A drum includes a hub defining in its central part a ring acting as a point for fixing and adjusting the cylindrical portion of the drum along variable positions by defining a variation in the material length strip format. The cylindrical portion of the drum is arranged in two parts capable of having a movement spacing one from the other by elastic deformation of one of the cylinder parts so as to define the drum circumference and the format variation, the parts capable of being mutually locked in position.

The invention relates to the technical field of apparatuses for dispensing paper wipes made of cellulose wadding, creped paper, or suchlike material, intended more particularly for wiping the hands of users, to the dispensing of toilet paper, and to the dispensing of paper towels. The pieces of paper may be in folded or unfolded form.
The Applicant has developed many patents on these apparatuses of the above type in automatic and semiautomatic versions for dispensing strips of paper taken from a loading reel.
The Applicant has also developed, in French Patent No. 2,746,781, a drum for dispensing a wiping material in which a selector device allows the length of dispensed material to be varied.
The embodiment of the selector device in the above French patent, while technically interesting, is still complicated to produce and has a high manufacturing cost.
The intended object of the invention was therefore to devise a new drum for dispensing the wiping material that would allow the strip of material dispensed to be cut to varied lengths in a simplified and more reliable configuration.
In accordance with a first feature, the drum for dispensing a wiping material in a dispensing apparatus with adjustment of the format and length of the dispensed material, the apparatus being of the type comprising a housing (2), a cover (3), a drum (10), and a cutter device (5) built into the drum and arranged longitudinally in a slot formed in the latter, characterized in that the drum (10) comprises a hub (11) defining in its center an annulus (11e) serving as the point of attachment and of adjustment of position of the cylinder part (16) of the drum, in variable positions defining a variation of the format of the strip in terms of the length of the material, and in that the cylinder part (16) of the drum is made in two parts capable of being moved away from one another by elastic deformation of one of the parts of the cylinder in order to define the circumference of the drum and the variation of the format, the said parts being lockable in position with respect to one another.
These features and others also will become clear in the remainder of the description.

Wiping material dispensing drum in dispensing apparatus with format and length adjustment of the dispensed material


A method for fabricating a composite plate for a magnetic resonance imaging magnet. The method including cutting a starting plate having oppositely-directed major surfaces into a plurality of strips. Each of the strips having a width of approximately greater than 9 inches and faces which originally constituted parts of the major surfaces of the starting plate. The strips may be positioned to form the composite plate such that the width of each of the strips is equal to a thickness of the composite plate and the faces of the strips confront one another.

The present invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging or "MRI".
MRI is widely used in medical and other arts to obtain images of a subject such as a medical patient. The patient's body is placed within a subject-receiving space of a primary field magnet and exposed to a strong, substantially constant primary magnetic field. The atomic nuclei spin around axes aligned with the magnetic field. Powerful radio frequency "RF" signals are broadcast into the subject-receiving space to excite atomic nuclei within the patient's body into a resonance state in which the spinning nuclei generate minuscule RF signals. These signals are referred to herein as magnetic resonance signals. Magnetic field gradients are applied so that the magnitude of the magnetic field varies with location inside the subject-receiving space. As a result, characteristics of the magnetic resonance signals from different locations within the region, such as the frequency and phase of the signals, can be made to vary in a predictable manner, depending upon position within the region. Thus, the magnetic resonance signals are "spatially encoded" so that it is possible to distinguish between signals from different parts of the region. After repeating this procedure with various different gradients, it is possible to derive a map showing the intensity or other characteristics of the magnetic resonance signals versus position within the excited region. Because these characteristics vary with concentration of different chemical substances and other characteristics of the tissue within the subject's body, different tissues provide different magnetic resonance signal characteristics. When the map of the magnetic resonance signal characteristics is displayed in a visual format, such as on screen or on a printed image, the map forms a visible picture of structures within the patient's body.
MRI provides unique imaging capabilities which are not attainable from any other imaging method. For example, MRI can provide vivid, detailed images of soft tissues, including abnormalities such as tumors, and other structures which cannot be seen readily in X-ray images. Moreover, MRI operates without exposing the patient or the physician to ionizing radiation such as X-rays. For these and other reasons, MRI is widely utilized in medicine.
Some of the primary field magnets utilized heretofore have imposed severe physical constraints on the patient and on medical personnel attending to the patient during the MRI procedure. For example, conventional solenoidal primary field magnets use a series of circular superconducting coils spaced apart from one another along an axis. These magnets provide a small, tubular subject-receiving space enclosed within the solenoids. A patient to be imaged must slide into the tubular space. The experience may be highly claustrophobic. Some obese or pregnant patients often cannot fit inside the patient-receiving space. Moreover, it is essentially impossible for a physician or technician to reach those regions of the patient disposed inside the subject-receiving space.
Attempts have been made heretofore to create "open" MRI primary field magnets using ferromagnetic frames. Although these designs provide somewhat better access to the patient for certain diagnostic scanning, and a somewhat less claustrophobic experience for the patient, they are less than optimal for surgical intervention or physician/technician-assisted diagnostic procedures. For example, these designs provide limited access of physicians, surgeons, or technicians, to the patient. Additionally, the designs have difficulty providing a highly uniform field with pole dimensions desirable for surgery or diagnostic purposes.
As described, for example, in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,663, other primary field magnets utilize ferromagnetic frames to route and concentrate magnetic flux into the patient-receiving space. Primary field magnets using such a ferromagnetic frame can employ permanent magnets, resistive electromagnetic coils, or superconducting coils having a relatively low number of ampere-turns while still providing a high field strength in the patient-receiving space. Moreover, such magnet assemblies can provide excellent field uniformity. Ferromagnetic frame magnets in accordance with the '663 patent also provide a less claustrophobic, more accessible subject-receiving space.
As disclosed in co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/952,810 filed Sep. 28, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,085 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, a ferromagnetic magnetic frame may include a pair of plate-like pole supports spaced apart from one another and supported above one another by a set of columns. In preferred magnets according to the '085 patent, the frame defines a polar axis passing through the space between the pole supports. Preferably, ferromagnetic poles project from the pole supports adjacent the polar axis, so that the poles define a subject-receiving space at a medial plane, midway between the plates. The columns have unique shapes such that, in preferred embodiments, the columns flare outwardly in the radial direction, away from the polar axis adjacent the medial plane. The dimensions of each column in the circumferential direction, around the polar axis desirably taper so that the circumferential dimension of each column is at a minimum in a region adjacent the medial plane. As described in further detail in the '085 patent, magnets with ferromagnetic frames in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention taught therein can provide a unique combination of accessibility and a large, aesthetically pleasing, and non-claustrophobic, patient-receiving space and can also provide high field strength without resort to superconducting coils. Even higher field strengths can be provided where superconducting coils are used.
Magnets according to preferred embodiments taught in the '085 patent thus provide an elegant solution to the problems of claustrophobia, lack of access and limitations on field strength and uniformity posed by prior designs. Surgical operations and other medical procedures can be performed readily on a patient while the patient is disposed inside the patient-receiving space of preferred magnets according the '085 patent. The ability to perform surgical operations while the patient is disposed inside the patient-receiving space allows the physician to treat the patient under direct guidance of a MRI image acquired during the procedure itself. For example, as the surgeon advances a probe into the body to treat a lesion, the surgeon can see the probe and the lesion in the MRI image.
However, even with this enhanced design, the patient still perceives the MRI procedure as involving placement of his or her body into the interior of a machine. Moreover, the physician treating the patient still perceives that he or she must stand outside of the apparatus and reach into the apparatus to gain access to the patient. Accordingly, even further improvement in primary field magnet structures for MRI apparatus would be desirable.


A processor is described that includes a processing core and a plurality of counters for the processing core. The plurality of counters are to count a first value and a second value for each of multiple threads supported by the processing core. The first value reflects a number of cycles at which a non sleep state has been requested for the first value's corresponding thread, and, a second value that reflects a number of cycles at which a non sleep state and a highest performance state has been requested for the second value's corresponding thread. The first value's corresponding thread and the second value's corresponding thread being a same thread.

