A display substrate includes an insulation substrate, a gate line formed on the insulation substrate, a data line formed on the insulation substrate and crossing the gate line, a switching element formed on the insulation substrate and electrically connected to the gate line and the data line, and a pixel electrode formed on the insulation substrate. The pixel electrode is electrically connected to the switching element and includes a reflective electrode layer which reflects light and an absorption electrode layer which absorbs light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophoretic display device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display substrate and a method of manufacturing the display substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophoretic display device is a type of flat display device which may be used for an electronic book or other similar device. Generally, the electrophoretic display device includes a first substrate having a first electrode, a second substrate having a second electrode and a microcapsule having a white pigment particle and a black pigment particle. The microcapsule is interposed between the first and second substrates. Either the white or the black pigment particle is positively charged, and the other pigment particle is negatively charged.
A predetermined voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes to generate an electric field. As a result, the white and black pigment particles move toward the electrode having an opposite polarity in comparison to the respective moving pigment particle.
The electrophoretic display device has a high reflectivity and a high contrast ratio compared to a liquid crystal display device, and a viewing angle of the electrophoretic display device is not limited, similar to when viewing a sheet of paper, for example. Furthermore, the electrophoretic display device has a bistable characteristic. Thus, the electrophoretic display device may maintain display of an image, even when the electrophoretic display device does not continuously receive a voltage. Therefore, power consumption is reduced as compared to devices which do not have the bistable characteristic.
However, the electrophoretic display device does not have a black matrix which blocks an outside light and covers a remaining region which is not covered by the electrodes.
Furthermore, when the electrophoretic display device has a plurality of the microcapsules, an individual microcapsule is connected to an adjacent individual microcapsule by a binder. Light may leak through the binder, reducing a contrast ratio of the electrophoretic display device. A method of reducing a size of the microcapsule to reduce a space through which the light leaks has been suggested to solve the above-mentioned problem, but the suggested method may cause collisions between adjacent individual microcapsules of the plurality of microcapsules.

Display substrate and method of manufacturing the same


An apparatus, method, and memory direct a computer system, having at least a processor, memory, and touchscreen device (e.g., a touchscreen or a touchpad and display device) to execute at least one action on an object and/or text. The method includes detecting at least one item (e.g., fingers, stylus) placed on the touchscreen device, counting the number of items placed on the touchscreen device, determining if an associated action corresponds to the numbers of items and, if an associated action corresponds to the number of items, executing the associated action.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to touchscreen systems and, more particularly, but without limitation, pointers for touchscreen systems.
2. Background Information and Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, users interface with the desktop and operating system of their computer system using a "mouse". Typically, the mouse has one or more push buttons on its top and a roller on its bottom designed to roll along a surface next to the computer system. When the user moves the mouse's roller on the surface, a mouse pointer positioned on the computer system's display tracks the movement of the mouse's roller. When the user has positioned the pointer at a desirable location, such as over an object, the user clicks or multiple clicks, depending on how the mouse is programmed, one of the mouse push buttons to invoke or open the object.
Conventional mice suffer certain disadvantages and limitations. For example, mice are bulky, fixed in size so that very small hands or very large hands alike do not properly fit over the mice, not permanently attached to the computer system, subject to corrosion, and require the user to know the specific mouse behavior (e.g., which mouse button and how many clicks invoke a function). Accordingly, many customer oriented systems (e.g., ATM machines) and multi-user systems do not use mice. Rather, the trend for multi-user systems is to use touchscreens.
Conventional touchscreens allow the user's finger or a stylus, collectively referred to as "selection device", to replace the conventional mouse and mouse cursor. Conventional touchscreens utilize, for example, heat sensitive, sound sensitive, pressure sensitive, or motion sensitive grids/detectors to detect a hand, finger, or object placed on the touchscreen. Using current touchscreen technology, a user can initiate the display of a large pull down menu by touching the touchscreen, and then selecting an object within that large menu by dragging a finger down the menu.
However, conventional selection devices for touchscreens suffer certain limitations and disadvantages. Unlike a mouse cursor, fingers vary in size. Therefore, the desktop must place contiguous object icons and text far apart to accommodate sensing of the largest fingers. This presents a problem when the touchscreen is restricted in size. Further, some computer systems, such as laptops, only accommodate a touchpad, not a large touchscreen. A touchpad is a very small touchscreen used to manipulate objects and text displayed on a separate conventional display screen. To do so, the user positions one or more fingers on the touchpad to manipulate a conventional mouse cursor on the display screen. However, it is difficult to control and manipulate the position and placement of the mouse cursor using the touchpad.
There would be great demand for a new selection device for touchscreen technology that allows object icons and text to be placed close to one another, requires minimal space to perform functions on those object icons and text, and does not require the use of a mouse cursor.

Selection device for touchscreen systems

International Business Machines Corporation


A magnetic sensor apparatus includes a semiconductor substrate and a magnetic impedance device for detecting a magnetic field. The magnetic impedance device is disposed on the substrate. The magnetic sensor apparatus has minimum size and is made with low manufacturing cost. Here, the magnetic impedance device detects a magnetic field in such a manner that impedance of the device is changed in accordance with the magnetic filed when an alternating current is applied to the device and the impedance is measured by an external electric circuit.

A conventional magnetic impedance device utilizes a magnetic impedance effect, and is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H08-75835. The magnetic impedance effect is that impedance of the device changes in accordance with an outside stress in a case where the device is energized with an alternating current (e.g., a high frequency alternating current, the frequency being higher than 1 MHz). The device includes a magnetic layer, which is made of amorphous alloy and has a soft magnetic property. Here, the amorphous alloy has high relative magnetic permeability. Therefore, a change of the magnetic permeability in the magnetic layer in accordance with an external magnetic field becomes large, so that the device has high sensitivity.
However, the magnetic impedance device with the magnetic layer made of amorphous alloy has low heat resistance, so that the sensitivity of the device is much decreased in a case where the device is processed with heat treatment above almost 400° C. The reason is as follows. The crystallization temperature of the magnetic layer made of amorphous alloy is low, i.e., at around 400° C. Therefore, when the device is processed with heat treatment above almost 400° C., the amorphous alloy is crystallized, so that the soft magnetic property of the amorphous alloy disappears. Here, the soft magnetic property of the amorphous alloy provides high sensitivity magnetic impedance.
Further, in a case where the magnetic layer is formed of easily oxidizable material, the magnetic layer is oxidized with heat treatment, so that the soft magnetic property is deteriorated. Thus, the sensitivity is decreased.
Therefore, it is difficult to manufacture the magnetic impedance device having the magnetic layer made of amorphous alloy with using a conventional semiconductor processing method. That is because the conventional method usually includes a step of heat treatment above almost 400° C. Accordingly, it is difficult to minimize the device with using the conventional method so that the device is integrated with another circuit such as a sensor output signal processor.
Further, when the device is annealed, i.e., processed with heat treatment, a stress is generated in a substrate since thermal expansion of the substrate is different from that of the device. Here, the device is mounted on the substrate. Therefore, in some cases, the device may be removed from the substrate. To prevent from being removed, deposition condition for depositing a magnetic layer composing a magnetic impedance device is changed, or a film quality of the magnetic layer is changed. This is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No.2001-228229. However, this device is necessitated to form with limited manufacturing method and to have a limited construction.
Moreover, since a magnetic impedance device having high sensitivity is available for various sensor systems, minimization and low manufacturing cost are much required. For example, a magnetic impedance head module according to a prior art having a thin film magnetic impedance device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publications No.2001-318131. The head module includes the thin film magnetic impedance device, an electric power supply circuit for energizing the device with a high frequency alternating current, and a detection circuit for detecting a impedance change, which are provided with a discrete circuit. And each discrete circuit is combined with a hybrid IC. Therefore, minimization and reduction of manufacturing cost of the head module are limited.
Further, a magnetic impedance device is suitably used for a sensor apparatus mounted on an automotive vehicle, the sensor apparatus detecting, for example, rotation of a rotational body. A rotation sensor apparatus according to a prior art is disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications No. H08-304432 (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,276) and No. 2000-46513. These sensor apparatuses are mounted on an engine of a vehicle or on a wheel hub, so that the sensor apparatuses detect rotation of crankshaft of the engine or rotation of wheel of the vehicle, respectively. In each case, it is required to minimize the sensor apparatus so as to improve mounting performance of the apparatus and to increase design freedom of an engine and so on.
Further, the magnetic impedance device mounted on the vehicle is required to be protected from outside disturbance of magnetic field with using a simple construction of the device. That is because the magnetic impedance device has high sensitivity so that the device is easily affected by the outside disturbance of magnetic field. Therefore, a current sensor having a magnetic impedance device according to a prior art, for example, includes a magnetic shield and a pair of reverse wound coil for reducing the outside disturbance. This type of current sensor is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-116773. However, this current sensor has a complicated construction so that a manufacturing cost is increased.

Magnetic impedance device, sensor apparatus using the same and method for manufacturing the same


A particulate plugging agent, such as a diverting agent and/or loss circulation material, using a particular polyvinyl alcohol with a certain amount of monovalent metallic salt, which is water-soluble and has a buffer effect even if the environment is acidic, and thus stable, which in particular finds use in various subsurface oil production operations.

