Described herein are methods and systems for interactively configuring and producing a data domain for various data structure elements of a computer program. A domain configuration manager is described which interactively receives domain configuration information corresponding to a data structure element, reads a reflection of the program and produces a data domain according to domain configuration information. The domain configuration manager is capable of producing a data domain for a data structure element according to such domain configuration information such as an explicit expression, inheritance or domain generation technique. The reflection of the computer program exposes the methods and functions of the program to be used in the explicit expression regardless of the visibility rules. Also, predicates and conditions can be used with domain generation techniques to further narrowly configure the data domains.

Reliability is of key importance to success of any software in the market. Users are easily deterred by a faulty software program. Thus, software developers expend significant amount resources to ensure their software is reliable. However, continued pressure on software developers to shorten software development cycles has placed on them an increased demand for making the process of software testing and verification more accurate and less time consuming. Furthermore, costs related to testing and verification has grown to represent a significant portion (50% by some estimates) of the overall cost of developing a piece of software. Thus, automation tools for testing and verification have grown to be more and more sophisticated over time.
One aspect of testing and verification of software (regardless of the type of automation) that is particularly challenging is the ability of a testing tool to define a finite domain of data to be used in the testing. For instance, if a program accepts as one of its data inputs the basic data type of Integer that would mean that for a testing tool to exhaustively test the software it would have to conduct the test by applying virtually an infinite number of different integers. However, that is not only costly and time consuming but it also may be meaningless. Thus, a tester may look to the data members or variables of a program such as its various fields or parameters of the type Integer and manually limit the domain of each such data member to a selected set of values. For instance, if Age is a field of the type Integer then a meaningful domain for such a data member may be limited to integers ranging from 1-100. Such finitization is applicable to virtually any type of data. Thus, the process of testing can be vastly improved by specifying, or configuring the domain of the various data structure elements related to software programs.
However, manually identifying the various elements of a program and the data types they use and manually configuring their domains can be time consuming, if not impossible. Thus, there is a need to automate the process of identifying the various data structure elements of a program and configuring their domains to generate a meaningful set of data for testing and verification.
Furthermore, programs generally don't use data devoid of any context or relationship to other data. For example, most programming languages allow for defining data types and these data type definitions may be further used in defining particular data members such as data fields, and parameters of a program. For instance, if Age is defined in a program as a data of the type integer and Weight is also defined as the data type of Integer then Age and Weight are related through the fact that they are of the same type (Integer). Such relationships may be relied on to configure the domain of the data fields such as Age and Weight. For instance, the configuration of the domain for both Age and Weight may be the result of configuring the domain of their type the Integer. However, in a program of any meaningful size there may be literally thousands, if not more, such relationships and these relationships may also be more complex than the simple example provided above. To keep abreast of such relationships when manually configuring the domains may be nearly impossible. Thus, there is a need for methods and systems that automate the process of configuring data domains of a program by relying on the relationships between the various data.


A connector for coupling a conduit to an electrical enclosure includes a body and a lock nut. The body extends longitudinally between a proximal enclosure end and a distal conduit end. The body has an enclosure port at the enclosure end, a conduit port at the conduit end, and an internal passage extending between the enclosure port and the conduit port. The enclosure end has radially opposed first and second retention tabs. The body has external body threads located distally of the retention tabs. Each of the retention tabs extend radially outward of a longitudinal projection of the external threads. The lock nut is mated with the external body threads. The lock nut has an enclosure engagement end opposed to distal facing enclosure engagement sides of the retention tabs. The lock nut is rotatable on the external body threads to advance the enclosure engagement end toward the retention tabs.

Electrical conduit connectors are known. These conduit connectors are commonly used to facilitate the attachment of a conduit or cable to an electrical enclosure, such as a junction box, an outlet box, a circuit panel, etc. Known conduit connectors are typically integrated with an adapter end opposite to an end that is connectable to the electrical enclosure. The adapter end may permit attachment of a conduit, cable or the like to the conduit connector. One or more wires may be routed through the conduit and conduit connector into the electrical enclosure. Known conduit connectors can plague electricians with a significant amount of installation challenges, safety concerns, and cost and/or material inefficiencies.


An Fe--Zr--N base thin film composed of a metal nitride is formed by reactive sputtering. At the reactive sputtering step, the stress of the thin film is controlled by causing relative movement of the substrate with respect to a target in such a manner that the substrate can be periodically opposite to the target, or applying a negative bias voltage to the substrate, or performing said relative movement of the substrate with the application of the negative bias voltage to the substrate.

The present invention relates to a process for fabricating soft magnetic thin films which are primarily applied to various magnetic heads including an induction type magnetic head, a magnetoresistance type magnetic head (MR head), and an MR induction type composite head having an induction head portion and an MR head portion.
In recent years, magnetic recording of much higher density than ever before has been put forward. With this, thin film magnetic heads using soft magnetic thin films as magnetic poles, and reproducing MR heads making use of magnetoresistance effect have been under remarkable developments.
An MR head is designed to read external magnetic signals through a resistance change in a reading sensor formed of magnetic material. A characteristic feature of the MR head is that high outputs are achievable even when magnetic recording is performed at high linear densities because outputs are not dependent on its relative speed with respect to a recording medium. To increase resolving power and obtain good-enough properties at high frequencies, the MR head is usually constructed by sandwiching a magnetoresistance film (an MR film) between a pair of magnetic shielding films (a shielded MR head).
For the MR head that is a reproducing head, an MR induction type composite head is used, in which an MR head portion is provided in the form of an integral piece of an induction type head portion for recording purposes.
For magnetic shielding films or magnetic poles in the MR heads or the MR induction type composite heads, it is preferable to use thin films excellent in soft magnetic properties. Fe--Zr--N base soft magnetic thin films set forth in JP-B 7-60767 and JP-A 3-1513, for instance, are available to this end.
MR films are generally of low heat resistance. In particular, multilayer films having giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect (artificial lattice films composed of a laminate of thin films each having a thickness of about 5 nm) are likely to undergo considerable degradation because mutual dispersion occurs between thin films upon heated. It is thus required that annealing for the purpose of improving the soft magnetic properties of magnetic shielding films or magnetic poles be done at temperatures below 300.degree. C.
In the case of metal nitride thin films such as the aforesaid Fe--Zr--N base thin films, however, stress relieving cannot be achieved unless they are thermally treated at a temperature of at least 300.degree. C. This is because their compressive stresses are increased by the penetration of the light element N between metallic lattices. In the publications mentioned above, it is at an annealing temperature greater than 350.degree. C. when practical soft magnetic properties are obtainable, although such publications make no reference to film stresses. Generally speaking, a problem with a thin film, of which compressive stress is not fully relieved, is that when applied to a relatively thick portion such as a magnetic pole in the induction type head portion or a magnetic shielding film in the MR head portion, it is often delaminated from an underlaid insulating layer, or otherwise other films peel off. Another problem is that it is difficult to obtain satisfactory soft magnetic properties due to the influence of magnetostriction.
A soft magnetic thin film, when it is actually applied to a magnetic pole or magnetic shield in a magnetic head, is not only strongly affected by the stress of an underlaid insulating layer, etc., but also affected by the stresses of upper layers that are formed on the soft magnetic thin film. It follows that even if the soft magnetic thin film has reduced stress in itself, it is not always possible to prevent it from peeling off or better its soft magnetic properties.
When forming a soft magnetic thin film that is applied to a magnetic head having an MR head portion and so should be thermally treated at a temperature below 300.degree. C., therefore, it is required to control forming conditions so as to impart the optimum stress to it depending on layers formed under or over it, thereby preventing its delamination from the underlaid layer and achieving good-enough soft magnetic properties.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for fabricating a soft magnetic thin film that is applied to a magnetic shielding film or magnetic pole in an MR head or an MR induction type composite head including a reproducing MR head portion and a recording induction head portion, wherein said soft magnetic thin film can be stress controlled without applying any high-temperature annealing thereto.

Process for fabricating soft magnetic thin films


Methods for forming holey carbon allotropes and graphene nanomeshes are provided by the various embodiments. The various embodiments may be applicable to a variety of carbon allotropes, such as graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, thermal exfoliated graphene, graphene nanoribbons, graphite, exfoliated graphite, expanded graphite, carbon nanotubes (e.g., single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, few-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, etc.), carbon nanofibers, carbon fibers, carbon black, amorphous carbon, fullerenes, etc. The methods may produce holey carbon allotropes without the use of solvents, catalysts, flammable gas, additional chemical agents, or electrolysis to produce the pores (e.g., holes, etc.) in the carbon allotropes. In an embodiment, a carbon allotrope may be heated at a working window temperature for a working period of time to create holes in the carbon allotrope.