FIG. 1 shows the architecture of a standard multi-core processor design 100. As observed in FIG. 1, the processor includes: 1) multiple processing cores 101_1 to 101_N; 2) an interconnection network 102; 3) a last level caching system 103; 4) a memory controller 104 and an I/O hub 105. Each of the processing cores contains one or more instruction execution pipelines for executing program code instructions. The interconnect network 102 serves to interconnect each of the cores 101_1 to 101_N to each other as well as the other components 103, 104, 105. The last level caching system 103 serves as a last layer of cache in the processor 100 before instructions and/or data are evicted to system memory 108. The memory controller 104 reads/writes data and instructions from/to system memory 108. The I/O hub 105 manages communication between the processor and "I/O" devices (e.g., non volatile storage devices and/or network interfaces). Port 106 stems from the interconnection network 102 to link multiple processors so that systems having more than N cores can be realized. Graphics processor 107 performs graphics computations. Other functional blocks of significance (phase locked loop (PLL) circuitry, power management circuitry, etc.) are not depicted in FIG. 1 for convenience.
As the power consumption of computing systems has become a matter of concern, most present day systems include sophisticated power management functions. A common framework is to define both "performance" states and "power" states. A processor's performance is its ability to do work over a set time period. The higher a processor's performance state the more work it can do over the set time period. A processor's performance can be adjusted during runtime by changing its internal clock speeds and voltage levels. As such, a processor's power consumption increases as its performance increases.
A processor's different performance states correspond to different clock settings and internal voltage settings, resulting in different performance vs. power consumption tradeoffs. According to the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) standard the different performance states are labeled with different "P numbers": P0, P1, P2 . . . P_N, where, P0 represents the highest performance and power consumption state and P_N represents the lowest level of power consumption at which a processor is able to perform work . The P1 performance state is the maximum guaranteed performance operating state. The P0 state, also called Turbo state, is any operating point greater than P1. The term "R" in "P_R" represents the fact that different processors may be configured to have different numbers of performance states.
In contrast to performance states, power states are largely directed to defining different "sleep modes" of a processor. According to the ACPI standard, the C0 state is the only power state at which the processor can do work. As such, for the processor to enter any of the performance states (P0 through P_N), the processor must be in the C0 power state. When no work is to be done and the processor is to be put to sleep, the processor can be put into any of a number of different power states C1, C2 . . . CM where each power state represents a different level of sleep and, correspondingly different amount of power savings and a different amount of time needed to transition back to the operable C0 power state.
A deeper level of sleep corresponds to slower internal clock frequencies and/or lower internal supply voltages andpossibly some blocks of logic, being powered off. Increasing C number corresponds to a deeper level of sleep and a correspondingly higher latency to exit and return to the awake or C0 state. Computing systems designed with processors offered by Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif. include a "package level" P0 state referred to as "Turbo Boost" in which the processor as a whole will operate at clock frequencies higher than its rated maximum guaranteed frequency for a limited period of time to achieve greater performance. Here, "package level" means at least one processor chip and possibly other chips such as one or more other processor chips and one or more other system memory (e.g., DRAM) chips. Thus, at a minimum, according to the present state of the Turbo Boost technology, when the package level P0 state is entered, all the cores 101_1 through 101_N of a processor 100 will receive a clock frequency that is higher than the processor's rated maximum guaranteed clock frequency for a limited period of time.
Operating in Turbo mode comes at the price of increased power consumption.Given the power consumption ramifications, entry into Turbo mode is controlled, chiefly determined by the overall workload demand on the processor as a whole exceeding some configurable threshold. That is, entry into the Turbo Boost mode is a function of package level workload demand.
A problem with the present Turbo Boost technology, having only a package level perspective, is its responsiveness. For example, an operating system (OS) instance operating on one core may request entry into the package P0 state. However, the requested P0 state will not be entered unless and until the workload across the processor as a whole, which includes the workload measured across all the processor's cores 101_1 to 101_N, crosses a pre-established threshold.

Processor having per core and package level P0 determination functionality


An audio output apparatus for converting an input audio signal into audio and outputting the audio includes a first oscillation enhancing panel for outputting the audio as a result of being oscillated; a second oscillation enhancing panel for outputting the audio as a result of being oscillated; a first transducer for allowing the first oscillation enhancing panel to oscillate on the basis of an audio signal, the first transducer being disposed in the first oscillation enhancing panel; and a second transducer for allowing the second oscillation enhancing panel to oscillate on the basis of an audio signal, the second transducer being disposed at a position on the second oscillation enhancing panel, the position on the second oscillation enhancing panel differing from the position corresponding to the position of the first transducer in the first oscillation enhancing panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio output apparatus and method and, more particularly, relates to an audio output apparatus and method capable of accurately reproducing input audio.
2. Description of the Related Art
Audio output apparatuses for outputting audio by allowing a plate-shaped flat panel (oscillation enhancing panel) to oscillate by means of a transducer are widely known. Such audio output apparatuses can project sound over a wider area than cone-shaped audio output apparatuses and thus have advantages that the sweet spot (optimum listening area) thereof is wide.
In order to more accurately reproduce input audio, there has been a demand for an audio output apparatus to have frequency characteristics as flat as possible. That is, when an audio signal of audio whose sound volume (audio level) has the same constant value for every frequency is input to an audio output apparatus and is reproduced, the closer to a constant state the sound volume (audio level) for every frequency of audio reproduced by the audio output apparatus, the more accurately the audio output apparatus can reproduce the input audio.
In an audio output apparatus of the related art, in order to realize frequency characteristics as flat as possible, the position of a transducer in an oscillation enhancing panel is changed on the basis of results of the analysis of parameters of the power transmission of the oscillation enhancing panel (refer to, for example, PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2003-522426).
Furthermore, there is a known apparatus in which, in order to reduce feature points that occur at a coincidence frequency, two transducers arranged in an oscillation enhancing panel are separated by a distance of a half wavelength of the coincidence frequency of the oscillation enhancing panel (refer to, for example, PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2002-532038). Also, there is a known apparatus in which a small oscillation enhancing panel and a large oscillation enhancing panel larger than the small oscillation enhancing panel are made to overlap each other, and audio of a wide frequency bandwidth is reproduced by driving these oscillation enhancing panels by using the same exciter (refer to, for example, PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2002-505814).


A plurality of histograms are maintained with respect to a dataset. The dataset includes a plurality of data segments. In response to a query that includes a plurality of conditions ordered in an initial sequence, a plurality of corresponding rejection rates is determined for the plurality of conditions based at least in part on the plurality of histograms. The plurality of conditions are re-ordered according to the plurality of corresponding rejection rates associated with the plurality of conditions to form a reordered sequence for the plurality of conditions. The query is executed according to the reordered sequence of the plurality of conditions.

In modern databases and related applications, a dataset can be comprised of hundreds, thousands, even millions of rows. A query of the dataset can be comprised of one or more query conditions. The dataset columns associated with the one or more query conditions are scanned to find one or more rows that satisfy the one or more query conditions. This process can require significant amounts of computer processing unit (CPU) resources and consume high amounts of electricity when the amount of data queries to be processed is large. The amount of time to perform a query can increase significantly when multiple queries of the dataset are performed. As a result, users can be frustrated and impatient because the query is too slow. Additional CPUs can be added to reduce the amount of time to perform a dataset query, but adding additional CPUs increases the costs of maintaining the dataset. It would be useful to reduce the CPU costs while also reducing the amount of time to perform a dataset query.


Methods and systems for a zero discharge waste water treatment system are provided. The system includes a filtration train including filter media having successively smaller diameter filtration elements, a reverse osmosis apparatus including a pump and a membrane coupled in flow communication with said filtration train, a vapor compressor coupled in flow communication with said reverse osmosis apparatus, and a spray dryer coupled in flow communication with said vapor compressor, said spray dryer configured to separate moisture in a brine solution from particulate suspended in the brine solution.

This invention relates generally to integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power generation systems, and more specifically to methods and systems for integrated water treatment of IGCC process water.
At least some known IGCC power plants generate large amounts of waste water and therefore require large amounts of make-up water. Siting versatility dictates using as little make-up water as possible and government regulations tend to require less waste water discharge off site. Initially designing a plant for zero wastewater discharge garners community acceptance and streamlines the permitting process. Recycling wastewater greatly decreases the amount of makeup water that must be purchased from the local utility and eliminates the local control and costs of sewer disposal. Wastewater recycling also allows a greater freedom in selecting a site for an industrial plant because there are fewer concerns about adequate water supply. In many cases, poor quality water can be used for make-up since it is upgraded in-house. For example, at several zero discharge sites, secondary sewage effluent or wastewater from other industrial sites is used as make-up.
Clean water laws such as the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the implementation of similar "zero liquid discharge" regulations at the local level are spurring treating highly saturated brine wastewaters such as cooling tower blowdown, which had previously been dumped into rivers. These wastewaters, saturated with calcium sulfate and silica, are difficult to evaporate because they are already at the scaling point. Current zero discharge waste water treating systems use a vapor recompression system, a forced circulation evaporator, and a spray dryer in series to treat process waste water. Frequent vaporizer system cleaning is required due to calcium and silica scaling. In addition the system has a high capital cost and power consumption since the chloride content in the gasification water system water is limited to 3500 parts per million (ppm). Higher chloride content in the gasification water system causes low pH values and corrosion since chloride recycled to the gasifier produces hydrochloric (HCl) acid.
Purified ammonium chloride recovered from wastewater can be sold as a byproduct to the fertilizer industry. The ammonium component is soluble and promotes plant growth. The chloride component is also soluble and provides soil chemistry balancing for low chloride soils.

Methods and systems for zero discharge water treatment


An apparatus is provided for supporting a seated person. A seatrest cushion, supported by a chair seat, has a back edge and an upward facing convex surface for receiving the thighs and buttocks of the seated person. A backrest cushion has a horizontal bottom edge and an outward facing convex surface for receiving the back of the seated person. A flexible attachment strip tethers the back edge of the seatrest cushion to the bottom edge of the backrest cushion and is capable of being folded or unfolded for moving the cushions closer together or farther apart, respectively. The backrest cushion is positionable over a wide range of angles with respect to the seatrest cushion for supporting a person in a partially reclined orientation. The strip supports the cushions in alignment. An adjustable carrying strap is attached to the attachment strip for carrying the apparatus. The carrying strap may be used to support the apparatus during portage, and may also be used to hold the seatrest cushion in position on the chair seat during use by looping the carrying strap around the backrest of the chair seat. A carrying handle may be attached to the strip for carrying the apparatus by hand.