During oil production from subterranean formations by natural forces, only a small fraction of the total oil present in the reservoir is recovered. A variety of techniques have been developed to recover oil beyond that which is produced by the natural forces. One common procedure is to introduce a fluid into the oil-bearing formation in order to displace the oil to a production system comprising one or more production wells. The displacing fluid may, for example, be brine, fresh water, steam or gas. The most cost-effective recovery methods typically utilize steam.
One technique for increasing production is to increase the porosity of the oil-bearing formation by injection of a high-pressure drive fluid to fracture the formation, thereby allowing further access of the displacing fluid into the oil-bearing formation.
Some of the common injection drive fluids are much lighter than the reservoir fluids and thus rise toward the top of the flowing region bypassing the lower regions. In that case, the displacement of the oil from the formation is improved by the addition of the polymeric thickening agents that increase the effective viscosity of the drive fluid to match to that of the oil to be displaced.
Such injection fluids preferentially enter higher permeability areas (typically containing less oil), thus not reaching their intended targets (lower permeability areas). It is therefore desirable to plug the regions of higher permeability with a "diverting agent" to divert the drive fluid into regions of lower permeability. It is also desirable that the diverting agent possess a property of controlled solubility wherein a satisfactory solid plug is formed for a period of time after which the plug is removed without further effort or treatment, for example, by being slowly dissolved.
Physical plugging of the high permeability regions by cements and solid slurries has been tried with varying degrees of success. These techniques, however, have the drawback that they may remain intact for extended periods (or even permanently), and still-productive sites may consequently be permanently closed or require extraordinary efforts to reopen.
Several techniques of addressing the issue with the areas of differing permeability within a wellbore have been disclosed in the patent literature.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,306 discloses a process for increasing the permeability of an underground formation having several zones of varying permeability. The treatment fluid that was utilized contains HCl with oil-soluble particles dispersed in it. The dispersed particles provide a partial blockage of the permeable zones of the subterranean formation, thereby allowing the treatment fluid to enter the less-permeable zones.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,549 describes a material for diverting aqueous treatment fluids into the less permeable subterranean formations. The described material is composed of a carrier liquid and graded particles of cyclic or linear hydrocarbon resins having between 20 and 1400 carbon atoms, and a melting point of about 200° F. The particles sizes were in the range of 3 mesh to 200 mesh sieve. The particles are described as being water and acid insoluble, but soluble in oil. This means that the particles were designed to be removed by the produced oil after the completion of the treatment operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,575 discloses diverting-forming additives comprised of relatively water-insoluble solid material dissolved in a solvent such as methanol or isopropanol. When the additive is combined with an aqueous treatment fluid, the solid material, dissolved in the additive, is precipitated in the aqueous treating fluid into a finely divided form, which then acts as a diverting agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,923 discloses the use of certain radiation-induced polymers as either temporary or permanent diverting agents. Temporary or permanent reductions in permeability were obtained by injecting an aqueous solution containing a water-soluble polymer obtained by radiation-induced polymerization of acrylamide and/or methacrylamide and acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and/or alkali metal salts of such acids. The resultant polymeric diverting agent has properties, such as temperature and pH stability, so as to effect a reduction of permeability of the porous medium. Permeability within the formation can be restored by subsequent treatment with a chemical to break down the polymer, such as hydrazine hypochlorite solution or strong mineral acids.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,954,629 and 4,005,753 disclose polymeric diverting agents, and methods of treating subterranean formations with such polymeric diverting agents. The disclosed polymeric compositions comprise solid particles of a homogenous mixture of polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, a polyamide, and a softening agent such as a long chain aliphatic di amide. The disclosed polymeric diverting agents are said to be suitable for use in subterranean formations where formation temperatures are 350° F. or higher, and are also said to have controlled oil-solubility for ultimate removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,628 describes methods of temporarily plugging a subterranean formation using a diverting material comprising an aqueous carrier liquid and a diverting agent comprising a solid azo component and a methylenic component having a melting point of at least 332.6° F., a degree of solubility in water at a temperature of about 200° F. to about 425° F., and a degree of solubility in kerosene at a temperature of about 200° F. to about 425° F.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,986 discloses a polyvinyl alcohol based gel-forming composition to reduce channeling in subsurface formations. The composition comprises a specified polyvinyl alcohol or copolymer and a crosslinking agent, which reacts to form a gel for stably plugging unproductive steam channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,548B1 describes methods and compositions for stimulating multiple intervals in subterranean wells by diverting well treatment fluids into multiple intervals. According to the invention, this was accomplished by alternately displacing diverting agent from the annulus of the wellbore into a subterranean formation and displacing treatment fluid from a tubing string into the subterranean formation.
US2011/0005761A1 describes a degradable diverting agent comprised of a material selected from a fatty alcohol, fatty ester, proteinous material and a fatty acid salt, which may be used in combination with other types of degradable diverting agents.
WO2006/088603A1 discloses the use of diverting agents coated with certain specified water-soluble materials including a collagen, poly(alkylene oxide), polylactic acid), polyvinyl alcohol and a polyvinyl acetate/polyvinyl alcohol polymer. Following completion of the treatment, the publication indicates that the diverting agent can be removed from the formation by dissolving the water-soluble coating.
WO2018/231236A1 and WO2019/031613A1 disclose diverting agents comprising polyvinyl alcohol. The publications indicate that the diverting agents have a unique solubility in warm water.
The water-soluble materials can also be applied to lost circulation materials.
During drilling operations for oil production from subterranean formations, drilling fluids are pumped down through the drill pipe, through openings in the drill bit, and then upward to ground level, where the fluid is screened of the accumulated cuttings and is re-circulated through the system.
The functions of the drilling fluids include, for example, to lubricate the drilling tool and drill pipe, to provide a medium for removing formation cuttings from the well to the surface, to counterbalance formation pressure in order to prevent the inflow to the well bore of gas, oil, and/or water from permeable or porous formations which may be encountered at various levels as drilling progresses, to maintain hole stability prior to setting the casing, to minimize formation damage, and to hold the drill cuttings in suspension.
It is necessary for the drilling fluid to circulate in the wellbore (down the drill pipe and back up the annulus) in order to perform all of the desired functions.
A problem which sometimes occurs in the oil field is the loss of the drilling fluids into the permeable zones of the wellbore, which can dramatically increase the costs of the drilling operation.
In order to minimize the loss of the circulation fluids, it is desirable to plug the flow passages responsible for the fluid losses.
Drilling fluids are designed to seal porous formations while drilling; this occurs as the result of suction of the fluid onto the permeable surface (pressure greater in the well than in the formation) and the creation of a mud cake to seal a porous formation during drilling and for the purpose of wellbore stabilization.
The loss of fluids to the formation can reach an extent such that no mud cake can be created to secure the surface and create an effective barrier. In extreme situations, when the borehole penetrates a fracture in the formation through which most of the drilling fluid may be lost, the rate of loss may exceed the rate of replacement. Drilling operations may have to be stopped until the lost circulation zone is sealed and fluid loss to the fracture is reduced to an acceptable level. In the worst case, the consequences of this problem can be loss of the well.
Several techniques have been developed to cure or to reduce lost circulation of mud to the wellbore. Curing lost circulation while drilling is the subject of many publications and patents.
For example, certain drilling fluid additives can form a thin, low permeability filter cake that can seal openings in formations to educe the unwanted influx of fluids or the loss of drilling fluids to permeable formations.
Lost circulation materials (LCMs) capable of bridging or blocking seepage into the formation can also be added to the drilling fluid. Many different types of materials have been added to drilling fluids as LCMs.
Additional disclosures of the use of polyvinyl alcohols as diverting agents and/or loss circulation materials include, for example, commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 16/554,078, 16/554,126, 16/554,177 and 16/554,231 (all filed 28 Aug. 2019).
Polyvinyl alcohol optionally in combination with other materials have also been described as a fluid loss additive for use in cement for cementing oil and gas well bores. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,105,885, 5,207,831, US2006/0041060A1 and EP0587383A1.
Subterranean environments are sometimes acidic, and contain a lot of multivalent metallic salts such as calcium salts. In such environments, it has been found that polyvinyl alcohol materials can be physically affected, for example, the solubility in water of polyvinyl alcohol-based plugging materials may tend to decrease due to cation crosslinking, which can affect their performance and removability.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a particulate polyvinyl alcohol-based plugging agent that reduces this negative effect.

Particulate polyvinyl alcohol plugging agents


A method for displaying images in a medical navigation system assisted by x-ray images includes calibrating an x-ray device in the medical navigation system and producing a plurality of two-dimensional x-ray images of a patient using the x-ray device. During the producing step, positions of the x-ray device are determined using the medical navigation system in order to produce positional data. Data associated with the two-dimensional x-ray images is converted into three-dimensional data. The two-dimensional x-ray images, production information corresponding to the two-dimension x-ray images, and the three-dimensional data to the navigation system. At least the two-dimensional x-ray images are displayed on an image output of the medical navigation system.

