the intermediate regenerators (repeaters). In addition to the AIS generators, the line terminal equipment also includes supervision arrangements connected to a central monitoring station via a control line. The AIS-generator in question can be connected to the output of the line terminal equipment at the receiving side by means of a change-over switch that is remotely controlled by the central station. Furthermore, it is known from the above-mentioned publication (TEKADE Technische Mitteilungen 1984, pages 17 to 22) to provide in a plesiochronous digital signal multiplexer a supervision circuit at the interface. E 140 Mbit/s (SSTEE) for recognizing the AIS-signal in the sequence digital signal. On page 20 of said publication, it is set forth that for stand-by switching purposes a switch-over from the operational input B at the input of the SSTEE-interface to a second (stand-by) input E can be effected, which change-over action of the switch can be effected manually or automatically and be remotely controlled. Before the change-over action, no signal is transmitted through the stand-by channel in the 140-Mbit/s plane.

Arrangements for producing and recognizing information identifying non-occupied transmission paths in a digital transmission system