Graphene sheets are two-dimensional, conjugated carbon structures which are only one to a few atoms thick. Graphene sheets are currently among the most studied nanomaterials for potential applications in electronics, energy harvesting, conversion, and storage, polymer composites, and others. Graphene sheets with the most ideal structures are experimentally obtained via mechanical exfoliation (for example, via the "Scotch Tape" method), which only produces very small quantities. For the bulk preparation of graphene, one of the most popular methods typically starts with strong oxidation of natural graphite into graphene oxide (GO) that is dispersible in aqueous solutions as exfoliated monolayer or few-layered sheets. The exfoliated GO sheets may then be chemically or thermally converted into graphene—or more accurately "reduced graphene oxide" (rGO). Compared to the graphene sheets prepared from mechanical exfoliation or chemical vapor deposition methods, chemically exfoliated rGO sheets typically have more defects.

Single-step, solvent-free, catalyst-free preparation of holey carbon allotropes

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A digital television system which processes television information in the form of a stream data packets representing video and audio information in compressed form, such as MPEG, includes on-screen display (OSD) provisions for displaying sophisticated graphics, such as animation, by storing graphics data in a read only memory (ROM) in the same compressed form as that used for the video information. The graphics data is transported to the same video decoding and decompression unit which processes the video data contained in the video packets to form digital signals representing video information in uncompressed form, where it is converted in the same manner as the video data to form graphic image data. A multiplexing arrangement is provided so that digital signals representing animation graphics can be multiplexed with digital signals representing static graphics image data derived from bit-mapped representations.

Modern consumer electronics products such television receivers, video cassette recorders (VCRs) and video disk players typically include so called "on-screen" display ("OSD") provisions for displaying status information and instructions in the form of textual (alphanumeric) and pictorial graphics on the screen of a display device which is normally used to display video information. Early OSD systems were only capable of displaying a limited amount of status information, such as the channel or program number of the program currently being viewed and the current time. Later OSD systems were capable of displaying instructional information for guiding a user in making adjustments such as setting the contrast and brightness of a television receiver or setting the recording times and channel numbers of programs to be recorded in the future by a VCR.
In a typical OSD system, the OSD graphics information is stored in a memory in what is known as a "bit-mapped" form. A "bit-map" is a rectangular array of picture elements ("pixels") which defines the shape of the graphics to be displayed. Each memory location of the bit-map memory contains a code word for a respective graphics pixel. The code word defines the intensity level or color of the graphics pixel. For textual information, each of the code words may simply comprise a single bit designating the presence (e.g., by logic "1" level) or the absence (e.g., by logic "0" level) of a pixel with a particular intensity level (e.g., white) or color. For pictorial graphics, each of the code words may represent any one of a plurality of colors. For example, a four-bit code word can represent 16 (24) different colors. The color information for each pixel is stored in a memory called a "color palette", and the code words are used to address the color palette memory. In other words, the color palette memory is used as a "look-up" table for the colors of the graphics pixels.
Some very recent OSD system are capable of displaying very sophisticated graphics including limited animated graphics. Animation, involves the sequencing of graphical information in such a way as to produce the effect of motion. The known technique for providing OSD animation in a consumer product involves storing a series of bit-mapped graphical images and reading individual ones of the stored bit-mapped graphic images out of the memory in the appropriate sequence, usually under microprocessor control. Depending on the size of the display area being animated, the amount of memory required to store the series of bit-mapped graphic images may be very substantial. In addition, the microprocessor workload required to read-out and manipulate the bit-mapped graphic images is very high. The memory and microprocessor requirements can make a high quality animation feature very expensive, especially for use in consumer products
In the article "A New Architecture for a TV Graphics Animation Module", IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, 39(1993), No. 4 (November), the authors describe a TV graphics animation player/edit system using a workstation which can receive an analog video signal, and a digital signal representing graphicaldata. Real time compression is applied to both, and they arc stored in a disk memory. Data is then read from the disk memory, decompressed in real time, and displayed on a monitor.
European patent publication O 597 616, published May 18, 1994, discloses a system for mixing animation sequences with computer graphics information, also for display on a computer display screen. The animation sequences are stored in compressed format. The compressed animation sequences are then retrieved from storage, decompressed, synchronized with the computer graphics information and sent to a computer monitor.
European patent publication O 660 609, published Jun. 28, 1995, discloses a system in which the MPEG encoding method is used to encode an I frame with a background image, and various P frames, each encoding the chances to the background image I frame necessary to make a menu or other user window-like control, such as a drop-down list or button. These frames are transmitted from a central location, such as a cable head end, to a receiver location to provide a user with a graphical interface to interact with the central location.
European patent publication O 601 647, published Jun. 15, 1994, discloses a system in which video data is stored in an internal format. Input encoders receive video signals in various formats, and convert the video signal from that format to the internal format. Output decoders retreive internal format video data and convert it to respective output formats. A multiplexer couples one of the output decoders to the display device.

Animated "on-screen" display provisions for an MPEG video signal processing system


An electron emission display (EED) includes an anode and a panel electrode unit comprising a scan electrode that extends in one direction of a lattice type panel and a data electrode that extends across the scan electrode. In the display and a method of driving the same, when power is supplied to the electron emission display, an anode voltage is applied to drive the anode, and a voltage is applied to at least one electrode of the panel electrode unit when the anode voltage is equal to or higher than a reference voltage.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electron emission display (EED) and, more particularly, to an electron emission display that controls a power sequence.
2. Related Art
A field emission display (FED), which is an electron emission display using a cold cathode, can be categorized into a field emitter (FE) type electron emission display, a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type electron emission display, a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) type electron emission display, a surface conduction electron emission display (SED), and a ballistic electron surface-emitting display (BSD).
In an FE type electron emission display, an emitter that facilitates electron emission due to an electric field in a vacuum is formed, and electrons are emitted from an emitter array. The emitter is formed of a material having a large β function (i.e., aspect ratio) and a small β function (i.e., work function).
An MIM type electron emission display or an MIS type electron emission display operates based on quantum mechanical tunneling, and employs an emitter including an MIM or MIS structure. In the MIM or MIS type electron emission display, a voltage is applied between both metal layers, or between a metal layer and a semiconductor layer, in which an insulator is inserted, so that electrons move from a metal layer or semiconductor layer having a high electric potential to a metal layer having a low electric potential.
A BSD operates on the principle that, if semiconductor size is reduced to a size range that is smaller than a mean free path of electrons in the semiconductor, the electrons are transported without scattering. The BSD includes an electron transporting layer (ETL), which is disposed on an ohmic electrode and formed of a metal or semiconductor, and an insulating layer, a thin metal layer, and a phosphor layer, which are disposed on the ETL. Thus, electrons are emitted by supplying power to the ohmic electrode and the thin metal layer so as to excite the phosphor layer, thereby emitting light.
In an SED, a current is horizontally supplied to the surface of a small-area thin layer disposed on a substrate so as to emit electrons, and a pair of a first electrode and a second electrode are formed on a first substrate so as to face each other. A first conductive layer and a second conductive layer are disposed adjacent to each other so as to cover the surfaces of the first and second electrodes, respectively. An electron emission unit is interposed between the first and second conductive layers. Also, Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B) phosphor layers, each adjacent pair of which is separated by a black matrix layer, are alternately arranged on an anode above a second substrate.
In the SED, power is supplied to the first and second electrodes so that a current flows horizontally into the surface of the small-area electron emission unit. Thus, electrons are emitted from the electron emission unit and collide with the phosphor layers disposed on the anode, thereby creating a predetermined image.
Typically, an EED operates based on quantum mechanical tunneling, and involves a triode structure in which electrons are emitted due to an electric field formed by a gate electrode, and the electrons collide with phosphor layers formed on an anode to excite phosphors, thereby emitting light.
In the EED, if a predetermined driving voltage is applied to a cathode and the gate electrode, and a positive (+) voltage of several hundreds to several thousands of V is applied to the anode, an electric field is produced around an electron emission source due to a voltage difference between the cathode and the gate electrode, thereby emitting electrons. The electrons are transported toward the anode to which the high voltage is applied, and collide with corresponding phosphor layers so as to emit light. As a result, a predetermined image is displayed.
In driving a color FED, two kinds of addressing methods can be used, a switched anode method and a non-switched anode method.
In the switched anode method, a red (R) sub-pixel, a green (G) sub-pixel, and a blue (B) sub-pixel share a single FEA pixel, and all of the identically colored anode sub-pixels are electrically connected to one another. The switched anode method can employ a three times greater number of electron emission sources than the non-switched anode method, and the arrangement of anodes and cathodes is not very important. However, an anode voltage must be set to a certain value or less (mostly, 1 kV or less) to prevent color mixture caused by electrical breakdown between adjacent phosphor sub-pixels, and an anode voltage must be applied at a three times higher speed.
In the non-switched anode method, each sub-pixel uses an additional FEA sub-pixel, and three sub-pixels of a single pixel are electrically connected to each other. The non-switched anode method enables high-voltage operation since electrical breakdown hardly occurs between adjacent anode sub-pixels, and the method does not require conversion of an anode voltage at high speed. On the other hand, a three times greater number of gate electrodes than in the switched anode method are required. Also, since the number of electron emission sources used by each anode sub-pixel is small, each of the electron emission sources must supply a relatively large current. In addition, an alignment error between the anode and the cathode may affect color purity.
If a voltage is simultaneously applied to an anode, a gate electrode and a cathode, the anode voltage which has a rated voltage of approximately several kV is the last one to reach the rated voltage level. Accordingly, if the rated voltage is applied to the gate electrode and the cathode while the anode voltage has not yet reached its rated level, electrons emitted from the cathode are not accelerated toward the anode, but rather they flow into a gate, resulting in a leakage current. The leakage current may cut off the gate electrode, damage the electron emission sources, and waste power.