Modern, computer-assisted surgery is able, with the aid of medical navigation systems, to show the surgeon's instruments or implants in relation to anatomical image data on a monitor during the operation. The anatomical image data of a patient can be acquired either pre-operatively or intra-operatively and can consist of various modalities (CT, MRI, PET, SPECT, x-ray images or combinations of these).
In computer-assisted surgery, it is also common to ascertain image data with the aid of an x-ray device, generally used in the form of a C-arm, and to then utilize this data with the aid of a navigation system. The computer system processes the image data and "registers" it, i.e., the system determines the exact position of image data in relation to a previously defined reference, for example, spatially on the patient. It is then possible to show the position of an instrument on top of the data obtained, i.e., to navigate.
X-ray-based navigation has the advantage that it enables the surgeon, through a very simple registering method, to easily, simply, and quickly enlist the aid of navigation. In isolation, x-ray navigation provides a valuable aid for the surgeon. However in the methods currently used, it has the disadvantage that every image has to be registered individually and then displayed in correct relation to the instruments or apparatus.
Furthermore, systems exist which use navigation based on volume data sets (for example, CT, MRI) and x-ray images and/or reconstructed x-ray images, which are to be registered individually and are reconstructed from the volume data set or from processed x-ray image sets. While these x-ray images, in their original state, actually provide very good imaging data with a high contrast and good accuracy of detail, these advantages are partly lost when the data is converted into a 3D volume data set or is calculated back again to reconstructed x-ray images. In this case, the surgeon then has to navigate using image data which image content is not as good as that of the originally acquired x-ray images.
A surgical navigation system including a reference and localizing frame is known from WO 96/11624. U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,535 discloses a device for an anatomical tracking method in which positional signals are processed, which originate from a reference object on a swing arm of a head clamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,310 B1 discloses an x-ray-guided surgical localizing system with an extended mapping volume in which x-ray images from a fluoroscope (C-arm) x-ray device are registered in relation to surgical instruments via reference elements. A method and a device for the image-assisted treatment of treatment targets, including the integration of x-ray detection and a navigation system, is known from DE 199 17 867 A1. U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,097 demonstrates an x-ray examining device comprising a C-arm, wherein isocentric irradiation is performed in at least one position of the C-arm.

X-ray image-assisted navigation using original, two-dimensional x-ray images


A method of improving an image or a set of images, by transforming an intensity histogram thereof is disclosed. The method comprises: (a) fitting the intensity histogram to a sum of a plurality of localized functions; (b) using the plurality of localized functions to define a plurality of localized intensity histograms; (c) for each localized intensity histogram, performing at least one image enhancement procedure, thereby providing a plurality of improved localized intensity histograms; and (d) combining the plurality of improved localized intensity histograms, thereby transforming the intensity histogram of the image. In various exemplary embodiments, the method further comprises detecting clutter and/or an outline of at least one region in the image or set of images.

The present invention relates to image analysis and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for analyzing and improving the quality of images obtained, e.g., during echocardiography.
Imaging is recognized as the most commonly used tool in medical diagnostics. Due to its non-invasive nature, imaging is the preferred procedure prior to any invasive treatment or analysis. Medical imaging techniques include Magnetic Resonance Imaging, X-ray imaging, gamma imaging, ultrasound imaging and the like. In Magnetic Resonance Imaging, magnetic fields interact with the spins of the atoms in a tissue and the interaction results are monitored and analyzed to provide an image of the tissue. In X-ray imaging, X-ray radiation is applied to the body and different absorption and transmission characteristic of different tissues generate an image thereof. In gamma imaging, a radioactive isotope is injected to, inhaled by or ingested by a patient. The isotope is chosen based on bio-kinetic properties that cause preferential uptake by different tissues. Radiation emitted by the radioactive isotope is detected by radiation detectors outside the body, giving its spatial uptake distribution within the body. In ultrasound imaging, high frequency pulsed and continuous sound waves are applied to the body and the reflected sound waves are used to develop images of internal organs and the vascular system. The sound waves are generated and recorded by transducers or probes that are either passed over or inserted into the body. The resulting images can be viewed immediately on a video display or can be recorded for later evaluation in a single image or a cine-loop format.
Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is presently a preferred imaging modality in many medical fields, such as radiology, cardiology and gynecology. Cardiologists and other medical practitioners use cardiac ultrasound imaging, also termed echocardiography, to evaluate the condition of the heart. Echocardiography has the advantage of being a non-invasive, quick, inexpensive, convenient and safe diagnostic procedure, and is therefore practiced in many hospitals as well as private clinics.
The primary drawback of echocardiography is the difficulty of acquiring good quality images in patients with poor acoustic windows. Moreover, clutter and poor resolution can compromise the clinical utility of images of any patient produced by even the most sophisticated ultrasound scanners. With echocardiography, the difficulty of acquiring acceptable images is further compounded by the fact that the region of interest, the heart, has complex motion patterns. The advantages of echocardiography procedure on the one hand, and the unsatisfactory image quality on the other hand, have led researches to apply image processing techniques so as to at least partially improve the echocardiograph image.
One image processing technique is "thresholding," in which one or more parameters (typically intensity thresholds), are used to generate an output image. For example, in one implementation of the thresholding procedure, the intensity of each to pixel in the original image is compared with a single intensity threshold. The original image is mapped onto a binary image in which each pixel has one of two polarities (say "0" and "1") depending whether the intensity of the corresponding pixel in the original image is higher or lower than the intensity threshold.
Image processing oftentimes involves mathematical operations performed on histograms characterizing the images. In image processing context, a histogram typically refers to a graph showing the number of pixels in an image at each different intensity value found in that image. For example, for an 8-bit grey-scale image, there are 28=256 different possible intensity values, and the histogram graphically displays 256 numbers showing the distribution of pixels amongst those intensity values.
A well-known mathematical operation is "histogram equalization" (see, e.g., Eltoft et al. "Real-Time Image Enhancement in Two-Dimensional Echocardiography", Computers in Cardiology 1984:481). This technique is based on the assumption that images embodying the maximal possible intensity range display optimal contrasts. In conventional histogram equalization, an intensity transformation, also known as a Brightness Transfer Function (BTF), is used to increase the spread of the intensity histogram characterizing the image. Histogram equalization can also be combined with thresholding and/or intensity transformation [Gonzalez R. C. and Woods R. W., "Digital Image Processing" Addison-Wesley, pp. 166-171, 1992]. However, the results obtained using the above techniques are far from being satisfactory. In particular, echocardiograph images processed using prior art techniques suffer from poor resolution and a substantial amount of noise.
The major artifact in ultrasound images is clutter, which includes irrelevant information that appears in the imaging plane, obstructing the data of interest. There are several causes for the appearance of clutter in an ultrasonic image. A first cause is effective imaging of off-axis objects, primarily due to highly reflective objects in the transducer's sidelobes (e.g., the ribcage and the lungs). A second cause is known as multi-path or reverberations. Due to the geometry of the scanned tissue with respect to the transducer, and the local reflective characteristics of the tissue, a substantial amount of the transmitted energy is bounced back and forth in the tissue before reaching the transducer. As a result, the signal measured at a specific range-gate includes contributions from incorrect ranges, in addition to the relevant range swath.
A known method for handling clutter, in particular in ultrasound images of patients with low echogenicity is "contrast echocardiography" [Krishna et al., "Subharmonic Generation from Ultrasonic Contrast Agents," Physics in Medicine and Biology, 44:681, 1999]. In contrast echocardiography the backscatter from blood is enhanced to improve its delineation from the surrounding tissue. Another imaging method known to reduce clutter is harmonic imaging [Spencer et al., "Use of Harmonic Imaging without Echocardiographic Contrast to Improve Two-Dimensional Image Quality," American Journal of Cardiology, 82:794, 1998]. In harmonic imaging, the ultrasound waves are transmitted at one frequency and receiving at twice the transmitted frequency. These techniques however provide less than optimal results. Additionally, being based on adapting the data acquisition process, these techniques cannot be applied to all types of echocardiograph images.
Several clutter rejection algorithms have been specifically developed for color-Doppler flow images in which effects of slow-moving objects are suppressed assuming that the blood flow velocity is much higher than the motion velocity of the surrounding tissue (to this end see, e.g., Herment et al, "Improved Estimation of Low Velocities in Color Doppler Imaging by Adapting the Mean Frequency Estimator to the Clutter Rejection Filter," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 43:919, 1996; Bjaerum et al., "Clutter filters adapted to tissue motion in ultrasound color flow imaging," IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics Ferroelectrics & Frequency Control, 49, 6:693, 2002; Cloutier et al., "A new clutter rejection algorithm for Doppler ultrasound," IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 22, 4:530, 2003; and Yoo et al., "Adaptive Clutter Filtering for Ultrasound Color Flow Imaging," Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 29, 9:1311, 2003).
It is recognized that the effectiveness in diagnostic imaging depends on the ability to accurately recognize the imaged organs. For example, in echocardiography, the determination of the location of the cardiac muscle within the scanned plane, and specifically of the Left Ventricle (LV), is of great importance. Information about the LV outlines as a function of time enables automatic extraction of rich local quantitative functional information.
However, with the present signal-to-noise ratio and substantial amount of clutter in echocardiograph images, visual as well as automatic determination of the LV outlines is rather difficult. An inherent problem with automatic determination of the LV outlines is the complex motion of the Mitral Valve and the Papillary Muscles, which further increase the computational load. An additional problem is the significant variations between different patients and different measurements of the same patient. Several attempts have been made to develop algorithms for automatic detection of the LV outlines [U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,457,754 and 6,346,124; and Jacobs et al., "Evaluating a Robust Contour Tracker on Echocardiographic Sequences," Medical Image Analysis, 3:63, 1999]. These attempts, however, had only limited success in border detection. For example, prior art fail to accurately detected contours outlining the outer boundaries of the LV.
Other prior art of interest include, Ohyama et at., "Automatic Left Ventricular Endocardium Detection in Echocardiograms Based on Ternary Thresholding Method", IEEE Proceedings of 15th International Conference on Pattern Recognition 4:320-323, 2000; and Abiko Y and Ito T, Nakajima M., "Improvement on Quality of Echocardiograms", Acoustical Imaging 23:169-176, 1997.
It will be appreciated that there is a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have methods and apparatus for analyzing and improving the quality of images, devoid of the above limitations.