Portable cushions are frequently used to increase the comfort of chairs, car seats, benches, and the like. Such prior art devices have generally attempted to either improve the convenience and portability of such cushions, or to improve the supporting shape of the cushions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,918 to Harvell on Mar. 4, 1980, teaches a cushion device with improved portability in that two cushions are flexibly attached and carryable with a handle arrangement. Such a device is easier to carry than two separate cushions. Another such device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. De. 258,482 to Strock on Mar. 10, 1981. Both of these devices, however, require carrying by hand, which can be inconvenient if both hands are needed elsewhere. Moreover, people with back problems will find supporting such a device with one arm uncomfortable and potentially harmful to the back, especially if side pockets of such a device are heavily loaded.
Another device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. De. 279,642 to Ross on Jul. 16, 1985, is typical of back cushioning devices with contoured supporting shape for the lumbar region of a person's back. U.S. Pat. No. De. 268,976, issued on May 17, 1983, also to Ross, illustrates another such device. Such devices, however, are most effective when used in combination with a supporting seat cushion. Such a device is inconvenient to carry from place to place with a separate seat cushion device, and therefore such devices are limited in their usefulness as portable items with two separate parts.
Accu-Back, Inc., of California, makes available an orthopedic foam wedge which serves as a supporting seat cushion. With the thickest portion of the wedge behind the knees, the thighs are elevated, thereby attempting a more natural, neutral position of the pelvis. However, such a wedge has limited effectiveness when used for extended periods of time, even when used with a supporting back cushion as suggested by the manufacturer. When elevating the thighs, such a wedge transfers body weight onto the coccyx and ischia, which often causes poor circulation and pressure pain in that area when sitting for extended periods. Moreover, the right angle corner design of the typical wedge device increase pressure against the back of the knees which may cause a reduction in blood circulation and cramping in the lower legs and feet. The manufacturer notes that such a wedge device may be used with the thickest portion under the buttocks, thereby relieving some pressure from the ishia and coccyx. Such a configuration is often recommended for people having injuries to the coccyx, or tenderness after surgery or childbirth, and the like. However, in such a wedge configuration, the pelvis may be forced out of a neutral position since the thighs are no longer elevated. Further, much of the body weight is shifted onto the back of the thighs and the back of the knees, often causing poor circulation to the lower legs and pain when sitting for extended periods of time.
Another seat support device, marketed under the tradename Bottoms-Up.TM., is made available by Roloke Co. of Culver City, Calif., and has a multiple-contoured surface. Roloke Co. claims that such a device achieves neutral balanced pelvic-spinal alignment. However, such a device has been found to be less effective if not used with a properly positioned lumbar-supporting back cushion since it is difficult for one to maintain correct posture over extended period of time without supporting the entire surface of the back of the pelvis. Such a seat support device only provides support to the lower back area up to the base of the pelvis. Although Roloke Co. strongly suggests using a back support device in combination with the Bottoms-Up.TM. device, handling separate back and seat supports is cumbersome. Further, since the Bottoms-Up.TM. device is a rigid appliance, prolonged use the device can become uncomfortable, and transporting and storing the device is often difficult and inconvenient.
Clearly there is a need for a support device designed to significantly reduce pressure to the ishia and coccyx regions while elevating the thighs to facilitate moving the pelvis into a more neutral and orthopedically correct position. Such a needed device would also eliminate pressure to the back of the knees to allow proper blood circulation throughout the legs and feet while sitting over an extended period of time. Further, such a needed device would redistribute body weight more evenly over the entire seating surface without requiring a rigid seating surface that is cumbersome and inconvenient to transport. Such a needed device would further include a lumbar support means to support and increase comfort across the entire back of the pelvis and effectively neutralize the pelvic-spinal alignment for extended sitting periods. Still further, such a needed device would be extremely light weight and convenient to use and carry, would be fully adjustable so as to accommodate a variety of sizes of users and seat depths, and would be relatively inexpensive to manufacture. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.

Portable, orthopedically correct, adjustable seating cushion


A method of driving a 3-electrode plasma display apparatus including a 3-electrode plasma display panel, a video processor, a controller, an address driver, an X-driver, a Y-driver, and a power recovery circuit is provided. In the 3-electrode plasma display panel, X-electrode lines and Y-electrode lines are alternately arranged in parallel on the rear surface of a front transparent substrate so as to form XY-electrode line pairs, and address electrode lines are arranged on the front surface of a rear transparent substrate to cross the XY-electrode line pairs. The intersections between the XY-electrode line pairs and the address electrode lines define display cells. The power recovery circuit is included in the address driver. The power recovery circuit collects charges unnecessarily remaining in the display cells at the end of application of the display data signals and applies the collected charges to the display cells at the start of application of the display data signals. The operation or non-operation of the power recovery circuit is controlled in accordance with the display data signals applied to the address electrode lines.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to method of driving a flat display apparatus, and more particularly, to a method of driving a 3-electrode plasma display apparatus.
2. Related Art
Flat display panels have been becoming more and more popular as display devices. The combination of the thin depth and large display area has proven to be appealing to consumers. Efforts are being made to improve picture quality and reduce power demands associated with flat display panels.
An exemplar of a recent effort in the art is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,618 for METHOD AND A CIRCUIT FOR GRADATIONALLY DRIVING A FLAT DISPLAY DEVICE issued on 30 Jul. 1996 to Shinoda.
In a structure of a surface discharge type 3-electrode plasma display panel, address electrode lines are formed on a front surface of a rear glass substrate of the panel in a predetermined pattern. A rear dielectric layer is formed on the front surface of the rear glass substrate. Partition walls are formed on the front surface of the rear dielectric layer to be parallel to the address electrode lines. These partition walls define the discharge areas of respective display cells and serve to prevent cross talk between display cells. Phosphor layers are formed between partition walls. A driving method adapted to such a plasma display panel is to sequentially perform initialization, addressing, and display-sustaining. Unfortunately, as a result of using this driving method, in each subfield an address period increases and a display-sustaining period decreases, and, as a result, the problem is that the brightness of light emitted from the plasma display panel decreases.
In some driving methods, a large addressing power is generated for video data having a large sum of data variations between lines and a large sum of data variations between cells, and a large addressing power is generated for video data having a large number of display cells to be turned on and a large number of display cells to be turned off in adjacency of the respective display cells to be turned on. In the above-described driving methods and others, unnecessary addressing power is generated because of the fact that the characteristics of video data are not taken into consideration.

Method of driving 3-electrode plasma display apparatus to minimize addressing power