Electron emission display (EED) and method of driving the same


The resin seepage-proof spiral would Electrodeionization (EDI) module includes anion and cation ion exchange membranes, concentrate and dilute distributing channels, net sheets inside of the channels, positive and negative electrodes and an EDI housing. The housing includes an insulation shell and covers. The multiple layers of anion and cation ion exchange membranes concentrate and dilute water distributing channels and net sheets are wound around a negative electrode pipe centered in the EDI module. The negative electrode pipe is arranged to collect concentrate water inside of the pipe. A circularity positive electrode is located outside the wound membranes and within the insulation shell, which is generally cylindrical in shape. Inside the cylindrical housing, the dilute water distributing channel is filled by ion exchange resin. The EDI module includes two inserts of multiple holed material layer, one on each end of the module. Each insert is covered and fixed by a filter cover plate having multi-holes to allow water through. The inserts are arranged to allow water to flow through, and to impede resin from flowing through. These advantages keep the EDI module resin seepage-proof and provide beneficially high performance of water distributing and collection by the module.

Water treatment equipment is broadly used in many industry fields. Traditional water treatment processes treat water by desalting source water. Typically, desalted equipment combines ion-exchange technology and electrodialysis technology. For example, Chinese Patent No. 96244875.4 shows an EDI device which combines ion-exchange technology and electrodialysis technology. In Chinese Patent No. 96244875.4, anion and cation resin is placed inside a dilute water chamber of the electrodialysis device and positive and negative electrodes are placed outside the device.
Chinese Patent No. 00220610.2 shows a multi-surface volume EDI module which consists of positive and negative electrodes, membrane bags and a frame. The anion and cation ion exchange membranes are combined with isolation net sheets to form membrane bags which fold to include concentrate water channels and dilute water channels. Each of the concentrate water channels and the dilute water channel connects to a different individual water collection chamber extending from a dilute/concentrate collection pipe. The dilute water channels are filled with ion-exchange resins, and consist of linked together rectangle channels.
Traditional EDI modules use net sheet as the material for resin water distributing and water collection. This material can cause the problems of resin seepage and loss. Moreover, the known materials can block the channels that are used for feed water. U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,528, issued Feb. 20, 2001 to Xiang Li et al. discloses a helical EDI apparatus having the resin seepage disadvantages described above. U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,528 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

EDI device with resin seepage-proof inserts

Zhejiang Omex Environmental Engineering, Ltd.


A process for the mass propagation of a woody plant comprising the steps of removing a shoot tip from the woody plant, transplanting the shoot tip to an artificial medium containing inorganic salts and plant growth hormones as main ingredients, and rotary-culturing the shoot tip under illumination to form shoot primordia, and stationary-culturing the shoot primordia in a liquid medium to regenerate shoots. Further, a process for the regeneration of plants comprising the steps of preparing a shoot primordium by rotary-culturing a shoot tip of a plant, treating the shoot primordium with at least one enzyme to prepare a protoplast, culturing the protoplast in an artificial medium containing plant hormones and inorganic and organic salts as main ingredients to form a callus, and incubating the callus in a regeneration medium to regenerate a shoot; plus intermediate materials of the process, and processes for production of the intermediate materials.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a process for a mass-propagation and regeneration of plants from protoplasts of shoot primordia. More specifically, it relates to a process for a mass-production of woody plants through shoot primordia, and a process for a regeneration of plants from protoplasts of shoot primordia.
2. Description of the Related Art
The propagation process for woody plants is classified into two fundamental processes, i.e., sexual reproduction, and asexual reproduction, including cutting and tissue culture. In the sexual reproduction of allogamous plants, the traits of parent plants are not necessarily transmitted to their progeny, due to pollen variations. In the cases of interspecific hybrid and F.sub.1 hybrid generated by hybrid vigor as well as polyploid plant, the genotype of parent plant cannot be transmitted to its progeny without change.
The asexual reproduction includes cutting, which has been extensively used for a long time as a propagation method for excellent plants. However, cutting is not appropriate for the propagation of woody plants, due to a lower propagation rate, lower rooting ability, the necessity of a field for production of plant pieces for cutting, and a limited season for cutting. On the other hand, the tissue culture methods have recently been rapidly developed. There are disadvantages in that a mass-propagation of progeny plants having the same traits as the parent plant is difficult because chromosomal aberration and gene mutation occur at a high frequency during the regeneration of shoots from calli. Moreover, in many cases, the long-term subculture of callus lowers its differentiation potency.
More specifically, for broad-leaved trees such as poplar, eucalypt and the like, there have been attempts at mass-propagation using culture of various kinds of organs, such as shoot tip, axillary bud, cotyledon, hypocotyl, stem etc. However, when starting from the shoot tip, since once a callus is induced from the shoot tip and the callus is then redifferentiated into shoots, the same problem occurs. On the other hand, in the case of direct induction of adventitious shoot from stem or the like, i.e., micropropagation, continuously to obtain shoots, the stems or the like must be planted at appropriate intervals, resulting in a disadvantage in commercial mass-propagation.
Moreover, for gymnosperms such as conifer, it is possible to generate an embryoid. For example, Mostafa M. et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,730 issued on Aug. 19, 1980) prepared embryoid from Pseudotsuga menziesii by suspension culture. In this method, although the regeneration-term is shorter than in conventional tissue culture (organogenesis), a rate of the conversion of the embryoid into an entire plant is as low as 15 to 50%. Another disadvantage of this method is that, since young cotyledons are used, a large amount of seeds is necessary. Therefore, this method does not form a seed-less mass-propagation process for excellent individuals.
Accordingly, in the conventional tissue culture, a genetically stable and rapid mass-propagation technique for woody plants has not been accomplished.
Recently, for the propagation of annual plants other than woody plants, a "shoot primordium" method was presented (Ryuso Tanaka et al., Jpn. J. Genet. Vol. 58, 65-70, 1983; Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-132822; and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-132823).
This shoot primordium method is a method using shoot tip. In this method, shoot tips are removed from an annual plant, and the shoot tips are rotary-cultured in an artificial medium under a particular temperature, illumination, and rotation rate to form globular cell aggregates containing shoot primordia, which are then cultured for shooting to obtain for a short term a large amount of young plants stably maintaining the genetic traits of their parent.
The present inventors found that the "shoot primordium" method, which has already been applied to annual plants such as water-melon, maize, rice, morning glory, Swertia, Papaver and the like, is also applicable to perennial woody plants (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-55020).
Shoot primordium is a propagation body, and by propagating the shoot primordia a large number of clones can be produced from a parent plant via the shoot primordia.
In the shoot primordium method, so far shoot primordia are stationary-cultured for shooting on a solid medium such as agar medium. In this stationary-culture, however, the shooting ratio is as low as about 30%.
Since a protoplast has no cell wall, it is capable of cell fusion or useful genes can be introduced therein. If plants can be regenerated from a protoplast thus manipulated, it is possible to create novel plants, for example, plants providing a higher yield and better taste, and exhibiting a greater resistance to pest and bad weather conditions, and so on. In herbaceous plants, many kinds of species are capable of regeneration from protoplasts. However, for woody plants, a regeneration of protoplast into plant is successful only in limited kinds of plants, such as "Trovita" orange (Kobayashi, S. et al., Jpn. J. Breeding, Vol. 34, supplement 2, 32-33, 1984), paper mulberry (Oka, S. and K. Oyama, Jpn. J. Breeding, Vol. 34, supplement 2, 26-27, 1984; Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-192283), poplar (Ito, K. et al. the present inventors, Japanese Patent Application No. 61-64800; Russell, J.A. and B.H. McCown, Plant Sci., 46, 133-142, 1986), Sandalwood (Rao, R.S. and P. Ozias-Akins, Protoplasma, 124, 80-86, 1985) and Ulmus (STICKLEN, M.B. et al., Plant Sci., 47, 29-34, 1986).
A reason for this may be that isolated protoplasts excrete substances such as polyphenols into a medium during culturing, and the excreted substances have an adverse affect on the survival and cell division, resulting in an inhibition of the regeneration of the plant.
To overcome this obstacle, recently, principally for monocotyledon, an immature embryo or an inflorescence is used to form an embryogenic callus, and from the callus, protoplasts are prepared and cultured to regenerate plants. However, this method is disadvantageous in that the preparation of a starting material is time-consuming, the method can be carried out only in a limited season, and it is difficult to provide stable materials due to genetic mutation occurring during the callus formation.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop those materials which are genetically stable, have differentiation ability, and can propagate in a large amount.