Method and apparatus for analysing ultrasound images


Nucleic acid compositions and polypeptides encoding a red-shifted form of firefly luciferase are provided. These red-shifted luciferases are characterized by spectrum of light emission having detectable emissions at 610 nm (luc610), preferably a primary peak at 610 nm. The nucleic acid compositions find use in various systems as a reporter gene, and are of particular interest for use as a reporter with in vivo systems, because of the efficient transfer of red light through tissues. The red-shifted luciferase may be combined in such assays with luciferases emitting at other spectra, in order to monitor multiple processes simultaneously.

Bioluminescence is the emission of light from an organic molecule, such as xe2x80x9cluciferinxe2x80x9d, which has been oxidized by oxygen or one of its metabolites. The reaction is catalysed by a protein, usually known as a xe2x80x9cluciferasexe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cphotoproteinxe2x80x9d. The luciferases of beetles and fireflies utilize benzothiazole as a luciferin. For a given photoprotein additional substances, cofactors, may be required to generate light. These may include cations (such as magnesium), or cofactors such as NADH, FMN, or ATP; a fluor may also be included as an energy transfer acceptor. Reactions involving these cofactors, luciferases and luciferins result in the emission of light, which can occur in a spectrum of colors.
Photoproteins have been used in a variety of ex vivo and in vitro assays to determine levels of gene expression, presence and concentration of contaminants or energy levels (ATP). More recently, these enzymes have been used to monitor biological processes in living cells and animals. Generally, in luminescence assays, reaction substrates and other luminescence-activating reagents are introduced into a biological system suspected of expressing a reporter enzyme. Resultant luminescence, if any, is then measured using a photomuliplier tube, a charge coupled device. or any suitable radiant energy-measuring device in the form of a luminometer or camera. The assay can be rapid and sensitive, and may provide data quickly and easily, without the need for radioactive reagents, additional contrast reagents or dyes.
The most commonly used bioluminescent reporters emit in the blue to yellow-green range (250-560 nm). However, red light is transmitted through live tissue more efficiently than other wavelengths of visible light (see Cambell (1988), xe2x80x9cChemiluminescence: Principles and Applications in Biology and Medicinexe2x80x9d; and Jobis (1977)). By red-shifting the emission of bioluminescent reporters, it may be possible to enhance their utility for in vivo monitoring of biological processes, and provide additional reagents for multiparameter analysis by providing additional colors.
Multicolor functional assays have utility in analyses of coordinately regulated processes in ex vivo samples, cell lysates, living cells and living animals. Multiple colors of bioluminescent light from naturally occurring luminescent species have been identified, and in fact luciferase clones obtained from a single beetle species were shown to encode enzymes that emit at four different wavelengths (green to orange) (Wood et al. (1989) Science 244:700-702). With photoproteins that emit at different wavelengths, it may be possible to monitor multiple functions in vitro, in cells and in animals using spectrally resolved methods for analyses and imaging.
Luciferase genes are widely used as genetic reporters due to low background providing good signal to noise ratios, their non-radioactive nature, extreme sensitivity, broad dynamic range and linear response in various assays. (see, for example Welsh and Kay (1997) Curr Opin Biotechnol 8(5):617-22). Since as few as 10xe2x88x9220 moles of the firefly luciferase can be detected, luciferase assays for gene activity are used in virtually every experimental biological system, including prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell cultures, transgenic plants, cells and animals, and cell-free expression systems. Similarly, luciferase assays of ATP are highly sensitive, enabling detection to below 10xe2x88x9216 moles.
Currently, luciferase genes from a wide variety of vastly different species, particularly the luciferase genes of Photinus pyralis (the common firefly of North America), Pyrophorus plagiophathalamus (the Jamaican click beetle), Renilla reniformis (the sea pansy), and several bacteria (e.g., Photorhabdus luminescens and Vibrio spp), are used as luminescence reporter genes. Amino acid substitutions in the active sites of luciferase clones have been reported to alter wavelength of emission (Kajiyama et al. (1991) Prot. Eng. 4:691). However, red-emitting clones of a well-characterized luciferase with readily available sources of substrate have not been reported.
Relevant Literature
Engineering of luciferases has been reported. Sung and Hang (1998) Photochem Photobiol 68(5):749-53 disclose that the N-terminal amino acid sequences of the firefly luciferase are important for the stability of the enzyme. Branchini et al. (1998) Biochemistry 37(44):15311-9 performed site-directed mutagenesis of histidine 245 in firefly luciferase. White et al. (1996) Biochem J 319 (Pt 2):343-50. showed an improvement in the thermostability of the North American firefly luciferase by saturation mutagenesis at position 354. Kajiyama and Nakano (1994) Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 58(6):1170-1 constructed firefly luciferase mutants from Luciola lateralis in which Ala at position 217 was replaced by each of three hydrophobic amino acid residues (lie, Leu,. and Val). U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,629 Harpold, et al. describes assay methods and compositions useful for measuring the transduction of an intracellular signal.
Contag et al. (1997) Photochem Photobiol 66(4):523-31 describes the use of bioluminescence to monitor gene expression in living mammals. Viral promoters fused to firefly luciferase as transgenes in mice allowed external monitoring of gene expression both superficially and in deep tissues. In vivo bioluminescence was detectable using either intensified or cooled charge-coupled device cameras, and could be detected following both topical and systemic delivery of substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,135, Contag, et al., entitled xe2x80x9cNon-invasive localization of a light-emitting conjugate in a mammalxe2x80x9d also describes the use of in vivo bioluminescence.
Contag et al. (1995) Mol Microbiol 18(4):593-603 describe a method for detecting bacterial pathogens in a living host; used to evaluate disease processes for strains of Salmonella typhimurlum that differ in their virulence for mice. Three strains of Salmonella were marked with bioluminescence through transformation with a plasmid conferring constitutive expression of bacterial luciferase. Detection of photons transmitted through tissues of animals infected with bioluminescent Salmonella allowed localization of the bacteria to specific tissues. In this manner progressive infections were distinguished from those that were persistent or abortive.
Hooper et al. (1990) J Biolumin Chemilumin 5(2):123-30 review low-light-level imaging, with particular reference to charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras. Detectors for sensitive imaging are described and compared, including various CCDs and photon-counting devices. Image analysis techniques based on digital image processing may be applied to quantify luminescent processes with these detectors. Images of luciferase gene expression in single mammalian cells have been obtained using a particular high-sensitivity intensified CCD camera.
The nucleotide sequence of the optimized firefly luciferase gene present in the plasmid, pGL3, may be accessed at Genbank (no. U47298), and for convenience is provided in the SEQLIST as SEQ ID NOs:7 and 8. This sequence is based on the wild-type Photinus pyralis sequence, accessible as Genbank no. M15077, or in the SEQLIST as SEQ ID NOs:11 and 12. The sequence of the luciferase from Luciola lateralis is accessible as Genbank no. U51019, or in the SEQLIST as SEQ ID NOs:9 and 10.
Nucleic acid sequences, and predicted amino acid sequences, for mutated forms of the firefly luciferase gene are provided. Gene products from these mutated forms are characterized by an altered light emission, where the normal, or wild-type, yellow-green peak at 560 nm is shifted to a orange-red peak at 610 nm, hence a red-shift. The nucleic acid compositions and resulting enzymes find use in various systems as a reporter gene, and are of particular interest for use as a reporter in multicolor assays and with in vivo systems, because of the relative increase in tissue penetration by red light over shorter wavelengths. The luciferase mutants may be used in a range of biological investigations, including the detection, location and measurement of microbes (protozoa, bacteria, viruses); detection and location of cancer cells; measurement of enzymes, intracellular signaling and other turnover reactions in cells or fluids; DNA and RNA binding assays; immunoassays and other protein assays. The red-shifted luciferase may be combined in such assays with luciferases emitting at other wavelengths, in order to monitor multiple processes simultaneously.

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


An electronic value amount of an electronic bank account and an electronic value amount stored in user identification module UIM in mobile station MS are each stored in an electronic bank server EBS, and updated by the server when either amount changes as a result of transaction.

Various systems exist for performing cashless shopping. These systems utilize so-called electronic money (hereafter referred to as an electronic value). However, since an electronic value is comprised of data, there is a danger that such a value may be improperly used or manipulated by unauthorized persons posing as claimants or owners. It is therefore necessary to devise an operating system which is able to provide security for cashless transactions, and to prevent problems of misuse and fraud.
However, in providing such a system a drawback is encountered in that transactions become more complicated and time consuming, and less efficient.


Methods for identifying and treating cancer patients likely to respond to topoisomerase inhibitors or likely to fail to respond to topoisomerase inhibitors are provided. The methods take advantage of the newly discovered role of BAF complexes in decatenation of DNA by topoisomerase IIa. Cancer cells are frequently at least partly defective in BAF complex activity. Such cells are targeted for therapy using certain topoisomerase IIa inhibitors according to the disclosed methods of treatment. Therapy of such cells using other topoisomerase inhibitors should be avoided.