Chip-type electronic elements are applied in line on the surface of a carrier tape before they are supplied to an automatic electronic-element supply apparatus so as to be automatically mounted on a printed circuit board. Side plates are disposed at an end portion of the body frame of the automatic electronic element supply apparatus for a chip-type electronic element mounting apparatus in such a manner that a plurality of carrier tape reels can be fastened to the side plates and the carrier tapes are discharged from the tape reels in a ratchet manner while moving adjacently in parallel to one another through another end portion of the body frame. Thus, a multiplicity of different kinds of electronic elements can be supplied from one supply apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus for use in an apparatus for automatically mounting chip-type electronic elements on a printed circuit board.
2. Related Art Statement:
Chip-type electronic elements 1, formed variously as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12D are accommodated in recessed portions 2a formed in a carrier tape 2 which has conveyance holes 3 formed at predetermined intervals on either side of the carrier tape 2 as shown in FIG. 13. Thus, a taped electronic element group 5 is supplied to a user in a state where it is covered with a cover tape 4 and wound around a reel 6. The apparatus (omitted from illustration) for automatically mounting electronic elements is an apparatus arranged to sequentially take out the chip-type electronic elements 1 from the reel 6 so that they are then mounted on a circuit board. The chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus is a portion of the above-described apparatus for automatically mounting electronic elements.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view which illustrates a related-art chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus. Referring to FIG. 14, a carrier tape 2 taken out from the above-described reel 6 is guided to a feeding ratchet 25 so that a multiplicity of hooking claws 26 secured to the above-described feeding ratchet 25 are sequentially fastened to conveyance holes 3 formed in the carrier tape 2 when the feeding ratchet 25 is rotated. The carrier tape 2 is conveyed while being guided along the feeding ratchet 25 by a tape retainer 22 disposed above the feeding ratchet 25. The above-described cover tape 4 is turned by an angle of about 180.degree. and is taken out in a direction opposite to the direction in which the carrier tape 2 is fed, at a position of a slit D formed in a slightly upstream (adjacent to the reel 6) of an opening portion C which is formed in the above-described tape retainer 22 and through which the electronic elements are taken out so that the cover tape 4 is separated from its carrier tape 2. The leading portion of the separated cover tape 4 is wound around a take-up reel 27.
The above-described opening portion C, through which the electronic elements are taken out, is opened when a shutter 20 is moved in a direction designated by an arrow Y.sub.2 which opposes a direction designated by an arrow Y.sub.1 via a reverse-rotation lever 11 disposed between a feeding lever 28 and the shutter 20 by an action of a kicker (omitted from illustration) provided for the apparatus (omitted from illustration) for automatically mounting electronic elements in synchronization with the action of the apparatus for automatically mounting electronic elements. That is, the above-described shutter 20 is movably fastened to the tape retainer 22 in such a manner that the shutter 20 covers the opening C through which the electronic elements are taken out when the feeding lever 28 is pulled in the direction Y.sub.2 by a tension spring 32. A feeding ratchet lever 14 connected to the above-described feeding lever 28 by a connection pin 13 and arranged to act in synchronization with the action of the feeding lever 28 is moved downwards. As a result, a feeding ratchet claw 16 fastened to the feeding ratchet lever 14 via a supporting point 15 is returned by one pitch in a direction which opposes the direction of the rotation of the above-described feeding ratchet 25.
When the above-described feeding lever 28 is moved in the direction Y.sub.1, a movable lever 18 having a supporting shaft 17 which is commonly used as the supporting shaft for the feeding lever 28 is upwards moved via a connection pin 19. Then, a take-up ratchet lever 35 is upwards moved around a rotational shaft 30 of the above-described take-up reel 27 by a connection rod 24 which establishes a connection between the movable lever 18 and the take-up ratchet lever 35. As a result, a take-up ratchet claw 23 fastened to the ratchet lever 35 via a supporting point 36 is returned by one or plural pitches in a direction which opposes a direction in which the take-up ratchet 29 is rotated.
In the above-described state in which the opening portion C through which the electronic elements are taken out is opened, an operation of adsorbing the electronic elements and an operation of mounting the same on the printed circuit board (omitted from illustration) are performed by a vacuum adsorbing head (omitted from illustration). Since, the above-described manufacturing process is not relevant to the structure of the chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus, this process is omitted here.
When the pushing force given to the feeding lever 28 from the above-described kicker is released in a state shown in FIG. 14, the feeding lever 28 is returned in the direction Y.sub.2 by the urging force of the tension spring 32. As a result, the feeding ratchet lever 14 is moved upwards and the feeding ratchet claw 26 upwards pushes the feeding ratchet 25 in synchronization with the above-described upward movement of the feeding ratchet lever 14 so that the feeding ratchet 25 is rotated by a predetermined number of pitches in the tape feeding direction. Then, the hooking claw 26 secured to the feeding ratchet 25 conveys the carrier tape 2 by a predetermined number of pitches in the direction Y.sub.1. At this time, the shutter 20 is, similarly to the carrier tape 2, moved in the direction Y.sub.1 via the reverserotation lever 11. As a result, a state where the opening portion C through which the electronic elements are taken out is covered by the shutter 20 is realized. Therefore, the carrier tape 2 is moved in a state where the above-described electronic elements 1 are covered with the shutter 20. As a result, undesirablc pop-out of the chip-type electronic elements 1 from the recessed portions 2a of the carrier tape 2 can be prevented.
On the other hand, the take-up ratchet 29 is rotated in a direction designated by an arrow shown in FIG. 14 by the take-up ratchet claw 23 when the above-described feeding lever 28 is returned. The cover tape 4 separated at the slit D is wound by a take-up reel 27 to which the feeding ratchet 29 is secured by a predetermined length (a length corresponding to a predetermined pitch of feeding of the carrier tape 2). At this time, the movable lever 18 is downwards moved when the feeding lever 28 is returned in the direction Y.sub.2. During the above-described movement process, the movable lever 18 is given the urging force determined by the tension spring so as to keep an interval from the connection pin 19.
As described above, the structure is constituted in such a manner that predetermined rotational force is always given to the take-up reel 27 by the tension spring 31 via the connection rod 24, the take-up ratchet claw 23 and the take-up ratchet 29 to separate the cover tape 4.
Furthermore, the reel 6 is inserted into the supporting shaft 8 provided for the body cover 7 so as to be held by a leaf spring 9 from the side surface. Therefore, the horizontal deviation of the reel 6 is prevented and the reel 6 is stably held so that the looseness of the carrier tape 2 taken place at the time of feeding thereof is prevented. Reference numeral 10 represents a front cover, 21 represents a carrier tape receiving plate and 12 represents a carrier tape discharge port.
Recently, there is a desire of reducing (in particular, reducing the space between the supply apparatuses) the thickness of the chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus in order to improve the mounting tactic of the apparatus for automatically mounting electronic elements. Therefore, the related-art chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus constituted as shown in FIG. 13 encounters a problem in that there is a limit present in reducing the thickness of the supply apparatus due to the unsatisfactory rigidity of the body of the supply apparatus and thereby the electronic elements cannot be stably supplied.

Chip-type electronic element supplying apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An optical demultiplexer includes a first light bandpass filter that receives an input light beam at a first angle of incidence, passes a first light wavelength, and reflects a reflected beam, and a second light bandpass filter that receives the reflected beam at a second angle of incidence and passes a second light wavelength. A beam redirection element such as a reflective surface receives the reflected beam from the first light bandpass filter and redirects the reflected beam toward the second light bandpass filter at the second angle of incidence.

In an optical communications system, information is encoded onto a light signal. The light signal is transmitted from one point to another, as for example by free-space light beams or optical fibers. At the receiving end, the information is read from the light signal.
An important advantage of optical communications is that a number of different light signals of different wavelengths may be mixed together (multiplexed) into a single light beam in a technique known as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Each light signal of a different wavelength, or channel, has information encoded onto it prior to the mixing of the channels. At the receiving end, the channels are separated, or demultiplexed, according to their wavelengths. The information on each channel is read from the demultiplexed light of that wavelength. A single multiplexed light beam may therefore carry many times the information that may be transmitted by a non-multiplexed light beam.
The demultiplexing may be accomplished using a series of light bandpass filters. A thin-film optical filter of this type is formed as a substrate and a multilayer dielectric light-transmissive optical stack deposited upon the substrate. The bandpass filter transmits only light of a specific wavelength. When a multichannel beam is incident upon the filter, the light channel associated with the bandpass range is transmitted through the filter to a light receiver behind the filter. The beam with the remaining channels is reflected to another filter, where the next channel is extracted from the beam in a similar fashion, and so on until all of the channels of information carried by the light beam have been separated for further individual processing.
As the number of channels transmitted on a light beam increases, the required number of different constructions of the demultiplexing bandpass filters increases in order to extract each of the different channels from the light beam. The demultiplexing structure therefore becomes increasingly more costly due to the large numbers of different types of light bandpass filters that must be constructed and tested. There is accordingly a need for an approach which accomplishes the demultiplexing in a more convenient and less costly manner, particularly for large numbers of channels carried on the light beam. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.

Multichannel optical demultiplexer with varying angles of incidence to the light bandpass filters


An electronic throttle device includes a throttle body, a bulge, and a ring. The throttle body includes a bore part having an approximately cylindrical shape. The bore part is connected to an upstream air hose such that the upstream air hose is located on an outside of the bore part and is fastened with a fastening member from an outside of the upstream air hose. The bulge is discontinuously located along an outer circumference of the bore part and has a groove along an outer circumference of the bulge. The ring has a cross-sectional dimension larger than a depth of the groove in a radial direction of the bore part, and is located into the groove to configurate a protruding part that protrudes radially outwardly and extends entirely on the outer circumference of the bore part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic throttle device and a method of manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a connection structure of the electronic throttle device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a vehicular engine includes an electronic throttle device having a throttle valve and a motor. An angle (i.e., opening degree) of the throttle valve is controlled by driving the motor in accordance with a pressing amount of an accelerator pedal pressed by a driver. The electronic throttle device includes a throttle body having a throttle bore part. The throttle bore part has an approximately cylindrical shape and has an inlet portion at one end thereof. An upstream air hose is located at an outside of the inlet portion of the throttle bore part, and is fastened to the inlet portion with a fastening member (e.g., a hose band) from an outside of the upstream air hose. The inlet portion of the throttle bore part has a bulge at its outer circumference, for improving a connecting force of a connecting part between the throttle bore part and the upstream air hose, and thereby an airtightness of the connecting part is improved and an air leakage is reduced. The electronic throttle device further includes a housing base for housing the motor therein, and the housing base is attached to the throttle body through the throttle bore part and a concave portion.
The throttle body is generally formed by die-casting with a two-cavity mold for improving a productivity. When the electronic throttle device is used for an engine having a turbocharger or a supercharger, the throttle bore part may receive a high positive pressure. Thus, when a part of the bulge is lacked, the connecting force between the throttle bore part and the upstream air hose may be insufficient to prevent an air leakage from the connecting part. Thereby, an accuracy of an intake-air control may be reduced, and an output and a fuel consumption of the vehicular engine also may be reduced.
JP-2002-295756A discloses a swivel-hose joint for being connected with a hose. The swivel-hose joint includes a joint body, a pipe body having one end connected with the hose and the other end inserted into the joint body, and a C-ring. The C-ring is disposed between the joint body and the pipe body, so that the pipe body is not pulled out from the joint body and the pipe body can smoothly rotate with respect to the joint body. This joint structure is designed so that the hose does not twist when the swivel-hose joint rotates. However, this joint structure is not designed for improving an airtightness and a connecting force between the swivel-hose joint and the hose, and/or preventing the hose from being pulled out from the swivel-hose joint.