Mass propagation through shoot primordia and regeneration of plants from protoplasts of shoot primordia


The invention is directed to a method of determining the performance loss of a catalyzer by using a deterioration variable indicative of this performance loss. The catalyzer is affected by operating conditions and is mounted in the exhaust gas flow of an internal combustion engine having a lambda controller operated to provide a two-level response. The method includes the steps of: obtaining a measurement signal from a lambda probe mounted forward of the catalyzer and a test signal from a lambda probe mounted rearward of the catalyzer; forming a relationship between the measurement and the test signals; measuring values of operating variables which affect oxygen storage processes in the catalyzer; and, correcting the deterioration variable based on the values of the operating variables thereby reducing the influence of the operating conditions on the deterioration variable. Because the deterioration variable can be corrected in the manner described above, this variable can be reliably determined for many different operating conditions rather than only for a few selected operating conditions.

It has long been known that the efficiency of a catalyzer deteriorates with increasing operating age. Various methods and arrangements are known to determine the state of deterioration of the catalyzer. Most of these methods and arrangements establish a relationship between a measuring signal and a test signal to determine the value of a deterioration variable with the measuring signal being detected by a lambda probe mounted forward of the catalyzer and the test signal being detected by a lambda probe mounted rearward of the catalyzer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,866 discloses a catalyzer monitoring system wherein the deterioration state is defined with the aid of the difference between the amplitudes of these two signals. A warning signal is emitted as soon as the difference drops below a threshold value. German published patent application 3,500,594 discloses an arrangement wherein the ratio of the amplitudes is used in lieu of the difference with the signal being, in addition, averaged.
Forming a relationship between the measuring signal and the test signal permits the influence of various operating conditions on the deterioration variable to be reduced. If a measuring signal having a large amplitude occurs forward of the catalyzer, that is exhaust gas is supplied to the catalyzer having a large deviation from the lambda value one, it is understood that the amplitude of the lambda signal at the output of the catalyzer also increases since, with the same storage capacity of the catalyzer, that much more unconverted toxic gas exits from the catalyzer the greater the amount supplied at the input of the catalyzer. By means of establishing the above-mentioned relationship and especially the quotient formation, the influence of a large measuring signal on the deterioration variable is greatly reduced.
However, it has been shown that the above-mentioned measures notwithstanding, there are still large fluctuations of the computed deterioration variable which have been observed. The reason for this will be explained in greater detail below. In any event, it has long been a desire to reduce these fluctuations in the deterioration variable by an appropriately configured method and an appropriately configured arrangement.

Method and arrangement for determining the state of deterioration of a catalyzer


Systems and methods for diagnosing battery voltage misreporting is described. According to various embodiments, battery voltage may be monitored with respect to a state of charge and/or time. Based on this monitored information, battery charge state data may be generated by computing time derivatives of the monitored battery voltage across a voltage range. This battery charge state data may be compared with an expected set of charge state data if substantial differences exist, an error may be generated. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

An extremely large percentage of the world's vehicles run on gasoline using an internal combustion engine. The use of such vehicles, more specifically the use of vehicles which rely on fossil fuels (i.e., gasoline) creates two problems. First, due to the finite size and limited regional availability of such fuels, major price fluctuations and a generally upward pricing trend in the cost of gasoline are common, both of which can have a dramatic impact at the consumer level. Second, fossil fuel combustion is one of the primary sources of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and thus considered one of the leading contributors to global warming. Accordingly, considerable effort has been spent on finding alternative drive systems for use in both personal and commercial vehicles. Electric vehicles offer one of the most promising alternatives to vehicles that use internal combustion drive trains.
One of the main components relating to electric drive and energy storage is the battery. It is important to have accurate reporting of battery voltages and charge states. Misreporting can cause a loss in efficiency and overcharging. In some cases overcharging can even cause fire or explosion. Some systems may use redundant battery monitoring circuits to combat misreporting issues. If one circuit fails, there is a backup.

Systems and methods for diagnosing battery voltage mis-reporting


A separator 21, 22 for use in a fuel cell that generates electricity by a reaction between fuel and oxidant is disclosed. The separator is formed by metal foam 28 which is impregnated with resin. Gas flow passages 23, 25 are formed on a contact surface for contacting with an electrode 19, 20, and conductive plating is applied on the parts where the metal foam 28 is exposed to view in the contact surface 21a, 21b of the separator 21, 22.

Fuel cell systems are known as generating devices to take out electric energy generated after electrochemical reaction between fuel and oxidant. An electrolyte module such as a proton-exchange membrane is positioned between a cathode and an anode, and at both sides of the electrolyte module a separator (separator plate) with gas flow channels is arranged respectively to form a unit (cell). In fuel cell systems, a number of such units (cells) are laminated as a fuel cell stack.
Because the separator electrically connects adjacent cells, it is required to have excellent conductivity. Also, because cooling water flows through the separator, it is required to have corrosion resistance. As conventional separators, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Nos. 11-126620, 11-162478, 2000-36309, and 2000-297780 disclose carbon-made separators such as made of fine carbon graphite and carbon plate, or metal separators such as made of stainless steel.
The separator made of fine carbon graphite excels in conductivity. However, it becomes heavy and thick. Further, because fine carbon graphite is a very fragile material, it is very difficult to apply cutting operations to form a number of protrusions on the surface of the separator for the provision of gas flow passages. This leads to increase in the processing cost.
In the case of the separator made of a carbon plate, it is inferior in conductivity. Further, because carbon plates are not suitable for press working. Therefore, gas flow passages are formed by cutting operations. This leads to increase in the processing cost and weight.
In the case of the metal separator such as made of stainless steel, because such a metal is inferior in corrosion resistance and acid resistance, the separator requires a surface treatment such as by gold plating or platinum plating. This leads to less effective productivity and increase in the production cost. Metal can be used for press working and can be decreased in thickness. However, because of its inferior workability, the production method of gas flow passages undergoes some restrictions, such as a requirement in fine seal. If gas flow passages are formed by etching, the separator becomes heavy and costly.
In view of the above, the present invention seeks to provide a separator which is small and light in weight, and excels in corrosion resistance and conductivity.

Fuel cell separator, fuel cell using the separator, and method of producing the separator


The object of the present invention is to realize standardization of products of the vertical centrifugal separators so that it is no longer necessary to change the pressure-resistant design specifications of the bearing mechanism depending on the set pressure inside the casing. The vertical centrifugal separator having the bearing mechanism that is disposed in an opening of the casing and rotatably supports the rotary shaft of the bowl passing through the opening. The shaft sealing mechanism is a contactless shaft sealing mechanism.

A separator disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature 1 is a decanter type centrifugal separator that performs a separation operation by applying a centrifugal force to a solution to be processed. In the centrifugal separator, a cylindrical bowl into which the solution to be processed is supplied is disposed inside a casing, and a drive mechanism (e.g., drive motor) for rotating the bowl is disposed outside the casing. A shaft serving as a rotary shaft of the bowl is rotatably supported by a bearing mechanism that is disposed so as to block an upper opening of the casing, and the power from the drive motor is transmitted to an end portion of the shaft extending to the outside of the casing. Also, a screw conveyor is disposed inside the bowl. The power from the drive motor is transmitted to the screw conveyor via a gear box serving as a differential rate generator, and accordingly the screw conveyor rotates at a rate (differential rate) having a difference relative to that of the bowl, thereby conveying a solid to an outlet.
The bearing mechanism for the shaft serving as the rotary shaft of the bowl includes a bearing that rotatably supports the shaft so that the shaft is rotatable, a housing that holds the bearing, and a mechanical seal that seals (shaft seal) a clearance portion between the housing and the shaft. The mechanical seal prevents leakage of a substance and the like within the casing to the outside of the apparatus and deterioration of the bearing and the like due to contact with the substance and the like within the casing. Conversely, the mechanical seal also prevents foreign matter from the outside air, a lubricating oil for the bearing, and the like from entering the inside of the casing through the clearance portion.
The mechanical seal has a portion where a fixed ring and a rotary ring come into sliding contact with each other, and heat is generated in this portion. If the amount of heat generation is large, the mechanical seal deteriorates. For this reason, the centrifugal separator further includes a means for supplying, in a circulating manner, a lubricating oil as a coolant. An oil unit including an oil tank, a pump, and a temperature regulator may be used as the means for supplying the lubricating oil in a circulating manner. The lubricating oil is supplied to the mechanical seal in a circulating manner while the pressure and the flow rate are adjusted, and thus the pressure balance of the shaft seal is adjusted.
However, with respect to centrifugal separators that adopt mechanical seals, it is necessary to change the pressure-resistant design specifications of portions of the bearing mechanism other than the mechanical seal depending on the set pressure inside the casing, and therefore such centrifugal separators have been divided into, for example, products for normal-pressure use and products for high-pressure use. For example, while centrifugal separators for normal-pressure use incorporate a labyrinth seal, centrifugal separators for high-pressure use cannot ensure pressure resistance with a labyrinth seal. Thus, centrifugal separators for high-pressure use have a structure in which, for example, a clearance bushing is provided instead of the labyrinth seal, and the pressure resistance is increased by, for example, adjusting the length of the clearance bushing. Therefore, there is no compatibility of spare parts and the like between centrifugal separators for normal-pressure use and centrifugal separators for high-pressure use. Furthermore, an on-site adjustment work for adjusting the pressure balance by adjusting gaps, shapes, and the like of various components (e.g., clearance bushing and the like) constituting the bearing mechanism has been burdensome. In particular, the higher the set pressure inside the casing, the more difficult the adjustment of the pressure and the flow rate of the lubricating oil.
Some decanter type centrifugal separators are of a horizontal type in which the bowl is placed in a horizontal orientation. Decanters of horizontal centrifugal separators have a structure in which the casing is vertically divided into two portions so that maintenance or removal of the bowl can be performed, and therefore have low pressure resistance and cannot be used under high-pressure conditions. In contrast, decanters of vertical centrifugal separators can be used under high-pressure conditions because a pressure tight vessel can be used as the casing. However, it is required that the bearing mechanism also be pressure-resistant. Moreover, adjustment of the pressure balance of the shaft seal is difficult. The vertical centrifugal separators have technical problems such as these described above, which the horizontal centrifugal separators do not have.
Also, there is a problem in that when terephthalic acid is subjected to solid-liquid separation under high pressure as described in Patent Literature 4, fine terephthalic acid powder that is diffused in the casing intrudes into a sliding portion of the mechanical seal and causes the mechanical seal to deteriorate. This problem is not limited to terephthalic acid, and the same problem may arise with respect to any matter to be processed that causes fine powder to be diffused in the casing.