The targeting of specific therapeutics to specific diseases based on the genetic and/or biochemical features of the particular disease is increasingly important in maximizing the effectiveness of treatments and minimizing side effects. For example, identifying cancer patients likely to respond to a given treatment can improve outcomes and decrease costs. Equally important is the identification of patients unlikely to respond to the treatment, as those patients can avoid the unpleasant and potentially toxic side effects of a drug treatment regimen that will not provide them any therapeutic effect. Identification of non-responsive patients likewise saves the cost of the treatment, an important consideration as the costs of highly specialized and sophisticated new drugs are often quite high.
An early example of the usefulness of genetic testing in guiding treatment and predicting outcome can be found in the treatment of breast cancer with Herceptin. Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody that interacts with the HER2 receptor and can be effective in the treatment of certain breast cancers. Vogel et al. J. Clin. Oncol. 20:719-726 (2002); Slamon et al. N. Engl. J. Med. 344:783-792 (2001); Marty et al. J. Clin. Oncol. 23:4265-4274 (2005). The effectiveness is limited to breast cancers in which the HER2 gene is amplified, however, and indeed if the breast cancer doesn't overexpress HER2, Herceptin has no beneficial effect and may cause cardiac disruption or other side effects. Treatment with Herceptin is therefore only recommended where the cancer cells have been found to overexpress HER2. In a second example, the biomarker PGP has been prospectively used to indicate the potential resistance to etoposide, doxorubicin, or epirubicin. Baekelandt et al. Anticancer Res 20(2B): 1061-1067 (2000); Holzmayer et al. J Natl Cancer Inst 84(19): 1486-1491 (1992). The use of genetic, biochemical, and other types of testing to guide human therapy is becoming increasingly common and important as the mechanisms underlying disease become better known and understood.
Topoisomerases are enzymes that are targeted by a variety of widely used cancer drugs but have not previously been known to be selectively targetable by a genetic or biochemical means. Topoisomerases act on DNA during the cell cycle, catalyzing and guiding the unknotting or unkinking of DNA by creating transient breaks in the DNA.
Topoisomerases are divided into two types, depending on the number of strands cut per catalytic cycle. Topoisomerases of type I cut a single strand of the DNA double helix, allow relaxation, and then reanneal the cut strand. Topoisomerases of type II cut both stands of the DNA double helix, allow another unbroken DNA double helix to pass through the break, and then reanneal the cut strands. Type I and type II are each further subdivided depending on their mechanism and source. Several topoisomerase inhibitors bind to topoisomerases in the DNA bound conformation and prevent reannealing of cut strands, causing DNA double strand breaks and cell death.
Inhibitors of topoisomerases are widely used as antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs. Although topoisomerase inhibitors are in many cases effective chemotherapeutics, they can also be extremely toxic. Furthermore, they may lead to secondary neoplasms due to their DNA damaging properties.
There is thus a need for new and improved methods for identifying patients with cancers that are susceptible to treatment with topoisomerase inhibitors and for treating only those patients shown to have this susceptibility.

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


The present invention is a flexible thin film based screen or illumination apparatus with a stacked layer structure or a one-layer structure. Transparent polymer is preferably used in different layers, and energy can be collected directly by a solar panel layer of the screen structure. Different resolutions are available through using a various number of layers with LEDs. Frames and connecting means can be used and a special connection principle enables selected layers of a single module, and/or selected layers of adjacent modules to be electrically coupled. The present invention can be used in any planar or non-planar shape, and as a single-sided or dual-sided LED screen or illumination device, e.g. as information screens, traffic information means, advertisement platform, in architectonic media surfaces, in sports venues, and for various entertainment purposes. Wireless and IoT connectivity means can be provided in the apparatus.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) based display technology has emerged lately in many various applications. Usually LEDs are used in flat panel displays where the light emitting diodes are formed in an array in order to create pixels for a video display. LED displays are currently used especially in outdoor signs and information boards, and also e.g. public transport vehicles as information signs. RGB LEDs can be used to create the colours in the video image.
Organic LEDs (OLEDs) have also been used in monitors and TV screens, for instance. OLED technology is based on emissive electroluminescent layer made of organic compound which is capable to emit light in response to an incoming electric current. The electrodes which are connected to the organic layer may be transparent.
Publication WO 2011/046961 (BML Productions Inc.) discloses a hermetically sealed OLED display which can be positioned below a surface of an ice layer. The display layer is placed directly below the ice, and the display layer is on top of a chilled concrete layer which in turn can be piped in order to cool this layer. The chilled layer is separated from warmer base layers by an insulating layer. Several pieces of displays can be configured together in a grid-like arrangement, i.e. in a matrix-form.
Publication WO 2015/092140 (Flexbright Oy) discloses an illumination structure which is implemented by a flexible and rollable thin film. It comprises a polymeric layer whose other side comprises a pattern (electronic circuit) layer which is electrically conductive and flexible. The structure comprises a hole for the LED flip-chip, which in turn is connected to the pattern layer through contact areas. On top of the LEDs and the polymeric layer, there is a flexible shielding layer. The thickness of the polymeric layer is mentioned to be less than 100 micrometers. The light source film is manufactured with a roll-to-roll method.
Publication US 2013/0074538 (Forsberg) discloses a panel LED display which can be located under the ice surface of an ice rink. The LEDs are placed in enclosures of the panel, and there is a cooling apparatus which circulates the coolant through the enclosures in order to remove the heat generated by the LEDs. The panel of Forsberg is a stiff and rigid panel, and an acrylic sheet made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer is a preferable material for such a panel.
The prior art has a problem that current screen solutions have been mostly rigid planar panels which can only be attached on walls or placed on a support on a surface. This has led to the situation where locations and application areas of these devices are restricted. The flexibility of the current solutions is not always that good or not even possible at all. Also scalability regarding the given resolution of the LEDs and the transparency are issues which have not been so well handled in the past. Furthermore, current manufacturing methods have not been very cost-effective. Heat conduction has been a problem in some solutions.

LED screen or illumination means with a flexible film structure


A program-controlled arrangement for the identification of ESD and/or latch-up weak points in the design or in the concept of an integrated circuit comprises a pre-processor, which processes first data about the description of the integrated circuit, second data about already ESD-characterized circuit parts of the integrated circuit, and third data which contain information about ESD test standards. A simulator device is connected downstream of the pre-processor which has a simulator which, by using the fourth and fifth data generated by the pre-processor, performs an ESD simulation of the integrated circuit, which has a monitoring controller for controlling the ESD simulation sequence in the simulator. An analysis device is connected downstream of the simulator device, which performs an evaluation of the sixth data generated in the simulator device with regard to their physical validity and meaningfulness, and marks the simulation runs having physically relevant ESD failure events.