Electronic throttle device and method of manufacturing the same


A desoldering tool for melting and collecting solder includes a heated desoldering tip connected to a suction tube. The tip and tube from a flow bore for the flow of melted solder. The suction tube projects into an elongated tin collecting container which in turn is connected to a vacuum tube connected to a vacuum source. The axis of the suction tube traverses the axis of the container such that the solder flowing rom the suction tube is directed toward the interior wall of the container. That portion of the suction tube extending into the container forms a tin collecting space therearound for collecting the melted tin flowing from the mouth of the suction tube.

The invention relates to a desoldering tool of the type comprising a heated desoldering tip of which the bore is connected via a suction tube to the front end of an elongated tin collecting container with the rear end being connected via a vacuum tube to a vacuum source.
In such desoldering tools the solder caused to melt with the aid of the desoldering tip is sucked off through the bore of the desoldering tip and a suction tube which opens into the front end of an elongated tin collecting container of which the other end is connected to a vacuum source in order to suck the molten solder through the desoldering tip and the suction tube into the tin collecting container, in the path of which a baffle plate is usually arranged against which the extracted tin strikes, an air permeable filter being arranged behind the baffle plate. In such desoldering tools the tin collects in the tin collecting container and there is a danger that the tin in the tin collecting container, due to the thermally conductive connection to the suction tube and the desoldering tip and the vicinity to the heating element of the desoldering tool, will be held partially in molten state and drip back through the suction tube and interrupt the vacuum. To avoid this dripping back, it is known to make the suction tube bent and allow it to open into the front end face of the tin collecting container. However, such a bent suction tube easily becomes clogged and is difficult to clean.


Any valid displayed called number may be properly visually segmented by a call-processing arrangement (200) that uses stored definitions of syntax (320, 350) and grammar (400, 410) of the whole network numbering plan. The syntax definitions include definitions (312) of individual symbol strings and their associated display demarcations (360), if any--such as spaces or dashes or parentheses--or even their associated replacement strings. Display demarcations or replacement strings that are specified for individual symbol strings are administratively reprogrammable to change the specified display demarcations or replacement string. Following dialing of an individual symbol string, the symbol string is identified and it or its replacement is displayed (986) on the display (19) of the caller's telephone set (17) along with any previously-dialed symbol strings and is demarcated therefrom as specified in the definition of the symbol string. A caller thus always receives a display of any valid dialed number either properly visually segmented into its logical components or replaced by its logical meaning.

Display telephone sets are well-known in the art. When they are used with a switching system that is designed for use with display telephone sets, they typically display to a caller the telephone number that he or she is dialing. As the caller inputs the digits of the number on the telephone set, the digits are sent to the switching system, which echoes (returns) them to the display of the caller's telephone set.
In many such systems, the displayed dialed number is visually segmented--divided into its components--by dashes. These are not dialed or otherwise input by the caller, but are generated by the call-processing function of the switching system.
The switching system is typically capable of properly segmenting the dialed number into its logical components only if the dialed number is a number of the local network numbering plan of the switching system or has the same pattern (i.e., the same number of logical components each having the same number of digits) as the numbers of the local network numbering plan. But this capability breaks down for other dialable numbers.
Thus, for example, a switching system designed for use with the North American numbering plan as the local numbering plan would display the dialed number "0117758900" (or any other 10-digit number) as "011-775-8900", reflecting standard components of the North American numbering plan: area code-office (exchange) code-extension. But in reality, the dialed number is an international numbering plan number and not a North American numbering plan number, and its intended meaning is: international code-country code-city code-location code. Hence, the number should properly be displayed as "011-77-58-900". Conventional switching systems are not able to make this distinction due to their design, which is based on assumptions about the format of the network numbering plan, and which hard-codes these assumptions into the call-processing software. A further limitation on the ability of conventional switching systems to differentiate between numbers of different network numbering plans and to properly segment them is their call-processing strategy of recognizing only the first few significant digits of a dialed number, and then taking action on the basis of those few digits while depending upon some other, down-stream, one or more network elements to recognize and handle the rest of the dialed number.
A related display capability that exists in some systems is one which replaces or supplements certain displayed dialed numbers each with the name of the person or facility to which the dialed number corresponds. This capability is provided either directly by a caller's own intelligent terminal or by the originating switching system. Because it depends for its implementation upon a pattern-matching type of translation of the dialed number into the corresponding information, this capability suffers from the disadvantages of being able to display the corresponding information only after the entire dialed number has been input by the caller, and of being limited by database-size considerations to providing this corresponding information to only a small subset of all numbers that the caller can validly input.
A further related capability, available in advanced telecommunications systems such as ISDN systems, either replaces or supplements the displayed dialed number with an identifier (e.g., a name) or a number of the endpoint to which the dialed call is being routed, or to which it has been routed and connected. Like the previously-mentioned capability, it also is able to display this endpoint-related information only after the entire dialed number has been input by the caller, and furthermore only after the route for the call has been selected and established. This is because either a database that stores endpoints-related information is relied on to provide this information, or the endpoint itself is relied on to provide this information upon being accessed. In either case, however, because the information is particularly identified with the endpoint and hence is properly understood within the context of that endpoint, it may take the form of a properly-segmented dialable sequence in all instances.

Arrangement for effecting segmentation of a dialed number


A resilient washer design having an annulus body and a concentric sleeve extending from the annulus with a plurality of ribs extending from the sleeve. The washer may have an opposing sleeve extending from the opposite side of the annulus with a second plurality of ribs in staggered location to the first set of ribs. This staggered position allows the annulus to flex between the ribs on opposing sides and resist compression of the washer when pressure is applied axially.

Conventionally a metal washer is fitted over the threaded end of the shaft resting on the upper shoulder of the unthreaded portion of the shaft and then a cylindrical plastic sleeve is fitted over the lower end of the threaded portion of the shaft. A felt washer is then slipped over the plastic sleeve, followed by the cymbal which has a circular hole in its center. A second felt washer is then usually placed over the cymbal and a wing nut screwed down upon the upper felt washer to hold the cymbal onto the cymbal stand. Usually the shaft is positioned vertically, but may be tilted or even horizontal.
The purpose of the felt washers is first to protect and cushion the cymbal as it moves on the shaft of the holder preventing damaging contact with the support stand or retaining wing nut. Additionally the felt acoustically insulates the cymbal from the mounting hardware. Felt varies in flexibility depending on the size of the spaces between the fibers and layers of the felt washer. The weight of the cymbal will over time crush the felt material thus limiting the movement and function of the felt washer. The flexibility of the felt governs the cymbal movement, when struck, and the sound of the cymbal
This conventional means of mounting the cymbal on the cymbal stand has proven generally unsatisfactory. While providing some protection of the cymbal, the felt washers tend to dampen the vibration of the cymbal, and provide unsatisfactory sound from the cymbal.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.


A fixing device includes: a heater including a substrate, and a heating pattern; an endless belt configured to rotate around the heater; and a pressure roller. The endless belt is nipped between the pressure roller and the heater. The endless belt is nipped by the substrate and the pressure roller to form a nip portion including a first portion and a second portion. The length of the first portion in a moving direction of the endless belt at the nip portion is less than that of the second portion in the moving direction. The substrate includes: a third portion located corresponding to the first portion in a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and a fourth portion located corresponding to the second portion in the longitudinal direction. The length of the third portion in the moving direction is less than that of the fourth portion in the moving direction.

The following disclosure relates to a fixing device including a heater having a planar plate shape.
There are conventionally known heaters used for a fixing device which include: a substrate having a planar plate shape; and a heating resistor formed on the substrate. The substrate of the heater used in this fixing device has an elongated rectangular shape. There are also known fixing devices including a nip member, a pressure roller, and a belt that is nipped between the nip member and the pressure roller to form a nip portion. This nip portion of the fixing device has an inverse crown shape in which the width of the nip member in the widthwise direction increases with decrease in distance to each end portion of the nip member in the longitudinal direction.


The invention features novel methods for the production of large quantities of xenogenous antibodies, such as human antibodies. Preferably, this result is effected by inactivation of IgM heavy chain expression and, optionally, by inactivation of Ig light chain expression, and by the further introduction of an artificial chromosome which results in the expression of xenogenous antibodies (e.g., non-bovine antibodies), preferably human antibodies.

