The invention includes methods and materials, including probes, to be used as diagnostic tools for detecting anencephaly. Such methods may be practiced by both manual and automated means, and in the instance of the latter, suitable equipment for such automated performance is also contemplated. Also included within the invention are mouse embryos null for a gene encoding a protein kinase C substrate which binds calcium-calmodulin and regulates cell movement and membrane traffic, and cells derived from such embryos.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for detection of anencephaly using a nucleic acid coding for a protein kinase C substrate. In particular, the protein kinase C substrate is a member of the MARCKS family of protein kinases.
2. Description of the Related Art
When macrophages encounter Gram negative bacteria a number of protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent signal-transduction pathways are activated. These lead to the cytoskeletal rearrangements necessary for phagocytosis and migration, the release of inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes, and the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and reactive oxygen intermediates. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or endotoxin, the major surface component of gram-negative bacteria, has a profound modulatory effect on PKC-dependent responses. LPS alone does not activate PKC, but it primes macrophages for vastly potentiated responses when the cells subsequently encounter PKC-activating agonists. Concomitant with priming, LPS induces the synthesis of two myristoylated proteins with apparent molecular masses of 68K and 42K, respectively.
LPS or endotoxin, a major surface component of Gram negative bacteria is a potent activator of cellular and humoral immunity. LPS enhances the tumoricidal activity of macrophages and stimulates the release of numerous inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor, arachidonic acid metabolites, complement components, reactive oxygen intermediates, nitric oxide, and hydrolytic enzymes.
Much has been learned recently about the mechanism by which cells recognize LPS. LPS associates with LPS binding protein, and the resulting complex promotes the binding of LPS to CD14 on the cell surface. CD14 appears to be a subunit of a multicomponent LPS receptor. A 70 kDa membrane protein, the scavenger receptor, and the CD11b/CD18 complex have all been demonstrated to bind LPS, but the significance of this is not known. A recent report has cast doubt on the identity of the 70 kDa protein as an LPS receptor. Binding of LPS to CD14 causes rapid protein tyrosine phosplhorylation of a number of intracellular proteins that include three members or the MAP kinase family (MAPK1, MAPK4 and p38). p38 is homologous to the S. cerevisiae HOG1 gene product, which is involved in osmotic regulation. Data from a number of laboratories indicate that protein kinase C (PKC) induced phosplhorylation is necessary for a full functional response to LPS. LPS primes macrophages for enhanced PKC mediated responses, and promotes the synthesis of two PKC substrates, MARCKS and MacMARCKS. Because LPS treatment also potentiates the phosplhorylation of these proteins, they are ideal candidates as effectors of LPS-induced responses.
LPS induces profound changes in gene expression in macrophages, often by activation of the NF.kappa.B transcription factor. Recent investigations into the promoter region of the i-NOS gene have demonstrated two regions which are required for LPS-dependent transcription, and both of these regions contain NF.kappa.B binding sites. However, the NF.kappa.B binding sites were found by computer analysis of the region, and the participation of NF.kappa.B in transcriptional activation of i-NOS was not confirmed by site directed mutagenesis. Investigation into the 5' upstream sequence of another LPS responsive gene, Rantes, demonstrated the importance of an NF.kappa.B binding site, as well as the 3' half of the proximal AP1 site. It is therefore clear that a great deal of complexity exists in the transcriptional activation of LPS responsive genes.
The 68K protein induced by LPS, myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase C substrate (MARCKS), is a major cellular substrate of PKC that binds calmodulin and has a role in diverse cellular processes including macrophage and neutrophil activation, mitogenesis, and neurosecretion, and may regulate the reversible attachment of the actin cytoskeleton with the substrate-adhlerent plasma membrane in motile phagocytes. (Li et al (1992) Cell 70:791-801).
PKC phosphorylation produces translocation of MARCKS from membrane to cytoplasm in many cells. The binding of MARCKS to biological membranes appears to require both hydrophobic insertion of its myristoyl chain into the lipid bilayer and electrostatic interaction of its basic domain with acidic lipids (Kim et al (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269:28214-28219). The amino-terminal glycine of MARCKS is myristoylated, and the protein is rich in acidic residues except for one basic region. The murine protein for example contains a cluster of 13 basic and 0 acidic residues between amino acids 145 and 169. This basic region is highly conserved, contains the only serines phosphorylated by PKC, binds calmodulin (CaM) in a calcium-dependent manner, and binds actin filaments (Kim et al, 1994).
In addition to hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with phospholipid bilayers, there is good experimental evidence that the binding of MARCKS to biological membranes also involves specific protein-protein interactions. The punctate distribution of MARCKS in macrophage membranes suggests the protein also interacts with cytoskeletal elements. These protein-protein interactions need not be strong because once MARCKS is bound to the bilayer component of the membrane via its myristoyl chain and basic domain, even a weak protein-protein interaction would suffice to create a punctate distribution. Weak protein-protein interactions may also target MARCKS to specific membranes (e.g., the plasma rather than Golgi membranes) (Kim et al, 1994).
The cDNA encoding MARCKS has been cloned and sequenced from a number of species. The actual molecular mass of MARCKS, calculated from its primary structure, ranges from 28 kd to 31 kd, while its apparent molecular mass determined by SDS-PAGE varies from 67K to 87K. This anomalous migration on SDS gels can be ascribed to the high axial ratio and rod-shaped dimensions of MARCKS. Comparison of the sequences reveals that MARCKS contains two highly conserved domains: an N-terminal domain that contains the myristoylation site and which appears to function in membrane binding, and an effector domain, located in the middle of the rod-shaped protein, that contains all the serine residues known to be phosphorylated, as well as the calmodulin and actin binding sites. The proximity of the phosphorylation sites to the actin and calmodulin binding sites explains the reciprocal regulation of phosphorylation and the binding of these two proteins (Li et al, 1992).
The 42K myristoylated protein induced during LPS priming is a PKC substrate that shares the effector domain of MARCKS, but has a distinct N-terminal membrane-binding domain. Like MARCKS, this 42K protein is an alanine-rich protein that binds calmodulin in a manner regulated by PKC. Since the 42K protein is structurally and functionally related to MARCKS and since it is predominantly expressed in LPS-stimulated macrophages, it has been named MacMARCKS.
MacMARCKS, like MARCKS, is heat stable. MacMARCKS has been cloned from an LPS-induced rabbit alveolar macrophage cDNA library. The transfected rabbit cDNA encodes a myristoylated protein that migrates on 2D IEF-SDS-PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 42K and a pI of 4.2, as does the in vitro translated protein (Li et al, 1992).
The rabbit MacMARCKS protein sequence shares a 92% identity with the murine protein sequence. Moreover, a comparison of rabbit and murine MacMARCKS with human, bovine, murine, rat and chicken MARCKS reveals a similar domain structure. Both have myristoylated N-termini that differ in amino acid sequence but contain similar charge distributions: two positive charges followed by two negative charges. The myristoylation domain is followed by two regions of major homology (MH1 and MH2). However, there is an important difference between MARCKS and MacMARCKS: the sequence FKKS (SEQ ID NO:1) that comprises the second of 2 phosphopeptides of MARCKS is FKKP (SEQ ID NO:2) of MacMARCKS, accounting for the absence of a phosphopeptide 2 in phosphorylated MacMARCKS.
Several lines of evidence suggest that MARCKS and MacMARCKS are members of a protein family. Both are acidic, myristoylated PKC substrates with similar and unusual amino acid compositions: alanine, glycine, proline and glutamic acid comprise approximately 60% of the total amino acids of both proteins. Both proteins have a similar domain structure: an N-terminal myristoylated domain, a highly conserved MH2 domain, and a basic effector domain that contains the phosphorylation sites and the calmodulin binding site.
Both MacMARCKS and MARCKS contain the myristic acid moiety in an amide linkage to an N-terminal glycine residue. Myristoylation is absolutely required for membrane binding of a number of important signal-transducing molecules including MARCKS, certain a subunits of the heterotrimeric G-proteins, and the src family of tyrosine kinases. Evidence suggests that myristoylated proteins do not associate with membranes by the mere insertion of the fatty acid moiety into the lipid bilayer; rather, they associate with specific receptors at the inner leaf of the plasma membrane. The specific association of MARCKS with focal contacts also suggests a receptor at the cytoplasmic face of the substrate-adherent plasma membrane. Mutational analysis suggests that the first 14 amino acids of MARCKS are essential for appropriate targeting, but since MacMARCKS and MARCKS differ in their first 20 amino acids, it its likely that they are targeted to different subcellular locations. However, given the similarity between the effector domains of MARCKS and MacMARCKS, it is likely that MacMARCKS also binds actin (Li et al, 1992).
MARCKS is widely distributed and has been implicated in cell motility, secretion, the regulation of the cell cycle, and transformation. MARCKS binds Ca calmodulin and F-actin, and this is regulated by phosphorylatlon. MARCKS cycles between the membrane and cytosol, and has been proposed to serve as a regulator of actin structure at the membrane, and of actin-membrane interactions. In contrast to MARCKS, MacMARCKS has a restricted distribution, and is mainly found in cells which have a high capacity for directed membrane traffic such as macrophages, neurons, and epithelial cells. Although MARCKs and MacMARCKs have a similar domain structure, and bind calmodulin and actin, they clearly have distinct functions. While MARCKS associates with the apical surface of polarized epithelial cells, MacMARCKS is targeted to the basolateral surface. MARCKS cycles reversibly between the membrane and the cytosol, while MacMARCKS always remains associated with the membrane. MARCKS has a role in actin remodeling in motility and phagocytosis, while MacMARCKS is apparently associated with vesicular traffic, and the recruitment of membranes to phagosomes. Interestingly, unlike MARCKS, MacMARCKS is not expressed in neutrophils, consistent with the thesis that these proteins serve different functions during phagocytosis.
Phagocytosis is an ancient adaptation which allows lower organisms to ingest nutrients, and higher organisms to capture and sterilize pathogens, to remove senescent material, and remodel tissues. Macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils are considered "professional" phagocytes because of their dedication to this task. After internalization, phagosomes mature, ultimately fusing with lysosomes. Actin is required for phagocytosis, and perhaps has a role in regulating phagosome-lysosome fusion by temporally controlling access of lysosomes to the phagosomal membrane. However, the signal transduction pathways which regulate phagocytosis, and particularly phagosome-lysosome fusion, are obscure. Ca.sup.2+ has been implicated as a regulator of phagosome-lysosome fusion, and activated PKC has been shown to associate with the phagosome. Since MacMARCKS associates with phagosomes just before phagosome-lysosome fusion, and since its activity is regulated by Ca.sup.2+ /calmodulin and PKC, it is a good candidate molecule to integrate Ca.sup.2+ and PKC dependent signals in controlling phagosome-lysosome fusion.
Many microorganisms evade killing by circumventing specific steps in the phagocytic pathway. For example, Salmonella typhimurium enters macrophages via a spacious phagosoine which resembles a macropinosome. Although this structure subsequently fuses with lysosomes, its acidification is attenuated. In contrast, the IgG opsonized bacterium, and certain PhoP mutants of S. typhimuriuin, enter macrophages in phagosomes in which the membrane is tightly apposed to the particle. MacMARCKS associates with tight phagosomes containing dead S. typhimurium, or avirulent S. minnesota, but not with spacious phagosomes containing the virulent S. typhimurium. The relationship between MacMARCKS, virulence, and phagosome morphology will be investigated.
Transcytosis in polarized epithelial cells: Polarized epithelial cells play key roles in immune defense in addition to their barrier function; they both deliver antigens to the mucosal immune system, and export immunoglobulins into secretions that bathe the epithelial surfaces of mucosal tissues. Thus transcytosis across polarized epithelial cells constitutes a major limb of host response to infection. The best characterized examples of transcytosis involve the transport of immunoglobulins (Ig) across epithelia by the polymeric Ig receptor. The newly synthesized receptor is sorted to the basolateral surface, where it binds Pig, is endocytosed, transcytosed, and exocytosed at the apical surface. Little is known about the signaling systems which regulate transcytosis of the pIgR, although PKC and Ca.sup.2+ /calmodulin have been implicated. MacMARCKS is a PKC substrate which binds Ca.sup.2+ /calmodulin and which translocates from the basolateral to the apical surface of epithelial cells when phosphorylated. It therefore represents an excellent candidate as a regulator of transcytosis in epithelial cells.
MARCKS and MacMARCKS bear strong functional similarity to a neurospecific PKC substrate known as GAP-43 or neuromodulin (Liu et al (1990) Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 11:107-111). In contrast to MARCKS and MacMARCKS, which bind calmodulin in a calcium-dependent manner, GAP-43 associates with calmodulin in the absence of calcium. Moreover, unlike MARCKS and MacMARCKS, which are myristoylated at their N-termini, GAP-43 is palmitoylated. Both MARCKS and GAP-43 appear to have a role in regulating the motile cytoskeleton. GAP-43 associates with the actin cytoskeleton in neuronal growth cones and is a member of a family of proteins which includes neurogranin, a smaller protein which also contains a phosphorylation domain and calmodulin-binding site.
Another related PKC substrate is adducin, a protein which promotes the association of actin with spectrin in a calmodulin-regulated manner. Adducin has both structural and functional similarities to MARCKS and MacMARCKS (Joshi et al (1991) J. Cell Biol. 115:665-675). The protein is composed of highly homologous .alpha. and .beta. subunits; both subunits contain identical stretches of 22 amino acids in their C-termini with sequence similarity to the effector domains of MARCKS and MacMARCKS (Joshi et al, 1991). The C-termini of the .alpha. and .beta. subunits of adducin also bear the PKC phosplhorylation sites and the domain that binds calcium-calmodulin (Joshi et al, 1991).
Moreover, the following observations indicate that MacMARCKS and members of the MARCKS family of PKC substrates have a role in regulating cell movement and membrane traffic: (1) the effector domain regulates actin crosslinking and calcium-calmodulin binding; (2) the myristoylation domain mediates membrane binding; and (3) the MH2 domain has a role in subcellular targeting.
Little is known about the signal transduction pathways involved in mediating neural tube formation and closure, but studies with drugs implicate both the microtubules and microfilaments. It would thus be advantageous to analyze the role of MacMARCKS in such regulatory processes.