Semiconductor circuits integrated into a semiconductor chip contain what are known as ESD protective circuits to protect the inputs or outputs (I/O ports) against electrostatic overvoltages and electrostatic discharge (ESD=electrostatic discharge) caused as a result. ESD protective elements can be formed, for example, as thyristors, bipolar transistors, diodes or a mixture thereof. ESD protective elements are known generally in a large number of embodiments, so that their construction and function will not be discussed in more detail below.
These ESD protective circuits are typically connected between an input path of an integrated circuit and the input or output terminal to be protected and ensure that, if a parasitic overvoltage pulse is injected which, in the extreme case, could lead to the destruction of the integrated circuit, the ESD protective element turns on and the parasitic overvoltage pulse is thus conducted away.
It is important in this case to know the ESD interference pulse expected as accurately as possible, in order therefore to adapt the design and the dimensioning of the corresponding ESD protective structure as well as possible thereto. For the simulation of an interference signal injection, use is very frequently made of what is known as the human body model (HBM), which simulates parasitic peak currents of a few amperes lasting about 100 ns. The equivalent circuit of the HBM model provides for a low-pass filter consisting of a capacitance of about 100 pF and a resistance of about 1.5 kΩ. The HBM model is usually used when the interference pulse expected is caused by a human. Alternatively, it would also be conceivable for the ESD pulse to be caused by metallic objects. In this case, what is known as the machine model (MM) is used. Furthermore, there also exist other models, such as what is known as the charged device model (CDM), in which it is assumed that the integrated circuit is itself charged out and an interference pulse arises as a result of a discharge to earth. These models are used to simulate a parasitic interference pulse to be expected and are used to design the corresponding ESD protective structures to match the interference pulse to be expected.
With the continuing increasing complexity involved in electronic systems and integrated circuits, for example applicator-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or "systems on chips" (SOCs), greater and greater significance is assigned to the test and the verification of just to these circuits and systems. During this verification, the relevant system characteristics are qualified and quantified.
Furthermore, the importance of the ESD protection in integrated circuits rises with the requirements on operating speed, which is higher and higher, a lower operating voltage, a higher packing density of the individual components and the special requirement of providing more and more beneficial circuits. This generally leads to thinner and thinner dielectric layers, higher doping concentrations with abrupt doping transitions and higher electric fields occurring. Each of these factors leads to an increased sensitivity of the ESD effects.
Added to this is the fact that the system characteristics of highly complex integrated circuits are increasingly determined by the interaction of the integrated hardware with the application software which, for example, is provided by a device manufacturer, so that in modern systems the hardware can no longer be evaluated separately from the application software. Since, typically, the major part of the hardware-based system characteristics are already defined at a very early development phase, it is critical that, in interaction with the application software, the respectively optimal architecture which, in particular, is optimized with regard to ESD protection, is determined.
Despite optimal design of the ESD protective structures on the integrated circuit to be protected, in general the removal of the ESD sensitivity can never be wholly eliminated. The cause of this lies in the increasing complexity of the integrated circuits, in which, even adjacent circuit blocks can have a mutually positive or else negative influence. This influencing of adjacent circuit parts becomes all the more serious the smaller the respective circuit parts are formed and the more densely the adjacent circuit parts are arranged in relation to one another. This mutual influencing of individual circuit parts of the integrated circuit is caused by the specific design of this integrated circuit. Information as to how a specific design of an integrated circuit will affect the ESD protection can currently be obtained only after the design phase, for example by using a prototype of the integrated circuit. As a result, in the extreme case, this can lead to a redesign of the circuit. However, the problem with this is that the development cycles for highly integrated circuits in modern CMOS, BICMOS or bipolar technologies are becoming shorter and shorter. In addition to the loss in time for a requisite redesign, this measure is also costly, since here the different mask sets very frequently have to be adapted to the new design.
At present, ESD protection is in each case provided for individual components or circuit parts of an integrated circuit. Here, by means of suitable adaptation of the design rules and dimensions, optimal protection for just these components can be obtained. However, it is a problem that, here, a mutual influence of adjacent circuit blocks is not taken into account. Adjacent circuit blocks can have a positive or else negative influence with regard to the ESD pulses injected. In the case of a positive influence, this means that, for example, the ESD protection for a circuit part is normally over-dimensioned or is even unnecessary. In the case of a negative influence, however, it is possible for the ESD protection for a circuit part, which is typically adequate for this circuit part, now to be inadequate because of the negative influence of adjacent circuit parts, which, in the extreme case, could lead to the integrated circuit being damaged or destroyed in the event that a parasitic overvoltage pulse is injected.
For some time, therefore, great efforts have been made also to permit the design for the assessment of the ESD resistance of an integrated circuit with the complexity of a typical digital or mixed-signal IC. In this case, as early as in the design phase, an integrated circuit is examined for its ESD functionality and therefore for its ESD protective action by means of a virtual ESD test.
The particular difficulty resides here in particular in the complexity of the physical mechanisms and the necessity of simulating all of the integrated circuit, since only in this way can critical ESD current paths be found. The problem with this is that the methods available nowadays entail such a great deal of effort on configuration and extraction that a simulation of the ESD protection of an entire semiconductor chip could barely be used productively for the verification of the integrated circuit in the pre-chip phase. A commercial solution to this simulation task is currently not available.
FIG. 1 shows the structure of a known ESD simulation system for the ESD verification of an integrated circuit, as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,850 B2. In this case, FIG. 1 results from combining FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,850 B2.
The ESD simulation system 100 described there has a pre-processor 100 which, on the output side, generates simulation data 120 which are supplied to the simulator 130. Connected downstream of the simulator 130 is a post-processor 140 and an output data generator 150 connected downstream of the latter. The core of the ESD simulation system in U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,850 B2 is the pre-processor 110, which is used to obtain the simulation data. The pre-processor 110 has four information generators 210, 220, 230, 240. The first information generator 210 produces a network list from the layout data 212 (layout file) and the data for the individual wiring patterns of the various components 213 (schematic file). The second information generator 220 generates a component model 221. The third information generator 230 generates data 231 for what is known as a safe operating state (safe operating file) for the entire integrated circuit. In the fourth information generator 240, the simulation conditions 241 are provided. The data 211, 221, 231, 241 are injected together into a translator 250, which generates the simulation input data 120 for the simulator 130 therefrom.
For the quantitative identification of the ESD sensitivities and latch-up effects in a design of an integrated circuit, even before the production of the integrated circuit, the data 211, 221, 231, 241 are combined and a simulated, quantified ESD event is applied to the design of the integrated circuit. The ESD sensitivities resulting from this on the design elements are observed and analysed quantitatively. Critical stress values in the design are assessed and failures of ESD protective elements are recorded. After running through the entire simulation, finally a list of those ESD protective elements and locations which function correctly and those which have failed is output. This information can be used for optimizing the design with regard to improved ESD protection.
In order to assess the ESD resistance of a design, however, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,850 a great deal of effort on extraction and modelling is required on the basis of the requirement for a very high and accurate simulation of the physical model of the integrated circuit. The high effort on extraction results in particular from the fact that, here, the simulation is carried out at the layout level of the integrated circuit. For the simulation, exorbitantly high computing power, and therefore a very long computation time, are therefore necessary, which lengthens the pre-development phase of the integrated circuit overall.
The simulation of the ESD sensitivities is, moreover, highly dependent on the accurate knowledge of a physical model of the integrated circuit. However, this is not always available, so that the reliability of the simulation here is not particularly high.
A further disadvantage is that variations in the technological parameters and the design environment are not taken into account here during the simulation of the ESD sensitivity.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,850 B2, the ESD verification is performed only on a complete layout of the integrated circuit. Verification before the layout phase, for example during or immediately after the design phase or product definition phase, is not possible here, so that the ESD test data are available only relatively late, which means that the development time of the integrated circuit lasts for a relatively long time.

Identification of ESD and latch-up weak points in an integrated circuit


An electric switch, and particularly a rocker switch, is proposed which is constructed as a monostable rocker switch. To achieve a resetting effect of the operating rocker (8) into the respective starting position, an elastic element (13) is provided between operating rocker (8) and switch housing (3), which becomes elastically deformed during the operation of the switch. After the load has been removed from the operating rocker (8), the elastic element (13) presses the operating rocker (8) back into its starting position.

The invention relates to an electric switch, particularly a rocker switch that has a rocking operating member supported in the upper part of a switch housing. The operating member has a switching pin that actuates an electric contact bridge. Between the operating member and the switch housing an at least partially elastically deformable element is disposed for urging the operating member into its starting position.
Electric switches, and particularly rocker switches, consist of a switch housing with an upper operating rocker, as is known, for example, from DE 36 15 059 A1 of the applicant. The operating rocker exhibits a downward pointing, rod-shaped switching pin which, when the rocker is operated, is connected directly or indirectly to a contact bridge or contact spring, arranged transversely in the switch housing, and presses it downward for establishing an electrical connection between, two connecting tabs. In this arrangement, the center bearing of the contact bridge itself can be constructed as an electrical connecting element to a connecting tab (DE 38 13 350 A1).
Instead of a rocker, the electric switch can also exhibit a toggle lever acting in the same way, as the operating member, as is shown, for example, in GB 1 094 822.
Such electric switches can be constructed to be bistable or monostable. In the case of a bistable switch, it dwells in two stable positions. A monostable switch always returns to its starting position. A bistable position is achieved, for example, by exceeding a deadpoint of a pretensioned spring element as is shown, for example, in DE 36 15 059 A1. In a monostable position, a corresponding spring element is arranged in such a manner that it cannot exceed a corresponding deadpoint.