In general, the invention provides a genetically modified ungulate that contains either part or all of a xenogenous antibody gene locus, which undergoes rearrangement and expresses a diverse population of antibody molecules. In particular, the xenogenous antibody gene may be of human origin. In addition, the present invention provides for an ungulate in which expression of the endogenous antibody genes is either reduced or eliminated. The genetic modifications in the ungulate (for example, bovine) are made using a combination of nuclear transfer and molecular techniques. These cloned, transgenic ungulate (e.g., bovines) provide a replenishable, theoretically infinite supply of xenogenous polyclonal antibodies, particularly human antibodies, which have use, e.g., as therapeutics, diagnostics and for purification purposes. The invention also features methods for reducing the amount of endogenous antibody in non-human mammals, such as ungulates, that express both endogenous and xenogenous antibody. These methods increase the percentage of xenogenous B-cells and xenogenous antibody expressed by the mammals.
In 1890, Shibasaburo Kitazato and Emil Behring reported an experiment with extraordinary results; particularly, they demonstrated that immunity can be transferred from one animal to another by taking serum from an immune animal and injecting it into a non-immune one. This landmark experiment laid the foundation for the introduction of passive immunization into clinical practice. Today, the preparation and use of human immunoglobulin (Ig) for passive immunization is standard medical practice. In the United States alone, there is a $1,400,000,000 per annum market for human Ig, and each year more than 16 metric tons of human antibody is used for intravenous antibody therapy. Comparable levels of consumption exist in the economies of most highly industrialized countries, and the demand can be expected to grow rapidly in developing countries. Currently, human antibody for passive immunization is obtained from the pooled serum of human donors. This means that there is an inherent limitation in the amount of human antibody available for therapeutic and prophylactic usage. Already, the demand exceeds the supply and severe shortfalls in availability have been routine. Thus improved methods are needed to generate human antibody that is free of non-human antibody for clinical applications.
For example, improved methods and enhanced transgenic animals that produce polyclonal antibodies of a desired species (e.g., human Igs) in the bloodstream and which produce an array of different antibodies which are specific to a desired antigen would be highly desirable. Most especially, the production of human Igs in ungulates, such as cows, would be particularly beneficial given that (1) cows could produce large quantities of antibody, (2) cows could be immunized with human or other pathogens and (3) cows could be used to make human antibodies against human antigens. The availability of large quantities of polyclonal antibodies would be advantageous for treatment and prophylaxis for infectious disease, modulation of the immune system, removal of undesired human cells such as cancer cells, and modulation of specific human molecules.

Transgenic bovines capable of human antibody production


An immersion well construction including a rigid, heat conductive elongate member having (a) a threaded outside surface portion for threading into a preexisting fluid vessel wall threaded opening, (b) a wrench flat portion disposed proximally of the threaded outside surface portion and (c) a longitudinally extending cavity. The cavity has a main cavity body portion and an adjacent and smaller diameter distal cavity pocket. An inwardly disposed groove is formed on and extends longitudinally along the cavity, such that one or more wires of an electrical sensor held in the cavity pocket can pass in and along the groove and out the elongate member and to an electrical system, such as a remote computer control system.

The present invention relates to immersion wells used in boilers, hot water heaters and other fluid vessels. It more particularly relates to such immersion wells which house mechanical temperature sensors. It further relates to constructions of electronic temperature sensing and computer control or display systems for hot (or cold) fluid vessels.
It is often desirable to further control or automate an existing boiler or hot ,water system to make it more efficient and thus less expensive to run. Some type of (usually mechanical) temperature sensor is already provided on these vessels to control the burners when the temperature of the fluid in the vessel reaches a predetermined temperature. These systems typically are simple on/off systems and turn the burner on and off when the water reaches certain temperatures. There are three common ways of attaching the electronic sensor to an existing vessel to obtain a temperature indication for the control equipment to make the system more efficient.
One method is to burn a hole into the tank, weld a fitting at the hole, and thread the sensor housing into the fitting. As an example, a welder takes a Weld-o-let, which is a piece of metal or steel with a threaded interior, places it on top of the opening and then welds around it making an effective attachment and seal. This procedure is rather time-consuming and expensive, however, and requires special welding skills and workman certifications.
Another method is to strap a sensor onto a piping or other portion of the fluid system. Often the pipe is insulated so the insulation must first be removed according to this method, the exposed surface of the pipe cleaned, a heat transmitting paste applied thereon, the sensor stuck in the paste, a strap placed around the entire pipe circumference clamping the sensor down and the insulation then replaced. It is thus the temperature of the surface of the pipe which is then sensed and not necessarily that of the fluid in the pipe. This surface temperature can not only differ from but also lag that of the fluid inside of the pipe at that location. Another disadvantage is that often the strapped-on sensor often is not and cannot be placed at the preferred location on the vessel near the strata of fluid whose temperature is preferably to be determined.
A third method of applying the electronic temperature sensor to an existing vessel is to insert it into an unused preexisting tapping. These tappings usually are not present, however, and when they are, they are often corroded shut.


A method and system for assessing the ability of a securities processing system to apply straight through processing to securities transactions includes identifying one or more assessment issues in an issue and resolution log and capturing process and technology performance information for the securities processing system. The method also includes analyzing the process and technology performance information with respect to the one or more assessment issues and capturing information regarding the ability of at least one system external to the securities processing system to apply straight through processing to securities transactions. The method also includes formulating at least one recommendation, prioritizing the at least one recommendation, and developing an implementation plan.

Straight-through processing (STP) is an integrated approach to achieve hands-off, end-to-end processing of securities transactions without manual intervention or redundant handling. STP has been a goal of the securities industry for years, but a sense of urgency to achieve STP has been brought about by a convergence of changes in a rapidly evolving financial marketplace. These changes include: increased cross-border trades, extended trading hours, decimalization of securities prices, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)'s "hovering mandate" requiring T+1 (trade date plus one day) settlement of domestic equities by mid-2002, and the general pressure to meet rising customer expectations of speed and value in the Internet economy.
The rapid changes in the securities industry have a variety of implications, ranging from an explosion in transaction volumes to increased operational speed and complexity. However, a common denominator is compressed time frames, as manifested in shorter settlement cycles and the demand for real-time information. The increasing speeds at which transactions take place has significant implications for the industry as a whole and for individual players in the marketplace.
Current automated systems which connect financial market players (i.e. investment managers, broker-dealers, banks, financial instrument depository organizations, and infrastructure service providers), currently require three days (T+3) to clear a transaction (that is, have the money change hands and stock ownership records changed). The underlying computer and telecommunications systems infrastructure at each of the major players is complicated by such factors as each player's accounting system (needed to provide legally required records and to support payment of the players for their efforts), by complex "authorization & verification" protocols (between the computer systems of the various players), and by the many manual processes and legacy hardware and software in use. Such systems cannot be easily modified to accommodate a one day closing (T+1) process. As explained in more detail below, the exponential growth in the trading volumes in the U.S. stock markets in terms of shares traded and money involved (fueled in large part by the growth of the Internet, 24 hour trading capability, etc.) have created such a staggering amount of money (float) attendant to the three days clearance process, that the Securities & Exchange Commission has encouraged the creation of a one day clearance cycle (T+1) in order to minimize this float with the recommendation that this process be implemented by June 2002. While this is not deemed to be a firm date it is a target proposed by the SEC and various consortia of trading members, such as the Securities Industry Association (SIA), Industry Standardization for Institutional Trade Communications (ISITC), and other industry groups are attempting to define and build systems to be in place by this date.
The current T+3 clearance process may be visualized with reference to FIG. 2 wherein is shown an exemplary depiction of the processes in the lifecycle of a customer buy-trade of either domestic securities or corporate/municipal bonds initiated and settled in the U.S. domestic market. The assumptions are that all trading is in block form, all securities are immobilized in the depository and all trades are for institutional clients. This Figure is taken from the Securities Industry Association (SIA) White Paper version 1.5, Dec. 1, 1999, entitled "Institutional Transaction Processing Committee" (hereinafter "SIA White Paper"), which is incorporated fully herein by reference. In FIG. 2 an investment manager places an order 201 with a broker-dealer who places an execution request 203 with an exchange. The exchange returns a trade order confirmation 205 to the broker-dealer who calculates the Notice of Execution (NOE) and average price 207 and sends the NOE 209 to the investment manager. The investment manager matches the NOE with the original order 211 and allocates shares among client accounts 213. He then forwards the allocation details 214 to the broker-dealer directing the broker-dealer to allocate the trade among different accounts, and sends a trade notification 215 to the custodian. The investment manager then generates settlement & delivery instructions 217 and passes these 219 to the broker-dealer. The broker-dealer enriches the trade details with settlement instructions, fees, commissions, and tax 221 and generates messages to confirm the trade 223. The broker-dealer sends the trade detail message 225 to the depository who creates a confirmation 227 and sends the confirm message 229 to the investment manager The investment manager matches the confirm data from the depository to his previous allocations 231 and assuming they match he sends an affirm message 233 back to the depository. The Depository sends affirmed confirm messages to the broker dealer 237 and to the custodian 238 and the broker-dealer completes a settlement authorization 240 and returns it 239 to the depository who executes his part of the settlement 241 and notifies the custodian of the settlement 243 and the custodian completes the settlement 245.
Because of the enormous volume of trading activity and the number of interrelated parties involved in a trade, securities firms do not compare and clear trades among themselves. Most transactions are passed over to clearing corporations and depositories that compare and clear the trades. Clearing refers to the processing of payment instructions, and settlement refers to the actual exchange of funds and securities between parties. In the U.S., there are several clearing houses that serve various markets. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Amex, NASDAQ and some regional exchanges are cleared and settled through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC); U.S. Treasuries are handled by the Government Securities Clearing Corporation (GSCC). In the options markets, the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) clears trades for the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), as well as for the options traded on the NYSE, AMEX, and the Pacific Stock Exchange.
At the present time most of these market players need several days to handle trade/settlement activities. Much of the processing is done by overnight batch processing methods using various computer systems, and each with their own standards, formats, and methodologies. Communications are predominantly single-threaded, point-to-point with a manual focus. And some of the processes are manual processes. In the cross-border trading area there is limited automation, and the clearance process has high failure rates due to limited expertise in foreign market trading and non-dollar instrument handling. Accordingly, there is a technical problem set related to transforming this T+3 process to a T+1 process for clearance of security trades.
Incremental change will not allow the securities industry to adapt. T+1 trade settlement is expected to be a precursor to T+0 settlement. Successful adaptation to the new environment will require structural change. A degree of collaboration must be achieved which allows for STP among players, similar to that found in the payments industry.
Due to the compressed time frames of the industry's STP mandate as well as the rapid pace of technological and marketplace change, there exists a need to phase in significant changes quickly and allocate resources to address the most time critical issues first. Thus, a system and method is needed to evaluate the immediate impact of integrating straight through processing techniques to effect T+1 settlement of domestic equities in a securities processing system. A system and method is also needed to evaluate the longer term impact to a securities processing system presented by T+0 settlement and emerging electronic commerce related business practices.
T+1 evaluation uses a narrower, and more urgent, set of criteria to judge the impact of STP on a securities processing system. T+1 impact is defined as the challenges presented by meeting the more compressed time frames imposed by T+1 settlement of domestic equities. Challenges include the need to support open data standards as defined possibly by the GSTPA and the need to meet shorter settlement cycles. T+0 evaluation, on the other hand, uses a broader, longer term set of criteria to evaluate the impact of STP on a securities processing system. T+0 impact is characterized by not only same day settlement of securities, but also by the broader need for a securities processing system to become an end-to-end electronic commerce enabled enterprise, with Straight Through Processing beginning and ending with the investor or end customer.
The implication is that short term solutions to the T+1 challenge must be engineered to support a longer-term transition to an STP-enabled securities processing system fully connected in the electronic commerce arena, and able to support T+0 settlement. New organizations and systems must be designed that can eventually support same day settlement and dynamic, on-line interaction with customers and business partners. Thus, a system and method of identifying technological and methodological bottlenecks in a securities processing system is needed. In particular, identification of these technological and process inefficiencies may be accomplished through implementation of a system and method for assessing the ability of a securities processing system to apply straight through processing to securities transactions.