Centrifugal separator with shaft sealing mechanism for a centrifugal separation bowl rotatable within a casing


A cup holder adapter for mounting portable electronic devices supported by a mounting member having a windshield or dashboard mounting base in a conventional cup holder in a vehicle. The cup holder adapter apparatus includes a generally cup-shaped cup holder adapter receptacle that fits into an existing cup holder in the vehicle, and either or both of a flat disk or generally cylindrical height adapter support member removably supported in the adapter receptacle having a flat mounting surface facing the open top end of the adapter receptacle for mounting thereon the base of the mounting member supporting the portable electronic device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of mounting assemblies for electronic devices, and more particularly to a cup holder adapter for mounting portable electronic devices equipped with a windshield or dashboard mounting base in a conventional cup holder of a vehicle.
2. Background Art
The use of portable electronic devices in vehicles has increased dramatically in recent years, for example, electronic navigation devices, global positioning satellite (GPS) devices, cell phones, digital MP3 and video players, radios, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and pocket PCs. Such portable electronic devices are advantageous in that they can be taken from the vehicle and used outside of the vehicle. Most of these devices have displays that visibly communicate information to a driver or one or more users.
Due to the wide variety of electronic devices that can be mounted within a vehicle, many different types of mounting apparatuses exist that secure an electronic device to a flat surface in a vehicle, such as on the windshield or dashboard, and allow a user to adjustably position of the device for optimal viewing. Typically, the mounting apparatus used with portable electronic devices include a base member that is attached to the windshield or dashboard and connected via an articulating arm having a ball and socket joint to a cradle that removably supports the device, or the ball and socket joint may be attached to the housing of the device.
The base member on conventional windshield mounting apparatus is a suction cup mechanism that releasably attaches to the interior surface of the windshield. In the case of dashboard mounted electronic devices, a flat plate or disk may be fixedly or permanently secured to a surface of the vehicle by an adhesive and the suction cup mechanism of the base is then releasably attached to the surface of the plate or disk. The ball and socket joint allows the device to be selectively positioned in any of a broad range of positions relative to the base, and the suction cup allows quick and easy removal.
While these types of prior art windshield and dashboard mounting arrangements allow the electronic device to be adjustably positioned to provide maximum viewing capability to the user or users, they suffer from several drawbacks. For example, mounting such a device on the windshield can obscure the driver's view and present a safety hazard. In fact some States, for example California and Minnesota, have laws that prohibit drivers from using suction mounts on their windshields while operating motor vehicles.
Another drawback of windshield and dashboard mounting arrangements is that typically the portable electronic device is provided with a relatively long power cord that is plugged into the cigarette lighter or electrical accessory receptacle of the vehicle to power or recharge the device. The cigarette lighter or electrical accessory receptacle is usually located in the dashboard or on the console of the vehicle, and the excess length of the cord can become entangled with knobs or other projections on the dashboard, or may loop down closely adjacent to the driver's feet.
Although windshield and dashboard mounting arrangements allow viewing of the display screen, some portable electronic devices may require entry of data via data entry buttons on the device, which are not always easily accessible from the driver's seat, which can also present a hazard. Still another problem with some windshield and dashboard mounting arrangements is that the electronic device is only viewable by the driver of the vehicle, but not a person sitting in the passenger seat. In the case of GPS and portable navigation devices, a passenger is often acting as a navigator. In such situations, it would be advantageous for the passenger to be able to view and/or enter data via the data entry buttons on the device.
There are several patents directed toward various apparatus for mounting portable electronic devices utilizing an existing cup holder.
Dotson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,325 discloses a portable depth-finder display support consisting of a cylindrical flexible bushing base, a tubular shaft and a mounting plate. The bushing base is formed of elastic material and sized to fit within the confines of a standard-sized cup holder such as those found molded into the deck structures of many recreational motor boats. One end of the tubular shaft is fitted into a centered hole in the bushing base. The mounting plate is fixed atop the other end of the tubular shaft and has a plurality of circular openings to accommodate manufacturer supplied depth-finder mounting brackets.
Etue, U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,518 discloses a cellular phone retainer utilizing an existing cup holder. The device includes a base with a top portion and one or more downwardly extending gripping members for gripping the side wall of the cup holder, and a bracket for retaining a cellular phone supported on the base. The device preferably includes an elongated extension extending upwardly from the top portion of the base and terminating in an adjustable connector that supports the retaining bracket. The downwardly extending gripping members preferably are laterally adjustable to allow the device to accommodate a variety of cup holders.
Wang, U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,340 discloses an inserted support comprising a base plate, two supporting blocks, a volute disk, and a facial plate engaged with each other by fastening screws. The supporting blocks are oppositely disposed and laterally adjustable by the volute disk to engage a hole in an article carrier in a car, such as a cup holder. The facial plate is provided fitting onto a base plate and a vertical support for supporting a mobile phone.
Walsh, U.S. Pat. No. 7,099,466 discloses a portable telephone or cell phone holder fits in a conventional cup holder of an automobile or other vehicle. The holder has an arcuate sidewall that is less than 360° and is resiliently deformable to be squeezed down to less than the diameter of the cup holder and then, when released, to grip the inside surface of the cup holder. A tongue extends upwardly and radially inwardly from the sidewall to a distal end to provide a support telephone platform and has a concave slanted surface to accommodate and center a telephone belt clip.
Seil et al, U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,586 discloses an apparatus capable of holding an object in cooperation with a cup holder of a vehicle comprising a base sized to fit within the cup holder of the vehicle, a vertical post threadedly engaged at a lower end to a column in the center of the base, and a support member coupled to the upper end of the posed that serves as a platform, a cradle, or other resting place or supporting surface for an object to be held. The support member may be provided with a suction cup for securing the object being held within the support. The post may be rotated to adjust the vertical distance between the base and support member and may be connected at its upper end to the support member by a pivot mechanism for adjusting the angle therebetween. The base member is a cup-shaped configuration having at least one vertical ridge in its circumference to provide a friction fit in the cup holder. An adapter cup sized to receive the base member may also be provided to increase the perimeter of the base member to accommodate larger cup holder sizes.
Heininger, U.S. Published Application 2002/0049081, published Apr. 25, 2002, discloses an integral one-piece electronic equipment holding device comprising a base portion configured to fit within a standard cup holder, and a device retainer portion configured to retain the electronic device. The first or lower end of the base portion is configured to be received and frictionally retained in a cup holder and the second or upper end portion is configured to hold a cellular phone or other electronic device. The second end has four substantially vertical walls, including a forward wall, rear wall, and two opposing lateral side walls. The forward wall may be much shorter than the other walls to serves as a lip to prevent the electronic device from sliding out. The rear wall has a slot to accommodate power cord. The lateral side walls contain retention tabs that provide an additional restraint for the device being held and also to allow the device holder to accept a wider variety of models of hand-held devices while providing a snug and secure fit. In an alternate embodiment, the forward wall is the same height as the other walls to form wall configuration modified to accept a soft, shock-absorbing insert that retains the electronic device.
Edwards, U.S. Published Application 2002/0094078, published Jul. 18, 2002, discloses a one-piece cellular phone receptacle comprising a cylindrically shaped structure having a rounded top that is constructed of a closed cell foam rubber material having a tactile surface and dimensioned to be contained within a standard automobile cup holder. The rounded top includes a groove, dimensioned to accept a cellular telephone. The tactile surface of the mounted receptacle cooperates with the cup holder surfaces to fix the receptacle in place.
Because the present invention can be placed in a cup holder, it is also related to the field of article holders utilizing a receptacle means. The art related to receptacle-type article holders is varied. For example, my previous design patent U.S. Des 439,116, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, shows a universal holder/adaptor for beverage container receptacles.
Chandler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,673 discloses a cup adapter for holding an enlarged drinking container having an upper enlarged receptacle that is of a larger internal diameter for holding large diameter drinking containers with a lower pedestal of a smaller outer diameter adapted to fit the console socket of a vehicle.
Ney et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,041 discloses an apparatus for supporting a beverage container within an existing generally cylindrical recess in a motor vehicle. The apparatus includes a generally cylindrical sidewall having an upper and lower portion, each defining a cylindrical recess for receiving varying sizes of beverage containers. A radial flange interconnects the upper and lower portions, and further provides a surface upon which to support a beverage container. Retaining devices extend from the radial flange and secure the apparatus in the existing recess in the motor vehicle. The apparatus further includes a slot to allow a mug handle to extend therethrough and a pressure relief aperture in its base.
Mitchell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,534 discloses an adapter for adapting a container holder to support a container, such as a beverage container, in a substantially upright position. The adapter includes a first adapter member, which is insertable into a receptacle in the container holder and a second adapter member, which is adapted for mating engagement with both the first adapter member and the container to support the container in a substantially upright position. The first adapter member is configured for snug fit mating engagement with the receptacle. The second adapter member includes a bottom portion configured for snug fit mating engagement with the first adapter member and a top portion configured for snug fit mating engagement with the container.
Additionally, Ruhnau, U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,340 discloses an adapter for holding over-sized containers for use in cylindrical beverage receptacles, such as cup holders, found in many vehicles. The adapter has an enlarged upper portion to receive an over-sized beverage container and an offset lower portion comprising an insertion base sized to fit within a standard-sized vehicle cup holder.
With regard to the cup holder adapters, it is apparent that the adapters are fashioned to compliment, but not expand upon, the original functionality of a cup holder. In other words, these adapters merely provide a means for mating over-sized or unusually shaped beverage containers with a standard-sized vehicle cup holder.

Cup holder adapter for mounting portable electronic devices in a vehicle console


A self orienting selectable locating collet including a collet having at least one deflectable finger; an orientation key positioned at the deflectable finger and being deflectable with the finger; and a collet profile disposed at an outside dimension of the collet. A method is also included.

Oil field operations often include the delivery of devices to the downhole environment from initial completions through reentry long after completions are installed and at all times in between. Entries to the downhole environment often need to be oriented and positively located to ensure the purpose of the entry can be properly carried out. Measurement while drilling, casing collar locators, seismic devices, selective profiles for dogs or collets and orientation profiles have all been employed to assist in positive location but in each case several tools and potentially additional runs have been necessary to achieve the desired result.

Self-orienting selectable locating collet and method for location within a wellbore


An ink for ink jet recording which is used for an ink jet printer in which at least a portion of a member being in contact with the ink is formed by any one of a borosilicate glass, a soda lime glass, a photosensitive glass, single crystal silicon, polysilicon, a silicon oxide film, a titanium nitride film, a zirconium film, a titanium oxide film, and a silicon nitride film, wherein a corrosion inhibitor is contained, and a phosphonium ion represented by the general formula (Formula 1) described below is contained:

An ink jet recording system has been recently spread abruptly because of advantages that a main body is small, low price, and low running cost. Accordingly, an ink jet printer capable of printing on non coated papers such as a transcription paper for electrophotography, a printing blank, a typewriter blank, a wire dot printer blank, a word processor blank, a letter blank, a report blank and the like is also put into the market.
There is an ink jet printer in which a glass, or silicon and silicon oxide on the glass is further used from the viewpoints of easy fine processing, processing precision, and the like, among ink jet printers.
An ink used for such ink jet printer is usually composed of a coloring agent which is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent and a wetting agent; a polyhydric alcohol or ethers thereof with a solvent, and according to requirement, contains a penetrant, a fungicide, a preservative, a dispersant and the like. However, when the ink is filled up in the above-mentioned ink jet printer in which a glass, or silicon and silicon oxide on the glass was further used and used or left alone for long time, a glass, or further silicon and silicon oxide which are in contact with the ink is eluted.
Accordingly, the design precision of the ink jet printer is lost, the size of ink drops and the discharge speed of the ink drops are changed, the quality of an image is lowered, and discharge inferiority occurs in the worst case. A conjunction strength is lowered caused by the elution of a glass or further silicon and silicon oxide at a conjunction part, the discharge inferiority occurs, and the conjunction part is peeled out in the worst case to be troubled. In particular, in case of an ink jet printer in which a liquid chamber part is composed of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, since the dimension precision of the liquid chamber part which requires precision is lowered, the above-mentioned problems occur remarkably.
Further, in case of an ink jet printer in which a fluid resistance is composed of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, the fluid resistance is lowered because of the elution of a glass or further silicon and silicon oxide. Accordingly, the size of ink drops and the discharge speed of the ink drops are remarkably changed, the quality of an image is lowered, and the discharge inferiority occurs in the worst case.
Further, in case of an ink jet printer in which a vibration plate is composed of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, the thickness of the vibration plate is lowered. Accordingly, the size of ink drops and the discharge speed of the ink drops are changed, the discharge inferiority occurs, the quality of an image is lowered, and the vibration plate is finally made thin and destroyed without enduring vibration.
Further, in case of an ink jet printer in which a nozzle is composed of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, since the diameter of the nozzle is enlarged, the size of ink drops and the discharge speed of the ink drops are changed, the discharge inferiority occurs, and the quality of an image is lowered.
On the other hand, in case of an ink in which a glass or silicon and silicon oxide was eluted, the solubility or dispersibility of a coloring agent is lowered, and the clogging and the like caused by the precipitation of the coloring agent are provoked. Further, the glass or silicon and silicon oxide itself which was eluted reaches a supersaturated state because of evaporation of a solvent such as water or the like, is precipitated at a nozzle surface and the like, and clogging is provoked. Since these problems are not solved at status quo, for example, a head is also simultaneously exchanged when an ink which was preliminarily filled up was exhausted, and the like, and it was used only for comparatively short period.
As ink jet printers for solving these problems, there is a method of prevention by providing a layer of an organic material and an inorganic material such as SiN, TiN, TiO or the like on a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publications Hei No. 5-155023, WO98-42513 and the like. This method has an effect of preventing the elution of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, but since production steps are increased, it needs a robust cost, and causes a very precious ink jet printer. Further, these films tend to generate pinholes, it is difficult to uniformly form the film, and defects occur often. Further, according to the system and structure of the head, there is occasionally a case of being unable to take the formation of the film itself in steps. Further, according to a recent experiment, even if these layers are provided, it has been clarified that a certain dye of a black dye cannot prevent the elution, and it is also confirmed that the elution exceeding the specification value occurs in other coloring agents.
There is proposed a method of preventing the elution by adding urea in an ink and dissolving stably a glass or silicon and silicon oxide in the ink even if it is eluted, as the ink in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publications Hei No. 9-123437. However, since even this method does not prevent the elution of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide it self, it cannot be applied to a part to which precision is required.
Accordingly, required is an ink, which is not elutedeven on a substrate, in which a layer of silicon oxide whose film can be comparatively easily formed by a glass or silicon and silicon oxide, and further by an organic material and an inorganic material such as SiN, TiN, TiO or the like is provided on a glass or silicon and silicon oxide.
An ink in which the content of sodium ion is prescribed is described in Japanese Patent Application Publications Hei No. 7-51687. Further, the contents of sodium ion and potassium ion are prescribed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publications Hei No. 5-331391, and similarly, inks in which the contents of sodium ion and potassium ion are respectively prescribed are described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publications No. 333542 and No. 9-25441.
Further, the present inventor proposes an ink which contains a specific dye and a quaternary ammonium as its counter ion in the ink in Japanese Patent No. 1677642, and proposes an ink which contains a dye and a quaternary phosphonium ion in the ink in Japanese Patent No. 2085163. These are technologies which were proposed for clogging, cogation, preservation stability and the like. Accordingly, they are not those which were adequately studied about the prevention of the elution of a glass or silicon and silicon oxide being in contact with an ink, and further, about the prevention of the elution of a substrate in which an organic material and an inorganic material such as SiN, TiN, TiO or the like is provided on a glass or silicon and silicon oxide. In fact, even if these inks are used, the problem of the elution of glass or silicon and silicon oxide could not be solved.

Ink for ink jet recording, ink jet recording method, ink cartridge and ink jet recording apparatus

Abstract: (wherein in Formula 1, Ra, Rb, Rc and Rd represent a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group, a halogenated alkyl group and a substituted or non substituted phenyl group, and X− represents a counter ion) is provided.


The present invention provides a pharmaceutical that safely and effectively enhances the anticancer activity of viral therapy and particularly the antitumor immunity of viral therapy. The present invention also provides a method of preventing or treating cancer that uses this drug. The anticancer activity enhancer according to the present invention contains interleukin as an effective component and is co-administered with a recombinant herpes simplex virus that selectively replicates in cancer cells.

The present invention relates to an enhancer of anticancer activity in viral therapy, which contains interleukin as an effective component. The present invention further relates to a method of preventing or treating cancer in which interleukin is co-administered with recombinant herpes simplex virus.
Based on knowledge of the cytomolecular mechanisms of viral infection, the genetic mechanisms related to carcinogenesis, and the molecular biological mechanisms underlying cancer cell proliferation, viruses that selectively replicate in cancer cells have been produced in recent years by viral genome modification using genetic engineering techniques, and efforts are being made to apply these viruses to the treatment of cancer.
The concept of the application of recombinant viruses to the treatment of cancer was proposed by Martuza et al., in 1991 (see, for example, Martuza, R. L. et al., Science 252: 854-6 (1991)). Many viruses are themselves pathogenic and also have a negative effect on normal cells when administered unattenuated to, for example, humans. However, through the deletion of specific genes by genetic recombination, viruses can be constructed which are incapable of synthesizing viral DNA in normal cells and hence are incapable of replicating in normal cells, but which are capable of replicating in proliferating tumor cells due to a compensation therein for the function of the deleted genes.
Oncolytic viruses, which have been modified by genetic recombination to selectively replicate only within cancer cells, replicate in situ when infected into cancer cells and by this process cause the destruction of the host cancer cells. The replicated virus then spreads into the surroundings and again infects cancer cells, thereafter showing an antitumor activity by repetition of the steps of replication, cell death, spread, and infection. Therapeutic virus that has infected normal cells, on the other hand, is incapable of replicating and as a result does not damage normal tissue.
An example of such a mutant virus is the dlsptk mutant virus, which is constructed by deletion of the thymidine kinase (tk) gene from the genome of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Dlsptk is unable to synthesize viral DNA in normal cells and thus is unable to replicate in normal cells; however, the high tk activity of proliferating tumor cells compensates for the lost viral tk and the virus is then able to replicate. It has been shown in animal brain tumor models that infection of tumor cells with dlsptk results in the appearance of a therapeutic effect through selective rupture of only tumor cells (see, for example, Martuza, R. L. et al., Science 252: 854-6 (1991)).
HSV-1 is classified as an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus and has the following characteristics that are advantageous for the treatment of cancer: 1) it can infect many types of human cells; 2) the life cycle and genomic sequence of this virus have been elucidated; 3) for most of the genes of this virus, the function is known and genetic manipulation can be applied; and 4) the large size of the viral genome (about 152 kb) makes it possible to integrate large genes or multiple numbers of genes. HSV-1 also has the following advantages in terms of clinical application: 5) death of the entire tumor cell population is possible at a low multiplicity of infection (MOI); 6) anti-viral drugs that inhibit viral replication are available; 7) anti-HSV-1 antibodies in the blood do not affect the cell-to-cell spread of infection by the virus; 8) since mice and non-human primates sensitive to HSV-1 are available, pre-clinical evaluation of safety and efficacy can be carried out in animals; and 9) the viral DNA does not integrate into the genome of the host cell and stays episomal.
Within the sphere of oncolytic viruses, to date the present inventor has played an important role in the development of G207, a γ34.5 gene-deleted HSV-1 with an inactivated ICP6 gene (for example, refer to Chahlavi, A. et al., Neoplasia 1: 162-169 (1999); Hunter, W. D. et al., J. Virol. 73: 6319-6326 (1999); Chahlavi, A. et al., Gene Ther. 6: 1751-1758 (1999); Nakamura, S. et al., Glia 28: 53-65 (1999); Todo, T. et al., Hum. Gene Ther. 10: 2741-2755 (1999); Todo, T. et al., Hum. Gene Ther 10: 2869-2878 (1999); Todo, T. et al., Cancer Gene Ther. 7: 939-946 (2000); Markert, J. M. et al., Gene Ther. 7: 867-874 (2000); Todo, T. et al., Mol. Ther. 2: 588-595 (2000); Nakano, K. et al., Mol. Ther. 3: 431-437 (2001); Varghese, S. et al., Hum. Gene Ther. 12: 999-1010 (2001); Jorgensen, T. J. et al., Neoplasia 3: 451-456 (2001); and Todo, T. et al., San Diego, Academic Press: 45-75 (2001)), and has also invented and developed G47Δ, an HSV-1 in which, in addition to the two genes already mentioned, the ICP47 gene (also known as the α47 gene) is also inactivated (refer, for example, to US Published Application 2002/0187163A1; Todo, T. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 6396-6401 (2001)). G207 and G47Δ, while having lost the ability to replicate in normal tissue, retain the ability to replicate in tumor cells. Due to the modification of three genes therein, G47Δ in particular is very useful as a therapeutic virus that exhibits a high tumor specificity and high safety.
Furthermore, in investigations using mice with normal immune systems, the present inventor found that genetically recombinant HSV-1, upon intratumoral inoculation, not only proliferated within the tumor, thereby exhibiting a cell-killing activity, but also elicited a specific antitumor immunity, thereby enhancing its antitumor activity (refer to, for example, Todo, T. et al., Hum. Gene Ther. 10: 2741-2755 (1999); Todo, T. et al., Hum. Gene Ther. 10: 2869-2878 (1999); and Toda M. et al., Hum. Gene Ther. 10: 385-393 (1999)). For example, when G207 was intratumorally inoculated into N18 tumors (neuroblastoma) generated subcutaneously in A/J mice, a systemic antitumor immunity was induced associated with an elevation of activity by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific to N18 cells, and the growth of remote subcutaneous or intracerebral tumors was also inhibited. Mice cured by treatment with G207 acquired a tumor-specific protective immunity, and the elevation in N18 cell-specific CTL activity persisted for more than a year. In other words, the intratumoral inoculation of oncolytic HSV-1 also functions as an in situ cancer vaccine, which is extremely advantageous from a clinical standpoint for the following reasons: identification of a tumor antigen is not required; greater convenience as compared to the ex vivo method that requires, inter alia, tumor cell culture; and the possibility that treatment of the primary focus will also be able to suppress metastatic foci through a systemic antitumor immunity.

Enhancer of anticancer activity in viral therapy and method of preventing or treating cancer


A harvesting header includes a header frame, a flexible cutterbar assembly, and a draper assembly. The cutterbar assembly is mounted to the header frame and includes a plurality of skids. Each of the skids has a lower margin configured to engage the ground such that the skids cooperatively cause flexing of the cutterbar assembly along the length thereof in response to changes in terrain as the header is advanced. Each skid presents a skid surface extending from the lower skid margin.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to a harvesting header. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention concern a harvesting header with a flexible cutterbar and a draper conveyor.
2. Description of Related Art
A traditional grain harvesting implement or machine, such as a self-propelled combine, is used to harvest a variety of grains, such as wheat, soybeans, and rice. Combines typically include a harvesting header that cuts the crop and gathers the crop material into a feeder house for threshing and other operations. For some grains, such as wheat, the sickle of the header can be spaced from the ground during the cutting operation. For other grains, the sickle must be positioned close to the ground, often with the header in sliding contact with the ground, in order to collect most of the grain. Flexible headers are used to follow the natural contours of the field while cutting the grain.
Turning to FIGS. 1-4, a prior art harvesting header H is depicted and includes a header frame F, with draper arm assemblies DA and end tilt arm assemblies E pivotally secured to the frame F. The assemblies DA and E support cutterbar assembly C. The cutterbar assembly C includes a flexible cutterbar B and skids S carried on the forward ends of the assemblies DA and E. The cutterbar assembly C is constructed to present a cutter height CH and a skid angle SA. The header H also broadly includes a draper assembly A with side drapers SD and center draper CD. The header H includes a lower belt support assembly L. Additional details of the prior art header are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,671, issued Nov. 23, 2010, entitled FLEXIBLE DRAPER AND CUTTER BAR WITH TILT ARM FOR CUTTERBAR DRIVE, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
Prior art crop harvesting headers suffer from various limitations. For example, it has been found that the illustrated header H tends to become clogged with crop residue in ways that adversely affect header operation. For instance, the area below the leading edge of side drapers SD and above the belt support assembly L tends to collect crop residue from the drapers until the crop residue interferes with smooth draper belt movement. This residue can also migrate into the area between the belt runs, which is problematic. In particular, such excessive residue collection can cause binding of the belt and can restrict belt rotation.

Skid plate for crop header having flexible cutterbar


An adjustable mattress includes a body portion and an extension portion. The body portion includes a first plurality of spaced-apart fingers extending outwardly from at least one edge thereof. The extension portion includes a second plurality of spaced-apart fingers extending outwardly therefrom. The first plurality of fingers are configured for inter-fit engagement with the second plurality of fingers. The extension portion is movable relative to the body portion to vary a degree of inter-fit engagement of the fingers between a first position, wherein the adjustable mattress defines a first dimension, and a second position, wherein the adjustable mattress defines a second dimension.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to mattresses and, more particularly, to adjustable mattresses and adjustable bed systems for use therewith.
2. Background of Related Art
Medical beds are used in both home care and in more formalized medical settings, e.g., hospital rooms. A typical medical bed generally includes a bed frame supporting a mattress thereon, and a base assembly or leg assemblies supporting the bed frame. Some medical beds incorporate mechanisms for adjusting the height of the bed frame relative to the floor, e.g., to raise and lower the patient, and/or for articulating the bed frame, e.g., to position the patient in a lying position, a sitting position, etc. In addition, some medical beds provide for adjustment of the bed frame in the length and/or width dimensions. Such medical beds are capable of accommodating taller and/or larger patients. However, a need still exits for providing an adjustable mattress for use independently of or in conjunction with an adjustable medical bed to better accommodate taller and/or lager patients.