An aqueous emulsion comprises

This invention relates to aqueous emulsions, to a process for preparing them, to materials preparable using these aqueous emulsions, to a process for coating organic fibers using such aqueous emulsions, and to textile substrates coated with these emulsions.
EP-A-758 666 describes aqueous emulsions which contain addition-crosslinking organopolysiloxanes and which are used for coating fabrics for airbags. However, these have the disadvantage that the combustion rate in the horizontal burn test of FMVSS 302 or 208 is too high.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to make available aqueous emulsions which, coated on a textile fabric, provide reduced flammability, especially in the case of airbags, and additionally have a low coating weight, an improved adhesion of the coating as demonstrated by improved values in the ISO 5981 scrub test, and which allow an economical coating process.
The present invention accordingly provides aqueous emulsions comprising
(1) organopolysiloxanes containing SiC-bonded aliphatically unsaturated groups in terminal units,
(2) organopolysiloxanes containing at least 3 Si-bonded hydrogen atoms,
(3) a catalyst which promotes the addition of Si-bonded hydrogen to aliphatic unsaturation,
(4) organosilicon adhesion promoters,
(5) optionally silicone resins,
(6) an emulsifier,
(7) water, and
(8) carbon black.
The aliphatically unsaturated groups are preferably vinyl groups or allyl groups, in particular vinyl groups.
The diorganopolysiloxanes (1) according to the invention, which contain SiC-bonded aliphatically unsaturated groups in the terminal units, are preferably diorganopolysiloxanes having vinyl groups bonded to the terminal units, preferably those of the general formula
(CH2xe2x95x90CH)xSiR3xe2x88x92xxe2x80x94O(SiR2O)nSiR3xe2x88x92x(CHxe2x95x90CH2)x
where
R denotes identical or different hydrocarbyl radicals with preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms, which may optionally be substituted, and
x is 1, 2 or 3, preferably 1, and
n is a number such that the diorganopolysiloxanes (1) preferably have an average viscosity of 100-500,000 mPaxc2x7s at 25xc2x0 C. Preference is given to the range of 200-200,000 mPaxc2x7s at 25xc2x0 C. and particular preference to the range of 500-100,000 mPaxc2x7s at 25xc2x0 C.
Examples of hydrocarbyl radicals R are preferably alkyl radicals such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, butyl, octyl, tetradecyl or octadecyl radicals; cycloaliphatic hydrocarbyl radicals such as cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl or methylcyclohexyl radicals; aryl radicals such as phenyl radicals; alkaryl radicals such as tolyl radicals; aralkyl radicals such as benzyl or phenylethyl radicals. Examples of substituted hydrocarbyl radicals are preferably halogenated radicals such as 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl, 3-chloropropyl or chlorophenyl radicals. Similarly, cyanoalkyl radicals such as the cyanoethyl radical, may be present. Radicals with unsaturated aliphatic groups such as, preferably, but without limitation, vinyl, allyl, hexenyl or cyclohexenyl, may likewise be present. R is preferably hydrocarbyl having 1-10 carbon atoms, and most preferably at least 80% of the organic radicals designated R are methyl radicals.
The organopolysiloxanes described above can be identical interpolymers or mixtures of different interpolymers with identical or different degrees of polymerization. If the diorganopolysiloxanes contain different diorganopolysiloxane units, the distribution may be random or block.
In the products of the invention, the diorganopolysiloxane (1) is present in amounts of 10-80% by weight, preferably in amounts of 20-60% by weight, more preferably in amounts of 20 to 50% by weight.
Organopolysiloxanes (2) with at least 3 Si-bonded hydrogen atoms are preferably those of the formula
(CH3)3SiOxe2x80x94(SiHRO)oxe2x80x94(SiR2O)pxe2x80x94Si(CH3)3
where R may be as defined above and o/p is in a range of from 1:0 to 1:20, preferably from 1:0 to 1:7. The sum of o and p can be between 10-1000, it is preferably 20-200, particularly preferably 30-100. Identical or different organopolysiloxanes (2) can be used.
In the organopolysiloxanes (2) with at least 3 Si-bonded hydrogen atoms per molecule, the silicon valencies not saturated with hydrogen and siloxane oxygen atoms are preferably saturated with methyl, ethyl or phenyl radicals. However, all radicals described above as R can be present.
In the products of the invention, organopolysiloxane (2) is present in amounts of 1-40% by weight, preferably in amounts of 2-20% by weight, more preferably in amounts of 3-15% by weight.
Catalysts (3) promoting the addition of Si-bonded hydrogen to aliphatic unsaturation can be any desired catalysts which are known to promote this reaction. Examples of such catalysts are preferably metallic, finely divided platinum (platinum sol), ruthenium, rhodium, palladium or iridium. These metals may also be present applied to solid supports, such as silica, alumina or activated carbon, ceramic materials or mixed oxides or mixed hydroxides. Similarly compounds or complexes of these metals such as PtCl4, H2PtCl6.6H2O; Na2PtCl4.4H2O platinum-olefin complexes, platinum-alcohol complexes, such as Speyer""s catalyst, platinum-alcoholate complexes platinum-ether complexes, platinum-aldehyde complexes, platinum-ketone complexes, such as the reaction products of cyclohexanone and hexachloroplatinic acid, platinum-vinylsiloxane complexes, in particular platinum-divinyltetramethyl-disiloxane complexes with or without organically bound halogen, bis(gamma-picoline)platinum dichloride, trimethylenepyridineplatinum dichloride, dicyclopentadieneplatinum dichloride, dimethylsulfoxydiethyleneplatinum(2) dichloride, and also the reaction products of platinum tetrachloride dissolved in 1-octene, with sec-butylamine. Platinum compounds are preferred for use as catalysts in the product of this invention. It is possible to use catalyst mixtures, or else only one kind of the abovementioned catalysts.
In the product of the invention, the amounts of catalyst used can be such that, in the case of platinum catalysts, the platinum content of the composition is preferably between 3 and 500 ppm, based on the siloxane content. Preference is given to using a platinum content of 10-200 ppm, based on the polysiloxanes used.
Aqueous emulsions can be prepared using any desired adhesion promoters. Examples of organosilicon compounds (4) useful as adhesion promoters are preferably silanes with hydrolyzable radicals and vinyl, acryloyloxy, methacryloyloxy, epoxy or acid anhydride groups bonded to silicon via carbon. It is also possible to use partial hydrolysates and/or mixed hydrolysates of such silanes. Preference is given to using a reaction product of vinyltriacetoxysilane and the silane of the formula
It is possible to use one type of adhesion promoter, or else mixtures of two or more silanes or their reaction products or partial or mixed hydrolysates. The adhesion promoter is preferably used in amounts of 1 to 20% by weight, preferably in amounts of 1 to 10% by weight, more preferably in amounts of 2 to 8% by weight.
The products of the invention may optionally include aqueous emulsions of silicone resins (5), preferably of the general formula (R3SiOxc2xd)a(RSiO{fraction (3/2)})b, or MT resins and/or MQ resins of the general formula (R3SiOxc2xd)a(SiO{fraction (4/2)})b, where R is as defined above and is preferably methyl, phenyl, vinyl or hydrogen. The ratio of a to b is chosen so that the silicone resins are within the viscosity range of 30-300,000 mPaxc2x7s at 25xc2x0 C. Preference is given to using silicone resins within the viscosity range of 50-30,000 mPaxc2x7s at 25xc2x0 C., more preferably within the viscosity range from 50 to 10,000 mPaxc2x7s at 25xc2x0 C.
The organosilicon compounds used in this invention are commercially available products or preparable by processes customary in silicone chemistry, and in each case, may be one kind of such organosilicon compound or a mixture of different organosilicon compounds.
Aqueous emulsions containing the abovementioned ingredients may be prepared using any desired emulsifiers (6) which otherwise are customarily used for preparing organopolysiloxane emulsions. Suitable emulsifiers are preferably ionic and nonionic emulsifiers. Preference is given to nonionic emulsifiers. Examples are sulfonic acid and its salts which can act as emulsifier, and alkylsulfonates such as sodium laurylsulfonate, benzenesulfonates substituted by aliphatic hydrocarbyl radicals such as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, naphthalenesulfonates substituted by aliphatic hydrocarbyl radicals, polyethylene glycol sulfonate, phosphates such as lauryl phosphate, polyether surfactants such as polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, interpolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, stearates, and the like. These are used in amounts of 3% to 20% based on the total silicone content.
The carbon black is preferably gas black, furnace black or lampblack. It is also preferable to use aqueous carbon black dispersions commercially obtainable from Degussa under the names of DERUSSOL, SCHWARZDISPERSION or RUSSDISPERSION. The carbon black dispersions preferably have a solids content of 1 to 50% by weight. The primary particle size of the carbon blacks used may be between 10 and 100 nm. The dispersions may be stabilized anionically, nonionically or anionically/nonionically. The carbon black content based on silicone solids content is preferably between 1 and 50%, more preferably between 3 and 40% by weight, most preferably between 5 and 20% by weight.
In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, the emulsions of this invention may also include further ingredients, preferably filler such as alumina, aluminum hydroxide, pigments, and stabilizers.
The present invention further provides a process for preparing the aqueous emulsions of this invention, which comprises emulsifying ingredients (1) to (8).
In the process of this invention, the ingredients:
(1) organopolysiloxanes with SiC-bonded vinyl groups in the terminal units,
(2) organopolysiloxanes with at least 3 Si-bonded hydrogen atoms,
(3) a catalyst promoting the addition of Si-bonded hydrogen to aliphatic unsaturation,
(4) organosilicon adhesion promoters,
(5) silicone resins,
(6) an emulsifier,
(7) water, and
(8) carbon black,
are mutually emulsified, preferably at room temperature (25xc2x0 C.) and atmospheric pressure. It is also possible to mix finished emulsions/dispersions of individual components. The process can also be carried out at reduced or elevated pressure and at an elevated temperature of up to preferably 80xc2x0 C., or a reduced temperature of down to preferably 0xc2x0 C. Room temperature is preferred, if only for economic reasons.
The present invention further provides a process for coating textile substrates, characterized in that it comprises applying aqueous emulsions of this invention to a textile and in one step drying and vulcanizing the emulsions onto textile substrates. In the process of this invention, the aqueous emulsions of this invention are preferably applied to wet textiles coming directly from a washing or cleaning process. The vulcanization of the silicone coating and the drying and shrinking of the textiles can be carried out in one operation.
The present invention further provides a vulcanizate prepared by heating an aqueous emulsion of the compositions of the invention.
To avoid premature crosslinking, the emulsions of this invention are stored in at least two different components. One component preferably comprises the siloxanes with the unsaturated aliphatic groups, another component preferably comprises the siloxanes with Si-bonded hydrogen. Appropriate auxiliary and additive substances may be present in either one or both of the components.
The application of the products of this invention can be carried out in a conventional manner. Examples are dipping and pad-mangling, brushing, casting, spraying, rolling, printing, knife-coating, using a Meyer rod or an air brush, or by lick-rolling and screen printing. The application of the coating material may take place during the washing process, or immediately thereafter. The vulcanization takes place in one operation at the same time as the drying and shrinking process to which the textile is ordinarily subjected.
In the case of wovens which have to be washed and dried, which is true of manufactured-fiber wovens in particular, the composition of this invention is preferably applied directly to the fabric immediately following washing, while the fabric is still wet. The vulcanization takes place at the same time as the drying process. This is particularly desirable and particularly advantageous in the case of wovens used for manufacturing airbags.
Application of the coating by the abovementioned methods is followed by drying and vulcanization of the coated fabric, customarily in a heat duct which can be heated by hot air, infrared light, gas burners, heat exchangers or other energy sources. To avoid blistering, the fabric is predried in a first zone at temperatures of preferably 60-150xc2x0 C., more preferably 80-130xc2x0 C., most preferably 90-120xc2x0 C., and crosslinked in a second zone, preferably at temperatures of up to 300xc2x0 C. Due to the limited heat resistance of most man-made fibers, the temperature range of 120-190xc2x0 C. is preferred. The residence time required for vulcanization depends on the coating weight, the thermal conductivity of the fabric and the heat transfer to the coated textile, and can vary between 0.5 and 30 minutes. Apart from customary heat ducts (drying ovens), the drying and vulcanization can also be carried out by means of other technical drying equipment, such as hot roll calenders, heatable laminating presses, heatable plate presses or hot contact rolls, and also by means of festoon dryers. The textiles coated according to the invention can also be dried and vulcanized using microwaves.
The products of the invention can be used for coating or finishing textile materials of any kind. Wovens of all weave constructions, nonwovens, loop-drawn knits, non-woven scrims, loop-formed knits from all customary yarns and fibers, natural fibers such as cotton, wool, and silk, manufactured fibers such as glass, polyamides, polyester, viscose, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, and cellulose can be coated. The applications for the textiles thus finished are numerous. Examples are sportswear, sports articles such as sails, boat covers or materials for rucksacks, and tents and protective clothing. Industrial applications include tarpaulins, conveyor belts, compensators, foldable containers.
Polyamide or polyester fabrics finished with the products of this invention can be used with particular advantage for manufacturing airbags for motor vehicles.
Industrial fabrics usually need to be washed, dried and shrunken in order to meet stringent requirements. This is particularly true in manufacturing airbags. All prior art coating processes require a separate coating step after washing and drying the fabric. In the process of the present invention, the coating material of this invention can be applied directly in or after the washing process and vulcanized during the drying process. There is no longer any need for an additional coating process. This represents a significant saving of energy, time and costs.
Airbags are frequently manufactured using coated wovens. Wovens coated according to the present invention exhibit technical advantages over other coated wovens. The coating according to this invention offers protection against the hot gases of the propellant charge. Yarn-to-yarn friction, which leads to reduction in the tensile strength and is created by vibrations, can be reduced significantly or prevented by an elastomer coating according to the present invention. The coating according to this invention confers better aging and flame resistance to the fabric. A further advantage of the coating process of this invention is that the costs of an additional coating step are saved.
According to the invention, there is provided an aqueous silicone system which is applied to the fabric directly after washing while it is still wet, which can be vulcanized during the drying step. This coating system according to the present invention is an aqueous silicone coating system which, after vulcanization, has an ideal property profile for an airbag.

Coated airbag, coating material and coating process

Abstract: An aqueous emulsion comprises

Abstract: (1) organopolysiloxanes containing SiC-bonded aliphatically unsaturated groups in the terminal units,

Abstract: (4) organosilicon adhesion promoters,

Abstract: (5) silicone resins,

Abstract: (6) an emulsifier,

Abstract: (7) water, and

Abstract: (8) carbon black.

Abstract: The emulsions may be applied to fabric prior to drying and shrinking, and vulcanized while drying the fabric. The coated fabrics exhibit ideal characteristics for use as airbag material.


Provided are: a novel polymerization technique by which a polymer having a controlled molecular weight or molecular weight distribution or a polymer having a desirably regulated, complicated structure can be obtained using commercially available general-purpose materials without using any radical polymerization initiator, or any special material for use in living radical polymerization and without requiring any strict polymerization conditions; a radical polymerization initiation group-containing compound for use in the technique; and a polymer obtained thereby. Specifically, provided are: a method for producing a polymer, the method including a polymerization step of mixing and warming (1) a radically polymerizable monomer, (2) an organic compound having at least one group introduced in a molecule thereof, the group functioning as a polymerization initiation group for the monomer and having a structure represented by formula 1, and (3) a chloride ion-containing and/or bromide ion-containing compound selected from among specific compounds, thereby initiating radical polymerization from the group having the structure, the radical polymerization accompanying a termination reaction; a radical polymerization initiation group-containing compound; and a polymer.

Conventionally, a polymer obtained by polymerizing a radically polymerizable monomer (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "monomer") having an unsaturated bond, such as a vinyl group, a vinylidene group, or a vinylene group, has been obtained by radical polymerization, ionic polymerization, or the like, has a high versatility, and therefore has been used in various fields. Particularly, with respect to the radical polymerization, a polymer is obtained by thermal polymerization using an azo-based radical polymerization initiator or a peroxide-based polymerization initiator that is necessary for producing radicals, or by photopolymerization using a photo radical polymerization initiator.
On the other hand, in these types of radical polymerization, there is a problem that polymerization is terminated due to: very short lifetime of the radicals; a coupling reaction between radicals; and a disproportionation reaction in which a radical abstracts hydrogen from others and disappears. By this termination of the reaction, molecular weight has not been made uniform, so that a polymer having a controlled structure, such as, for example, a block copolymer, has not been able to be obtained. Against this problem, it is living radical polymerization that has been invented in order to control the molecular weight and structure of a polymer, and various methods have been studied (Patent Literatures 1 to 5).

Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co., Ltd.


In a music and graphic apparatus, a performance input device provides performance information effective to control generation of a music sound. A timbre input device provides timbre information effective to specify a timbre of the music sound. A sound source is operative based on the timbre information to simulate an acoustic instrument capable of creating the specified timbre. The sound source is responsive to the performance information to generate the music sound as if voiced by the acoustic instrument with the specified timbre. A model image generator generates a model image graphically representing at least a part of the acoustic instrument. A dynamic image generator is operative according to the performance information for generating a dynamic image graphically representing an operation of the acoustic instrument. A graphic synthesizer composes the model image and the dynamic image with each other so as to dynamically model the operation of the acoustic instrument in synchronization to the generation of the music sound.

The present invention relates to a parameter display apparatus for displaying, in an easy-to-understand manner, parameters supplied to a music sound synthesis module. More concretely, the present invention relates to a music and graphic apparatus for audio-visually modeling an acoustic instrument simulated by a music sound synthesis module or a sound source.
The music sound synthesis module or sound source is used in an electronic musical instrument for generating and outputting a music sound signal based on various parameters supplied to the sound source. To support the operation of the sound source, visual monitors are provided for checking the type and size of parameters to be supplied to the music sound synthesis module. These monitors include a parameter editor having an image display, a MIDI signal monitor, an oscilloscope, and a level meter.
The parameter editor having the image display provides a capability of displaying numeric values and graphs of the parameter. However, this parameter editor cannot display, in an easy-to-see manner, the relationship of a particular parameter with the generating algorithm of a music sound signal and a timbre change. The MIDI monitor provides nothing but a capability of simply displaying MIDI signals, so that it is useful only in checking for the MIDI signals. The oscilloscope and the level meter are devices for checking waveforms and levels of a generated music sound signal, and are therefore not useful in checking inputted parameters.
A physical model sound source simulates a vibration that is generated in a vibrating body or a resonating body of an acoustic instrument. The physical mode sound source has inevitable difficulties in sounding a music performance inherent to a musical acoustic instrument to be modeled. For example, it is difficult for beginners to operate with stability a typical acoustic musical instrument such as saxophone and trumpet. It is also difficult for beginners to operate a physical model sound source that simulates these acoustic musical instruments. To assist beginners in learning to play these acoustic musical instruments, it is desired to provide a capability of allowing beginners to visually check the relationship between the parameters to be used in performance operation and the music sounds to be voiced.

Music and graphic apparatus audio-visually modeling acoustic instrument


There is provided a gel composition that can be suitably used as a thickener for cosmetic preparations and the like. A gel composition comprising a neutralized product of an alkyl-modified carboxyl group-containing polymer, which is a copolymer of monomers comprising 100 parts by mass of (meth)acrylic acid (a), 2.5 to 5 parts by mass of a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester (b) in which the alkyl group has 18 to 24 carbon atoms, and 0.1 part by mass or less of a compound (c) having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups; and at least one of an anionic emulsifier and a nonionic emulsifier.

As thickeners for cosmetic preparations, for example, natural materials such as xanthan gum, semi-synthetic materials such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, and synthetic materials such as carboxyvinyl polymers and alkyl-modified carboxyvinyl polymers have been extensively used. In particular, carboxyl group-containing polymers such as carboxyvinyl polymers and alkyl-modified carboxyvinyl polymers are used for various cosmetic preparations, because they exhibit excellent thickening properties even when used in small amounts, and can control the after-feel of the cosmetic preparation.
Those known as such carboxyl group-containing polymers include alkyl-modified carboxyvinyl polymers such as, for example, a carboxyvinyl polymer obtained by reacting acrylic acid and a pentaerythritol allyl ether as a crosslinking agent in a specific solvent mixture (see Patent Literature 1), a copolymer obtained by reacting a specific amount of an olefinic unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and a specific amount of a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester (in which the alkyl group has 10 to 30 carbon atoms) (see Patent Literature 2), a copolymer obtained by reacting a specific amount of an olefinic unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, a specific amount of a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester (in which the alkyl group has 10 to 30 carbon atoms), and a crosslinking agent (see Patent Literature 3), and a copolymer obtained by reacting an olefinic unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester (in which the alkyl group has 8 to 30 carbon atoms) (see Patent Literature 4). Typically, these carboxyl group-containing polymers are dissolved in water or the like and then neutralized with an alkaline component to give about 0.1 to 1% by mass neutral viscous solutions, which are used for cosmetic preparations.
These neutral viscous solutions are disadvantageous in that the viscosity or stability decreases, or a portion of the polymer precipitates, under the influence of an emulsifier that is a main ingredient of cosmetic preparations.

Gel composition, cosmetic, and method for producing gel composition