Method and system for identifying bottlenecks in a securities processing system


A shift register array is provided. The shift register array includes a plurality of shift registers connected in serial. The shift register includes a first transistor coupled between a first input terminal and a first node, a second transistor coupled between a first clock input terminal and an output terminal and a pull-up unit. The first transistor has a gate coupled to the first input terminal. The second transistor has a gate coupled to the first node. The pull-up unit includes a third transistor coupled between the first node and a ground, a capacitor coupled between the first clock input terminal and the second node and a fourth transistor coupled between the second node and the ground. The third transistor has a gate coupled to a second node. The fourth transistor has a gate coupled to the first node.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shift register, and more particularly to a shift register array of a liquid crystal display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, gate drivers and source drivers of most of the liquid crystal displays are disposed outside of the liquid crystal display panels, and are configured to generate gate pulse signals and data signals, respectively. However, using gate drivers increases costs. In order to reduce costs, the shift register arrays, which function as gate drivers, are fabricated on a glass substrate, i.e. an integrated driving circuit. An amorphous thin film transistor (TFT) process is often used in an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD). Therefore, given the above, for an AMLCD panel, the panel may abnormally operate due to stress problems of the shift registers after the panel is illuminated.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of a conventional shift register. In FIG. 1, only a single shift register 100 is shown. A plurality of shift registers 100 can form a shift register array, which functions as a gate driver. As shown in FIG. 1, the shift register 100 comprises a transistor 101, a transistor 102, a pull-up unit 110, a pull-down unit 120 and a transistor 106. The transistor 101 is coupled to a node N10 and receives a gate pulse signal GateN−1 output from a previous stage shift register. The transistor 102 receives a clock signal CK and outputs a gate pulse signal GateN of the shift register 100 according a voltage of the node N10. The pull-down unit 120 is coupled between the transistor 102 and a ground VSS. The pull-up unit 110 is coupled between the node N10 and the ground VSS and comprises three transistors 103-105. The transistor 103 is coupled between the node N10 and the ground VSS and has a gate coupled to a node N11. The transistor 104 is coupled between the node N11 and a power VDD and has a gate coupled to the power VDD such that a diode-connected transistor 104 is formed. The transistor 105 is coupled between the node N11 and the ground VSS and has a gate coupled to the node N10. Hence, the transistors 104 and 105 can form a dynamic inverter.
Furthermore, the transistor 106 is coupled between the node N10 and the ground VSS and has a gate for receiving a gate pulse signal GateN+1 output from a next stage shift register. However, for the shift register 100, it does not matter if the gate pulse signal GateN−1 or the clock signal CK are active or not, the transistor 104 will always be turned on, thus shortening operating lifespan of the transistor 104 and possibly causing damage.


The present invention related to safe botanical drug for treatment and prevention of Alzheimer""s disease. Specifically, this invention proves a safe botanical drug, Huperzine (HUE) and Clausenamide (CLE) and their preparation.

This invention relates to safe botanical drug of treatment and prevention of Alzhimer""s disease. Specifically, this invention provides a safe botanical drug, including Huperzine (HUE) and Clausenamide (CLE).
Alzhimer""s disease (AD) is the commonest form of dementia in the elderly. It manifests as a progressive loss of memory, particularly recent memories, and other cognitive functions, until patients eventually become completely dependent on cares.
It is estimated that AD affects about 4-5 million Americans. The incidence of AD and other dementia doubles every 5 years beyond the age of 65, and about 50% of the United States population over the age of 85 have symptoms of AD. Death occurs inevitably after 3-15 years. AD is predominantly a disease of the elderly and it is a major medical concern in view of the fact that about 33 million Americans are 65 and older, and this number is predicted to increase to 51 million by the year 2025. The annual economic cost of AD health care expenses and lost wages (for AD patients and their caregivers) is estimated at $80-100 billion.
Patients with AD have a large loss of neurons, in both cortical and subcortical regions. Brain weight is reduced by 30-40%. Many patients with AD have a large reduction of cholinergic neurons. It is known that choline acetyltransferase (CAT), which is caused by the loss of cholinergic nuclei and function. AD is characterized by progressive impairment of memory and cognitive functions and may lead to a completely vegetative state. There is much evidence for a marked decrease in choline acetyltransferase and other markers of cholinergic neuron activity and for changes in brain of AD. Eventually, cholinergic and perhaps other neurons die or are destroyed. Many methods of treatment of AD have been explored. Most attention has been focused on the cholinergic drugs because of the evidence for loss of cholinergic neurons noted above. Some drugs, for example, Tacrine and Donepezil used for treatment of AD. These two drugs are cholinesterase inhibitor. The drug apparently increases the release of acetylcholine. However, Tacrine has a significant hepatic toxicity. Also, Tacrine causes nausea and vomiting and Donepezil has shortest half-life. Also, Donepezil has some side effects of peripheroneural systems.
Other important factor of AD is the xcex2A peptide that is found in the senile plaques and cerebrovascular deposits exist as aggregate with a fibrillar appearance. So far, the result of all drug for AD are very disappointed. There still is lacking an effective and safety drug, which will treat and prevent AD and without any side effect at same time.
Recent development in molecular neuroscience aspects indicated that cholinergic neurons, CAT and the xcex2-amyloid peptide (xcex2A) have an important act in AD. Botanical drug for treatment and prevention of Alzhimer""s disease (BTA) is a new safe botanical drug. BTA contains HUE or CLE or HUE combined with CLE. HUE is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and the intention is to increase cholinergic transmission by preventing the breakdown of Ach liberated from the remaining cholinergic neurons. Also, HUE decreases xcex2A.
HUE produces pharmaceutical effects by inhibiting the action of acetylcholinesterase, which hydrolyzes acetylcholine to choline and acetic acid. HUE increases the concentration of endogenous acetylcholine in brain. Therefore, patients with AD treated by HUE showed some symptomatic improvements of AD.
CLE increases long-term potentiation and improves memory and biochemistry reactivity in neuron.
Chemical structure of HUE and CLE are shown as below:

Botanical drug for treatment and prevention of alzhimer""s disease

Abstract: HUE has the following pharmaceutical functions: inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (CAT), increasing memory, decreasing Alzheimer amyloid protein, increasing RNA and protein synthesis of brain, increasing calcium in brain, decreasing superoxide anion.

Abstract: CLE has the following pharmaceutical functions: increasing memory, decreasing Alzheimer amyloid protein, increasing RNA and protein synthesis of brain, increasing calcium in brain, decreasing superoxide anion, increasing long-term potentiation and increasing dopanmine (DA). It is important that HUE combined with CLE have stronger function as mentioned above.