Adjustable mattress and adjustable bed system incorporating the same


The invention pertains to a composition comprising silver metal particles and an additive, characterized in that the additive is a silane derivative comprising at least one methyl group and at least one alkoxy group. Preferably, the silane derivate is methyl trimethoxysilane, methyl triethoxysilane, or a mixture thereof. The compositions can be used to make thermal resistant conductive silver-containing layers, for instance for use in AMLCD.

The invention pertains to a composition comprising silver metal particles and an additive, to thermally resistant conductive layers, to an active matrix liquid crystalline display (AMLCD) comprising the said layers, and to the use of said composition in the manufacture of silver-containing layers in an article.
Compositions comprising silver particles with or without other constituents, are well known in the art. For instance, in EP 826,415 a method for preparing a silver sol has been disclosed. These silver sols are used for making a conductive film on a substrate. By spin-coating the sol onto a substrate, such films are made and these are then heated at 150° C.
In EP 276,459 a method for manufacturing cathode-ray tubes was disclosed. Antistatic silicon dioxide films were prepared that contained small amounts of (among others) silver. To a solution or a colloidal solution containing metal particles a cationic or anionic surfactant was added as an additive for improving the stability of the solution, after which an antistatic film was produced by a spraying, dispensing, or dipping method of this material onto a substrate, followed by heating at 200° C. for 15 min.
It was found that silver-containing layers, particularly layers that contain 80 vol. % or more silver, cannot be heated above 250° C., and preferably not above 200° C. without serious appearance of irreversible exfoliating and/or creep phenomena. Creep is a process wherein the film deteriorates into a plurality of small sections containing silver and section therein between containing no silver. On creep the surface roughens, which means that the mirror-like appearance of the silver-containing layer disappears. Silver-containing layers (or films) that have undergone exfoliation and/or creep no longer have a low resistivity, and because of the low conductivity have become unsuitable for most of the applications that require a resistivity of less than 6 μΩ.cm (microOhm.centimetcr). Since silver-containing layers are usually made of compositions also comprising organic materials such as organic binder materials, and because only relatively low temperatures (less than 250° C., preferably less than 200° C.) can be used for making silver-containing layers with sufficient conductivity, such layers usually contain amounts of organic materials that are not sufficiently removed at those temperatures. Also in further processing steps high temperatures (higher than 250° C.) may be necessary. For instance, flitting a CRT-cone to a screen occurs at 450° C. To make it possible to use silver at such high temperatures, a polymeric binder and frit glass particles can be mixed into a silver paste. However, the presence of the glass particles reduces the conductivity considerably. Furthermore, since these added particles have sizes in the micron range, such mixed pastes are no longer suitable to make silver-containing layers thinner than 1 μm. Thin layers of well-conducting silver on an insulating surface, such as on Coming®1737 glass, which are used for active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCD), or on glass or any other substrate for use in infrared reflective stacks, can be made by using an electroless silver process, but the maximum temperature in the further reaction steps is limited to 250° C. At that temperature Si3N4 deposition takes place, and moreover, the electroless process is commercially not desired anyway since it is a slow non-equilibrium process with a short bath pot life.
There is a considerable need for a method of making thin conductive silver-containing layers that can be heated at temperatures higher than 250° C. without losing its conductivity and mirror-like appearance.

Colloidal solution comprising silver metal particles and a silane derivative


An electromagnetic relay includes a fixed contact, a movable contact piece, a drive shaft, and a movable iron core. The movable contact piece is movable in a first direction and in a second direction. The drive shaft that extends in the first direction and the second direction and that is coupled to the movable contact piece. The movable iron core is coupled to the drive shaft so as to be integrally movable at a position beyond the movable contact piece in the first direction or at a position beyond the movable contact piece in the second direction. The drive shaft includes a first contact portion configured to contact the movable contact piece, a second contact portion configured to contact the movable iron core, and an insulating portion made from an insulating material and configured to insulate the movable contact piece and the movable iron core from each other.

Conventionally, electromagnetic relays that open and close an electric circuit are known. For example, an electromagnetic relay described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2014-017086 includes a contact device including a fixed contact and a movable contact piece, an electromagnetic drive device, and a drive shaft. The electromagnetic drive device includes a coil, a fixed iron core, and a movable iron core. The drive shaft is made from a conductive material such as metal and is coupled to the movable contact piece and the movable iron core so as to be integrally movable.
When a voltage is applied to the coil of the electromagnetic drive device, the movable iron core is attracted to the fixed iron core and moves upward together with the drive shaft. With the movement of the movable iron core and the drive shaft, the movable contact piece moves toward the fixed contact and contacts the fixed contact.


In a vibration motor holding structure for retaining a vibration motor having eccentric weights at rotation shaft ends and holding the vibration motor on a circuit board, there is provided a metal holder having support legs provided along a part of the length of the vibration motor and protruding horizontally in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vibration motor on both sides thereof. Thus, the vibration motor can be prevented from falling over during the mounting process and be held on the circuit board at solder-applied positions.

Portable communication devices inform the wearer of an incoming call by ring tones or body sensory vibrations generated by the rotation of eccentric weights of a built-in vibration motor. These modes are switched as necessary. Some game machines let the operator sense vibrations generated by the vibration motor in the machine in the course of games for more fun.
The above vibration motor is secured to a circuit board in the device/machine and generates and transmits vibrations to the device/machine housing, whereby the wearer/operator senses the vibrations. Such an example is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-234943, wherein a vibration motor is mounted on a circuit board in such a manner that a cylindrical motor body is retained by a metal holder frame from below, a half-moon-shaped eccentric weight is fixed to one end of a motor shaft, creamed solder applied to the holder bottom is melted in a heating furnace to secure the entire structure to the circuit board.
The vibration motor is mounted in an automated process in which the motor body having an eccentric weight is retained in a holder frame to make a vibration motor unit, which is placed on a circuit board at a predetermined position, conveyer-transferred, heated in a heating furnace to melt the solder on the circuit board, and cooled to solidify the melted solder to secure the holder frame to the circuit board.
The vibration motor unit retained in the holder frame is simply placed on a circuit board while conveyer-transferred and, therefore, fairly unstable. Slight external vibration or extraordinary movement of the conveyer may cause the unit to fall over. If one of a plurality of vibration motor units placed on circuit boards transferred in a line falls over, the entire conveyer has to be once stopped to raise the vibration motor unit fell before the mounting process resumes. The transfer should be monitored and the work performance is significantly low.

Vibration motor holding structure and vibration motor


Disclosed is a closure for a door of a shipping container. The closure includes a housing, an outside handle pivotally mounted relative to the housing, an inside handle pivotally mounted relative to the housing, and a catch connected to the inside handle. The closure is configured so that movement of the inside handle between a first position and a second position causes corresponding movement of the catch. A locking mechanism can releasably fix the inside handle relative to the outside handle, such that when in a locked position rotation of the outside handle causes corresponding rotation of the inside handle and when in an unlocked position the inside handle can be rotated independently of the outside handle.

Intermodal freight containers, commonly known as shipping containers, are commonly configured with two doors at one end, hingedly attached at the sides of the container and opening outwardly. They are typically held closed by two locking bars on each door. These locking bars extend vertically along the outside of the doors and couple with cams above and below the door. The coupling of the locking bars with the cams can assist with compressing a seal surrounding the doors and holding the door in the closed position.
Locking bars have a number of disadvantages, particularly in the case of repurposed shipping containers. These disadvantages include being difficult to operate, particularly when seals are very new or have started to deteriorate. Locking bars also fail to allow for escape from within the container in the event that a person is inadvertently locked inside.
The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.


Systems and methods for operating an electric power distribution bus of an electric or hybrid vehicle are described. In one example, an output of an electric power consumer is decoupled from other electric power consumers so that electric current drawn from the electric power distribution bus is lowered while the electric power consumer provides a capacitive load to the electric power distribution bus, thereby reducing voltage ripple associated with the electric power distribution bus.

A vehicle may include an electric power distribution bus. The bus may deliver electric power from a power source to a power consumer. The electric power that is distributed by the electric power distribution bus may be comprised of a voltage and an electric current. It may be desirable for the voltage to remain constant so that power consumers that are sensitive to voltage may operate as expected. However, if the voltage of the electric power distribution bus varies by more than a predetermined amount, degradation of electric power consumers that are electrically coupled to the electric power distribution bus may occur.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Methods and system for improving operation of a vehicle electric power distribution bus