A system includes a microcontroller, one or more sensors affixed to an object, and memory storing one or more programs including instructions for receiving and storing first sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to motion of the object, determining whether the first sensor data meets a first threshold, in accordance with a determination that the first sensor data meets the first threshold: receiving and storing second sensor data from the one or more sensors in response to subsequent motion of the object for as long as the second sensor data meets a second threshold, performing pattern recognition on the second sensor data, and identifying a first position of the object based on the pattern recognition of the second sensor data.

Most current tracking systems lack wireless capability; an object can only move as far away from a receiving device as the length of cables/wires will allow. The use of embedded hardware also contributes to the rigidity of such devices and reduces consumer appeal, while the reliance on custom communications protocols for many such devices further hinders their wide adoption. There is an unmet need in the market for tracking systems implementing communication protocol standards for interfacing with electronics and computers, and which also have the ability to track positions and paths of objects using low power implementations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Provided is a heat-storage unit capable of efficiently storing heat in a heat-storage material and sufficiently taking out the stored heat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat-storage unit capable of storing heat such as waste heat and transporting heat to a remote place, and an operation method of the heat-storage unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heat generated from a factory such as ironworks and garbage-disposal facility, for example, is used in various facilities near the factory. Further, by temporarily storing the heat generated from the factory in a heat-storage material or the like and transporting the heat-storage material, the heat can be used in a place remote from the factory. As an apparatus for storing heat, there exists an apparatus that performs heat exchange by directly contacting a medium such as oil, to which heat was supplied, with metal hydrate and stores heat into the metal hydrate.
For example, the storage container of International Publication No. WO 03/019099 houses a heat-storage material such as sodium acetate that stores heat and oil having a smaller specific gravity than that of the heat-storage material. Since the specific gravity of oil is smaller and oil and heat-storage material do not mix with each other, they are housed in a vertically separated manner. Then, pipes are disposed in the oil and the heat-storage material and are severally connected to a heat exchanger. Oil is taken into the heat exchanger from one pipe, heat is supplied to the oil, and the oil to which heat was supplied is discharged from the other pipe. Since the discharged oil has small specific gravity, it goes up to oil in the upper portion. Heat is exchanged by the direct contact between the heat-storage material and the oil as the oil goes up. By repeating the above-described action, heat is stored in the heat-storage material. Then, the pipes of International Publication No. WO 03/019099 are in a double pipe structure in order to prevent impurities from entering the pipes and the heat exchanger.
Further, in the storage container of International Publication No. WO 03/019099, when taking out the heat stored in the heat-storage material, oil to which heat is not supplied is discharged from the pipe arranged in the heat-storage material. Then, while the oil goes up to the oil in the upper portion, the stored heat is supplied to the ascending oil by the direct contact between the heat-storage body and the oil. By taking out heat in the heat exchanger from the oil to which heat was supplied, the stored heat can be used. By repeating the above-described action, the heat stored in the heat-storage material can be taken out (heat radiation of heat-storage material).
A heat-storage material such as sodium acetate that stores heat utilizes latent heat of fusion, its state changes from solid to liquid as heat is added and heat is stored in the heat-storage material, and the state changes from liquid to solid as heat is taken out to radiate heat from the heat-storage material. For this reason, because the heat-storage material at the starting point of heat storage is solid in International Publication No. WO 03/019099, discharge holes are clogged by the solid heat-storage material even when the storage container tries to discharge the oil, to which heat was supplied, from the pipe arranged in the heat-storage material, the oil cannot be discharged until heat is added to the heat-storage material and the material changes to liquid, and there are cases where the pipe bursts.
To solve the problem, a constitution is considered where another pipe is provided for letting out the oil in the pipe arranged in the heat-storage material until the heat-storage material melts and the oil can be discharged from the discharge holes. However, in taking out the stored heat in this constitution, the flow path resistance of the discharge holes becomes larger as the state of the heat-storage material reversely changes from liquid to solid, so that the oil in the pipe is not discharged from the discharge holes into the heat-storage material but flows to the pipe, which was provided separately, as heat is radiated from the heat-storage material. Consequently, it becomes impossible to directly contact the heat-storage material with the oil, and heat cannot be sufficiently taken out from the heat-storage material.

Heat-storage unit and operation method of heat-storage unit

Abstract: The heat-storage unit capable of exchanging heat by direct contact between sodium acetate and oil, storing heat in the sodium acetate, and radiating heat from the sodium acetate by supplying the oil, which has a smaller specific gravity than the sodium acetate and is separated from the sodium acetate, into a heat-storage tank housing the sodium acetate, which stores heat depending on a state change between solid and liquid, in an internal space, in which the unit includes: a third flow pipe of a supply pipe, at least a part of which is provided in a lower portion of the internal space and in which the oil flows; a plurality of discharge holes which are provided for the third flow pipe and discharge the oil flowing through the third flow pipe into the sodium acetate; a fourth flow pipe of the supply pipe, which is connected to the third flow pipe and discharges the oil flowing through the third flow pipe to the outside of the sodium acetate; and a valve that shuts off the fourth flow pipe corresponding to the state change of the sodium acetate.


A fiber optic cable comprises a plurality of packages each made up of a plurality of optical fiber ribbons. The packages are arranged in a tight structure incorporated in a polymer resin so that the packages themselves constitute reinforcements that impart strength to the cable and prevent curvature of the optical fibers due to variations in temperature. This eliminates the need to incorporate any central and/or peripheral reinforcing member into the cable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns fiber optic data transmission cables and in particular a fiber optic cable containing no reinforcing members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fiber optic cables are increasingly being used in data transmission, either as overhead cables or as buried cables. Regardless of the application, one essential component of a fiber optic cable is a central/or peripheral reinforcing member one function of which is to withstand tension loads applied to the cable during its installation. One such cable is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,551.
Another essential function of the central and/or peripheral reinforcing member is to prevent curvature of the optical fibers due to temperature variations and likely to lead to loss of quality in data transmission. The optical fibers have a low coefficient of thermal expansion and their length therefore varies only slightly as the temperature falls (or rises), whereas the length of the plastics material surrounding them tends to vary by a large amount in this situation, because of its higher coefficient of thermal expansion. It is for this reason that in fiber optic cables the reinforcing member such as that shown in the patent mentioned hereinabove, which has a coefficient of thermal expansion approximately equal to that of the optical fibers, serves to limit variations in the length of the cable in the event of variations in temperature. A reinforcing member of this kind is generally made of metal or of a plastics material reinforced with glass fibers in the case of dielectric cables.
Moreover, when a reinforcing member is present, and still with the aim of preventing inappropriate curvature of the optical fibers, the latter are generally loose in their sheath, as shown in the U.S. patent previously mentioned. This loose structure allows the sheath to expand or contract freely without stressing the optical fibers and thus causing them to become curved.
In addition to a central reinforcing member, the use of a sheath of aramide fibers (sold under the trademark "Kevlar") at the periphery of the cable is known in itself. In the extreme situation, given that the optical fibers are mounted loose in the cable as previously explained, and provided that a large quantity of aramide fibers is used, it would be possible to dispense with any rigid central reinforcing member.
Unfortunately, the use of reinforcing members is costly, particularly in the case of dielectric cables when the reinforcing member is of a plastics material reinforced with glass fibers and/or in the case of aramide fiber sheaths, and this considerably increases the manufacturing cost of the fiber optic cable.
For this reasons, the aim of the invention is to provide a fiber optic cable that does not contain any central and/or peripheral reinforcing member made of metal or of a plastics material reinforced with glass fibers.

Fiber optic cable without reinforcing members

Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite


A method for activating a state transition of a liquid crystal in a liquid crystal display is provided. The liquid crystal display has a first substrate, a second substrate and plural pixel structures, wherein the liquid crystal is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate and each of the plural pixel structures has a transistor having a first electrode and a second electrode. The method including steps of: providing a first potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode to generate a first electric field; providing a second potential difference between the first substrate and the second substrate to generate a second electric field; and transitioning the liquid crystal from a non-display alignment state to a display alignment state by the first and the second electric fields.

In recent years, studies on the optically compensated birefringence (OCB) cell that is to be used as a liquid crystal cell instead of a twisted nematic (TN) cell have been widely spread. In the OCB mode liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal molecules therein are aligned from homogenous state to splay state at the initial state when an external voltage is applied. However, when a higher voltage difference is applied to the OCB mode liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal molecules therein will transit from the splay state to the bend state, and it is required to spend some time for the transition above. In the bend state, the top and bottom liquid crystal molecules are always oriented symmetrically, and thus to compensate the birefringence of liquid crystal molecules so as to obtain the uniform viewing angle characteristic at all directions is more easily than that obtained with the orientation division method, and a high-speed response characteristic that is one order faster than that for the conventional TN cells may also be accomplished accordingly.
FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively illustrate the liquid crystal molecules in splay state and bend state in the OCB mode liquid crystal display device. As shown in FIG. 1A, in a splay state, the liquid crystal molecules 104 are uniformly splayed between the upper and lower substrates 100 and 102. However, when a voltage difference is applied to the glass substrates 100 and 102, the liquid crystal molecules 104 will transited into the bend state, as shown in FIG. 1B. In which, the transition time of the liquid crystal molecules 104 from the splay state to the bend state is one of the determinants for the OCB mode liquid crystal display device due to the fact that all the electro-optical properties of the OCB mode liquid crystal display device are operated when the liquid crystal molecules therein are in bend state.
However, some pixel structures was disclosed, such as what is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,115,087, 6,226,058, 6,661,491 and 6,597,424 but some of them are not suitable for OCB mode liquid crystal display devices, in addition a extra electrode existing in original pixel structures for transitioning the state of the liquid crystal was further disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,916 and a auxiliary pier structure existing in the pixel structure with large voltage difference was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,801,284. However there still exist some demerits in those disclosed conventional pixel structures, for example, a space exists between the pixel electrode and the gate electrode, and the common electrode must be introduced and overlapped with the pixel electrode for a certain area so as to form a storage capacitor. However, the above two demerits will result in a small aperture which decrease the brightness and the contrast of the panel thereof.
In addition, although some driving methods for a liquid crystal display have been disclosed, such as that Takayuki Konno et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,377) and Katsuji Hattori et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,009) have disclosed a driving method for an OCB mode liquid crystal display and Hajime Nakamura et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,646) have disclosed another driving method for a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT/LCD), there still exist some defects in the disclosed driving methods. For example, the driving method proposed by Katsuji Hattori et al. has a complicated signal input procedure and the applied system design always needs an alignment transition driving circuit, a switching control circuit and a switching circuit. In other words, the cost for the driving method of Katsuji Hattori et al. is always high and the relevant driving method is not so practical, especially for the trend of compactness. In addition, since the potential difference between the signal electrode and the common electrode is more than 10 volts and that between the gate electrode and the signal electrode is also more than 10 volts in the driving method proposed by Hajime Nakamura, there might exist some problems about the poor uniformity and the slow transition time in driving method of the prior arts.
As above, since all the electro-optical properties of the OCB mode liquid crystal display device are operated only when the liquid crystal molecules therein are in bend state, the liquid crystal molecules in the OCB mode liquid crystal display devices need to be transformed from the splay state (non-display state) into the bend state (display state) before being used and there still exist some demerits in the conventional pixel structures and driving methods, a new driving methods with excellent aperture ratio, sufficient brightness, clearly contrast and good uniformity for activating OCB mode liquid crystal display device are desired.

Pixel structure of liquid crystal display comprising V-shaped drain and source electrodes and method for activating a state transition of a liquid crystal layer


The present invention provides a semiconductor device fabrication method capable of reducing the thermal load on the substrate. The present invention also provides a semiconductor device fabrication method capable of improving the characteristics of a semiconductor element. The semiconductor device fabrication method according to the present invention comprises a step of thermally processing a semiconductor layer that is deposited on a substrate by using, as a heat source, the flame of a gas burner that uses a mixed gas of hydrogen and oxygen as fuel. As a result of thermal processing, the semiconductor layer is re-crystallized and an oxide film is formed on the surface of the semiconductor layer. The oxide film can be used as a gate insulation film and a capacitive insulation film.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device fabrication method and an electronic device fabrication method. Crystallization methods that re-crystallize silicon that is deposited on a substrate by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or the like include a solid phase grown method that uses high temperature thermal processing at 600 to 1000° C., a laser annealing method that performs excimer laser irradiation, and a thermal plasma jet method (Japanese Patent Application Nos. H11-145148 and Crystallization of Si Thin Film Using Thermal Plasma Jet and Its Application to Thin-Film Transistor Fabrication, S. Higashi, AM-LCD '04 Technical Digest Papers, p. 179) that has thermal plasma as its heat source).
Further, methods that are used as methods of forming an oxide film as an insulation film on a re-crystallized silicon film include thermal oxidation film methods (dry oxygen oxidation, wet oxidation, steam oxidation, and hydrogen combustion oxidation), CVD (TEOS, PECVD), and sputtering and so forth).
A method that processes an oxide film by means of high-pressure steam annealing is known as a method for improving the film quality of the oxide film thus formed (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. H6-13407, H11-135492, and H4-284630, for example).
However, in the solid phase growth method using thermal processing mentioned above, because the substrate is heated to a maximum temperature of 600 to 1000° C., a low-cost glass substrate cannot be used. Further, the thermal load on the substrate is large and bending and cracking and so forth of the substrate readily occurs. In addition, crystallization takes a long time and productivity is limited. Moreover, although, with laser annealing, a glass substrate of low heat resistance can be used, high-cost equipment is required and there is a tendency for variations in the element characteristic to increase. Further, the thermal plasma jet method is also costly.
On the other hand, the present inventor targeted research on thermal processing by applying the flame of a gas burner that has a mixed gas of hydrogen and oxygen as its fuel (See Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-329205, for example) as a semiconductor device fabrication method that is able to reduce the thermal load on the substrate and perform thermal processing of a large-area substrate and intensely studied processes and conditions and so forth for obtaining a favorable semiconductor device in the course of this research.

Semiconductor device fabrication method and electronic device fabrication method


The optimized primitive filler is used in a computer system, such as a computer system that displays graphic images. A first step of the method it is determined if a primitive is totally outside a predetermined screen region or at least partially within the predetermined screen region. The primitive is then discarded if the primitive is totally outside the screen region. If the primitive is not totally outside the screen region, at least a portion of the primitive is identified that lies within the screen region. Then only those pixels in the portion of the primitive that is inside the screen region are filled. These steps are executed for each primitive of a plurality of primitives that forms a scene of which the screen region is the portion that the computer system displays. No pixels are filled in primitives which are totally outside the screen region, and no pixels are filled in portions of primitives that are outside the screen region. The optimized primitive filler and its associated method provide a fast and efficient rasterization of primitives.

In the field of computer graphics, the graphics rendering pipeline is the core of real time graphics. The function of the pipeline is to generate, or render, two dimensional images, three dimensional objects, light sources, lighting models, textures and more. The locations and shapes of the objects in the scene are determined by the geometry, placement of the camera in the environment and the characteristics of that environment. The appearance of the objects is affected by material properties, light sources, textures and lighting models.
The process of rasterizing in computer graphics defines a particular scene in terms of primitives, which are typically triangles. For a particular scene, the area to be displayed by a computer system is termed a screen region. The screen region usually is an area that is less than the total scene. Therefore, some of the primitives lie outside of the screen region, while others lie either partially in the screen region or completely within the screen region. During rasterization the primitives are processed such that pixels contained within the primitives are given values in terms of their color, textures, transparency, etc.
Initially during rasterization, the primitives are filled with a solid color or pattern. The function of filling primitives can be broken into two parts. First a decision must be made as to which pixels to "fill" (assign values) within a primitive, and also as to what values to assign to these pixels. If the pixels are to be assigned a solid color, for example, then primitives which lie entirely within the screen region have each of their pixels assigned the color value. However, if a primitive lies only partially within the screen area, to assign all the pixels a particular value and then to discard the portion of the primitive lying outside of the screen area requires large amounts of computer processing time and is inefficient.
The process of clipping is the process of determining the portion of a primitive that is within a clipping region, such as the screen region. By clipping the rectangle to the screen region drawing time is saved during the rasterization. Scissoring is the process of computing all points of the primitive, and then drawing only those lines within in the rasterized clip region. Although a number of algorithms are set forth in the prior art with regards to scissoring and clipping, increasing complexity of graphic images has required more efficient methods of clipping or scissoring primitives with regards to the screen region.
Therefore, there is a need in the prior art to provide a more efficient method and apparatus for culling pixels of a primitive that are not in a scissors region. A drawback of the prior art is an implementation of scissoring primitives which fills all the primitives with pixels and then for every pixel has hardware check x,y pixel coordinates against the scissor planes and cull each pixel individually if it is outside the scissor plane. This prior art method is very inefficient in terms of performance as it requires hardware to completely fill all primitives, even for pixels that are outside the scissor plane. Another prior art method is to perform clipping at intersections of primitive edges with the scissor plane. New primitives are then created by subdividing the original primitives in an interactive manner until there are no primitives to intersect the scissor plane. This prior art method of clipping is slow and costly in terms of hardware implementations.


A device is described for opening and closing the discharge door of a bulk seed box. The device comprises a portable lightweight structure which is attached to the box and which uses an electrically operated screw actuator or linear actuator to move the discharge door of the box from its closed position to its open position and vice versa. The device is preferably remotely controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for opening and closing the discharge door of a bulk seed box and more particularly to a device which utilizes an electrically operated screw actuator or linear actuator to open and close the discharge door.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bulk seed systems have been in wide use for many years to eliminate the need for filling row planter boxes and grain drills with seed from individual bags. A popular type of bulk seed box is that which is manufactured by Buckhorn, Inc. of Milford, Ohio, who is the owner of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,845,799 and 6,010,022 relating to bulk seed boxes. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. of Johnston, Iowa, markets agricultural seeds in large bulk seed boxes under the registered trademark PROBOX®. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,094,356 and 7,086,342 which disclose bulk seed boxes having discharge doors or slide gates.
The bulk seed boxes of Buckhorn, Inc. and Pioneer have a sliding discharge door at the lower ends thereof through which the seed in the bulk seed box is dumped into a seed system, wagon, truck, etc. When the large bulk seed boxes are delivered to a farmer or the like, the bulk seed box is normally elevated above the ground by means of a forklift or a front end loader so that the contents of the bulk seed box may be dumped into a seed system/wagon/truck so that the seed may be conveyed therefrom into the planting devices. The fact that the bulk seed boxes are elevated above the truck or the like requires that a person climb upwardly on the truck or a ladder to manually open the discharge door. Further, the weight of the seed in the box sometimes causes the bulk seed box to slightly deform which makes it extremely difficult to manually open or close the discharge door. Applicant's invention described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,043 issued Mar. 20, 2012 represents a vast improvement in the art. The instant invention represents a further improvement in the art.

Device for opening and closing the discharge door of a bulk seed box


A golf club shaft grip having a polyurethane layer bonded to a felt layer. The bonded-together layers are configured as a strip which is spirally wrapped about the shaft. A cap is then telescopically applied over the upper end of the shaft to prevent unraveling of the strip from the shaft.

The present invention relates to an improved golf club shaft grip.
It is well known that shock generated by impact between a golf club and a golf ball can adversely affect muscle tissue and arm joints such as elbow joints. The energy generated by such shock is usually of high frequency and short duration with rapid decay, and which is often known as "impact shock." Tight grasping of a grip to keep it from slipping contributes to the shock to the muscle tissue and arm joints of the users golf clubs.
Prior art golf club shaft grips have utilized a layer of polyurethane backed with a layer of felt. In general, the felt layer has a thickness of about 1.40 mm. The polyurethane layer is generally thinner than 0.25, and has been considered only as providing tackiness, i.e., resistance to the slip caused by a sweaty hand. The polyurethane has not been considered to be useful for inhibiting shock. The felt was relied upon to cushion the user's arm and hand against the shock created when the club strikes the ball.
Applicant has previously developed resilient grips which successfully reduce shock to the muscle and arm joints of the users of golf clubs, tennis racquets, racquet ball racquets, baseball bats, and other impact imparting devices such as hammers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,059 granted to applicant Dec. 20, 1994. Such earlier grips utilize a polyurethane layer bonded to a felt layer to define a strip which is spirally wrapped around the handle of a golf club or racquet to conform to the external configuration of such handle. In such earlier grips of applicant's design the thickness of the polyurethane layer relative to the thickness of the felt layer as compared to prior art resilient grips, i.e. the ratio of the thickness of the polyurethane layer to the thickness of the felt layer was a minimum of approximately 0.18, with the thickness of the polyurethane layer hag been about equal to or thicker than the thickness of the textile layer in a typical grip of my design. In certain of such grips the handle-abutting side of the strip utilized skiving, with the felt layer tapering from a transverse central region upwardly and outwardly towards the transverse side edges of the strip. The side edges of the strip were overlapped as the strip was wrapped around the shaft so that the strip did not have a smooth configuration along its length. Additionally, the skiving tended to weaken the grip. Moreover, the side edges of the strip tended to unravel in use. It was also determined that where the strip was not properly applied to the shaft, the grip would tend to loosen relative to the shaft. Likewise, prior golf club grips employed caps which failed to adequately prevent unraveling of the grip from the golf club shaft.