An apparatus for retaining an artist panel is described as including a planar surface with a pair of slots formed therein and a pair of retaining members protruding through the pair of slots a sufficient amount to engage an artist panel. Each of the pair of retaining members is adjustable in position along the length of each of the pair of slots, respectively. The first of the pair of retaining members, when adjusted, provides a fixed abutment. The remaining retaining member includes a spring which supplies a force tending to urge it toward the first retaining member. The panel is secured to the planar surface by the tension supplied to it by the force imparted by the remaining retaining member that is then transferred through the panel and to the first retaining member as well. The pair of retaining members are adjusted in position by a corresponding pair of thumbscrews that are disposed on a cover plate that is attached to the underside of the planar surface. Each of the pair of thumbscrews cooperates with a third and a fourth slot that are provided in the cover plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to artist supplies and, more particularly, to easels for holding a panel during painting.
Easels are, of course well known. There are many styles and sizes of easels that are useful for a number of purposes.
However, artists have a need for an easel with special features. Often an artist will travel to a site and make either a sketch or an actual painting. He may not know in advance exactly what size panel he is going to use. The size of panel to be used will vary depending upon what image presents itself to the artist and his imagination. He may take along several different sizes of panels and then decide at each site which one he will use.
Therefore an easel that is adapted to hold different size panels is a useful device.
Sometimes, the panel will actually have a greater width than that of the easel. Therefore an easel that is adapted to hold a panel that is larger than the easel itself is, at times, especially useful.
Furthermore, in addition to merely holding the panel, it is desirable to secure the panel to the easel. This is useful because as the artist makes brush strokes upon the panel, a panel that is secured to the easel is less likely to move, thus making it easier to inscribe the envisioned image thereupon.
Therefore, an easel that is adapted to secure the panel thereto is also a useful device.
Furthermore, another problem arises in trying to secure a panel to an easel in that the means to hold the panel in place may interfere with the actual brush strokes.
There may be an obstruction presented by the mechanism which secures the panel so that an artist cannot make a free-flowing brush stroke in the area. This inhibits use of the panel by the artist.
The mechanism to secure the panel may also make contact with a brush the artist is using in such a manner so as to "squeegee" (i.e.; squeeze) paint off of the brush. This is more likely to happen when a large surface is exposed above the panel in direct line with the brush strokes. The large surface tends to scrape the paint off of the brush as contact is made. When this happens it causes paint to accumulate and to run down the panel, sometimes doing considerable damage to the work in process.
Ideally the method to hold the panel to the easel should not pose any large protruding piece that could then interfere with the brush strokes by the artist or squeegee a significant quantity of paint off of the brush.
Another requirement is that the easel, including any mechanism to hold the panel thereto, be pleasing in appearance. An artist is endeavoring to create a work of art that is a thing of beauty. That objective can hardly be aided if there is ugliness in any of the supplies and equipment which the artist uses.
Quite the contrary is true. An easel that is pleasing in appearance, especially when viewed from all angles, contributes to the beauty of the work in process by helping to keep the artist inspired and filled with thoughts of beauty and perfection.
This is not a minor point to consider. Indeed the artist sees the easel every time his gaze moves from the scene he is painting to the actual work in process. If the easel is generally appealing in appearance the inspired state of mind of the artist is maintained during the many transitions back and forth between the painting and the actual scene.
Therefore much thought and ingenuity are necessary to create an easel that is both functionally and aesthetically correct. If the easel satisfied only the functional requirements, it would neither contribute to great works of art nor would it be well accepted by professional artists.
Accordingly there exists today a need for an easel that is adapted to hold different size panels, to secure the panel to the easel including a panel that is larger than the easel itself, and which does not significantly interfere with the brush strokes of the artist, and is also pleasing in appearance.
Clearly, such an apparatus is a useful and desirable device.
2. Description of Prior Art
Easels are, in general, known. For example, the following patents describe various types of these and similar types of devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,175,070 to Maxwell, Mar. 14, 1916;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,221,510 to Christensen, Apr. 3, 1917;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,515,703 to Dumas, Jul. 18, 1950;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,933 to Brooks et al, Aug. 18, 1953;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,928 to Angell, Jan. 13, 1959;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,200 to Endlich, Jun. 14, 1960;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,742 to Barg, Jun. 27, 1972;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,224 to Fuhri, Dec. 6, 1977;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,630 to Fuhri, Feb. 8, 1983;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,547 to Hsieh, Nov. 17, 1992;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,144 to Maier, Sept. 20, 1994; and,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,651 to Maier, Aug. 12, 1997.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.


Described herein are novel methods of synthesizing 2-amino-5-chloro-N,3-dimethylbenzamide. Compounds prepared by the methods disclosed herein are useful for preparation of certain anthranilamide compounds that are of interest as insecticides, such as, for example, the insecticides chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole.

Conventional processes for the production of 2-amino-5-chloro-N,3-dimethylbenzamide are subject to several industrial concerns, such as hazardous materials, high cost, relatively long method steps, and complicated operations.
The present disclosure provides novel methods useful for preparing 2-amino-5-chloro-N,3-dimethylbenzamide and derivatives thereof. The benefits of the methods of the present disclosure compared to previous methods are numerous and include reduced cost, eliminated need for mixed solvent separations, reduced waste, relatively short method steps, simplified operation complexity, and reduced process hazards.

Efficient new process for synthesis of 2-amino-5-chloro-N,3-dimethylbenzamide


The method for cooling a hot-rolled steel sheet of the invention includes a target ratio-setting process in which a top and bottom heat transfer coefficient ratio X1, at which a temperature standard deviation Y becomes a minimum value Ymin, is set as a target ratio Xt based on correlation data between a top and bottom heat transfer coefficient ratio X of the hot-rolled steel sheet and the temperature standard deviation Y of the hot-rolled steel sheet; and a cooling control process in which at least one of an amount of heat dissipated from a top surface by cooling and an amount of heat dissipated from a bottom surface by cooling of the hot-rolled steel sheet in the cooling section is controlled so that the top and bottom heat transfer coefficient ratio X of the hot-rolled steel sheet in the cooling section matches the target ratio Xt.

For example, a hot-rolled steel sheet used in cars, industrial machines and the like is generally manufactured through a rough-rolling process and a finish-rolling process. FIG. 21 is a view schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing a hot-rolled steel sheet of the related art. In the process for manufacturing a hot-rolled steel sheet, first, a slab S obtained by continuously casting molten steel having an adjusted predetermined composition is rolled using a roughing mill 201, and then, furthermore, hot-rolled using a finishing mill 203 constituted by a plurality of rolling stands 202a to 202d, thereby forming a hot-rolled steel sheet H having a predetermined thickness. In addition, the hot-rolled steel sheet H is cooled using cooling water supplied from a cooling apparatus 211, and then coiled into a coil shape using a coiling apparatus 212.
The cooling apparatus 211 is generally a facility for carrying out so-called laminar cooling on the hot-rolled steel sheet H transported from the finishing mill 203. The cooling apparatus 211 sprays the cooling water on the top surface of the hot-rolled steel sheet H moving on a run-out table from the top in the vertical direction in a water jet form through a cooling nozzle, and, simultaneously, sprays the cooling water on the bottom surface of the hot-rolled steel sheet H through a pipe laminar in a water jet form, thereby cooling the hot-rolled steel sheet H.
In addition, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of the related art which reduces the difference in surface temperature between the top and bottom surfaces of a thick steel sheet, thereby preventing the shape of the steel sheet from becoming defective. According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the water volume ratio of cooling water supplied to the top surface and the bottom surface of the steel sheet is adjusted based on the difference in surface temperature obtained by simultaneously measuring the surface temperatures of the top surface and the bottom surface of the steel sheet using a thermometer when the steel sheet is cooled using a cooling apparatus.
In addition, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique that cools a rolled material between two adjacent stands in a finishing mill using a sprayer, thereby beginning and completing the γ-α transformation of the rolled material so as to prevent sheet-threading performance between the stands from deteriorating.
In addition, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique that measures the steepness at the tip of a steel sheet using a steepness meter installed on the exit side of a mill, and prevents the steel sheet from being perforated by adjusting the flow rate of cooling water to be different in the width direction based on the measured steepness.
Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 4 discloses a technique that aims to solve a wave-shaped sheet thickness distribution in the sheet width direction of a hot-rolled steel sheet and to make uniform the sheet thickness in the sheet width direction, and controls the difference between the maximum heat transmissibility and the minimum heat transmissibility in the sheet width direction of the hot-rolled steel sheet to be in a range of predetermined values.
Here, there are cases in which the hot-rolled steel sheet H manufactured using the manufacturing method illustrated in FIG. 21 forms a wave shape in the rolling direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 22) on transportation rolls 220 in the run-out table (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "ROT") in the cooling apparatus 211 as illustrated in FIG. 22. In this case, the top surface and the bottom surface of the hot-rolled steel sheet H are not uniformly cooled. That is, there was a problem in that, due to cooling deviation caused by the wave shape of the hot-rolled steel sheet H, it became impossible to uniformly cool the steel sheet in the rolling direction.
Therefore, for example, Patent Document 5 discloses a technique that, in a steel sheet formed into a wave shape in the rolling direction, makes uniform the cooling capabilities of top portion cooling and bottom portion cooling so as to minimize the influence of the distance between soaked water on the top portion of the steel sheet and a table roller at the bottom portion in order to uniformly cool the steel sheet.

Method for cooling hot-rolled steel sheet

NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION