This invention relates to a Siraitiae fructus product and a method for preparing the same. The product uses a Siraitiae fructus seed as a carrier, and Siraitiae fructus flesh is coated on the carrier. The flesh may the original flesh tissue, or flesh pulp prepared through a physical method. The product is convenient for eating, and has a distinct flavor and a high amount of active ingredients. The preparation method is simple and practical, and significantly reduces energy consumption.

Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2010; p. 197) records that Siraitiae fructus is sweet in flavor and cool in property, and it belongs to the lung and large intestine meridians, it can reduce fever, moisturize the lungs, relieve sore throat and restore voice, and it also functions as a laxative. Siraitiae fructus is commonly used to treat cough caused by lung heat, sore throat, voice loss, and constipation. Modern research shows that Siraitiae fructus contains tetracyclic triterpenoid saponins, and especially, it has a high content of mogroside V. Therefore, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China requires that Siraitiae fructus be calculated as dry goods, and should contain no less than 0.50% of mogroside V. The sweetness of Siraitiae fructus is about 300 times of sucrose; it is not easily dissolved by the human digestive system and thus provides limited calories. Due to its safe and stable properties, Siraitiae fructus and its extracts are gradually becoming an ideal food for people having diabetes and obesity.
Because fresh Siraitiae fructus is difficult to store and transport, dried Siraitiae fructus has historically been consumed as both food and herb. However, three main concerns exist when people consume dried Siraitiae fructus: (1) it is difficult to control dosage. Siraitiae fructus has a high degree of sweetness, thus a low dosage would result in a not sweet enough taste, while a high dosage would affect the taste due to too much sweet. Furthermore, the sweetness in Siraitiae fructus varies a great deal due to factors such as breeds, origins, drying methods, harvesting time, etc. Therefore, both the inexperienced and the experienced technicians need to perform preliminary experiments to determine the proper dosage for each batch of Siraitiae fructus; (2) it is difficult to maintain the taste. Fresh Siraitiae fructus is a fragrant and genuinely sweet fruit. Because it has a dense and tight fruit peel, roasting under high-temperature for a longtime is required to obtain dried Siraitiae fructus. However, even dried Siraitiae fructus processed with high-level roasting techniques still has a strong sweet flavor and some degree of burnt odor, due to the drying process. Moreover, most dried Siraitiae fructus products are processed by fruit farmers in their simple and crude ovens; the flesh usually is roasted to dark brown color, and has a distinct burnt taste and a bitter flavor. Dried Siraitiae fructus made from dead Siraitiae fructus or unripe Siraitiae fructus fruit would have an even worse taste; (3) it is difficult for consumers to determine whether to accept or to discard the fruit peel. The Siraitiae fructus fruit peel itself does not have an obvious sweetness. However, through the drying process under high temperature, part of the flesh liquefied and passed to the peel through capillary action or dripping on the peel, resulting that the peel has a markedly sweet taste. This confuses consumers in that they are not certain whether the peel can be consumed or not. It would be a waste to discard the peel because it is sweet regardless; however, some consumers cannot accept the peel because it is dark and fluffy, and seems dirty. Due to the above concerns, it often happens that consumers would steep a half or full dried Siraitiae fructus fruit in several hundred milliliters of water. The taste is acceptable at the beginning; as the amount of water reduces, however, the amount of dissolved Siraitiae fructus increases. This causes the Siraitiae fructus solution to have a stronger degree of sweet taste, burnt odor, and bitter flavor, and also gives the solution a darker color, and resulted in the eventual discard of the Siraitiae fructus solution.
With the gradual familiarization and recognition of its function as a dietary supplement, as well as the advance in food and drug processing techniques, products containing Siraitiae fructus as the main ingredient are emerging. Until now, 137 invention patents relating to Siraitiae fructus can be found in the patent information database of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. Of those, 55 patents relate to food or dietary supplement products, including: 14 patents directed at fruit wine or fruit vinegar containing Siraitiae fructus and other ingredients; 8 patents relate to solid products containing original plants, exemplified by tea, that are made from Siraitiae fructus and other ingredients; 12 patents relate to dissolvable solid food or low-calorie sweetener that contains Siraitiae fructus and other ingredients; and 7 patents relate to products comprising Siraitiae fructus as the only ingredient.
Of all the edible materials, not many drinks made from one single ingredient are good in color, smell, and taste; Siraitiae fructus is one of the few. Obviously, it would damage the characteristics of Siraitiae fructus if it is used as a common ingredient together with other materials in a formula to produce an end product.
In one of the 7 patents that relate to products containing only Siraitiae fructus, i.e., patent application number 200610021160.X, titled "Siraitiae fructus product and method for preparing same", relates to a drying process where Siraitiae fructus flesh is pulp and then coated on a roasting device for drying; patent application number 200510020314.9, titled "fresh Siraitiae fructus powder and preparation method thereof", relates to a process where fresh Siraitiae fructus is freeze dried and pulverized; patent application 200810174726.1, titled "method for preparing fresh Siraitiae fructus freeze-dried superfine powder", relates to a process where pre-frozen, pulverized Siraitiae fructus is vacuum dried at a temperature of between 40° C. and 120° C., and then super-fined; patent application number 200910114443.2, titled "Fructus momordicae instant powder and preparation method thereof", relates to treating Siraitiae fructus extract with several enzymes before drying; patent application number 200810001670.X, titled "Siraitiae fructus sweetener and preparation method", relates to extracting dry powder from whole Siraitiae fructus and mixing the same with mogroside at different ratios; patent application number 200510066542.X, titled "Preparation method for Siraitiae fructus juice", relates to filtering, press filtering, micro-filtering, and nano-filtering Siraitiae fructus juice to produce liquid drinks; patent application number 200810097509.7, titled "De-colored Siraitiae fructus juice and method for preparing the same", relates to de-coloring Siraitiae fructus juice with resin, and then acidifying it to produce a white or yellowish transparent liquid.
Compared with other compound products, these seven patented products have advantages in keeping and displaying the characteristics of Siraitiae fructus, and improving the homogeneity of product quality. However, they still have obvious drawbacks: (1) the last two patented products are liquid preparations; complex processing techniques are required; and preservatives are added to conserve the products; (2) the fourth and fifth patented products have a high degree of sweetness and are inconvenient to use. Dry powder made from Siraitiae fructus water is about 20 times sweeter than sucrose. A further fine preparation causes dry powder to have a mogroside V content of 30%, and that is about 100 times sweeter than sucrose. Suppose a consumer prepares a 200 ml drink, only 15 g of sucrose would be needed to achieve an ideal degree of sweetness. However, if Siraitiae fructus extract is used as the sweetener, then only 0.75 g of Siraitiae fructus extract powder is needed, and only 0.15 g of crude saponin powder is needed. Such a small amount is inconvenient for packaging and usage; (3) the first three patented products are obtained from directly pulverizing fresh Siraitiae fructus, and then drying. Although properties such the degree of sweetness and the ability to absorb moisture of these products are not as good as those of the fourth and fifth patented products, they are feasible in terms of packaging and determining quantity. However, there still exist three disadvantages: (1) in these products, the non-edible Siraitiae fructus peel and seeds are pulverized together with flesh and end up being ingested by consumers. The impure contents from the peel render a high level of microorganisms in the final products, and the fatty acids from the seeds render the products an unpleasant odor and make the final products susceptible to rancidity; (2) when dried under low-temperature conditions, Siraitiae fructus enzyme activities are well-kept, thus rendering the final product a numbing feeling; and (3) whole fruit powder products have a lot of suspended and precipitated substances, rendering the liquid solution an unaesthetic appearance.

Siraitiae fructus product and preparation method thereof


A method and apparatus enables selection a communication system when a user of a mobile unit is away from a home system to which it is registered. According to one novel aspect, the visited communication system broadcasts (402) a list of standardized type services including tariff information, which is used by the mobile unit to select a system. According to another novel aspect, the mobile initiates an outgoing call of a non-standardised type service by accessing (502) a candidate system and informing it of the location of the home network and desired service identifier. The candidate system obtains (504) the service information on this service from the home network, and then provides (546) a quotation for a required service. Also, a communication system according to the present invention minimises incoming call costs to the user wherein the home system polls (606) the communication systems within range of the mobile unit to select the best system to provide service.

Where a number of wireless networks which offer similar service capabilities are available for public access in the same geographic area, it is desirable to promote efficient spectrum loading, minimal call costs to the user, and competition between network operators. This is true in the user's "home" area as well as when the user roams to other areas. Efficient spectrum utilisation is promoted because lightly loaded systems can attract customers towards it. Also, overloading of networks, particularly packet data networks, can be avoided. By selecting the operator providing the desired service and quality of service at the lowest cost, the call costs tend to be minimised for the user, at least for outgoing calls. Finally, having dynamic costing structures promotes competition.
For future communications systems it is anticipated that two classes of service may exist. The first is a limited set of standardised core services such as telephony. The second is a set of operator-specific services which may be created by an operator and which are quite specific to the operator's network. A user in a home network may normally subscribe to a preferred operator or set of operators which provide mobility management and which together provide the user's desired service mix. An emerging requirement of third generation systems is that users when roaming should be able to access the same service set, even if the visited systems do not normally provide all the services.
Accordingly, there is also a need for a method and apparatus for selecting a communication system to minimize tariff rates.

Method and apparatus for system selection


A method for washing and drying a substrate includes the steps of (a) disposing a substrate on a spin chuck such that a surface to be treated faces upward, (b) applying a washing solution from a first nozzle to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate disposed on the spin chuck so as to cleanse the surface, and (c) blowing a gas from a second nozzle against the surface while rotating the substrate and moving the second nozzle above the substrate in a radial direction from a central portion toward a peripheral portion of the substrate, thereby drying the surface of the substrate.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for washing and drying a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a substrate for a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, in which a washing solution is applied to the substrate which is kept rotated on its own axis for the washing purpose.
In the manufacture of a semiconductor device, a washing treatment is applied in general to a substrate for removing particles attached to the surface thereof and a spontaneous oxide film formed on the substrate surface as a result of contact of the substrate surface with the air. A one-by-one type washing method in which substrates are washed one by one using a spin type washing device is known to the art as a method of washing a substrate. In the spin type washing system, a chemical solution, e.g., hydrofluoric acid solution, is applied to the surface of a substrate while rotating the substrate on its own axis, followed by washing the substrate with a washing solution, e.g., pure water. Further, the substrate is rotated at a high speed so as to centrifugally remove the liquid material from the substrate.
FIGS. 1A to 1D collectively show a conventional washing-drying method. In the first step, a wafer W is held by a spin chuck 1. Under this condition, a hydrofluoric acid solution A is applied from a nozzle 2 onto the wafer W while rotating the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 1A. Then, a pure water B is applied from a nozzle 3 to the wafer W while rotating the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 1B. In this step, the pure water B partly remains in an irregular surface region of the wafer W to form water droplets Ba, as shown in FIG. 1C. After drying, water marks 4 are formed in the portions where the water droplets Ba were formed previously, as shown in FIG. 1D. It should be noted that traces of foreign substances contained in the water droplets Ba are precipitated on the substrate surface and left on the substrate surface after drying to form "water mark" noted above. In general, the water mark represents a thin film-like foreign substance consisting of silicon-based oxides. These water marks are counted, and the number of counts provides an index denoting the grade of drying state of the substrate.
The mechanism of the water mark formation is considered to be as follows. Specifically, the volume of water B attached to the wafer W is gradually decreased as a result of evaporation to form finally a spherical water droplet Ba. The spherical water droplet Ba thus formed reacts with oxygen and silicon to form H.sub.2 SiO.sub.3 which is to be precipitated. Alternatively, traces of silica (SiO.sub.2) contained in the pure water B is precipitated, leading to formation of the water mark 4. Particularly, where a hydrofluoric acid solution is used as a washing solution, the spontaneous oxide film of SiO2 covering the surface of the wafer W is removed so as to expose the silicon wafer itself to the outside, with the result that the above-noted reaction leading to the water mark formation is likely to take place easily.
FIGS. 11 and 12 show more specifically the mechanism of the water mark formation. FIG. 11 shows that a hydrophilic thin film F1 formed on a silicon wafer W is patterned, followed by forming a hydrophobic thin film F2 such as a polycrystalline silicon film on the thin film F1. Likewise, FIG. 12 shows that a hydrophilic thin film F3 formed on a silicon wafer W is patterned, followed by forming a hydrophobic thin film F4 on the thin film F3. In these cases, water droplets Ba tend to remain in the concavities (contact holes) 5, 5A of the hydrophobic thin films F2, F4. Since it is difficult to remove these water droplets Ba remaining in the concavities 5, 5A, a large number of water marks 4 are formed on the surface of the silicon wafer W as shown in, for example, FIGS. 15B and 15C.

Method for washing and drying substrates


The invention features a flexible protective strip having one or more longtitudinally extending inserts which provide the protective strip with greater impact resistance, greater strength and an improved locking action in the mounting member. The resilient strip preferably includes a pair of oppositely disposed, inwardly extending latch members which include inserts to provide the improved locking action. The mounting member preferably includes a web portion having a pair of oppositely disposed web-latch extensions extending across a chord of the body, substantially parallel to a tangent to the circumference of the body at its mid-line, and at least one leg member extending from the web portion away from the body.

This invention relates generally to protective bumper strip assemblies for protecting furniture edges, wall and display case surfaces and the like. In particular, this invention is directed to resilient bumper strips which provide improved strength, improved impact resistance, improved resistance to stretching and shrinking, and improved mating with the mounting member.
Protective strip assemblies using resilient strip materials in various types of channels are known in the art, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,596, 4,083,592, and 4,808,451 and the patents cited therein. The protective strip assembly disclosed in each of those patents includes a metal or plastic channel capped by a strip of a resilient material, such as rubber. The channel, which may be roughly rectangular in its outside cross-section, attaches to a surface to be protected. The resilient rubber strip is secured to the channel member and partially surrounds and engages the channel along the channel faces that face generally perpendicular to the surface to be protected.
It is an object of this invention to provide a protective bumper strip assembly having a flexible bumper strip which has greater strength than prior art strips.
It is another object of this invention to provide a flexible protective resilient strip having improved impact resistance.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a protective bumper strip assembly having a bumper strip which resists shrinking and stretching.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a flexible resilient strip which can be more securely locked to the mounting member of the protective strip assembly

Resilient strip for protective strip assembly


A coating composition contains an active hydrogen group-containing polymer (e.g., polyol and/or polyester) and a polyisocyanate curing agent. The polyisocyanate curing agent contains (i) at least 5 weight percent triaminononane triisocyanate, and (ii) at least 5 weight percent of a polyisocyanate different from (i) wherein the percentages are based on the total resin solids content of the coating composition. The composition exhibits a combination of good adhesion and rapid dry time that makes the composition particularly useful as an automotive refinish coating.

The present invention relates to coating compositions based on polymers having active hydrogen groups (particularly hydroxyl groups) which are cured with polyisocyanates. Although not limited thereto, these are particularly adapted for automotive refinish applications. Utility for other types of coating applications is also contemplated.
It is desirable to provide coating compositions that have excellent physical properties and appearance and also are formulated with minimal amounts of volatile organic content ("VOC"). This is especially true in the automotive coatings area where the finish of the automobile is a particularly important feature but is difficult to achieve with coating compositions having reduced amounts of organic solvents. In the automotive refinish coating area, there is the further requirement that the coating composition be capable of ambient temperature cure or at most a forced heating step with a slightly elevated temperature. Automotive clear coatings pose an additional challenge since the clear coatings must adhere well to the pigmented basecoats onto which they are applied.
In order to provide coating compositions with suitably low viscosity for application, for example, by spraying, while providing low VOC formulations, it has been necessary to resort to polymeric components of lower viscosity. For this purpose, suppliers of polyisocyanate curing agents have made available to the coating industry several low viscosity polyisocyanates that are useful as curing agents in conjunction with polymers having hydroxyl functionality or other functionality reactive with isocyanates. These include hexamethylenediisocyanate based materials and isophorone diisocyanate based materials. Using these materials, it has been found to be difficult to provide low VOC coatings with the combination of adhesion and rapid cure speed required for automotive refinish coatings. Another promising low viscosity curing agent is a triisocyanate derived from 4-aminomethyl-1,8-diaminooctane. This triisocyanate, informally known as triaminononane triisocyanate, is attractive because of its exceptionally low viscosity and low equivalent weight (84 grams per isocyanate equivalent). However, attempts to utilize triaminononane triisocyanate as the curing agent in coating compositions have heretofore been disappointing. More specifically, while it has shown a positive effect on adhesion, its effect on cure speed has not been favorable.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to take advantage of the desirable characteristics of triaminononane triisocyanate without compromising other properties.

Rapid drying, isocyanate cured coating composition with improved adhesion


A design application is configured to determine design problem geometry and design criteria associated with a design problem to be solved. Based on this information, the design application identifies one or more design approaches to creating a custom material having specific material attributes needed to solve the design problem. The design application then executes the design approaches to create material designs that reflect one or more custom materials. With these designs as input, a manufacturing machine may then construct physical instances of those custom materials. A given custom material may have a unique combination of material attributes potentially not found among existing materials. Additionally, a design fabricated from a custom material may better satisfy the design criteria than a design fabricated from a known material.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to engineering design and, more specifically, to techniques for generating materials to satisfy design criteria.
Description of the Related Art
In a conventional engineering workflow, an engineer uses a computer-aided design (CAD) tool to design and draft physical parts to meet specific design criteria. The engineer then selects a material from which to fabricate the part and initiates the process of manufacturing the part using the selected material. Each material available for manufacturing may have different material attributes. Thus, when a given physical part is manufactured from a specific material, that part has particular static and dynamic attributes that derive from both the geometry of the part and the attributes of the material of manufacture.
In some cases, a design having a particular geometry can be or must be manufactured from a specific material in order to generate a physical part that meets the design criteria. However, in many other cases, the particular geometry is such that there are no specific materials available having the physical properties required to generate a physical part that can meet the design criteria. For example, a certain design may have a truss geometry that, based on design criteria, must support a minimum load without exceeding a maximum weight. However, for that particular truss geometry, there may not be any materials that offer the specific strength and density required by the truss to meet the design criteria.
When no suitable materials can be identified for a given design, engineers are forced to start the design process over and generate a completely new design. If the new design still cannot be manufactured from an existing material and meet the design criteria, the design process must be repeated yet again. This process can become repetitive, tedious, and time consuming.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective approach to identifying materials for fabricating physical parts to satisfy design criteria.

Techniques for generating materials to satisfy design criteria


A pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a mixture consisting essentially of

The present invention is in the area of pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment of diseases in humans. More particularly the invention relates to combinations of two or more than two pharmaceutical substances and methods of treatment of allergic disorders.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,358 discloses 2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]-acetic acids or amides thereof having the formula
wherein
Y is a hydroxyl group or an xe2x80x94NH2 group,
X and Xxe2x80x2 represent independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a straight or branched chain lower alkoxy radical or a trifluoromethyl radical,
m is 1 or 2, and
n is 1 or 2,
or a non-toxic, pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The compounds of formula I possess interesting pharmacological properties. In particular, they are useful as antiallergic, antihistaminic, bronchodilatory and antispasmodic agents.
Several patent documents already disclosed binary and/or ternary combinations of pharmaceutical substances in specific amounts in view of treating various disorders in humans. In particular International Patent Application published as WO 88/09656 discloses pharmaceutical compositions of matter comprising an analgesically effective amount of aspirin, sodium salicylate, salicylamide or acetaminophen, in combination with a non-sedating antihistamine, one or more active components selected from a decongestant, cough suppressant, expectorant and further optionally including pharmaceutically acceptable carriers therefor.
International Patent Application published as No. WO 92/04022 discloses compositions for the treatment of cold, cold-like, flu and flu-like symptoms comprising an effective amount of a naphthalene derivative and optionally containing one or more therapeutic agents such as a decongestant, an antitussive, an expectorant, an antihistamine or a bronchodilatator. Similar examples of combinations of pharmaceutically active substances may be found also in International Patent Publications No. WO 94/08551, No. WO 94/25009 and No. WO 95/07103.
Some documents also disclose the use of specific stereoisomers of pharmaceutical substances for treating disorders in humans while avoiding adverse effects associated with the corresponding racemic mixture. In particular International Patent Applications published as WO 94/06429 and WO 94/06430 disclose methods of treating a condition caused by or contributed to by eosinophilia or enhanced eosinophil function in a human, which comprises administering to a human, in need of eosinophilic therapy, an amount of (+) cetirizine (respectively (xe2x88x92) cetirizine), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, substantially free of its (xe2x88x92) stereoisomer (respectively its (+) stereoisomer), said amount being sufficient to alleviate said eosinophilia or enhanced eosinophil function but insufficient to cause said adverse effects.
On the other hand, pseudoephedrine, its hydrochloride and sulfate are well known sympathomimetic drugs recognised as safe therapeutic agents effective in the relief of nasal congestion.
It is well known to those skilled in the art that combinations of pharmaceutical substances should always be handled with care because they are very susceptible of inducing impredictable adverse effects in humans. In some cases, they also induce an efficiency of the treatment which is lower than that of each pharmaceutical substance taken alone.
In the treatment of allergic disorders such as for example a pollen associated allergic rhino-conjunctivitis, care should be taken, when combining an antihistaminic and a decongestant, not only to increase the overall efficiency of the treatment, i.e. the percentage of days during the whole treatment period, when the symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, lacrimation, nasal and ocular pruritus are absent or at the most mild, but also to avoid possible adverse effects like insomnia and headache.
Thus an objective of the present invention is to provide a useful combination of pharmaceutical substances for treating various disorders in humans, said combination being able to increase the efficiency of said treatment over the efficiency of each substance alone, while avoiding adverse effects during the said treatment.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide such a useful combination of pharmaceutical substances when the treatment in question is a therapy such as needed for rhinitis, cold, flu, cold-like and flu-like symptoms.
The present invention is based on the unexpected recognition that the combined use of pseudoephedrine, an individual optical isomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof on the one hand and a 2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]-acetic acid or amide derivative, an individual optical isomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof on the other hand in the treatment of rhinitis, cold, flu, cold-like and flu-like symptoms results in improved efficiency over each pharmaceutical substance alone based on the patients daily evaluation of symptoms like sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, nasal and ocular pruritus and lacrymation. This improved primary efficiency was obtained without increasing possible adverse effects of the treatment, like insomnia and headache.
The present invention encompasses a method of treating a disorder selected from rhinitis, cold, flu, cold-like and flu-like symptoms in a human, which comprises administering to a human in need of such therapy, simultaneously or separately, an effective amount of (i)pseudoephedrine, an individual optical isomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and an effective amount of (ii) at least one compound selected from 2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]-acetic acid or amide derivatives, an individual optical isomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. When administration is effected simultaneously, it is preferably in the form of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a mixture consisting essentially of compounds (i) and (ii). Such administration in a single dosage form is preferred.
The term separately as used herein means that compounds (i) and (ii) are administered separately but within a close time proximity, i.e. a lapse of time which is sufficiently short, e.g. not higher than about 3 hours, to keep advantage of their combined therapeutic effects.
The term xe2x80x9ca method for treating a disorder selected from rhinitis, cold, flu, cold-like and flu-like symptoms in a humanxe2x80x9d as used herein means providing relief from the symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, nasal and ocular pruritus, lacrymation, and the like.
The term xe2x80x9c2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]-acetic acid or amide derivativexe2x80x9d as used herein means a compound having the formula
wherein
Y is a hydroxyl group or an xe2x80x94NH2 group,
X and Xxe2x80x2 represent independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a straight or branched chain lower alkoxy radical or a trifluoromethyl radical,
m is 1 or 2, and
n is 1 or 2.
The term xe2x80x9clower alkoxyxe2x80x9d as used herein means residues of both straight and branched chain aliphatic alcohols having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and the like. The halogen atom is preferably a chlorine or fluorine atom.
The term xe2x80x9cpharmaceutically acceptable saltsxe2x80x9d as used herein with respect to 2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]-acetic acid or amide derivatives means not only their addition salts with non-toxic organic and inorganic acids, such as acetic, citric, succinic, ascorbic, hydrochloric, hydrobromic, sulfuric, and phosphoric acids and the like, but also their metal salts (for example sodium or potassium salts), ammonium salts, amine salts and aminoacid salts.
The term xe2x80x9cpharmaceutically acceptable saltxe2x80x9d as used herein with respect to pseudoephedrine means namely its hydrochloride and sulfate and equivalent non-toxic salts.
The term xe2x80x9cindividual optical isomerxe2x80x9d as used herein means, when the molecule has a centre of asymmetry, the levorotatory and the dextrorotatary enantiomers thereof. As is well known in the art, purification of such enantiomers is a rather difficult process depending upon the selected way of preparation of the compound and the optical purity of the starting material. Therefore the term xe2x80x9cindividual optical isomerxe2x80x9d as used herein means that the said compound comprises at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, by weight of the said individual (either dextro- or levorotatory) optical isomer and at most 10%, preferably at most 5%, by weight of the other individual (respectively levo- or dextrorotatary) optical isomer. Each individual optical isomer may be obtained from its racemic mixture by using conventional means such as disclosed in British patent application No. 2,225,321. Additionally, each individual optical isomer can be prepared from the racemic mixture by enzymatic biocatalytic resolution, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,800,162 and 5,057,427.
Preferred compounds (ii) used in the compositions of the invention include:
2-[2-[4-[(4-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetic acid, as a racemate, a levorotatory or dextrorotatory enantiomer, and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, namely their dihydrochloride and potassium salts;
2-[2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetic acid or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[4-[(4-fluorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetic acid or its hydrate;
2-[2-[4-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetic acid;
2-[2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetamide or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[4-[(2-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetamide or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[2-[4-[(4-methoxyphenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]ethoxy]-acetamide or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[2-[2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]ethoxy]-acetamide or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[2-[4-[(4-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]ethoxy]-acetamide or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[2-[4-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]ethoxy]-acetic acid or its dihydrochloride;
2-[2-[2-[4-[(4-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]ethoxy]-acetic acid or its dihydrochloride;
The most preferred compounds (ii) are the racemate of 2-[2-[4-[(4-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetic acid and its dihydrochloride salt which is well known as cetirizine dihydrochloride, and its levorotatory and dextrorotatory enantiomers.
For implementing the method of treatment of the invention the composition hereinabove described should contain an effective amount of the mixture of the compounds (i) and (ii). An effective amount can be readily determined by the use of conventional techniques and by observing results obtained under analogous circumstance. In determining the effective amount, a number of factors are considered including, but not limited to: the species of patient; its size, age, and general health; the specific disease involved; the degree of or involvement or the severity of the disease; the response of the individual patient; the particular compound administered; the mode of administration; the bioavailability characteristics of the preparation administered; the dose regimen selected; and the use of concomitant medication.
An effective amount of the mixture of the compounds (i) and (ii) in the composition of the invention will generally vary from about 0.1 milligram per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg/day) to about 6 mg/kg/day. A posology (dose) of about 15 mg to about 300 mg once or twice per day is preferred.
Additionally, the respective proportions of compound (i) and compound (ii) in the mixture should preferably be such that the said composition consists essentially of about 1 to about 30 percent by weight, more preferably about 3 to about 15 percent by weight of the compound (ii) and of about 70 to about 99 percent by weight, more preferably about 85 to about 97 percent by weight of the compound (i).
A composition according to the invention can be administered to a patient in any form or mode which makes the composition bioavailable in effective amounts, namely the oral route. For example, it can be administered orally, intranasally, or rectally. Oral administration is generally preferred. One skilled in the art of preparing formulations can readily select the proper form and mode of administration depending upon the particular characteristics of the disease state to be treated, the stage of the disease, and other relevant circumstances.
The compositions of the invention can comprise the mixture of compounds (i) and (ii) alone or such mixture in combination with at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient, the proportion and nature of which are determined by the solubility and chemical properties of the composition selected, the chosen route of administration, and standard pharmaceutical practice.
More particularly, the present invention contemplates pharmaceutical compositions consisting essentially of a therapeutically effective amount of the above-described mixture of compounds (i) and (ii) in admixture or otherwise in association with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients (collectively referred to hereafter as xe2x80x9ccarrierxe2x80x9d materials).
The carrier material may be a solid, semi-solid, or liquid material which can serve as a vehicle or medium for the active ingredient. Suitable carrier materials are well known in the art. The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be adapted for oral use and may be administered to the patient in the form of tablets, capsules, powders, elixirs, syrups, solutions, suspensions, or the like. The pharmaceutical composition of the invention may also be adapted for rectal use and may then be administered to the patient in the form of suppositories.
The carrier material should be suitably selected with respect to the intended form of administration, and consistent with conventional pharmaceutical practice. For instance, for oral administration in the form of tablets or capsules, the therapeutically active drug components may be combined with any oral non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier such as lactose or starch. Optionally, the pharmaceutical composition of the invention also contain a binder such as microcrystalline cellulose, gum tragacanth or gelatine, a disintegrating agent such as alginic acid, a lubricant such as magnesium stearate, a glidant such as colloidal silicon dioxide, a sweetening agent such as sucrose or saccharin, a coloring agent or a flavouring agent such as peppermint or methyl salicylate.
Because of their easy administration, tablets and capsules represent the most advantageous oral dosage unit form. If desired, tablets may be coated by standard aqueous or nonaqueous techniques with sugar, shellac or other entering coating agents. Desirably, each tablet or capsule contains from about 15 mg to about 300 mg of the mixture of active ingredients.
In addition to the common dosage forms set out above, the compositions of the present invention may also be administered by controlled release means and delivery devices. In particular their dosage unit form may consist of a coated tablet wherein the tablet coating comprises an effective amount of a compound (ii)xe2x80x94as described hereinabovexe2x80x94and the tablet core comprises an effective amount of a compound (i) and a swellable hydrophilic polymer, and wherein the tablet coating and the tablet core further comprise pharmaceutically acceptable carrier materials.
For the purpose of oral therapeutic administration, the compounds (i) and (ii) of the present invention may be incorporated into a solution or suspension. These preparations should contain at least 0.1% by weight of the active ingredients of the composition of the invention.
Such solutions or suspensions may also include one or more of the following adjuvants: a sterile diluent such as water for injection, physiologic saline solution, oils, polyethylene glycols, glycerine, propylene glycol or other synthetic solvents; antibacterial agents such as benzyl alcohol; antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodium bisulfite; chelating agents such as ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid; buffers such as acetates, citrates or phosphates and agents for adjusting of tonicity such as sodium chloride or dextrose. The preparation can be enclosed in ampules, or multiple dose vials made of glass or plastic.
The invention is further defined by reference to the following examples describing in detail the compositions of the present invention, as well as their utility.
While this invention has been described and illustrated with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications and substitutions can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, effective dosages other than the preferred ranges set forth hereinabove with respect to the active ingredients may be applicable as a consequence of variations of the responsiveness of the human treated, severity of symptoms, dosage related adverse effects, if any observed and similar considerations. Accordingly, such expected variations or differences in the practice of the present invention and the results obtained are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention.
The efficacy and safety of a composition of the invention were evaluated for the treatment of rhinitis, especially perennial and seasonal rhinitis, by the following phase III multicenter, double-blind studies. The composition of the invention was compared to:
the racemate of 2-[2-[4-[(4-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]-acetic dihydrochloride, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9ccetirizinexe2x80x9d on the one hand, and
(1S,2S)2-methylamino-1-phenylpropan-1-ol hydrochloride, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cd-pseudoephedrine hydrochloridexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpseudoephedrinexe2x80x9d on the other hand.
For each study, patients enrolled were ranged in three therapeutic groups and were treated as follows:
The patients"" clinical evaluations made by the investigators at the end of the studies were based on a 5-point scale (0=worsening; 1=no change; 2=slight improvement; 3=good improvement; 4=no more symptoms). The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used to compare the frequency distribution of the three groups, and for specific comparisons.
For each study, the global evaluation was completed with the following data:
At home, patients had to fill a daily record card where the five following symptoms were evaluated: sneezing, runny nose, blocked nose, itchy nose and itchy eyes. The symptoms scores were based on a 4-point scale (0: absent; 1: mild; 2: moderate; 3: severe). Cumulative relative frequencies PDS0 (percentage of days with a maximal score equal to 0) and PDS1 (percentage of days with a maximal score inferior or equal to 1) were calculated from the maximal score, ie the greater recorded score, irrespective of the symptom. Global comparisons were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test and specific comparisons were made with the Wilcoxon rank sum test.
Three visits were planned during the study: enrolment visit (Visit 1), control visit (Visit 2) one week after visit 1 and final visit (Visit 3). At visits 1 and 2, investigators evaluated the specific symptoms of allergic rhinitis (sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, nasal pruritus and ocular pruritus) using the 4-point scale (0: absent; 1: mild; 2: moderate; 3: severe). The rhinitis severity was evaluated by taking into account the maximal score of the five symptoms. The three groups were compared using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test based on ranks.
The patients were asked about possible adverse events at each control visit. In each treatment group, adverse events were counted and grouped in classes. The frequency distributions of these adverse effect numbers were compared using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test.

Pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of rhinitis

Abstract: (i) pseudoephedrine, an individual optical isomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and


A method for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells ous tumors. The method comprises administering to a subject in need of anticancer or antitumor therapy a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the formula ##STR1## where: R is. (i) H, PO.sub.3.sup..dbd., alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms substituted or unsubstituted, straight chain or branched, 0 to 6 double bonds, (CH.sub.2).sub.n morpholine where n=1-4, morpholinomethylphenyl, orthoaminophenyl, orthohydroxyphenyl, (CH.sub.2).sub.n COOR.sub.2 where n=1-4 PA2 (ii) COR.sub.1 wherein R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of H, (CH.sub.2).sub.n CH.sub.3, where n=0-6, (CH.sub.2).sub.n COOR.sub.2 where n=1-4 and R.sub.2 is previously defined, (CH.sub.2).sub.n N.sup.+ (R.sub.3).sub.4 wherein n=1-4, and (CH.sub.2).sub.n SO.sub.3.sup.- where n=1-4,. where R.sub.2 is H, an alkali metal salt, an alkaline earth metal salt, NH.sub.4.sup.+, N.sup.+ (R.sub.3).sub.4 where R.sub.3 is independently selected from the group consisting of H and alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or. and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the use of diterpene compounds, in particular hypoestoxides, derivatives and agonists thereof for inhibiting tumor growth.
2. Background Art
The strongest impetus for the many decades of research in tumor biology has been the hope that effective therapeutic agents might be found cytotoxic against tumor cells that could be used for prevention and therapy of cancer.
Malignant melanoma continues to increase in incidence. Currently, malignant melanoma is the fifth most frequently occurring cancer in the U.S. While early melanoma is highly curable by surgical means, the prognosis of patients with more advanced lesions and/or metastatic disease remains poor (Bezwoda, W R; Cancer Treat Rev 1997;23(1):17-34). Conventional chemotherapy with single-agent activity has a low frequency and short duration of response (Cancer Treat Rev 1997; 23(1):17-34); Mayo Clin Proc 1997;72:367-371).
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is highly resistant to the many systemic therapies that have been extensively investigated (Motzer R J et al. Current Problems in Cancer, 1997;21(4):185-232). RCC occurs nearly twice as often in men as in women. Increased availability of improved and highly sophisticated diagnostic methods such as ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) scanning (Franklin J R et al. Seminars in Urologic Oncology 1996;14(2):208-215) has revealed a steadily rising incidence of RCC. Cervical carcinoma is the most common malignancy among women in developing countries (Morrow C P et al. J Cell Biochem 1995; suppl 23:61-70) and the third most common malignancy of the female genital tract in the Unites States (Miller B A et al. National Cancer Institute; NIH publication 93-2789, 1993).
All of the subsequent technological advances, including high dose rate therapy, treatment planning, new isotopes, new imaging techniques, and new machines, have had no clinically measurable effect on the curability of cervical cancer (Morrow C P et al. J Cell Biochem 1995; suppl 23:61-70).
Because neurotoxicity and chemotherapeutic drug resistance remain some of the major clinical problems associated with failure in the therapy of human cancer (Anticancer Drugs 1995;6(3):369-383; Curr Opin Oncol 1997;9(1):79-87), there is a need for study of new agents with fewer side effects and maximum efficacy.

Hypoestoxides, derivatives and agonists thereof for use as anticancer agents


A transfer unit of an image forming apparatus includes a belt to receive an image developed on a photosensitive medium while rotating in a regular cycle and in contact with an outer circumference of at least one photosensitive medium. A blade arm, which is installed adjacent to the belt, moves to a first position to position a cleaning blade, which is supported by the blade arm, to be in contact with the belt. The cleaning blade is coupled to a pressure unit to bias the cleaning blade towards the belt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present general inventive concept relates to a cleaning apparatus having an improved structure to remove toner remaining on a transfer medium, and a transfer unit and an image forming apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image forming apparatus in which an electrophotographic process is used, for example, a laser beam printer or a copier, develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive medium using toner, and transfers the developed image onto a printing medium through a transfer unit to output a desired image.
The transfer unit includes a belt which is installed between at least two rollers and rotates following a regular cycle. The belt is provided so as to be in contact with the outer circumference of at least one photosensitive medium, and the image developed on the photosensitive medium is thus transferred to the belt.
The belt cleaning apparatus removes unnecessary toner remaining on the belt after an image primarily transferred to the belt is secondarily transferred onto paper, and accordingly keeps the belt in a clear state.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a general belt cleaning apparatus. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a belt 1 is wound around a roller 2 and rotates following a regular cycle. Additionally, a leading end of a cleaning blade 3, which is mounted on a blade bracket 4, is in contact with the belt 1 wound around the roller 2. Accordingly, the toner remaining on the belt 1 is removed by the cleaning blade 3.
The blade bracket 4 is constituted to move to a first position and a second position by a cam (not illustrated) so that the cleaning blade 3 can be selectively in contact with the belt 1. The first position is a position in which the cleaning blade 3 is in contact with the belt 1, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and the second position (not illustrated) is a position in which the cleaning blade 3 is separated from the belt 1.
When toner image formed on the photosensitive medium is transferred to the belt 1, or toner image of the belt 1 is transferred onto the printing medium, the cleaning blade 3 may be separated from the belt 1 via the blade bracket 4 being placed in the second position. Additionally, when the transferring process is completed, the blade bracket 4 may be moved to the first position by the cam, and thus the cleaning blade 3 is placed in contact with the belt 1 to remove non-transferred toner thereon.
However, in the typical belt cleaning apparatus as described above, since the cam enables the cleaning blade 3 be in contact with or separated from the belt 1 by applying a relatively large force, the leading end of the cleaning blade 3 may be damaged or the cleaning blade 3 may be bent. If the cleaning blade 3 is damaged or bent, it can no longer remove toner remaining on the belt. In this situation, it would be required to replace or repair the cleaning blade.

Cleaning apparatus, and transfer unit and image forming apparatus including the same


A beverage container cover for preventing the introduction of any contaminants into a beverage container. The beverage container cover includes a sealing layer including a top side and a bottom side, a straw extending on either side of the sealing layer and able to prevent a contaminant from passing therethrough and an adhesive substance extending about a periphery of the bottom side of the sealing layer for forming a seal with a rim of the container. A lip extends about a periphery of the top side for engaging the rim of the container and strengthening the seal therebetween. The cover further includes a first protective layer removably connected to the top side and covering a top portion of the straw and a second protective layer removably connected to the bottom side and covering the bottom side, a bottom portion of the straw and the adhesive substance. The straw may be extended whereby it extends to a base of the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to covers for beverage containers and, more specifically, to cover for a beverage container able to adhere to the rim of the beverage container and including a tamper resistant straw extending therethrough for providing access to the beverage contained within the beverage container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types of beverage container covers have been provided in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,247,016; 4,615,457; 5,018,635 and 5,071,019 all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

Disposable adhering beverage container cover


Methods are described for a data creator to securely send a data payload to another device in a transient symmetric key technology (TSKT) system, and for the other device to securely receive the payload data. One method includes receiving a first seed and a formula from a command and control server. A second seed is generated, and the first seed and the second seed are combined using the formula to create a data seed. A first key is generated using the first seed, and the second seed is encrypted using the first key to form an encrypted second seed. A second key is generated using the data seed, and the data payload is encrypted using the second key to form an encrypted data payload. The encrypted data payload and the encrypted second seed are combined in a secure container, and subsequently all keys and seeds and the formula are destroyed.

Recently, reports of data breaches and compromises, thefts, or "hacks" of sensitive user information have become commonplace. Most of the vulnerabilities arise from exchange of user data over public networks, granting remote access to users whose security credentials or passwords can be guessed or automatically emulated, and storage and retrieval of data on systems that can be compromised. The industry has developed methods and algorithms for storing and transmitting data in encrypted format, such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which defines different block and key sizes and that provide higher levels of complexity for larger block and key sizes. A common AES standard, known as "AES-128", can theoretically be discovered or hacked, although with a great amount of difficulty. While AES standards with higher computational complexity have been developed, many systems use legacy AES-128 encryption or even simpler encryption and are still vulnerable to attack.
A typical system using a public key encryption (PKI) algorithm uses public key/private key encryption, in which the public key is generally available and used to encrypt data, but the private key is kept confidential and can decrypt the data. Because the private key is stored on one or more devices, if the computer itself is breached or hacked and the private key is discovered, the computational complexity of deciphering PKI-encrypted data can be bypassed, and sensitive user data can be exposed.
In the PKI system, an entity known as a certificate authority (CA) has the ability to issue private keys to allow trusted users to gain access to data. However, the CAs themselves have been breached, hacked, or stolen from, leading to counterfeit certificates being issued and user's data being stolen.
In the following description, the use of the same reference numerals in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. Unless otherwise noted, the word "coupled" and its associated verb forms include both direct connection and indirect electrical connection by means known in the art, and unless otherwise noted any description of direct connection implies alternate embodiments using suitable forms of indirect electrical connection as well.

Enhanced secure encryption and decryption system


A fluid line with a pipe provided with a sleeve of a woven or braided fabric, wherein the pipe, in turn, includes at least one conductor. In the finished state of the fluid line, the sleeve immediately surrounds the pipe and each conductor is loosely arranged in the sleeve. In accordance with another embodiment, the at least one conductor forms the sleeve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid line with a pipe provided with a sleeve of a woven or braided fabric, wherein the pipe, in turn, includes at least one conductor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fluid line of the above-described type is frequently used in motor vehicles for heating a fluid which freezes or becomes viscous at low temperatures.
For example, DE 199 15 228 A1 discloses a heatable fluid line of the above-described type for a brake system of a motor vehicle, wherein a middle rubber layer is provided on an inner pipe of rubber, and wherein a reinforcing fabric forming the sleeve is embedded in the middle rubber layer, and wherein the middle rubber layer is surrounded by a radially outer rubber layer. An electrical heating conductor is woven or braided into the reinforcing fabric. The manufacture of this fluid line having several layers is complicated.


There is provided a driving circuit for an EL element which extends the life of the EL element and has improved driving efficiency. A capacitor 11 is parallel-connected to a series circuit 3 formed by an EL element 1 and an inductor 2 to cause harmonic components and a driving frequency lower than the same to pass through the capacitor 11 and the EL element 1, respectively, to extend the life of the EL element and to improve driving efficiency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving circuit for an electro-luminescence (EL) element.
2. Description of the Related Art
An EL element is used as a back light of a liquid crystal display portion included in a small electronic apparatus such as a wrist watch. There is a need for a small driving circuit for generating an AC voltage for driving this type of EL element. Since a transformer as a voltage boosting component as is generally used in the prior art is disadvantageous in pursuing compactness, a driving circuit as shown in FIG. 4 has been proposed. This circuit is similar to that disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. H8-17114 and comprises an EL element 41 and an inductor 42 connected in series to form a series circuit 43 of which the side of the EL element is grounded and of which the side of the inductor is connected to power supply terminals VEL and GND through diodes and switching elements Q1 and Q2, respectively. The circuit is alternately connected to the power supply terminals VEL and GND through the switching elements Q1 and Q2 to generate a driving AC voltage by utilizing series resonance characteristics of the EL element 41 and the inductor 42. 44 represents a constant power output circuit as a power supply. 45 represents a capacitor for stabilizing the voltage of the same. 46 represents a control circuit for controlling the switching elements Q1 and Q2.
While the driving frequency of the EL element 41 in the circuit shown in FIG. 4 is set by the timing at which the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are turned on and off, the driving voltage includes harmonics higher than the driving frequency because of the series resonance characteristics of the series circuit 43. The frequency f and impedance z of the series circuit 43 are in a relationship as shown in FIG. 5 and thus, when the series resonance frequency of the series circuit is represented by f1, the series resonance frequency f1 must be set higher than the driving frequency f2 of the EL element in order to suppress the flow of high frequency components to the EL element 41.
This has resulted in a problem in that the life of an EL element is reduced by harmonic components. Further, the driving efficiency has been reduced because it has not been possible to drive an EL element using a series resonance frequency.

Driving circuit for an electro-luminescence element


A mask process development having a consistent mask targeting is described. A method includes receiving an integrated circuit (IC) design. A test mask is generated that converts the IC design into one or more physical layouts. A set of one or more sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs) is inserted into the test mask. The set of one or more SRAFs is inserted into one or more other masks, which are derived from the test mask for mask targeting, such that the test mask and the one or more other masks include a same set of the one or more SRAFs.

Demand for compact semiconductor devices has driven production of semiconductor devices with smaller and smaller features as time progresses. As a result, mask design for producing these smaller features is no longer a trivial task. For example, in the past, when features were larger, features in masks designed to produce the features in the semiconductor device had similar shape as the features in the semiconductor device. In contrast, features in masks for producing today's much smaller features in semiconductor devices may not be recognizable to a human observer as corresponding to the features in the semiconductor device.
Software tools are often used to aid in the design of masks for producing very small features in semiconductor devices. Sometimes mask features designed with the aid of these software tools are at or near manufacturing tolerances for mask manufacturing (e.g., tolerances in dimensions). As a result, infidelities in manufactured masks sometimes occur, particularly in features at or near manufacturing tolerances. Infidelities in masks can lead to infidelities in the features of semiconductor devices manufactured with the masks. Some of these infidelities in the features of the semiconductor devices may prevent the semiconductor devices from functioning properly.

Consistent mask targeting through standardized drop-in-cells


A multiport equalization probe or needle includes an elongate body with a first and second end. The probe includes two or more lumens and an inlet and outlet for each lumen. It is closed at the first end which has a sharpened, conical configuration. Conduits provide separate connections between the lumens and a pump assembly which removes material through the lumens.

The present invention relates to a probe or needle for establishing communication with the inside of a closed sample container to remove fluid or debris from the container, and more particularly to a probe which defines two or more lumens and allows individual evacuation of each lumen.
In an automated system which uses a puncture tube to provide temporary access to a closed sample container through a stopper which closes the container, the puncture tube should not contact the sample or any contaminants adhered to the inside surface of the stopper. Such contact causes contamination of the puncture tube and ultimately cross-contamination of the samples which the system processes.
Thus, the system should include cleaning apparatus for removing excess sample and contaminants before the puncture tube extends into the container. This cleaning apparatus should include a penetrating component which can extend into the container through the stopper and quickly and effectively remove excess sample and/or debris from the bottom of the stopper and the surrounding area. The penetrating component, used in conjunction with a pumping system, should provide constant suction throughout this area to remove the contaminants.
The multiport equalization probe of the present invention used in conjunction with a pump assembly fulfills the requirements outlined above. It can easily move through a stopper and quickly and effectively remove excess sample and/or debris from the bottom of the stopper and the surrounding area by providing constant suction throughout this area.


Fabricating a refractory component for a gas turbine engine, such as a turbine shroud ring segment, by arranging refractory fiber tows (24) in a flaired tubular geometry (20) comprising a stem portion (21) and a funnel-shaped portion (22); impregnating the refractory fibers (24) with a ceramic matrix to form a flaired tube (20) of ceramic composite matrix material; at least partially filling the funnel-shaped portion (22) with a ceramic core (30) extending beyond the end of the funnel-shaped portion to provide a working gas containment surface (31); curing the flaired tube (20) and the ceramic core (30) together; cutting the funnel-shaped portion (22) to provide rectangular edges (27); and providing an attachment mechanism (34, 36, 38, 40) on the stem portion (21) for attaching the component to a surrounding support structure. Additional tows (24) may be introduced at intermediate stages to maintain a desired fabric density.

A turbine section of a gas turbine engine has a rotating shaft with circular arrays of radially oriented aerodynamic blades mounted around the circumferences of disks on the shaft. Closely surrounding these blades is a metallic shroud that contains the flow of hot combustion gasses passing through the engine. This shroud must withstand temperatures of over 1300° C. reliably over a long life span. Close spatial tolerances must be maintained in the gap between the blade tips and the shroud for engine efficiency. However, the shroud, blades, disks, and their connections are subject to wide temperature changes during variations in engine operation, including engine shutdowns and restarts. The shroud must insulate the engine case from combustion heat, and it must be durable and abrasion tolerant to withstand occasional rubbing contact with the blade tips.
Ceramics are known to be useful in the inner lining of shrouds to meet these requirements. A shroud is assembled from a series of adjacent rings, each ring having an inner surface typically of one or more refractory materials such as ceramics. Each ring is formed of a circumferential series of arcuate segments. Each segment is attached to a surrounding framework such as a metal ring that is attached to the interior of the engine case. However, ceramic components are difficult to attach to other components. Ceramic material cannot be welded, and it is relatively brittle and weak in tension and shear, so it cannot withstand high stress concentrations. It differs from metal in thermal conductivity and growth, making it challenging to attach ceramic parts to metal parts in a hot and varying environment. Thus, efforts are being made to advance technologies for use of ceramic components in gas turbine engines, including technologies for reliable ceramic-to-metal connections.
An example of this advancement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,653, which shows the use of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) member connected to a metal support member. A CMC member using this type of connection can serve as the inner liner of a gas turbine engine shroud. Ceramic matrix composite materials typically include layers of refractory fibers in a matrix of ceramic. Fibers provide directional tensile strength that is otherwise lacking in ceramic. CMC material has durability and longevity in hot environments, and it has lower mass density than competing metals, making it useful for gas turbine engine components.
Further improvements in fabrication and attachment technologies for ceramic ring segments are desired.

CMC turbine shroud ring segment and fabrication method


A drilling system includes a drill string for connecting with a drill bit for drilling a borehole, a fixed stabilizer fixed on the drill string, and an active stabilizer including a body and actuators connecting the body and the drill string. The actuators are capable of driving the drill string away from a center of the borehole with a displacement. The body has an outer surface for contacting a wall of the borehole, an inner surface facing the drill string, and at least one guiding portion projecting from the inner surface and each defining at least one groove. The drill string includes at least one sliding portion slidable within the at least one groove respectively to constrain movement between the drill string and the active stabilizer along an axial direction of the drill string and guide movement between the drill string and the active stabilizer perpendicular to the axial direction.

An oil or gas well often has a subsurface section that needs to be drilled directionally. Rotary steerable systems, also known as "RSS," are designed to drill directionally with continuous rotation from the surface, and can be used to drill a wellbore along an expected direction and trajectory by steering a drill string while it's being rotated. Thus rotary steerable systems are widely used in such as conventional directional wells, horizontal wells, branch wells, etc. Typically, there are two types of rotary steerable systems: "push-the-bit" systems and "point-the-bit" systems, wherein the push-the-bit system has a high build-up rate but forms an unsmooth drilling trajectory and rough well walls, whereas the point-the-bit system forms relatively smoother drilling trajectory and well walls, but has a relatively lower build-up rate.
The push-the-bit systems use the principle of applying a lateral force to the drill string to push the bit to deviate from the well center to change the drilling direction. The drilling qualities of the existing push-the-bit systems are much subjected to the conditions of well walls. Uneven formation and vibrations of the drill bit during the drilling may cause a rough well wall and an unsmooth drilling trajectory. Thus it is hard to achieve high steering precision. A rough well wall may lead difficulties in casing (well cementing), trip-in and trip-out operations. How to exactly drill a downhole along a desired trajectory with high quality while fully rotating the drill tool is always a challenge.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a new rotary steerable system to solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

Rotary steerable drilling system with active stabilizer


The present invention relates to new uses of modified human tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFRI) polypeptide, and more particularly, to uses thereof for prevention and treatment of dry eye syndrome. The modified TNFRI or modified TNFRI fragment of the present invention has excellent TNFα neutralizing activity, and inhibits TNFα activity on the ocular surface of the patient to suppress inflammation induction effects related to dry eye. Therefore, the modified TNFRI or modified TNFRI fragment of the present invention exhibits remarkable effects in the prevention and treatment of dry eye syndrome, and thus can be very useful in the prevention and treatment of dry eye syndrome.

Dry eye syndrome (or 'dry eye'), also called keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is an eye disease that affects millions of people each year. Particularly, this disease is known to be common in women after menopause due to hormonal changes caused by stopping menstruation. The degrees of dry eye syndrome are varied from person to person. Patients with mild symptoms may feel a burning sensation, dryness, and a foreign body sensation, while patients with severe symptoms may have seriously damaged vision. Other diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome and cicatricial pemphigoid, sometimes, also exhibit complex dry eye syndrome.
Based on research results until now, it has been understood that autoimmune response associated with cytokines, antigen-labeled cells, and the like, occur on the ocular surface due to various stress, which causes immune cells to agglomerate on the corneal tissue, resulting in damaging the tissue, and thus induces dry eye syndrome.
As representative treatments of dry eye syndrome, artificial tears are used to complement an ocular tear film or reduce the evaporation of tears to stabilize the tear film. In addition, a tear insert may be used to stimulate the production of tears. A main ingredient of the artificial tear is cellulose ether, carbomer, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrollidone, sodium hyaluronate, or the like, and the artificial tear is prepared by dissolving it in buffer or isotonic saline. These ingredients make the solution viscous to thereby prevent the solution from easily flowing from the eye, prevent the evaporation of tear, and serve as a lubricant. However, these treatments have a limitation in that they are not fundamental treatments but symptomatic treatments.
Meanwhile, as it was discovered that the causes of dry eye are associated with inflammation response on the ocular surface, researches and efforts to apply various kinds of anti-inflammatory materials for treatment were carried out and their effects were proven.
Specifically, it has been reported that ocular tissue such as the lachrymal gland and meibomian gland of patients suffering from dry eye syndromes exhibited unbalanced and excessive inflammation, and it has been known that various compounds, for example, steroids, cytokine secretion inhibitors, cyclosporine A, and 15-HETE, are effective for alleviating the dry eye syndrome.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is an important factor associated with the inflammation response, and bind to human TNF receptor (TNFR) I or II to thereby induce various cell responses including apoptosis and inflammation response. After it was proven that various autoimmune-related inflammatory diseases can be treated by inhibiting the binding of TNFα and TNFR, various TNFα inhibitors have been developed. Representative examples of TNFα inhibitors may be Etanercept (product name: Enbrel) made from the combination of soluble TNFRII with an FC portion, Infliximab (product name: Remicade) and Adalimumab (product name: Humira), which are antibodies against TNFα, and the like. These are mainly used as treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and the like.
Meanwhile, it has been disclosed that TNFα inhibitors have treatment effects for dry eye (U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,787B, U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,666B, U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,077B, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,270B, US 2004/0126372A, WO 00/27421A). In addition, US 2009/0098136A discloses that Etanercept and Infliximab have effects in treating the dry eye syndrome in animal models and administration of the two materials in the form of eye drop tends to improve tear breakup time and corneal staining.
However, the demand is still urgent for new treatments for dry eye syndrome showing higher therapeutic efficacy, particularly, new treatments for dry eye syndrome containing a TNFα inhibitor as an effective ingredient.

Uses of modified human tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 polypeptide


A cab suspension for a vehicle having a chassis supporting a cab with the cab being supported on the chassis at a forward location and at a rearward location so as to permit vertical movement of the rearward end of the cab relative to the chassis. Conventional forward support structures connect the forward end of the cab to the chassis. A rearward support structure or suspension unit connects the cab to the chassis at the rearward end of the cab to provide relative vertical movement therebetween. The structure comprises an elongated metal tube having its longitudinal axis disposed transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chassis with the tube being secured to the chassis. The tube has an elongated, resilient rubber or elastomeric cartridge positioned therein which has an elongated torsion bar extending therethrough which is in engagement therewith so that the cartridge restricts rotational movement of the torsion bar with respect to the tube. Lever arms are fixedly secured to the ends of the torsion bar and extend forwardly therefrom for adjustable connection to a bracket which is secured to the lower rearward end of the vehicle cab.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle cab suspension and more particularly to a vehicle cab suspension for resiliently or flexibly supporting the rearward end of the truck cab or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many vehicle cab suspensions have been previously provided for supporting a vehicle cab on the chassis of the vehicle whereby a cushioning or shock absorber effect is achieved to provide a more comfortable ride for the occupants of the cab. Although the prior art vehicle cab suspensions have apparently met with some success, the previous vehicle cab suspensions do have certain drawbacks or disadvantages associated therewith. First, many of the prior art vehicle cab suspensions are extremely complicated and expensive. Further, the large number of moving parts of the prior art suspension systems results in greater maintenance and replacement costs. Third, some of the prior art cab suspension systems do not have adequate adjustment means associated therewith for adjusting the damping characteristics of the system. Yet another disadvantage of certain of the prior art suspension systems is that the damping mechanisms thereof do not provide any lateral control of the cab, with respect to the chassis, which requires that a separate component be utilized in the standard cab suspensions to control lateral movement of the cab relative to the chassis.


A Style B PAPI system comprises a plurality of identical lamp housing assemblies, each with one or more lamps and each housing assembly including: an electronic bypass circuit with first and second oppositely poled SCRs coupled across the terminals of each lamp; a zener diode; and a diode bridge for developing a first trigger voltage across the zener diode in the event of failure of a lamp. The first trigger voltage causes alternate conduction in the first and second SCRs from the AC voltage developed across the failed lamp. A lamp control circuit includes a third SCR that is coupled across the zener diode for developing a second trigger voltage for similarly driving the SCRs. The lamp control circuit is operated by a microcontroller-controlled common lamp control circuit that activates all of the lamp control circuits and disable all of the lamps in response to a tilt condition for the lamp housing assembly. All of the microcontrollers monitor a series-connected control loop that interconnects the lamp housing assemblies for activating all of the electronic bypass circuits in the event of a tilt condition occurring at any of the lamp housing assemblies.

The present invention relates generally to Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) visual guidance systems for aiding pilots in landing an aircraft. Specifically, the PAPI system defines the vertical approach angle to the runway and indicates to the pilot, via colored lights, whether the angle of approach of the aircraft to the runway is correct. The colored lights are produced in a number of Lamp Housing Assemblies (LHAs), as will be described below. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) establishes the standards for PAPI systems in the United States, whereas the standards for foreign PAPI systems may differ. It should be understood that, while the present invention is described with respect to the FAA endorsed systems, its application isn't limited to FAA endorsed systems.
The components in an FAA Style B PAPI system are powered by the well-known and widely used constant alternating current (AC) loop used in most of the world's airport lighting systems, whereas the components in an FAA Style A PAPI system are powered in parallel directly from utility line power. In any PAPI system their are a number of important considerations, among them being: power consumption; number and type of lamps; size of the LHA; system reliability; ease of installation and service; safety with respect to exposed wiring and high voltages; ease of detection and identification of lamp or housing problems; environmental impact of components used; and minimization of the number of wires and interconnections.
The PAPI system generally comprises an array of two or four Lamp Housing Assemblies (LHAs), each of which may contain two or three individual lamps. The LHAs are located adjacent the side of, and perpendicular to, a runway and precisely aimed to define a correct vertical approach angle for guiding an incoming aircraft. Each LHA is usually fitted with an optical filter to present a white light when the aircraft is too high, i.e., above the correct approach angle, and a red light when the aircraft is too low or below the correct approach angle. When the aircraft is too high, all of the LHAs will be seen as white lights, when the aircraft is too low, all of the LHAs will be seen as red lights and when the aircraft is within the correct approach angle, one-half of the LHAs in the array will present a white light and one-half will present a red light. Generally the PAPI system comprises either two LHAs or four LHAs, with each LHA having either a set of two lamps or a set of three lamps. The two or three lamp sets appear as a single light when viewed at a far distance. A two LHA system will therefore show: two sets of red lights when the aircraft is too low; one set of white lights and one set of red lights for a correct approach; and two sets of white lights when the aircraft is too high. A four LHA system will also indicate intermediate positions within the correct approach angle. Thus the light indications will be: four sets of red for too low; one set of white and three sets of red for slightly low; two sets of white and two sets of red for correct approach angle; three sets of white and one set of red for slightly high; and four sets of white for too high. Each LHA also includes a tilt detection system and tilt switch control circuitry for disabling the entire LHA array should the physical attitude or positioning of any of the LHAs be disturbed a predetermined amount. This is necessary since the color of the light seen by the pilot could be erroneous and create a potentially hazardous situation should the LHA position be disturbed sufficiently to change its aiming. The choice of PAPI system selected is determined by a number of factors, such as airport size, aircraft size and location, traffic density, economics and the like. For example, some airport installations use multiple PAPI systems located at differing distances (touch down points) along the runway to accommodate aircraft having different landing requirements. The present invention is useful in all PAPI Style B systems.
The current state-of-the-art FAA Style B PAPIs include one or more series isolation transformers for the lamps in each LHA and a separate transformer at a designated master LHA to power tilt switch circuitry. A master LHA also contains the control and timing circuits for the tilt system, which includes a tilt status monitoring loop and a tilt control loop. Each LHA has a tilt switch and some mechanism to cause the master LHA to disable the entire LHA array should a tilt condition occur in any of the LHAs. In practice a tilt status signal from each LHA is sent to the master LHA which, in turn, directs each of the LHAs in the array to disable its light output, via a shorting device such as a relay, should a tilt condition occur at any of the LHAs. In order to maintain the constant current series circuit, it is also common practice to have either; (a) one isolation transformer per lamp in each LHA or; (b) a single transformer and a lamp bypass circuit for each lamp in the LHA. Therefore, with each LHA having either two or three lamps, two or three isolation transformers are required, or one isolation transformer and two or three lamp bypass circuits are required. Such systems are relatively costly and consume a substantial amount of electrical power.
The LHA is mounted above ground adjacent to the runway and connected to a small container, colloquially referred to as a "handhole" that is buried behind the LHA. Each container includes a current transformer and is connected to a main constant current source and to the other hand-holes via an underground conduit or directly buried cabling. It will be appreciated that a minimum number of wires and connection points in the PAPI system is a desirable objective with respect to cost, installation and maintenance. Also, it is desirable to minimize the amount of above-ground equipment to avoid damage to or from vehicles and aircraft. In general, the handholes and LHAs are interconnected through break-away type connectors that are designed to readily separate in the event of contact with a moving vehicle. The connectors are also arranged to minimize exposure of high voltages in the event of separation. In these aspects, the invention will be seen to provide major improvements.
Multi Electric Mfg., Inc., the assignee of the present invention, has developed and received FAA approval for a PAPI Style B system utilizing three 105 watt pre-focused lamps per LHA as opposed to the previous standard of two or three 200 watt lamps. The system includes bypass circuitry to permit continued LHA operation with one or more lamp failures. The total power consumption for each LHA is reduced from 400/600 watts to 315 watts. The current system uses standard tilt switches including pendulum types where contact is made via a ball of mercury. These mercury vial switches are not only environmentally objectionable, they are becoming more difficult to obtain. In Multi's view, an optical pendulum switch is preferred except that it also requires a power connection for a light-emitting diode (LED) and a signal connection for a photo transistor detector, which undesirably adds to power consumption and the number of interconnections. In the Multi system, the lamps are powered through a single isolation transformer requiring two wires entering the LHA. A single 300 watt transformer of minimum 90% efficiency is used, as opposed to the three-100 watt transformers of minimum 85% efficiency in the prior art.
The present invention utilizes the above-described FAA approved Multi Electric PAPI Style B system, with the power for a microcontroller controlled bypass system and an opto-coupler pendulum tilt system being developed from a small power supply energized by the series constant current loop in each LHA. The small power supply in each LHA may be of standard design and still produce an energy savings over the 30 watt transformer used in the master LHA of the prior art for the control circuitry. However, also disclosed herein is a novel power supply that requires only a 2 watt transformer in each LHA.
In prior art systems, the interconnect wiring for the power leads and tilt switch control circuits could have as many as ten connections at the master LHA and eight connections at each of the other (slave) LHAs. In contrast, in the inventive system all of the LHAs are identical, each having only four connections—two power connections and two control connections. There is no master LHA. Further in the inventive system each LHA includes a microcontroller, the power for which (as well as that required to operate the bypass circuits and opto-coupler tilt system) is derived from the constant current lamp circuit. In this context, the term microcontroller connotes an internal memory, as opposed to the usual microprocessor that uses an external memory. The arrangement reduces system cost and complexity and enhances its manufacture, installation and service.

PAPI 1 style B combination lamp bypass and tilt switch and control system


Streptococcus proteins and polynucleotides encoding them are disclosed. Said proteins are antigenic and therefore useful vaccine components for the prophylaxis or therapy of streptococcus infection in animals. Also disclosed are recombinant methods of producing the protein antigens as well as diagnostic assays for detecting streptococcus bacterial infection.

S. pneumoniae is an important agent of disease in man especially among infants, the elderly and immunocompromised persons. It is a bacterium frequently isolated from patients with invasive diseases such as bacteraemia/septicaemia, pneumonia, meningitis with high morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Even with appropriate antibiotic therapy, pneumococcal infections still result in many deaths. Although the advent of antimicrobial drugs has reduced the overall mortality from pneumococcal disease, the presence of resistant pneumococcal organisms has become a major problem in the world today. Effective pneumococcal vaccines could have a major impact on the morbidity and mortality associated with S. pneumoniae disease. Such vaccines would also potentially be useful to prevent otitis media in infants and young children.
Efforts to develop a pneumococcal vaccine have generally concentrated on generating immune responses to the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide. More than 80 pneumococcal capsular serotypes have been identified on the basis of antigenic differences. The currently available pneumococcal vaccine, comprising 23 capsular polysaccharides that most frequently caused disease, has significant shortcomings related primarily to the poor immunogenicity of some capsular polysaccharides, the diversity of the serotypes and the differences in the distribution of serotypes over time, geographic areas and age groups. In particular, the failure of existing vaccines and capsular conjugate vaccines currently in development to protect young children against all serotypes spurres evaluation of other S. pneumoniae components. Although immunogenicity of capsular polysaccharides can be improved, serotype specificity will still represent a major limitation of polysaccharide-based vaccines. The use of a antigenically conserved immunogenic pneumococcal protein antigen, either by itself or in combination with additional components, offers the possibility of a protein-based pneumococcal vaccine.
PCT publication number WO98/18930 published May 7, 1998, entitled "Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens and vaccines" describes certain polypeptides which are claimed to be antigenic. However, no biological activity of these polypeptides is reported.
Therefore their remains an unmet need for Streptococcus antigens that may be used as vaccine components for the prophylaxis and/or therapy of Streptococcus infection.


A fluffy pulp previously dried, having a consistency by 90%, is introduced in a baler where it is subjected to a carbon dioxide comprising atmosphere in order to both reduce or eliminate the fire risk in the baler and to decrease the pH of the pulp by chemically reacting with it. Both gaseous and liquid (snow) carbon dioxide can be used. Preferably, carbon dioxide snow is injected at the bottom of the baler to accelerate the pH control of the pulp, just before compressing the pulp in bales, which compression enhances the pH control reaction between the pulp and the carbon dioxide.

The preparation of the pulp from cellulose until the manufacture of paper comprises several steps which are summarized, for example, in PCT/US 90/02823 patent application, as follows:
Wood is comprised of two main components--a fibrous carbohydrate, i.e., cellulosic portion, and a non-fibrous component. The polymeric chains forming the fibrous cellulose portion of the wood are aligned with one another and form strong associated bonds with adjacent chains. The non-fibrous portion of the wood comprises a three-dimensional polymeric material formed primarily of phenylpropane units, known as lignin. Part of the lignin is between the cellulosic fibers, bonding them into a solid mass, although a substantial portion of the lignin is also distributed within the fibers themselves.
For use in paper-making processes, wood must first be reduced to pulp. Pulp may be defined as wood fibers capable of being slurried or suspended and then deposited upon a screen to form a sheet, i.e., of paper. The methods employed to accomplish the pulping step usually involve either physical or chemical treatment of the wood, or a combination of these two treatments, to alter the wood's chemical form and to impart desired properties to the resultant product. There are thus two main types of pulping techniques, i.e., mechanical pulping and chemical pulping. In mechanical pulping, the wood is physically separated into individual fibers. In chemical pulping, the wood chips are digested with chemical solutions to solubilize a portion of the lignin and thus permit its removal. The commonly utilized chemical pulping processes are broadly classified as: (1) the soda process, (2) the sulfite process, and (3) the Kraft process, with the latter process being most commonly used.
In mechanical pulping, the wood fibers are separated from each other by mechanical action of grinders or rotating plates. The mechanical action may be accompanied by the application of certain chemicals to reduce the energy required or to bleach the fibers.
During all of these processes and also during bleaching and drying, the pulp moisture content is reduced to levels at which the mixture is combustible. This most commonly occurs in the final process called "Flash Drying". In mills where the production of paper is not integrated, the pulp is dried in the flash drier and bales of pulp are made to be further shipped to paper manufacture plants.
Furthermore, in order for certain bleaching reactions to occur, the pH of the slurry must be controlled to the range exceeding 9. This level is too high for processing into paper in subsequent processes and an acid treatment is required to lower the pH to the range of 7. Pulp stored at high pH levels are subject to darkening which is prevented by processes described in Canadian Patent No. 1,288,906 in which carbon dioxide is the preferred acid. The use of carbon dioxide at processing stages prior to the pulp dryer, in existing mills, is limited by the difficulty in dissolving the gas in the slurry because of high temperatures and short residence times. In new mills, this can be overcome by proper process equipment design.
In the usual process of manufacturing pulp, said pulp is received in the flash dryer as an aqueous solution having a 50-60% consistency and a pH in the range of 7-8 if sulfuric acid is injected in the aqueous solution. However, sulfuric acid is an environmental concern and the acidic effluents of the mill have to be treated and recycled. If no sulfuric acid is used at this stage, the pH of the pulp is about 11.
However at the output of the baler, the pulp which is now about 90% consistency has to meet the customer's pH specification which is usually about 8 or lower. Thus, there exists a need to decrease the pH of the pulp when it comes out of the baler without using o substantially using sulfuric acid upstream in one stage of the process.
In addition to the above problem and with no relationship with it, the baler is a location well identified in the process where a fire can happen, essentially because of the low moisture content and presence of dust. Sources of ignition may be static spark, overheated pulp, or mechanical friction.
As in any such area, it is usually provided for fire protection with systems like the sprinkler shower system using water or a carbon dioxide snow system using cylinders of carbon dioxide which might be sprayed over the pulp as snow to avoid fire propagation.
It is known, e.g. from Canadian Patent 1,288,906, to use carbon dioxide for the preparation of paper pulp comprising a single or multistage bleaching of the pulp comprising at least one single or last peroxide bleaching stage or treatment followed by treatment of the bleached pulp with an aqueous solution of carbon dioxide, i.e. carbonic acid. As carbonic acid does not destroy the bleaching agent residuals, these residuals continue their bleaching action and prevent bacteria proliferation responsible for the pulp darkening.
However, until now, nobody has even thought about or suggested to simultaneously solve the two independent problems disclosed hereabove by using the same means in order to both control the pH of the pulp in or at the output of the baler and to avoid fire ignition or propagation in the said baler, and thus permit the retrofit of the process to existing mills.

Process for pH and fire control in pulp balers

Canadian Liquid Air Ltd./Air Liquide Canada LTEE