The present invention provides novel photoresist monomers, and photoresist polymers comprising the same. The photoresist monomer of the present invention is selected from the group consisting of compounds of the formulas:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photoresist monomers, polymers derived therefrom and photoresist compositions comprising the polymers. In particular, the present invention relates to polycarbonyl-derivative photoresist monomers, polymers thereof and photoresist compositions comprising the same that are suitable for photolithography processes employing KrF, ArF, VUV, EUV and similar light sources.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, chemical amplification-type DUV photoresists have been investigated in order to increase sensitivity in minute image formation processes for preparing semiconductor devices. Such photoresists are prepared by blending a photoacid generator and matrix resin polymer having an acid labile group.
In a photolithography process, an exposure of photoresist to light of a particular wavelength generates an acid from the photoacid generator that is present in the photoresist. The photo generated acid causes the main chain or the branched chain of the resin to decompose or become cross-linked. In addition, the acid removes the acid labile group and changes the polarity of the photoresist in the exposed region. This polarity change creates a solubility difference between the exposed portion and the unexposed portion in a developing solution, thereby allowing a pattern formation. The resolution of the pattern that is formed depends on the wavelength of the light source, i.e., in general, a shorter wavelength allows formation of more minute patterns.
In general, a useful photoresist (hereinafter, abbreviated as xe2x80x9cPRxe2x80x9d) has a variety of desired characteristics, such as excellent etching resistance, heat resistance and adhesiveness. In addition, a photoresist should be easily developable in a commercially readily available developing solution, such as 2.38 wt % aqueous tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution. However, it is very difficult to synthesize a photoresist polymer that satisfies all of these requisites.
To solve some of the problems described above, there has been developed a three-component PR composition comprising a polymer of Chemical Formula 1, prepared by cyclopolymerization of 2-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)bicyclo-2,5-diene, as a matrix resin; and a lithocholic ester compound as a dissolution inhibitor:
Although the polymer has excellent dry etching resistance, it requires an excess amount of the dissolution inhibitor which is transparent in the wavelength of 193 nm. Unfortunately, the excess amount of the dissolution inhibitor may result in precipitation or lowering of the glass transition temperature (Tg). Thus, the above described three component mixture does not provide a satisfactory solution to the problems. Also, in order to improve the adhesiveness of the PR polymer to the wafer, the ratio of xe2x80x98yxe2x80x99 must be increased. However, if the amount of xe2x80x98yxe2x80x99 is increased, the developing solution (2.38 wt % TMAH) cannot be employed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide photoresist monomers having excellent etching resistance, adhesiveness and photosensitivity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide PR polymers derived from such photoresist monomers and methods for preparing the same.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide photoresist compositions comprising such PR polymers.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device produced by using the above described PR composition.

Photoresist monomers polymers thereof and photoresist compositions containing the same

Abstract: wherein R1 to R4 and n are those defined herein. The photoresist compositions comprising the photoresist polymers of the present invention have high transparency in a deep ultraviolet light region, and also have excellent etching resistance, heat resistance, sensitivity, adhesiveness and resolution. Accordingly, the photoresist composition is suitable for lithography process using a deep ultraviolet light sources such as ArF, KrF, VUV, EUV, E-beam and X-ray for fabricating minute circuit of a high integration semiconductor device.

Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.


An receptacle with openings for concealing a screen of a mobile electronic device and permitting a user to access and control the mobile electronic device at the discretion of a user is a pouch comprising a color-coded shell with multiple openings and a chamber to house the mobile electronic device therein; and a dividing mechanism that may be engaged or disengaged for converting between a single opening and two openings so that a user may access and control the device housed inside the pouch when the dividing mechanism is engaged. Furthermore, engaging the dividing mechanism may be disengaged by a user or a supervisor with a detacher. A pouch has various colors to represent pre-determined conditions at the discretion of supervisors of an area so they would know which pouch to disengage base on its color. Lastly, the shell of the pouch is constructed from a rectangular sheet of fabric for environmental and cost-saving benefits.

Mobile electronic devices such as smartphones and smartwatches have become today's one of most convenient and beneficial devices. We use the mobile electronic devices to connect with others, access information, and record information. Furthermore, a user may access and control the device to make calls and answer calls with a click on a button, a tap on a screen, and/or make some commands. However, pervasive usages of the mobile electronic devices in schools, meetings, workplaces, and other events are distracting users from their tasks. The content on a screen of the mobile electronic device are distracting and addictive. For example, many apps, games, videos, music, social media, eBooks, and many other sources of media may be stored, viewed, or controlled on the screen of the mobile electronic device. When a user interacts with media, apps, games, and other content on the screen of the mobile electronic device, a user is distracted from their tasks. For example, pervasive use of the device at schools and home distracts students from their learning tasks; consequently, this causes students to underperform academically in schools. To further illustrate, teachers are constantly reminding students to put their devices away during class; however, it is deficient and ineffective because there are too many students for a single teacher to facilitate daily. At schools, the mobile electronic device may be used as a weapon to cyberbully others, promote and record fights, and view inappropriate-age content. Similarly, a user of the mobile electronic device at workplaces, meetings, conferences, informational events are distracted by contents on the screen of the mobile electronic device; consequently, this decreases performance, productivity, and comprehension of the user. More importantly, a user may only fully enjoy the content on the screen if a user can view the entire screen of the mobile electronic device continuously over a long period of time; therefore, limit a user the ability view the entire screen continuously may cause a user not to use the device at all.
At the same time, however, a user of the mobile electronic device may need to access and control of the mobile electronic device at the discretion of a user to answer calls or make calls during unexpected disasters, emergency, or life-threatening events. To illustrate, an ability of a user to make calls and answer calls during a life-threatening event such as terrorist attacks or active shooting at an event or in an area is lifesaving and time-critical. Also, there is a rise in active shooting at schools and communal events and many natural disasters such as flood, earthquakes, and fire.
Attempts have been made to provide a balanced solution for eliminating distraction from using a mobile electronic device and permitting a user to access and control the device at the same time. However, none of those in existence provide an efficient solution that provide a balance between eliminating distraction on a screen the and permitting a user to access and control the device, at the discretion of a user, to make lifesaving and time-critical functions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 to Dugoni discloses a "system and apparatus for selectively limiting user control of a mobile electronic device." However, this solution is deficient because it "renders the electronic device inaccessible and incontrollable" when locking of the device inside the case is engaged. The front and rear plates of the opening of the case of U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 almost sealed the opening, making the contained device "physically impenetrable by the user of the mobile device." The U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 further discloses that locking a mobile device in a case so that the mobile device is "physically impenetrable by the user of the mobile device" when "locking is engaged" under circumstances such as geographic location or timing. The U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 also further discloses that "locking [means] may first render the electronic device inaccessible to the user . . . and second non-disengageable by the user of the mobile device until predetermined condition is met." The U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 further discloses that "a locking means for at least partially securing the opening so the mobile device electronic device is may be rendered inaccessible to and further incontrollable by the user of the device although it may still remain in his possession." This solution focus specifically for "communal events such as a show, demonstration, display, athletic competition, or concerts within a concert hall, center, arena, or similar venue." In such scenarios, the "locking [of apparatus] means may only become disengageable if a user leaves the venue." In an school setting, meeting, conferences, work places, and other events or area, it is essential for a user to access and control the device to answer calls, make calls, record audio, charge the device, make calls, make commands, listen to audio, connect to USB ports, and other functions at the discretion of the user. Especially in school setting, K-12 students may need, at the discretion of a user, to answer calls and make calls throughout the day. Likewise, a user in a learning or informational setting or events (such as, class lecture, important conference, and meeting) may want to access and control the device to record audio of information presented. More importantly, there is an increasing shootings at communal events and areas such as schools, classrooms, concerts, sport stadium, religious gathering, or other groups events; therefore, user of the mobile electronic device needs to have quick access and control of the mobile electronic device at the discretion of the user to answer calls and make calls. This deficiency is furthered demonstrated by current users of U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788. For example, Haleigh Lewis wrote that "students cannot access [their phones] because they are sealed in the pouch". Also, Adam Maida from WIRED wrote that "locking [phones in a pouch] rendering it totally inaccessible." Currently, to disengage locking of the U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788, a user needs to find a designated supervisor who has a designated and proprietary key of U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 to manually disengage the locking of the case; more importantly, only one case can be disengaged at a time by a key of the case. Therefore, during emergency situations such earthquakes, flood, fire, on-site shooting, terrorist attacks, and other unexpected disaster or events; it is dangerous and inefficient to disengage each case at time when there too are many people who need their case of U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 to be unlocked. During such life-threatening disasters and events, a user of the device needs instant access and control the device to answer phone calls and make phone calls quickly to get helps, without first required the locking of the case to be disengaged.
Likewise, another safety concern that U.S. Pat. No. 9,819,788 failed to address is the sharp point from an object of its locking mechanism. The sharp point of the locking mechanism's article is facing outward toward a user and others when the locking mechanism is not engaging. In a communal events or school setting with many minor users, or children, this poses a bodily-injury hazard for children.
Likewise, other attempts are also ineffective. A common solution is having signs to remind a user of the mobile electronic device to put it away. For example, a teacher has signs and reminds students to put the device away, and the teacher may confiscate students' mobile electronic devices if the student has it out habitually. Consequently, a teacher's instructional time are wasted to remind students to put the devices away, or a teacher gives up and lets a student continues to be distracted by the content on the mobile electronic device. Overall, it is extremely burdensome and ineffective because there are too many students in a classroom for a single teacher to identify and remind daily.
Although various inventions and proposals have been made, none of those in existence provide an efficient solution that provide a balance between eliminating distraction on a screen the and permitting a user to access and control the device, at the discretion of a user, to make life-saving and time-critical functions, such as but not limited to, answer calls, make calls, unlock with fingerprint, record audio, make commands, connect to ports, and other functions of the device. During unexpected and life-threatening disaster and emergency, a user needs to access and control the device to get help or being informed. Therefore, there remains a need for a utility that provide this balance of eliminating of distraction on the mobile electronic device's screen and permitting a user to access and control of the device at the discretion of a user. The absence of such utility will continue to negatively affect users' performance in schools and users' productivity at workplaces. At the same time, we are putting a user, especially for minor users, in danger when they cannot quickly access and control their device during unexpected or life-threatening disasters or events. This disclosed invention will provide an efficient solution that provide a balance solution between eliminating distraction of the electronic device and permitting a user instant access and control the device, at the discretion of the user, to answer calls, make calls, unlock with fingerprint, record audio, make commands, and connect to ports even when device is contained inside this disclosed invention. Altogether, this disclosed invention may positively increase users' academic performances, decrease cyberbully, improve user' mental and physical beings while a user can access and control the device, at the discretion of a user, even when it's being housed inside the disclosed invention.

Receptacle with multiple openings for concealing a screen of a mobile electronic device and permitting a user to access and control the mobile electronic device housing inside the pouch at the discretion of the user


In an exhaust gas purification system provided with an exhaust gas purification device in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, and at the same time, provided with a reductant supply means for supplying a reductant to the upstream side of this exhaust gas purification device, two or more of the oxygen concentration, the CO concentration, and the HC concentration of the exhaust gas detected by an exhaust gas component concentration detecting means are used as control parameters during the reductant supply control when the reductant is supplied into the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust gas purification device. With this, the supply period and supply amount of the reductant can be optimized, and a decrease of fuel efficiency deterioration and suppression of deterioration of the quality of the components of the exhaust gas flowing into the atmosphere are attempted.

Various research and proposals have been made on an exhaust gas purification device to purify exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine and some gasoline engines. In these, an exhaust gas purification device is used in which a DPF (diesel particulate filter) and a NOx purification catalyst that purifies NOx (nitrogen oxides) are arranged. A three way catalyst, a NOx adsorption catalyst, an SCR catalyst (selective contact catalyst) in which urea is added, a NOx direct reduction type catalyst, etc. are used as the NOx purification catalyst.
Then, an oxidization catalyst is arranged in the upstream side of the DPF or NOx purification catalyst in the exhaust gas purification device of a diesel engine. Then, the temperature of the oxidization catalyst and the temperature of the exhaust gas in the downstream side of the oxidization catalyst is increased in the case that the temperature of the exhaust gas is low by supplying a reductant such as HC into the exhaust gas with a post injection or an exhaust pipe injection and oxidizing this reductant with the oxidization catalyst. With this increase of temperature, the temperature of this oxidization catalyst is kept at an activation temperature or more, and at the same time, PM combustion in the DPF in the downstream side is promoted. Further, the temperature of the NOx purification catalyst in the downstream side is kept at the activation temperature or more.
Further, a reaction from NO to NO2 is promoted with this oxidization catalyst in an exhaust gas purification device in which the oxidization catalyst is arranged in the upstream side of the SCR catalyst. With this, a reaction with NH3 (ammonia) on the SCR catalyst is promoted.
This oxidization catalyst exhibits an action effect such as oxidizing CO, HC, and NO in addition to increasing the temperature of the exhaust gas, and also has a role to secure the promotion of combustion of PM in the DPF in the downstream side by NO2, and the performance of the NOx purification catalyst. The configuration, the composition, and the carrying amount of this oxidization catalyst are selected that are appropriate for each usage.
Further, a NOx adsorption catalyst is carried on the DPF without providing the oxidization catalyst in the upstream side as described in Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2004-44515. In this system, a reductant such as HC is supplied into the exhaust gas with a post injection or an exhaust pipe injection in the case that the temperature of the exhaust gas is low. The temperature of the DPF with a catalyst is increased through oxidizing this reductant with the NOx adsorption catalyst, and the PM combustion in the DPF is promoted.
Then, the supply of the reductant in these devices is controlled with an activation temperature of the catalyst such as an oxidation catalyst carried in the exhaust gas purification device as a standard. That is, when the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into this catalyst or the temperature of the catalyst is at the activation temperature or less, stops the supply of the reductant is stopped and the supply of the reductant is begun when the temperature becomes in a state of exceeding the activation temperature.
However, in the conventional art, the supply period and the supply amount of this reductant are in control as a function of only the temperature of the catalyst such as an oxidation catalyst or the temperature of the exhaust gas, and it was considered to have no relationship with the oxygen concentration, the CO concentration, and the HC concentration that give large influence to the oxidization of the reductant. Because of that, an appropriate amount of the reductant cannot be supplied at an appropriate period. As a result, there has been a problem that the performance of increasing the temperature of the catalyst cannot be sufficiently exhibited and a problem that mileage deterioration and deterioration of the exhaust gas component occur due to supplying an extra amount of the reductant.
On the other hand, an exhaust purification device in which the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas is considered when supplying the reductant has been proposed. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2002-195074, an exhaust purification device of an engine as following is proposed in which NOx is purified by supplying the reductant consisting of HC, etc. into the exhaust gas with a post injection and reacting this reductant with NOx by using the NOx purification catalyst device. In this device, whether the NOx purification catalyst is in an active state or not is determined by the catalyst temperature, etc. With this determination result, the injection amount and the injection period of the post injection are changed, and the NOx discharging amount into the exhaust gas is made less in an inactive state. Further, the injection amount and the injection period of the post injection are set so that the reductant amount supplied to the NOx purification catalyst can be sufficiently secured in an active state. With this, the NOx release into the atmosphere is effectively suppressed, and the exhaust gas can be purified.
Further, an exhaust purification device of an internal combustion engine as described in Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 10-252544 has been proposed for example. In this device, the HC supply amount actually supplied into the exhaust gas is estimated based on the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas in the case of supplying HC into the exhaust gas with a post injection. The post injection is controlled so that the actual HC supply amount is agreed with the objective value of the HC supply amount to be supplied.
However, the relationship of the oxygen concentration with the activation temperature characteristics (light off characteristics) of the catalyst is not referred to in these exhaust purification devices, and nothing more than the oxygen concentration is used only in order to estimate the HC supply amount actually supplied into the exhaust gas.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2004-44515    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2002-195074    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 10-252544

Method of controlling exhaust gas purification system and exhaust gas purification system


Described are methods for recycling biaxially oriented thermoplastic crystallizable films, such as polyester terephthalate (PET) films, that have been coated with various polymers or waxes that are immiscible in the primary molten thermoplastic. The resultant processed recycle can be used to make new biaxially oriented thermoplastic films while avoiding process instability and optical defects in the finished film associated with immiscible polymeric and/or wax coatings.

As the cost of petrol based chemicals continues to rise, more economical ways to effectively reclaim scrapped materials are needed. In the case of biaxially oriented crystallizable thermoplastics films, the recycling of clean film is straight forward and well known. Difficulties arise when the films have been subsequently processed, having been coated, dyed, printed, laminated, or the like. Coatings may be applied in-line during the manufacturing of the film or may be applied off-line by any number of methods including solvent based, aqueous based, or extrusion coated. Many of these coatings are not miscible in the base polymer used in the original film making, rendering recycled film containing such coatings unsuitable for recycling into new biaxially oriented film. Immiscible coatings tend to agglomerate and cause both process and quality issues in the new film. Filters are typically used in the extrusion portion of the film manufacturing process to remove normal levels of contaminants from the coatings. These filters can also remove agglomerated coatings, however, when an appropriate mesh size is used to filter the agglomerates, the filters tend to clog rapidly thereby reducing the effective filter life and increasing production costs. Further, agglomerated coatings that pass through the filter can cause process instability during the orientation portion of the film manufacturing process and can also leave gels that appear as optical defects in the finished film.
Some biaxially oriented films made from recycled, coated, crystallizable, thermoplastics, in particular from crystallizable polyesters, are known.
For example, U.S. Publication No. 2011/0168325A1 describes a process for recycling coated waste film from a release liner application. However, there is no mention of compatibility issues with the residual coating. Further, the process is focused on increasing the IV and also describes the necessity of adding a coloring agent to mask yellowness associated with the recycling process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,322 describes a process for recycling polyester terephthalate (PET) flakes characterized by extrusion under vacuum while homogenously injecting an inert gas, or steam, to strip the PET granulate of volatile contaminants. This process also calls for a subsequent step of solids re-condensation in the solid state in order to raise the IV to sufficient level for reuse in PET bottle making.
U.S. Publication No. 2007/0161719A1 describes a method of recycling immiscible and/or cross-linked scrap polymeric material using shear mastication by combining said material with an uncross-linked, lower molecular weight polymer. Following the high shear mastication portion of the recycling process, the described method relies on adding a lower molecular weight polymeric material to the recycled polymeric material at a critical point so as to prevent cross-linked particles from reforming molecular bonds

Process for recycling immiscibles in PET film


A protective element for an electrochemical accumulator is made of granular varistor material, the mean diameter of the grains of the varistor material being less than 1 .mu.m, in particular less than 250 nm and, for more than 60% of the grains of the varistor material, the grain size deviating by at most 40% from its statistical average. For the preparation of such grains, a dispersion is made up to form biochemical hollow bodies which have an internal diameter in accordance with the above requirements. The dispersion is admixed with salts which dissolve in the dispersion with the formation of intermediate ions of a substance forming an intermediate for a varistor material, the intermediate ion of a substance forming an intermediate for a varistor material being an intermediate ion of an element required for the varistor material or of a corresponding compound. The intermediate ions of a substance forming an intermediate for a varistor material are positioned in the enclosed void of the hollow bodies, being used to form the grains of the varistor material or an intermediate of corresponding shape, which are released by removing the sheath of the hollow bodies.

The invention relates to a protective element for an electrochemical accumulator device comprising at least one storage cell having first and second electrodes separated by an electrolyte, and to a process for making such a protective element.
German patent document 44 09 268.7-45 discloses an electrochemical accumulator having a plurality of serially interconnected individual cells, each of which has two spatially separated electrodes, with at least one electrolyte and protective element being disposed therebetween. The protective element made of varistor material serves, on the one hand, to maintain the gap between the electrodes and, on the other hand, to provide against an overcharge of the cell.
The varistor material has a nonlinear resistance, acting as an insulator below a specific voltage and becoming conductive above said voltage. That is, similar to a Zener diode, the protective element possesses a breakdown voltage at which the change from insulator to conductor characteristics occurs. Advantageously, the critical voltage in this case is lower than or equal to the overcharging voltage or destructive voltage beyond which an element of an individual cell, generally the electrolyte, suffers irreparable damage. The use of a varistor material as a protective element is critical, however, owing to the difficulty of setting the breakdown voltage, since the latter generally is a function of the layer thickness of the varistor material. The layer thickness of the protective element in turn, however, enters directly into the size of the individual cell, and as a result the overall volume of designs protected with varistor materials is considerable.
The scientific article "Synthesis of Submicrometer Crystals of Aluminum Oxide by Aqueous Intravesicular Precipitation" in Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol. 135, No. 2, Mar. 15th, 1990, pages 531-538, discloses a method for preparing aluminum oxide grains which have a mean diameter of approximately 10-20 nm. To prepare such grains, an aluminum salt solution is enclosed in phospholipid vesicles, the Al ions in the outside medium are removed, and by means of a marked increase in the pH, precipitation of aluminum oxide is triggered in the voids formed by the vesicles. After the formation of the desired substance, the vesicles are removed and grains in the desired order of magnitude have been obtained. In addition, other biochemical hollow bodies such as, e.g. micelles and ferritin, have been described as matrices for preparing such vesicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,686 and European patent document 50 091 disclose protective elements made of granular varistor material, which are disposed directly between two conductors and may therefore, in particular cases, have to be designed to be very small.
German patent document 37 21 754 A1 discloses a protective element for an electrochemical accumulator comprising at least one individual cell, each individual cell having two spatially separated electrodes between which an electrolyte and a protective element consisting of varistor material is situated. The protective element comprises varistors which regularly consist of granular varistor material and which--owing to the varistor characteristics--prevent overcharging.
German patent document 42 29 437 C1 discloses an electrochemical accumulator whose electrodes are separated from one another by means of spacers.
German patent document 36 19 620 A1 discloses varistor bodies consisting of fine-grained varistor material. It further discloses the interrelationship that, owing to the more numerous grain boundaries per unit length, varistors having a smaller thickness or a smaller volume can be used.
German patent documents 43 20 836 A1, 38 26 356 A1 and 25 26 137 C2 disclose the preparation of varistor materials. These publications disclose different starting materials and different intermediates and the further processing thereof.
German patent document 43 20 836 A1 discloses, in particular, the preparation of finely particulate mixed oxide powders, whose grain size is usually below 1 .mu.m.
German patent document 38 26 356 A1 discloses, in particular, the uniformity of the particle size within narrow limits, the particle size overall being low, below 1 .mu.m.
German Patent 25 26 137 C2 discloses the precipitation of intermediates of varistor material.
German patent document DE-B-10 46 153 discloses granular varistor materials for which, in regions outside contiguous grain boundaries, a binder is provided which presses the grains against one another.
German patent document 34 09 815 A1 discloses ceramic materials in porous form.
The object of the present invention is to provide protective element which permits individual cells protected therewith to have as low an overall volume as possible, while enabling the fabrication of the protective element with the smallest possible manufacturing tolerances in terms of overall dimensions and of breakdown voltage.
Furthermore, it is another an object of this invention to provide a process for fabricating the protective elements according to the invention.
The object is achieved by the protective element according to the invention, which comprises granules of varistor material having a mean diameter of less than 1.0 .mu.m, more than 60 percent of the granules having a size which varies form the average by less than 40 percent. The granular varistor material which forms the protective element is fabricated with the aid of biochemical hollow bodies, in particular of vesicles. In this manner, the grains of the varistor material can be produced below the .mu.m region and within narrow interval limits. The grain size of the grains of the varistor material are prepared by means of an intermediate which forms the varistor material by calcination, within narrow interval limits and in a form which at least roughly corresponds to a spherical shape. Due to the resulting small grain size, it is possible, on the one hand, for the touching surface of the individual grains of the varistor material (and hence the breakdown voltage of the protective element) to be adjusted very accurately, while at the same time keeping the layer thickness of the protective elements small. Owing to the process, it is furthermore advantageously possible, by means of the biochemical hollow bodies for the grain size of the intermediate and thus of the varistor material to be varied, virtually at will, from the nm range up to the .mu.m range. This advantageously enables the use in individual cells of different configurations in terms of layer thickness.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Protective element for an electro-chemical accumulator and process for its fabrication


A loudspeaker including a frame, a movable diaphragm that oscillates, and a suspension for mounting the diaphragm to the frame, where the suspension comprises a flexible surround having a substantially enclosed space where at least a portion of the flexible surround is air permeable.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to a loudspeaker and, in particular, to a loudspeaker comprising a frame, a movable diaphragm that oscillates around a position of rest, and a suspension for mounting the diaphragm to the frame, in which the suspension comprises a flexible surround portion defining an enclosed space where at least a portion of the flexible surround portion is air-permeable.
2. Related Art
Loudspeakers may be constructed of a diaphragm, a moving voice coil secured to the diaphragm in a central area, a magnet motor gap system into which the moving voice coil is inserted with the coil being centered in the gap of the magnet motor system, a frame supporting the magnet system and enclosing the diaphragm on one half side of the diaphragm, and a suspension system.
In a cone loudspeaker, the guiding of the movable diaphragm may be achieved by a double mechanical guiding or suspension system. The suspension system may be comprised of two elements, a flexible deformable surround (front or outer suspension) that is secured to the frame in an edge area of the diaphragm and the spider (rear suspension) that guides the oscillation movement of the moving voice coil and of the diaphragm mounted to the coil. The excursion of the moving system may be limited by the maximum mechanical deformation of the spider. The stiffness of the suspension system is the sum of the stiffness of the flexible surround portion and of the stiffness of the spider.
Surrounds can be constructed from several materials including rubber, compressed foam rubber, corrugated cloth, paper, plastic, and the like. Often the word "roll" is used in place of "surround" when describing the front suspension. Roll surrounds have a single, large, semi-circular corrugation typically constructed from rubber, compressed foam rubber or treated fabric. Surrounds help keep the diaphragm centered and provide a portion of the restoring force that keeps the voice coil in the motor magnet gap. In addition to controlling the linear motion of the cone, the surround also acts as a major centering force for the loudspeaker's voice coil. This centering force prevents the voice coil and former from rocking and rubbing against the pole piece or top plate. The surround also provides a damped termination for the edge of the cone. The choice of thickness and material type for surround construction can alter the response of the loudspeaker.
The spider, that may be constructed from treated corrugated fabric, also keeps the voice coil centered, as well as providing a portion of the restoring force that maintains the voice coil within the gap. The stiffness of the spider can affect the loudspeaker's resonance. The spider also provides a barrier for keeping foreign particles away from the gap area.
Surrounds may be one of the limiting factors in designing long-excursion loudspeakers. Excursion is defined as the amount of linear length the diaphragm body can travel. With small roll diameters, the excursion may be limited by the surround's physical limits. Larger surrounds may have an attendant loss in effective diaphragm area for a loudspeaker of given outside diameter, thus, creating an inevitable trade-off. Excursion and cone area are two factors which contribute to a loudspeaker's volume displacement. The higher the volume displacement capability of a loudspeaker, the greater the loudspeaker's ultimate low frequency output potential can be.
Furthermore, loudspeakers may be divided into several categories. Loudspeakers that are designed to produce low frequencies are referred to as "woofers." In these loudspeakers, the diaphragm is large and has a large range of excursion. Loudspeakers that are designed to produce high frequencies are referred to as "tweeters." Tweeters may comprise smaller diaphragms that oscillate at a smaller range of excursion. Loudspeakers that are designed for medium frequencies are referred to as "mediums." For these different kinds of loudspeakers different magnet systems and different guiding systems have been used.
Woofers, for example, may comprise a conically shaped diaphragm and a double mechanical guiding system including the surround portion and a spider. This double mechanical guiding system is used to properly guide the oscillating voice coil even at maximum excursions. Tweeters, in which the excursions of the moving diaphragm and the associated voice coil may be smaller, the use of spiders for the guiding system may not be necessary and the guiding system may consist only of a flexible surround portion.
Suspension systems may suffer from several drawbacks. For example, the linearity of the spider may not be very good due to parasite hysteresis effects and as the mechanical properties of the spider fatigue during use. In addition, the linearity of the flexible surround portion for fixing the diaphragm to the frame may not be very good as the geometry of the suspension may not be symmetric. In this instance, the oscillation around the position of rest may produce different restoring forces in an anterior and posterior direction.
Thus, to obtain a loudspeaker having a good sound quality, it is desirable that the suspension system be linear;in other words, that the restoring force be directly proportional to the excursion. Furthermore, it is desirable that the suspension system be symmetric, i.e., an excursion in the posterior and anterior direction of the loudspeaker should have the same restoring forces. However, the mechanical behavior of the suspension system at maximum excursions may be difficult to control because a good compromise between the linearity of the spider and the restoring force at maximum excursion is difficult to obtain. The loudspeaker may operate in a closed or vented box. At larger excursions of the moving system, the internal pressure in the box may modify the geometry of the flexible surround portion and may create acoustical distortions.
Symmetrical suspension systems have been attempted that include a diaphragm that is supported at its marginal edge on the frame by means of a surround that consists of an angular, hollow member of rubber-like flexible material that is substantially circular shape in cross-section. This surround is connected at its inside periphery to the marginal edge of the diaphragm and at its outside periphery to the frame. This hollow surround has several drawbacks. First, the surround forms a closed space in which air is contained. In circumstances in which the loudspeakers are exposed to the sun or subjected to heat, for example in a vehicle, the expansion of the heated air inside the closed surround may damage the surround. As the air volume within the surround depends on the temperature of the air inside the surround, the sound quality of the loudspeaker depends on the ambient temperature of the loudspeaker. In addition, this system is not linear. At high excursions of the diaphragm, the air in the closed box is much more compressed, resulting in higher restoring forces at maximum excursions of the voice coil.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a loudspeaker having a substantially linear and symmetrical suspension system, which improves the sound quality of the loudspeaker.


A flexible hose construction and method of making the same are provided, the flexible hose construction comprising an inner corrugated hose made of polymeric material and having a plurality of outwardly convex projections with recesses therebetween and extending from one end thereof to the other end thereof, an outer sleeve of reinforcing material disposed in telescoping relation on the inner hose, and a sleeve of porous and spongy polymeric material disposed between the sleeve of reinforcing material and the inner corrugated hose and having an outer peripheral surface that is substantially straight-line smooth and continuous and spaced outboard of the apexes of the projections and having an inner peripheral surface that substantially mates with and is disposed in engagement with the projections and the recesses from the one end to the other end of the inner corrugated hose.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new flexible hose construction and to a new method of making such a flexible hose construction.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a flexible hose construction comprising an inner corrugated hose made of polymeric material and having a plurality of outwardly convex projections with recesses therebetween and extending from one end thereof to the other end thereof, and an outer sleeve of reinforcing material disposed in telescoping relation on the inner hose. For example, see the U. S. patent to Medford et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,389 and the copending U.S. patent application of Jeffrey J. Winter et al, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 405,487, filed Sep. 11, 1989.

Flexible hose construction and method of making the same


From a quasi point source, light distribution means produce a selected one or ones of broadly distributed ambient light, non-shadowing task illumination, multibeam display lighting, projective lineal lighting and projective surface washing illumination lineally or radially distributed. Collimation optics shape light from a quasi point source into a disc of selected axial thickness. Containment optics contain divergence of and direct light from the collimation optics to distribution optics. The distribution optics modulates and redirects the radiant energy into a shape or shapes useful in illuminating architectural space. The distribution optics may reflect or refract light to direct and shape it for a particular architectural illumination requirement. The efficient combination of the optics provides for a system of minimized thickness, permitting maximum flexibility in integration with or within shelves, soffits and other structural members.

The present invention relates to a system for producing shaped and directed light from a quasi point sourceor quasipoint sources a selected one or ones of broadly distributed ambient light, non-shadowing task illumination, multibeam display lighting, projective lineal lighting and projective surface washing illumination lineally or radially distributed. The present invention relates to improved use of radiant energy from a quasi point source. The present specification primarily discusses collimation and shaping of visible light, since this is the collimation application for the invention at the present time, but other forms of radiant energy, for example infrared energy for heating, could be similarly distributed. The quasi point source may conveniently comprise a metal halide lamp. For simplicity in description, the terms radiant energy and light will be used interchangeably in the present description. In my patent application Ser. No. 08/006,623, I have described means for utilizing collimation means to provide radial collimation for a quasi point source, and producing a cylinder of light which is transmitted for distribution by further means. The present invention provides advancements in distribution and shaping of light utilizing distribution optics in conjunction with radial collimation means. In further embodiments, further improvements are provided wherein an "f" number is minimized, where the "f" number is inversely proportional to efficiency of light capture of the source by the radial collimation means.
There is a need to provide high intensity, efficient, directed, non-glare illumination to cover a large area or a plurality of spaces. Typical current solutions require the use of a plurality of sources such as separate bulbs in separate downlights. One system may need to contain one group of light bulbs of a first wattage as well as other bulbs of differing types in order to meet particular lighting requirements. For example, a spotight is almost invariably provided with an incandescent source, while relatively low power ambient lighting is provided by fluorescent tubes. This results in complexity and expense in installation and in inconvenience and expense in maintenance.
Typical prior art systems for distributing light from a source commonly lack flexibility in the number of different directions in which light may be directed from a single source. They are also characterized by complexity and lack of efficiency. In most existing lighting systems, energy is gathered by a parabolic or ellipsoidal reflector and distributed in a conical shape. The system of the present invention does not need such reflectors as a collimation means of collection. A radially formed collimation device feeds modulation means. The present invention provides for a simplicity in construction and compactness in layout for any of a number of different types of systems. Systems constructed in accordance with the present invention may provide for lighting the interior of a room, the exterior of a vehicle or other space.
In making devices using radially collimated light, it would be highly desirable to provide lighting fixtures able to be constructed in flat or thin shapes. A significant characteristic in many applications is thickness. Means that capture collimated light for further distribution are referred to in the present invention as distribution optics. Means that collimate light in at least a radial degree of freedom are referred to in the context of the present invention as collimation optics. In typical prior art systems, in order to capture a desired percentage of radially collimated light for further distribution, means which may be viewed as corresponding to the distribution optics must of necessity be significantly thicker in an axial direction than the prior art means which correspond to the present invention's collimation optics. This will result in a light distribution means constructed in accordance with prior art principles for a particular light shaping other application being significantly thicker than such means constructed in accordance with the present invention. The present invention will allow integration of means for producing a given light distribution into an architectural member. For example, a shelf may be provided which produces illumination on areas or items below it. A ceiling or wall panel that would be otherwise totally impractical due to its thickness may be produced with dimensions for maximizing flexibility in its utilization. Use of a high efficiency high intensity light source is permitted from which light may be distributed over a broad area or into a plurality or separate volumes with minimized glare and lamps not being visible.

Architectural lighting distributed from contained radially collimated light