The present invention relates to the field synthetic polymeric microfiltration membrane materials that are fabricated to separate liquids from solids contained therein. One aspect of the invention relates to a sulfone polymer membrane with high surface porosity (high pore density) and distinctive asymmetry that can separate solids (i.e., blood cells) from a liquid (i.e., plasma) without the need for centrifugation. The membrane is further rendered hydrophilic through co-casting the sulfone polymer (which is a hydrophobic polymer) with a hydrophilic polymer, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone. Because of these properties and the fact that it requires only a small amount of the solid containing liquid (i.e., whole blood) to be applied to the larger pore surface, the membranes of the invention are highly useful in testing devices for the quick detection of properties or components contained in liquid samples, such as diagnostic applications (i.e., the detection of physiological conditions (i.e., pregnancy, insulin levels, stomach ulcer, and the like) and infectious diseases (i.e., AIDS, hepatitis, and the like)).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field synthetic polymeric microfiltration membrane materials. Membranes in accordance with the invention and integral membranes that possess a mixed isotropic and anisotropic structure and have a high pore density in the microporous surface of the membranes.
2. Background of the Technology
Asymmetric or anisotropic membranes are well known in the art. For example, Wrasidlo in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,629,563 and 4,774,039 and Zepf in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,188,734 and 5,171,445, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference, each disclose asymmetric or anisotropic membranes and methods for their production. Each of the Wrasidlo and Zepf patents disclose integral, highly asymmetric, microporously skinned membranes, having high flow rates and excellent retention properties. The membranes are generally prepared through a modified "phase inversion" process using a metastable two-phase liquid dispersion of polymer in solvent/nonsolvent systems which is cast and subsequently contacted with a nonsolvent. The Zepf patent discloses an improvement over the Wrasidlo patent.
Phase inversion processes generally proceed through the following steps of: (i) casting a solution or a mixture comprising a suitably high molecular weight polymer(s), a solvent(s), and a nonsolvent(s) into a thin film, tube, or hollow fiber, and (ii) precipitating the polymer through one or more of the following (mechanisms:
(a) evaporation of the solvent and nonsolvent (dry process); PA1 (b) exposure to a nonsolvent vapor, such as water vapor, which absorbs on the exposed surface (mixed wet and dry process); PA1 (c) quenching in a nonsolvent liquid, generally water (wet process); or PA1 (d) thermally quenching a hot film so that the solubility of the polymer is suddenly greatly reduced (thermal process). PA1 sulfonation of hydrophobic polymers prior to casting as membranes; PA1 contacting cast hydrophobic membranes with agents that impart hydrophilic properties to the cast membranes; PA1 inclusion of hydrophilic moieties in the casting dope prior to casting membranes therefrom.
Schematically, the inversion in phase from a solution to a gel proceeds as follows: ##STR1##
Essentially, SOL 1 is a homogenous solution, SOL 2 is a dispersion, and the Gel is the formed polymer matrix. The event or events that triggers SOL 2 formation depends on the phase inversion process used. Generally, however, the triggering event or events revolve around polymer solubility in the SOL. In the wet process, SOL 1 is cast and contacted with a nonsolvent for the polymer which triggers the formation of SOL 2 which then "precipitates" to a Gel. In the mixed wet and dry process, SOL 1 is cast and exposed to a gaseous atmosphere including a nonsolvent for the polymer which triggers the formation of SOL 2 which then "precipitates" to a Gel. In the thermal process, SOL 1 is cast and the temperature of the cast film is reduced to produce SOL 2 which then "precipitates" to a Gel. In the dry process, SOL 1 is cast and contacted with a gaseous atmosphere (such as air) which allows evaporation of one or more of the solvents which triggers the formation of SOL 2 which then "precipitates" to a Gel.
The nonsolvent in the casting dope is not necessarily completely inert toward the polymer, and in fact it usually is not and is often referred to as swelling agent. In the Wrasidlo-type formulations, as discussed later, selection of both the type and the concentration of the nonsolvent is important in that it is the primary factor in determining whether or not the dope will exist in a phase separated condition.
In general, the nonsolvent is the primary pore forming agent, and its concentration in the dope greatly influences the pore size and pore size distribution in the final membrane. The polymer concentration also influences pore size, but not as significantly as does the nonsolvent. It does, however, affect the strength and porosity (void volume). In addition to the major components in the casting solution (dope), there can be minor ingredients, for example, surfactants or release agents.
Polysulfone is especially amenable to formation of highly asymmetric membranes, particularly in the two-phase Wrasidlo formulations. These are not homogeneous solutions but consist of two separate phases one a solvent-rich clear solution of lower molecular weight polymer at low concentrations (e.g., 7%) and the other a polymer-rich turbid (colloidal) solution of higher molecular weight polymer at high concentrations (e.g., 17%). The two phases contain the same three ingredients, that is, polymer, solvent, and nonsolvent but in radically different concentrations and molecular weight distributions. Most importantly, the two phases are insoluble in one another and, if allowed to stand, will separate. The mix must be maintained as a dispersion, with constant agitation up until the time that it is cast as a film. Essentially, in Wrasidlo type formulations, the casting dope is provided in a SOL 2 (dispersion) condition. Thus, the dispersion serves as the starting point for gel formation and not as the intermediate step (above), as follows: ##STR2## This process modification was largely responsible for the higher degrees of anisotropy and uniform consistency of the Wrasidlo Membranes as compared to the prior art.
It is the nonsolvent and its concentration in the casting mix that produces phase separation, and not every nonsolvent will do this. The ones that do, probably have a role similar to that of a surfactant, perhaps creating a critical micelle concentration by aligning some of the larger polymer molecules into aggregates, or colloids, which are then dispersed in the remaining non-colloidal solution. The two phases will separate from one another if allowed to stand, but each individual phase by itself is quite stable. If the temperature of the mix is changed, phase transfer occurs. Heating generates more of the clear phase; cooling does the reverse. Concentration changes have the same effect, but there is a critical concentration range, or window, in which the phase separated system can exist, as discussed by Wrasidlo. Wrasidlo defines this region of instability on a phase diagram of thus dispersed polymer/solvent/nonsolvent at constant temperature, lying between spinodal and binodal curves, wherein the polymer is not completely miscible with solvent.
Because of the great hydrophobicity of the polymer and because of the thermodynamically unstable condition of the casting mix, wherein there pre-exist two phases, one solvent-rich and the other polymer-rich (a condition that other systems must pass through when undergoing phase inversion), the unstable Wrasidlo mixes precipitate very rapidly when quenched so as to form a microporous skin at the interface and consequently develop into highly asymmetric membranes, a structure shared by each of the Wrasidlo and Zepf patents.
"Asymmetric" as used in the context of the Wrasidlo patents refers to membranes that possess a progressive change in pore size across the cross-section between the microporous skin (the fine pored side of the membrane that constitutes the air-solution interface or the quench-solution interface during casting) and substructure. This stands in contrast to reverse osmosis and most ultrafiltration membranes which have abrupt discontinuities between a "nonmicroporous skin" and substructure and are also referred to in the art as asymmetric.
Polymeric membranes can also be cast from homogeneous solutions of polymer. The composition of these formulations lie outside of the spinodal/binodal region of the phase diagram of Wrasidlo. Membranes cast from homogeneous solutions may also be asymmetric, although not usually to the same high degree of asymmetry as those cast from phase separated formulations.
The Wrasidlo membranes have improved flow rates and permselectivity in relation to prior art membranes. Such improved flow rates and permselectivity arise from the structure of the membranes.
The Zepf patents disclose improved Wrasidlo-type polymer membranes having a substantially greater number of microporous skin pores of more consistent size, and greatly increased flow rates, with reduced flow covariance for any given pore diameter. The improved Zepf membranes are achieved by modifications to the Wrasidlo process, comprising reduced casting and quenching temperatures, and reduced environmental exposure between casting and quenching. Zepf further teaches that reduced casting and quenching temperatures minimize the sensitivity of the membrane formation process to small changes in formulation and process parameters.
Increasing the surface pore size of membranes has been described. See UK Patent No. 2,199,786 to Fuji (herein "Fuji"). The Fuji patent, as well as other references, teach that when one exposes a cast polymer solution to humid air, a phase inversion at a point below the surface of the membrane will occur. See Fuji patent. Membranes produced in accordance with the Fuji process have a characteristic structure of relatively wide pores on the surface (i.e., 0.05-1.2 .mu.m), followed by progressively constricting pore sizes to the phase inversion point below the surface, followed by an opening of the pores until an isotropic structure is achieved progressing to the cast surface (i.e., 1-10 .mu.m). Accordingly, the Fuji membranes can be thought of as having reverse asymmetry from the skin surface to the point of inversion and asymmetry progressing into an isotropic structure. The patent expressly teaches that minimal asymmetry should be used in order to prolong the life of the membranes. See Page 4, Lines 7-29. Further, it appears as though the Fuji membranes are generally prepared with formulations having relatively high viscosities. For example, the polymer concentrations are usually quite high and in many cases, the membranes are prepared using polymers as non-solvents. See Example 2, page 12; Example 3, page 15.
Asymmetric microfiltration membranes are useful in many applications. For example, such membranes can be used for a variety of filtration applications (i.e., purification and testing applications in the food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical, and in medical laboratories) in a variety of forms (i.e., disks or cartridges to name a few). Such membranes have become increasingly relevant to the testing industry for uses as diverse as trace metals analysis and medical diagnostics. The membranes have a large pore side and a mnicroporous surface. Through applying a solids containing liquid sample to the large pore surface, a liquid, largely free of solids, emerges from the microporous surface. The solids free liquid sample (filtrate) can be tested without interference from the solid. Such testing can be accomplished chemically, electrically, or through use of a variety of analytical equipment.
One illustrative testing application is offered in the diagnostic industry for which asymmetric membranes have proven particularly suited in blood separation applications. See e.g., Koehen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,862. Whole blood may be applied to the open pored surface, the cells can be filtered out and retained in the porous support of the membrane, while the plasma in the blood passes through the membrane. Through placing the microporous surface in contact with an analyte detection device, the presence or absence of a particular analyte can be measured, without the interference of the cells. Further, this structure allows one to conduct diagnostic assays without centrifugation.
As was mentioned above, asymmetric membranes can be readily prepared from certain hydrophobic polymers, such as sulfone polymers and mixed cellulose esters. The class of sulfone polymers generally include three classes of polymers: polysulfones, polyethersulfones, and polyarylsulfones. Where membranes are prepared using hydrophobic polymers, however, the resulting membranes are hydrophobic and water will not generally pass through them under reasonable operating conditions. Therefore, in applications requiring operation of the membranes in aqueous environments, the membranes (or the polymers prior to fabrication into membranes) are typically caused to be reacted with, or mixed with, respectively, moieties that cause the resulting membranes to become hydrophilic.
For example, there are several strategies for creating hydrophilic membranes from hydrophobic polymers, these include:
Each of these methods for imparting hydrophilicity to membranes has inherent problems or difficulties. For example, where a membrane is post-treated with a moiety to impart hydrophilicity there is a potential that the moiety will leach and contaminate the sample. One can attempt to minimize leaching through crosslinking certain moieties to the surface of the cast membrane. For example, Roesink et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,847 to (now Re. No. 34,296) disclose crosslinking PVP to polysulfone membranes. However, while crosslinking hydrophilic moieties to membranes appears to minimize leaching, it can add additional steps and complexities to the fabrication process of a membrane. Further, depending on the conditions required for the crosslinking, membrane strength and/or rigidity can be compromised.
Where hydrophobic polymers are sulfonated prior to casting, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to prepare an asymmetric membranes therefrom. Thus, one is constrained to manufacture only isotropic membranes.
The final approach to imparting hydrophilicity to membranes involves the inclusion of a hydrophilic moiety within the casting suspension. For example, Kraus et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,964,990 and 4,900,449 disclose formation of hydrophilic microfiltration membranes from hydrophobic polymers through inclusion in the casting solution of a hydrophilic polymer, such as PEG or PVP. The membranes prepared in accordance with the Kraus patents are, however, isotropic and are therefore not well suited to the testing application that are facilitated by asymmetric membranes.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an asymmetric microporous membrane having a high degree of stable hydrophilicity, sufficient strength and rigidity, and that operates efficiently and effectively in testing applications.

Microfiltration membranes having high pore density and mixed isotropic and anisotropic structure

USF Filtration and Separations Group Inc.


An injection molding condition setting method capable of setting optimum molding conditions quickly and easily. A processor (12) of a control device furnished with an expert system, which includes a state table containing a plurality of states each composed of a combination of mold information, resin data, molding conditions, molding defect data, and molding monitor data, and a weight table listing weighted countermeasures against defect molding set for every state, retrieves a state nearest to a trial injection state, which is discriminated in accordance with the mold information, resin data, and molding conditions set before the start of trial injection, the molding monitor data detected during the execution of the trial injection and the molding defect data inputted after the end of the trial injection, from the state table, and determines a molding defect countermeasure corresponding to the retrieved state and having the maximum weight with reference to a weight table. While the trial injection is repeated with the molding conditions modified in accordance with the molding defect countermeasure, the processor modifies, as required, the weight of the molding defect countermeasure for the preceding cycle of trial injection depending on the result of comparison between a molding defect occurred in the preceding trial injection cycle and one occurred in the present trial injection cycle.

In general, a set of optimum molding conditions for manufacturing conforming articles are set by the method of trial and error before mass-producing molded articles. More specifically, one or more molding conditions are modified depending on the type and degree of a molding defect of the molded articles occurred in a molding cycle tried under provisional molding conditions, and the molding cycle is executed repeatedly until the optimum molding conditions are obtained. However, a number of molding conditions are concerned in the molding cycle which is composed of a series of processes such as injection, dwell, metering, etc. Besides, the molding conditions interact with one another. Thus, setting the optimum molding conditions requires much time and labor, as well as skill.
These problems may be solved by constructing a conventional expert system, such as a troubleshooting system, which is comparable to an expert in problem solving capability. It is difficult, however, to put the expert system to practical use, and correction or modification of the system in practical use is a laborious work. Moreover, in some cases the system requires reconstruction. Having these problems on application, the expert system cannot be easily utilized for injection molding.

Injection molding condition setting method


A server chassis includes a server, a chassis management controller, and a local interface card. The server includes a controller that is configured to provide a remote user with access to a controller communication portal of the server via a remote access controller graphical user interface, and to send a message from the controller communication portal to a chassis management controller. The chassis management controller is configured to receive the message, to determine that the message is for a local interface card, and to send the message to the local interface card. The local interface card is configured to display the message on a screen connected to the local interface card, to detect a communication request, to display a communication interface at the screen, to receive a reply message via the communication interface, and to send the reply message to the chassis management controller.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements can vary between different applications, information handling systems can also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information can be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems can include a variety of hardware and software components that can be configured to process, store, and communicate information and can include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An information handling system, such as a server, can be accessed by both a remote user and a local user at the same time. The remote user can log on to the server and configure system settings via a graphical user interface. The remote user can connect to a controller of the server via an out-of-band communication link so that the remote user can communicate with the server. The local user can access the server and configure system settings via a keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) within a server chassis.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

System and method for out-of-band communication between a remote user and a local user of a server


An automated data storage library accesses data stored on storage media contained in cartridges in response to commands from an external host. The cartridges include cartridge memory and a component in the library includes a cartridge memory interface for reading data from and/or writing data to the cartridge memory. When a cartridge is to be stored in the library, the library modifies the contents of the cartridge memory such that the data stored on the cartridge becomes inaccessible, thereby preventing access to the data outside of the library. To perform an authorized access, the library restores the contents of the cartridge memory or provides a correction or correction algorithm to allow access to the data without removing the access protection of the storage media. The cartridge memory may also or alternatively include an identifier which permits access to the data only by the identified physical and/or logical library(s).

Automated data storage libraries provide a means for storing large quantities of data on data storage media that are not permanently mounted in data storage drives, but are stored in a readily available form on storage shelves. One or more robot accessors retrieve selected data storage media from storage shelves and provide them to data storage drives. Typically, data stored on data storage media of an automated data storage library, once requested, is needed quickly. Thus, it is desirable that an automated data storage library be maintained in an operational condition as much as possible, such as the well known "24×7" availability.
The data storage media often contains company sensitive information such as salaries, trade secrets, financial information, etc. Some customers desire more data storage media protection or security than just locking it away in an automated data storage library. For example, a customer may want protection from removing a data storage cartridge from one library and placing it into another library or drive for reading and/or overwriting the data on the storage media. The issue may be greater with partitioned libraries where there is a chance that the data storage media may be accidentally, or intentionally, moved from one logical library into another logical library.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/977,159 (U.S. application publication No. 2003/0074319), filed Oct. 11, 2001, (incorporated herein by reference) addresses some of these problems by encrypting all or most of the data on the storage media but this requires special drive hardware. In addition, since the data is encrypted on the data storage media, it becomes very difficult to move the data storage media to a drive or system that does not support the encryption scheme. To do this would require that the entire contents of the data storage media be read, decrypted, and then written again. Still further, Ser. No. 09/977,159 does not address encryption key management between multiple drives and/or multiple data storage cartridges. U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,561 to Braithwaite, et al. describes a method that writes a code in the data of a data storage medium to prevent unauthorized reading and/or writing of the data storage media but this requires writing of the data storage medium in order to change the security features. Moreover, the code written to the media serves merely as a flag which is indicative of the level of protection to be given to the recorded data.
Therefore, a need remains for improved data storage media security in an automated data storage library without the limitations of previous efforts.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data security in an automated data storage library

International Business Machines Corporation


A gas-selective permeable membrane (1) utilisable in a leak detector for a gas, more particularly helium, comprising a sheet-like body (11) on which at least one reduced thickness area (15) is defined by removing a material from the sheet-like body. This at least one reduced thickness area (15) being permeable to at least one gas and formed so as that it is partly surrounded by a thicker and substantially gas-impermeable area (16) ensuring the structural strength of the membrane.

The present invention relates to a gas-selective permeable membrane, particularly for leak detectors, and to the method for its manufacturing.
In the field of leak detection in ducts, tanks etc., the use of apparatuses known as "leak detectors" is widespread. Such apparatuses generally comprise a vacuum-tight chamber equipped with a selective membrane through which only a predetermined gas can flow into the chamber, when the pressure inside the chamber is made significantly lower than the outside pressure.
The membranes of the known leak detectors are generally made of quartz or glass with high silica content. Such membranes are permeable to helium if they are brought to a suitable temperature, typically at least 300° C. Use of such membranes has become particularly popular also because helium is a harmless, inert gas that is present in very small amounts in the atmosphere and hence is suitable for use as a test gas for leak detection.
An electrical resistor is generally used to bring the membrane to the temperature at which the membrane material becomes permeable.
The operation of the leak detectors is as follows: once a sufficient vacuum has been created in the chamber, the detector can absorb, through the selective membrane, an amount of the test gas. If the test gas is present in the surrounding environment, for instance because of a leak from a volume into which said gas has been previously introduced, the gas penetrates into the detector chamber from which it is pumped to the outside by the vacuum pump. The presence of test gas within the chamber results in an increase of the electric current drawn by the vacuum pump if compared to vacuum conditions. The increase of the electric current is signalled by a detector informing of the presence of the test gas and, consequently, of a probable leak in the volume to be tested.
To achieve a good sensitivity, the membrane must be very thin, since gas permeability is inversely proportional to the membrane thickness. Moreover, the membrane must resist to high temperatures, since gas permeability is proportional to the membrane temperature.
The membranes presently used generally consist of a capillary tube and the electrical resistor for heating the membrane is helically wound around the capillary tube. A leak detector having a capillary tube membrane is disclosed for instance in patent application No. EP 0352371 "Helium leak detector with silica glass probe".
Capillary tube membranes however are fragile, and securing the capillary tube to the vacuum line is difficult. Moreover, the capillary tube shape is not satisfactory in terms of sensitivity, since it is impossible to heat the capillary tube surface wholly and uniformly to the ideal temperature for a good permeability to the test gas. This is due in part to the limitations in possibility of increasing the resistor's temperature, and the capillary tube is glued to the vacuum line.
Moreover, the capillary tube shape increases the chamber volume and, consequently, both the response inertia of the detector in the presence of the test gas, and the time necessary to have the detector again operating after a leak has been detected.
Planar membranes have been developed in the past to obviate these drawbacks.
These membranes have a composite structure in which a conventional metallic support layer, providing the structural strength, is associated with a thin layer of a material selectively permeable to the test gas. The support layer, which is of a gas impermeable material, has openings or windows through which the permeable layer is exposed at both faces. An example of such a membrane is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,180, in which a hydrogen-permeable layer of palladium is superimposed to a metal support layer provided with openings.
Yet, also that solution is not wholly satisfactory because of the different physical properties of the materials forming the membrane. For instance, the different thermal expansion coefficients may compromise the membrane life. Moreover, separation phenomena of the different layers forming the composite structure may occur. The latter drawback is very penalising in terms of permeability to the test gas, since it limits the temperature to which the membrane can be heated.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a selective membrane for leak detectors, allowing overcoming the above drawbacks, as well as a method for producing such a membrane.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a selective membrane for gas detection, having high sensitivity and reliability.
The above and other objects are achieved by a membrane for gas detection according to the invention, as claimed in the appended claims.

Gas-selective permeable membrane and method of manufacturing thereof


This invention is related to the use of a volatile antimicrobial compound against pathogens affecting humans comprising contacting infected areas with an atmosphere containing an effective amount of a volatile antimicrobial compound in gaseous form. The volatile antimicrobial compounds provided include certain oxaborole compounds, for example benzoxaboroles. Delivery systems are provided to take advantage of the volatile nature of these antimicrobial compounds. The method and use disclosed can be combined with other volatile compounds.

A number of compounds containing an oxaborole ring have been disclosed previously. However, there has been no teaching that these oxaborole compounds are volatile antimicrobial agents. Current treatments of Athlete's foot and Vaginosis are accomplished via topical applications of anti-biotic or anti-fungal drugs. In the case of vaginosis, there are also oral anti-biotics.
Thus, there remains a need to develop new uses of various volatile antimicrobial agents and/or combinations with other volatile compounds.


Polychoric correlations between two discrete random variables and polyserial correlations between a discrete random variable and a continuous random variable may be determined by using a normal-to-anything (NORTA) method and a stochastic root finding algorithm.

Correlations between random variables may indicate the association and/or dependency between different variables from real or simulated data. It may be relatively straightforward to compute correlations between two continuous random variables based on arbitrary data samples. If both random variables are discrete, a polychoric correlation may be calculated for the two random variables. If two random variables include one discrete random variable and one continuous random variable, a polyserial correlation may be calculated for the one discrete random variable and the one continuous random variable.

Computing polychoric and polyserial correlations between random variables using NORTA

Internationl Business Machines Corporation


A compound useful as an A1 adenosine receptor antagonist has the formula:

The present invention relates to novel compounds useful as A1 adenosine receptor antagonists.
Adenosine receptors are involved in a vast number of peripheral and central regulatory mechanisms such as, for example, vasodilation, cardiac depression, inhibition of lipolysis, inhibition of insulin release and potentiation glucagon release in the pancreas, and inhibition of neurotransmitter release from nerve endings.
In general, adenosine receptors can be divided into two main classes, A1 receptors which can inhibit, and A2 receptors which can stimulate adenylate cyclase activity. One of the best known classes of adenosine receptor antagonists are the xanthines which include caffeine and theophylline. See e.g., Mxc3xcller et al., J. Med. Chem. 33: 2822-2828 (1990). In general, many of these antagonists often suffer from poor water solubility, and low potency or lack of selectivity for adenosine receptors. Additionally, selective analogues of adenosine receptor antagonists have been developed through the xe2x80x9cfunctionalized congenerxe2x80x9d approach. Analogues of adenosine receptor ligands bearing functionalized chains have been synthesized and attached covalently to various organic moieties such as amines and peptides. Attachment of the polar groups to xanthine congeners has been found to increase water solubility. Nonetheless, such developments have yet to fully address problems associated with potency and selectivity. More recently Jacobson et al. J. Med. Chem. 35: 408-422 (1992) has proposed various derivatives of adenosine and theophylline for use as receptor antagonists. The article discloses that hydrophobic substituents are able to potentially enhance affinity. However, it is also acknowledged that such substituents may result in a decrease in solubility thus rendering the antagonists less soluble in vivo. In confronting these problems, Jacobson et al. indicates that a dipropyl substitution at the 1 and 3 positions of theophylline allows desirable affinity at A1 receptors. It is also stated that substitutions at the 7-position are typically not favorable.
It is an object of the present invention to therefore provide compounds useful as A1 adenosine receptor antagonists which display high potency and affinity levels, along with water solubility.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a compound of the general formula:
wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C8 alkyl;
R2 is of the formula:
xe2x80x83wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 8; R5 is H or (CH2)p, wherein p is an integer-ranging from 1 to 7; and R5 is H or (CH2)mOH, wherein m is an integer ranging from 1 to 8;
R3 is of the formula:
xe2x80x94(CH2)qC6H4xe2x80x94R7
xe2x80x83wherein q is an integer ranging from 1 to 8; and wherein R7 is selected from the group consisting of H, NH2, R9COOH, wherein R9 is an alkylene or alkenylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and (CH2)tOH, wherein t is an integer ranging from 1 to 8; and
R4 is of the formula:
xe2x80x83wherein R8 is selected from the group consisting of H; NH2; (CH2)sOH, wherein s is an integer ranging from 1 to 8; and R10COOH, wherein R10 is an alkylene or alkenylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; and r is an integer ranging from 1 to 8.
In a second aspect, the invention provides for assay-type probes of the above compound, wherein the probes are marked or conjugated with radioactive or non-radioactive material.
In a third aspect, the invention provides a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the above compound.
In a fourth aspect, the invention provides a pharmaceutical composition which comprises the above compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
The present invention is directed to a compound of the formula (I):
R1 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C8 alkyl, preferably C1 to C4 alkyl. For the purposes of the invention, R1 is more preferably C1 or C3 alkyl, and is most preferably C3 alkyl.
R2 is of the formula:
wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 8, more preferably 1 to 4; R5 is H or (CH2)p, wherein p is an integer ranging from 1 to 7, more preferably 1 to 4; and R6 is H or (CH2)mOH, wherein m is an integer ranging from 1 to 8, more preferably 1 to 4.
R3 is of the formula:
xe2x80x94(CH2)qC6H4xe2x80x94R7
wherein q is an integer ranging from 1 to 8, more preferably 1 to 4; and wherein R7 is selected from the group consisting of H, NH2, R9COOH, wherein R9 is an alkylene or alkenylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and (CH2)tH, wherein t is an integer ranging from 1 to 8. The alkylene or alkenylene groups may be substituted or unsubstituted. R9 is preferably CHxe2x95x90CH.
R4 is of the formula:
wherein R8 is selected from the group consisting of H; NH2; (CH2)sOH, wherein s is an integer ranging from 1 to 8, more preferably 1 to 4; and R10COOH, wherein R10 is an alkylene or alkenylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; and r is an integer ranging from 1 to 8, more preferably 1 to 4. In the above, R9 and R10 are preferably CHxe2x95x90CH.
In one preferred embodiment, R1 is C3 alkyl; R5 is (CH2)p wherein p is 2; R6 is (CH2)mOH wherein m is 2; R7 is H; R8 is NH2; n is 2; m is 2; q is 1; and r is 2.
In another preferred embodiment, R1 is C3 alkyl; R5 is (CH2)p wherein p is 1; R6 is H; R7 is NH2; R8 is NH2; n is 2; q is 1; and r is 2.
In another preferred embodiment, R1 is C3 alkyl; R5 is (CH2)p wherein p is 1, R6 is H; R7 is H; R8 is NH2; is 2; q is 1; and r is 2.
In another preferred embodiment, R1 is C3 alkyl; R5 is (CH2)p wherein p is 2; R6 is H; R7 is H; R8 is selected from the group consisting of (CH2)sOH, wherein s is 2 and R10COOH, wherein R10 is CHxe2x95x90CH; n is 2; q is 1; and r is 2.
In another preferred embodiment, R1 is C3 alkyl; R5 is (CH2)p wherein p is 1; R6 is H; R7 is selected from the group consisting of R9COOH, wherein R9 is CHxe2x95x90CH and (CH2)tOH, wherein t is 1; R8 is NH2; n is 2; q is 1; and r is 2.
The compound of the present invention may form pharmaceutically acceptable salts with both organic and inorganic acid and bases. Examples of suitable acids for salt formation are hydrochloric, sulfuric, phosphoric, acetic, citric, oxalic, malonic, salicylic, ascorbic, maleic, methanesulfonic, and the like. Any of the amine acid addition salts may also be used. The salts are prepared by contacting the free base form of the compound with an appropriate amount of the desired acid in a manner known to one skilled in the art.
Examples of suitable bases for salt formation are sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, ammonia, organic amines, and the like. The salts may be prepared by contacting the free acid form of the compound with an appropriate amount of the desired base in a manner known to one skilled in the art.
The invention also provides A1 adenosine receptor antagonist compounds with radioactive or non-radioactive labels. Such labelled compounds are useful as assay-type probes or conjugates, and may be used to obtain quantitative binding measurements of the A1 adenosine receptor antagonist compounds. For the purposes of the invention, xe2x80x9cassay-type probesxe2x80x9d refers to those materials which are useful for enhancing the selectivity of the quantitative analysis of the A1 adenosine receptor compounds of the invention. Examples of such assay-type probes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,770 to Jacobson et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The probes are highly useful in that they have little adverse effect on the affinity of the compounds of the present invention. Radioactive markers include, but are not limited to, an electric spin marker, a 19F NMR probe, a radioactive 18F isotope marker, a radioactive iodine marker (e.g., 125I), a radioactive 3H marker, tritium, and a complex of a metal atom or a metal ion and a chelating agent. An exemplary metal ion is a radioactive isotope of technetium or indium. An exemplary chelating agent is diethylene pentacetic anhydride.
Various non-radioactive materials may be used in labelling the present A1 adenosine receptor compounds. Numerous examples are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,770 to Jacobson et al. Biotin is used as a common non-radioactive label for such probes, as described in R. W. Old et al. Principals of Gene Manipulation, 4th ed: 328-331 (1989). To facilitate labelling the compounds with biotin or any other appropriate material, a spacer component may be added to the compound according to an accepted method. Such a method is described in the Jacobson et al. ""770 patent. Exemplary spacer components include, but are not limited to, an oligopeptide, triglycidyl, and N-hydroxysuccinimide ester.
Biotin may be bonded to any suitable linkage provided by substituents on the compound structure in accordance with any accepted and suitable technique. For example, referring to compound (I) as defined herein, biotin may be bonded to the hydroxy group on R6 when the compound contains (CH2)mOH at R6 with m defined herein; to the amino group present on either of R7 or R8 when NH2 is contained at these positions; or to the carboxyl group present when R7 and R8 are R9COOH or R10COOH respectively, with R9 and R10 defined herein. Additionally, the biotin may be bonded to a hydroxyl group present on R8, when R8 is (CH2)sOH with s being defined herein. Biotin may also be bonded to R7, when R7 is (CH2)tOH with t being defined herein. The biotin-labeled probes may be detected through appropriate and known analytical techniques.
Fluorescent dyes may also be employed as a non-radioactive labels and are applied to appropriate locations on the compounds of the invention. Such dyes include, but are not limited to, tetramethylrhodamine, fluorescein isothiocyanate, and mixtures thereof. Other non-radioactive materials include for example, nitrobenzoxadiazole; 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperindinyloxy-4-isothiocyanate; and mixtures thereof.
The invention is also directed to a pharmaceutical composition which includes the compound of the present invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The pharmaceutical composition is particularly useful in applications relating to organ preservation in vivo or in situ, perfusion of an isolated organ either removed or contained within the body (e.g., when an organ is transported for transplantation), cardiopulmonary bypass, perfusion of an extremity or limb, and the like. The compounds may be used in intra-articular, intra-thecal, gastrointestinal, and genital urinary applications, as well as in any cavity or lumen such as, for example, the thoracic cavity or ear canal.
The pharmaceutical composition may be employed, as an example, in oral dosage form as a liquid composition. Such liquid compositions can include suspension compositions or syrup compositions and can be prepared with such carriers as water; a saccharide such as sucrose, sorbitol, fructose, and the like; a glycol such as polyethyleneglycol, polypropyleneglycol, and the like; an oil such as sesame oil, olive oil, soybean oil, and the like; an antiseptic such as p-hydroxy-benzoic acid esters and the like; and a flavor component such as a fruit flavor or a mint flavor. The pharmaceutical composition may also be in the form of powder, pills, capsules, and tablets and can be prepared with various carriers. Suitable carriers include, but are not limited to, lactose, glucose, sucrose, mannitol, and the like; disintegrators such as starch, sodium alginate, and the like; binders such as polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl cellulose, gelatin, and the like; surfactants such as, for example, fatty acid esters; and plasticizers such as, for example, glycerins. The composition of the present invention is especially useful when applied sublingually. It should be noted that in the preparation of the tablets and capsules, a solid pharmaceutical carrier is used. Advantageously, the pharmaceutical composition may be used in the form of, for example, eye drops or an aerosol.
Other types of pharmaceutical compositions may be employed in the form of a suppository, a nasel spray, and an injectable solution. These compositions are prepared using appropriate aqueous solutions which may include, but are not limited to, distilled water, and saline and buffer additives. Other components may be employed such as organic materials including neutral fatty bases. Additionally, the pharmaceutical composition may be utilized in a transdermal application.
Biopolymers may be used as carriers in the above pharmaceutical compositions. Exemplary biopolymers may include, for example, proteins, sugars, or lipids.
The A1 receptor antagonists of the present invention are particularly useful as, for example, anti-allergenics, CNS stimulants, diuretics, anti-asthmatics, and cardiotonics.
Selective analogues of adenosine receptor antagonists have been developed through the xe2x80x9cfunctionalized congenerxe2x80x9d approach. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,672 to Jacobson et al.; and Jacobson et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 29: 126-133 (1985). In terms of pharmacology, the compounds advantageously display increased affinity at A1 receptor sites relative to former A1 receptor antagonists while simultaneously exhibiting good water solubility.
The foregoing example is illustrative of the present invention, and is not to be construed as limiting thereof.

Abstract: R2 is of the formula:

Abstract: R3 is of the formula:

Abstract: R4 is of the formula:


Provided are a concrete manufacturing method capable of preventing neutralization of concrete and oxidation of a reinforcing rod in reinforced concrete, and a method for manufacturing a reinforced concrete structure using the same. The concrete manufacturing method uses nitrogen dissolved water and is characterized by including: a step of generating nitrogen dissolved water by injecting nitrogen gas into water to replace oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in the water with nitrogen; and a step of generating a ready-mixed concrete by kneading the nitrogen dissolved water, cement, an aggregate, and an admixture. The method for manufacturing a reinforced concrete structure is characterized by forming a reinforced concrete structure using a ready-mixed concrete manufactured by a concrete manufacturing method using nitrogen dissolved water.

In current reinforced concrete structures, deterioration of concrete and reinforcing rod corrosion caused by carbon dioxide, oxygen, moisture, chloride ions, and the like, have become problems. Penetration of carbon dioxide causes a reaction with calcium hydroxide in the concrete to generate calcium carbonate that neutralizes the concrete, and causes rusting in the reinforcing rod. Penetration of oxygen results in reinforcing rod corrosion caused by oxidation, causing rusting thereof.
Patent Literature 1 discloses lightweight aerated concrete having excellent carbonation resistance property. Patent Literature 2 discloses acid-resistant concrete and iron corrosion inhibiting concrete.
Patent Literatures 3 and 4 disclose a method of manufacturing water for manufacturing concrete that aims to improve the property of concrete.
Meanwhile, in a completely different field, there are known nitrogen dissolved water and a manufacturing method thereof, in which the dissolved amount of oxygen is lowered and the dissolved amount of nitrogen is increased. Patent Literature 5 discloses a technique in which the water surface in a fish hold is covered with nitrogen dissolved ice obtained by freezing nitrogen dissolved water, and the dissolved amount of oxygen in water in the fish hold is reduced by melting of nitrogen-gas-filled ice, so that fish is kept fresh.
Patent Literature 6 discloses a manufacturing system and a manufacturing method of nitrogen dissolved water that contains more nitrogen stably than nitrogen saturated dissolved water in which dissolved oxygen in water is substituted for nitrogen and nitrogen is dissolved to the saturated dissolved amount.

Concrete manufacturing method using nitrogen dissolved water and method for manufacturing reinforced concrete structure


A selection system for animals comprising: (a) a milking area (20) arranged to enable milking of one or more lactating animals (b) a drinking station (30) remote from the milking area (20) in which is positioned an attractant configured to attract an animal from a grazing paddock (50) (c) an entry race (70) connecting the drinking station (30) and the milking area (20) (d) a control mechanism (60) configured to permit entry of a lactating animal meeting a predefined criterion into the entry race (70) from the drinking station (30). Also a method utilising the above system and comprising: (a) attracting an animal from a grazing paddock (50) into the drinking station (30) remote from the milking area (20) (b) determining whether the animal in the drinking station (30) meets a predefined criterion (c) permitting entry of the animal meeting the predefined criterion into the entry race (70).

Automatic milking systems (AMS) are well known in the art. The current implementations of AMS are almost entirely with housed cows. Cows are bedded and fed in a large barn that also houses the AMS. Cows learn to circulate freely the short distance between their cubicles and the AMS unit, a prime motivator being in-bail feeding while they are being milked in the AMS. The cows only need to move comparatively short distances, perhaps 20–30 m within the housing system to the AMS.
Many cows around the world are not housed in this fashion, however, but freely graze pasture. In New Zealand and Australia, in particular, there is no housing of cows, they spend all their time on pasture. These pasture-based systems are very extensive and often require the cows to walk considerable distances to be milked in conventional milking systems. This can be up to 2–3 km walking distance, and they normally do this twice a day.
Usually such extensive pasture systems also require a systematic rotation around paddocks, typically one paddock per day, to most effectively utilise the feed that is grown.
Implementation of AMS under extensive pasture systems is a challenge and has not previously been achieved in the context of a pasture based system. Limited combination of AMS with grazing has been implemented in Europe usually with housing of the cows.
The cows are normally housed, but are let out for a limited period to adjacent paddocks.
In such cases pasture typically contributes less than 30% of the total diet. In New Zealand, and many Australian scenarios, pasture will contribute more than 80% of the total dietary intake over the lactation.
More remote paddocks have been used in some systems (ie up to 400 m) and milking has been achieved by using the motivator of shifting the drinking water to the other side of the AMS. Where the principal feed is pasture, this may not be an acceptable strategy, particularly from an animal ethics viewpoint. It may also require cows to walk considerably distances to access water, depending on how frequently they require to drink.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,058 discloses a milking system for use where cows are allowed to find their own way toward a stall, known as "going loose". The system includes a computer that identifies a transponder tagged cow when it enters a robotic milking stall. If the computer determines feeding is required then the cow is fed. If the computer determines milking is required, the cow is retained and milked. If neither of these criteria are met, the cow is released. The cows are tempted into the stalls by the promise of food.
The context of "go loose" as used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,058 is certainly not that of trafficking to remote pasture sites.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,837 describes a milking parlour where cows are free to wander around a feeding trough that runs almost to each end of the parlour. At one end the cows can pass around the trough. At the other end the cows must enter a selection compartment and are tempted to do so by a fodder concentrate. In the selection compartment a cow is identified by its transponder and if it meets one of the criteria for milking such as lactation it is released into the milking stall. If it does not meet the criteria it is allowed to pass through a separate gate leading to the other side of the feeding trough whereby it begins a circuit of the parlour again. Once milking of a selected cow is complete it is released at the same place. The fact that another circuit of the parlour is required before a cow can re-enter the selection compartment aims to prevent cows that are not eligible for milking from re-entering it. This system does not attempt to reduce total walking distance.
This does not envisage remote, far-field pre-selection of cows on the basis of normal behaviours such as drinking, for direction to the AMS or subsequent transfer to a new area of pasture, and minimisation of walking distance which can be extensive in remote pasture feeding.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,164 teaches of a "lying and walking" area connected by a first polling gate to a waiting area and a feeding and watering area. Cows entering the gate are identified and directed towards the former area if milking is required and towards the latter if it is not.
Once in the feeding and watering area the cow can only return to the lying and walking area. Once in the waiting area the cow can pass into a lane leading to one or more milking stalls. Upon leaving the stall a cow enters a second polling gate and may be directed to a segregation area if, for example, mastitis is detected, directed to the feeding and watering area if milking was successful, or directed back to the waiting area for reentry into a milking stall if milking was unsuccessful. Also disclosed is the fact that it has been found in practice that it is necessary to coerce animals to enter the first polling gate, such as by using moveable electric fences.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,766 discloses identification of an animal by a computer system which opens the doors of a milking stall if the animal is to be milked and luring the animal into the stall using food and is of general relevance only.
None of these implementations of AMS with grazing have been on the scale that is required in a pasture based dairying system nor have any suggested a practical means for implementing AMS on an extensive pasture based grazing system.
It is desirable that any AMS system is designed to facilitate a cow's adaption to it. In any multiple paddock system it would be desirable that the system has a high degree of symmetry. This way a cow can be familiar with the layout no matter what paddock she is in.
An automated system is required for pasture grazing cows that can determine if such cows are due to be milked so that AMS technology can be successfully applied to pasture grazing cows. Any such system of the prior art requires a cow to walk to the AMS before it is selected, which is not feasible for pasture based dairying systems. Special systems are required to make AMS functional under these conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.

Selection system and method for milking animals


Handwheel systems, including control consoles incorporating handwheels of the inventive subject matter, are described in this application. Handwheels described in this application can be used to control remotely located motors, especially those configured to control camera movements. To make it easier for camera operators to control remotely located motors using handwheels, those handwheels can be incorporated into a control console. Control consoles of the inventive subject matter can include several dials, toggle buttons, a display, and a variety of different inputs and outputs.

The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided in this application is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
A "fly-by-wire" handwheel system that incorporates haptic feedback to simulate rotational inertia. Applying force to the handwheel to turn it not only causes the handwheel to turn, but a feedback system causes the wheel to feel heavier than it actually is. Historically, handwheels for camera mounts were made smooth by virtue of the mass of the system that is rotated by a handwheel, including the mass of the handwheel itself. Because of the weight of the entire system, handwheels in mechanical systems turned smoothly from manual force input to the system (e.g., mechanical handwheel systems had high rotational inertia).
But in new "fly-by-wire" systems, the feeling of weight disappears. Instead, electronic input is received that causes a remotely mounted motor to turn a camera. Thus, the individual giving input to the system never directly feels the weight of the camera system, which can lead to movements that are not smooth since the camera operator has very little feel for the weight of the system.
Several patents documents work to address smooth movements of cameras that are motor controlled, but none are directed to solutions that improve user experience via haptic feedback. Instead, the previous solutions work to remove human input entirely. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,125,564 to Kozlov et al. describes a gimbal system that facilitates steady camera movements using electric motors. U.S. Pat. No. 8,485,740 to Chapman describes a camera mount system with intricate electronics and motor controllers to create smooth camera movements, but this system also fails to contemplate the importance of feel when controlling a camera, and the system described here fails to give an operator a feel for the camera's movement.
Finally, US20050007553A1 to Romanoff et al. discusses a camera mounted on the end of a boom that, upon moving the boom, the camera is caused to stay focused on a particular location, where the camera's movements are controlled by electric motors. But the purpose of this system is to remove the operator entirely from the task of controlling the movement of the camera in favor of computer-controlled movements. This application fails to appreciate how a haptic feedback system can improve remote controlling of a camera's movements.
These and all other extrinsic materials discussed in this application are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided in this application, the definition of that term provided in this application applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
It has yet to be appreciated that a haptic feedback system can be used in a lightweight handwheel system to give the handwheel a simulated rotational inertia that is higher than its actual rotational inertia so that even a remotely controlled camera can feel heavy to a camera operator.

Handwheels and associated control consoles


An electrophotographic method for producing fused toner images on a receiver medium comprising the steps of: forming an electrostatic image pattern on an image forming member; developing the image pattern on the image forming member with fusible toner particles thereby forming a toner image thereon; transferring the toner image to the receiver medium; and heating the toner image to form a fused toner image on the receiver medium, wherein an amount of a plasticizer is added to the toner particles of the toner image after formation of the toner image on the image forming member and prior to or concurrent with fusing of the transferred toner image on the receiver medium, further wherein the amount of plasticizer added is effective in lowering the Tg of the toner below that of the toner under prevailing ambient conditions in the absence of the added plasticizer. The current invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art because the plasticizer is added immediately before fusing, thus avoiding toner clumping upon storage, as well as eliminating the high cost associated with a custom manufactured receiver that already contains plasticizer.

Generally in electrophotographic reproduction the original to be copied is rendered in the form of a latent electrostatic image on a photosensitive member. This latent image is made visible by the application of triboelectrically charged toner.
Conventional electrophotographic toner powders are made up of a binder polymer and other ingredients, such as pigment and a charge control agent, that are melt blended on a heated roll or in an extruder. The resulting solidified blend is then ground or pulverized to form a powder.
The toner thusly forming the image is transferred to a receiver, such as paper or transparent film, and fixed or fused to the receiver. The fusing of toner to receiver can be effected by applying heat, preferably at a temperature of about 90° C. to 200° C.; pressure may be employed in conjunction with the heat.
Application of the requisite heat causes problems such as low printer productivity, receiver damage, excessive energy use, long heat up times for equipment to reach fusing temperature and the like.
The proper fusing temperature is operationally defined as the minimum temperature range above the Tg at which the fused toned image develops sufficient adhesion to the final image receptor to resist removal by abrasion or cracking (see, e.g., L. DeMejo, et al., SPIE Hard Copy and Printing Materials, Media, and Process, 1253, 85 (1990); and T. Satoh, et al., Journal of Imaging Science, 35 (6), 373 (1991)). Minimizing the proper fusing temperature is desirable because the time required to heat the fuser assembly to the proper temperature will be reduced, the power consumed to maintain the fuser assembly at the proper temperature will be reduced, and the thermal demands on the fuser roll materials will be reduced if the minimum fusing temperature can be reduced. The art continually searches for improved dry toner compositions that produce high quality, durable images at low fusing temperatures on the final image receptor.
It has been known for a long time that various additives can be used to modify toner polymer properties and improve fusing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,794,594 and 3,980,575, for example, describe the addition of plasticizers. The use of plasticizer in electrophotographic toner compositions beneficially allows formulation of toner particles using materials that otherwise would not be suitable for use in these compositions, because the fusing temperature would otherwise be unacceptably high.
However, there is a problem with the use of plasticizers. When the Tg of the toner is too low, problems such as clumping and flaking in storage, are manifested. Thusly, British Patent GB 2 113 413 describes addition of a plasticizer which has limited solubility in the toner polymer at normal operating, handling and storage temperature. Crystalline aggregates are formed which do not affect Tg. At elevated fusing temperatures the plasticizer melts and induces reduced viscosity of the toner polymer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,488,189 and 3,493,412 describe addition of a solid crystalline plasticizer to the receiving sheet rather than incorporating the plasticizer in the toner particle. Thus, the toners will not be tacky and clump in storage.
Japanese Kokai 2005-208350 describes a polyester resin and a plasticizer which are mixed at 130-210 degrees C. to give toners which are excellent in fixability and endurance.
Russian Patent SU 1769183 describes a toner comprising a styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer, a dye, and a plasticizer which is dioctyl phthalate.

Enhanced fusing for electrophotographic toners


A system and method for pseudorandom permutation for interleaving in wireless communication is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a first ordered sequence of communication symbols having a first order, permuting the first ordered sequence of communication symbols to generate a second ordered sequence of communication symbols having a second order, and outputting the second ordered sequence of communication symbols, wherein the second order is based, at least in part, on a third order having a greater size than the second order, the third order being a pseudorandom permutation defined by the input-output relationship

1. Field
This invention relates to error reduction in communication systems, and in particular to use of pseudorandom permutation to perform interleaving of bits, symbols, or sequences.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A wireless communication network is a telecommunications network where the interconnections among the communication devices are implemented without the use of wires. Wireless telecommunications networks are generally implemented with some type of remote information transmission system that uses electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves, for the carrier and this implementation usually takes place at the physical layer of the network.
A wireless personal area network (WPAN) is one type of wireless network used for communication among a plurality of devices, such as computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, printers, digital cameras, televisions, media players, etc. Usually, a WPAN covers a short range up to 10 or 20 meters. A number of standards for such network communications have recently been developed, including, but not limited to, Bluetooth and IEEE 802.15.
An important component of a WPAN transmitter or receiver is an interleaver used to interleave bits, data symbols, coded sequences, or other communications symbols. Such interleaving is often used to provide error resilience in digital communication systems. The concept behind interleaving is to shuffle the input sequence in an almost-random manner such that originally adjacent bits/symbols are far apart after interleaving. Truly random interleaving is, in some cases, not favorable, because it may not be easily generated, and/or it may not be easily reconstructed. Deterministic interleaving, which can generate seemingly random permutations, is generally implemented in practice.

System and method for pseudorandom permutation for interleaving in wireless communications

Abstract: Y    =          mod                    (                                            m              *              S              *                              (                                  S                  +                  1                                )                                      2                    ,          P                )              ,                wherein P is the smallest power of two not less than the number of elements in the first ordered sequence, S is an input order represented by a sequence of consecutive integers from zero to P−1 in increasing order, Y is an output order represented as a sequence of integers, and m is an integer.


A test apparatus to evaluate the electrical properties of a liquid toner in which a printing quality of the liquid toner may be predicted by evaluating the electrical properties of the liquid toner without performing printing. The test apparatus to evaluate the electrical properties of a liquid toner includes a roller, a conductive flat panel positioned below the roller to move a predetermined distance in contact with the roller, a power supply device applying a voltage to the roller and the conductive flat panel, and a voltage tester provided at the rear of the roller to move together with the roller, testing a voltage of the liquid toner arranged on the conductive flat panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid toner used for an image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a test apparatus to evaluate electrical properties of a liquid toner and a test method for the same in which electrical properties of the liquid toner may be evaluated without printing with the liquid toner using an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a wet image forming apparatus based on a liquid toner has several advantages in that it can realize high resolution image because toner particles are small. Additionally, high-speed printing is possible, and the printing cost per page is inexpensive because a small amount of toner is required.
The liquid toner used for a wet laser printer is made by dispersing toner particles made of additives, such as a high polymer resin, a pigment, a charge control agent, and a dispersing adjuvant, in a solvent, i.e., a hydrocarbon based liquid carrier. In this case, the liquid toner contains solid components, such as the high polymer resin, the pigment, the charge control agent, and the dispersing adjuvant, within the range of 10% by weight and the solvent components within the range of 90% by weight.
FIG. 1 illustrates a scheme of a wet image forming apparatus that performs printing using the aforementioned liquid toner. Referring to FIG. 1, the liquid toner is transferred on a paper P by a transfer roller 40 through a transfer belt 30 after a developing device 10 develops an electrostatic latent image of a photo-resist body 20. The paper P, on which toner particles are transferred, contains solvent components and solid components. The solvent components are volatilized and the solid components are hardened while passing through a fixing portion 50 of high temperature, thus forming images on the paper P. In FIG. 1, the wet image forming apparatus includes four developing devices 10 to realize color images. A reference numeral 31 denotes a cleaning means that cleans a toner remaining in the transfer belt 30. The wet image forming apparatus may be provided in such a manner that the liquid toner is directly transferred on the paper P from the photo-resist body 20 without utilizing the transfer belt 30.
In the aforementioned wet image forming apparatus, the quality of final images on the paper, i.e., the printing quality, depends on the electrical properties of the liquid toner. Therefore, the quality of the images to be printed on the paper may be predicted by evaluating the electrical properties of the liquid toner. Until now, the charge amount per unit weight of toner particles, i.e., q/m(μC/g), has been tested to evaluate the electrical properties of the liquid toner. In this case, q/m can explain the electrical properties of the liquid toner at the transfer operation T0 (see FIG. 1) from the developing device 10 to the photo-resist body 20, but cannot explain those at the transfer operation T1 from the photo-resist body 20 to the transfer belt 30 and the transfer operation T2 from the transfer belt 30 to the paper P through the transfer roller 40. Therefore, the printing had to be performed by an image forming apparatus with a special liquid toner, so that the electrical properties of the liquid toner that affect the printing quality can be evaluated by referring to the printing result.
As described above, the image forming apparatus is required to evaluate the printing quality if printing is performed with a special liquid toner. In this case, problems occur in that the inconvenient operation is required, and significant time and cost are required to evaluate the printing quality.

Test apparatus for evaluating electrical properties of liquid toner and test method for the same


A plastic housing has an inlet for the entrance of liquid containing contaminants and an outlet for the exit of aerated liquid and an air inlet located therebetween. An inlet nozzle is located in the housing between the liquid inlet and the air inlet. The nozzle has a bore with a flared inlet and a substantially cylindrical exit portion which discharges at an exit face. A discharge nozzle is located in the housing between the air inlet and the liquid outlet, and has a bore which is flared towards the inlet nozzle and which has a substantially cylindrical exit portion of a diameter greater than that of the inlet bore exit portion. Contaminated water from a wastewater source such as a swimming pool, hot tub, or swine manure pond may be passed under pressure through the aerator, mixed with air in an expansion chamber formed between the inlet nozzle and discharge nozzle and the housing, and may take place at relatively low flow rates and pressures. The expansion chamber has an annular portion which extends around the segments of pipe containing the inlet and discharge nozzles and communicates with a generally cylindrical volume extending between the inlet nozzle and the discharge nozzle.

Standards for the purity of water in rivers, lakes and groundwater are continually increasing in response to legislation, regulation, and community demand. These increasingly stringent standards place a burden on the producers of wastewaters for example, users of pools and spas, agribusiness operators and others, to discharge wastewater which does not introduce prohibited levels of contaminants or chemicals into the surroundings and groundwater.
Due to the strict regulations, maintenance of water purity by the use of chemical additives such as chlorine in pools and spas has become less desirable.
It is common under many state and federal regulatory regimes that any unauthorized discharge of organic or inorganic waste, or bacteriologically contaminated materials, which exceed regulatory levels must be immediately reported to the authorities.
Although transportation of contaminated wastewater to off-site authorized disposal facilities is permitted, such transportation is in most circumstances prohibitively expensive especially where large volumes of wastewater are involved. If the contaminated wastewater is categorized as hazardous, prior authorization and permitting may be required.
Rural, residential and agribusiness sources of wastewater which are not connected with city sewers are particularly in need of low cost wastewater treatment systems, especially systems which may operate on relatively small volumes of wastewater. However, even those wastewater generators connected to city sewers are increasingly being required to pretreat wastewater prior to discharge.
Wastewater contains biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia nitrates, phosphorous, bacteria and virus. Prior art systems have introduced chemical agents, particularly chlorine, ozone, or a combination thereof, to oxidize and purify the wastewater. Inorganic contaminants are oxidized to less soluble oxides and organic components are converted to carbonaceous residuals and carbon dioxide. Conventional aerators and injectors utilize pressure and velocity changes of the wastewater flow to introduce air, oxygen or ozone as a vast quantity of small bubbles ranging in size from about 40 microns to 0.5 microns in diameter. However, prior art injectors typically require high pressures or high flow rates to achieve effective aeration.
What is needed is a wastewater and liquid treatment aeration system which reduces objectionable contaminants to an acceptable level and which may be economically operated at slow flow rates or low pressures.


The collet is formed by a metal band (10) whose inner contour (11) delimits the recesses (11a, 11b, 11c) for driving the collet onto a balance staff (2) and whose outer contour (12) includes a function point (4) between the collet and the balance spring (9) located at the end of an arm (14) at a distance R from the centre 0 of the staff (2) greater than that of any other point (6, 8, 13, 15, 17) of the outer contour (12). It is characterised in that the inner contour (11) includes a discrete number of points of contact (1, 3, 5, 7) with the staff (2) distributed along identical or different angular apertures α and in that width “I” of the band (10) varies such that the compression forces of the contact points (1, 3, 5, 7) on the staff (2) do not substantially alter the distance R after driving in, leading to a friction torque allowing angular orientation of the collet on the staff (2) and not introducing any unbalance.

In a mechanical watch movement, the collet forms an assembly interface of the balance spring to the balance. Originally, it was a washer driven onto the balance staff and comprising at least one hooking point of the inner terminal curve of the balance spring, for example by using a conical pin, by bonding or by welding. As welding, in particular laser welding is the preferred method of fixing, the collet can be made of steel, and more particularly special steels incorporating variable proportions of Ni, Mo, Co or Cr. The collet must first of all be of small dimensions so as to have only a slight influence on the moment of inertia, and so as not to introduce any unbalance, but many other properties are expected from such a small part to contribute to the regular working of the regulating member. It is for example necessary, after driving the collet onto the balance staff, to be able to rotate it without any difficulty in order to put the watch into beat, i.e. to align the impulse pin and the line of centres between the balance and the pallet-staff at the position of rest. It is also desirable for the driving in of the collet to have as little as influence as possible on keeping a given distance between the balance staff and the hooking point and that the external contour of the collet is such that it does not disturb the active length of the inner terminal curve of the balance spring.
Numerous Patents filed in the 1960s and 1970s provide a solution to certain quality criteria listed hereinbefore, but no collet possesses all of the qualities required at the same time, as explained briefly hereinafter.
When the collet is made of special steel, the friction torque on the balance staff after driving in can be too great and can make it difficult to put the watch into beat. In order to overcome this drawback, the first solution consists in making a slot of elasticity between the staff hole and the edge of the collet as described for example in CH Patent No. 347 142 for a collet with a perfectly circular contour on which the balance spring is fixed by means of a conical pin located in the plane of symmetry passing through the axes and the slot. CH Patent No. 508 233 discloses a collet of the same type, with a balance spring riveted or bonded in a groove, but of asymmetrical racket shape with the staff hole offset, such that the risk of the first coil pressing on the contour of the collet is avoided. These slotted collets with a circular staff hole have, however, two drawbacks. When driven onto the balance staff, the movement of the hooking point cannot be rigorously controlled, and when the watch is put into beat there is a high risk of disturbing the flat and the centring. In order to reduce the friction torque facilitating putting the watch into beat without having to make a slot, U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,120 proposes making a collet in two parts comprising an inner ring made of brass, or other non-ferrous material, and an external steel part for welding the inner terminal curve of the balance spring. The results obtained are technically satisfactory but the manufacturing and assembling costs are prohibitive.
In order to reduce the friction torque in a special steel collet without a slot of elasticity, it seems a priori logical to reduce the friction surface to discrete contacts between the balance staff and the driving aperture of the collet. The method disclosed in CH Patent No. 311 287 consists in ovalising a hole, which initially has a circular shape, the contour of the collet keeping its initial circular shape. Since there are consequently only two symmetrical bearing points, the same problems as those referred to above for the slotted collet are again experienced.
CH Patent No. 466 807 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,435 propose giving the driving aperture of the collet a regular polygonal shape illustrated by an equilateral triangle with broken angles, or an aperture of hypocycloidal shape. In this embodiment it will be observed that the points where the collet is tight on the staff have angular equidistribution and that the collet has almost necessarily a regular contour inscribed in a circle, in particular so as to avoid having problems of unbalance, but having by way of counterpart, the drawback of having a risk of contact of the inner coil of balance spring.

Collet without deformation of the fixation radius of the balance-spring and manufacturing method of the same


A sealing cap includes a cap unit, a knob and at least one guiding mechanism. The cap unit includes a first cap body formed with a through hole extending along an axis, a second cap body, and a resilient gasket sleeved on the second cap body. The knob has a pressing portion abutting against the first cap body, and an insertion portion projecting into the through hole. The guiding mechanism includes an abutting member disposed on one of the second cap body and the insertion portion, and a guiding member having an inclined surface disposed on the other one of the second cap body and the insertion portion. Rotation of the knob causes the abutting member to slide on the inclined surface, and moves the second cap body between an opening position and a sealing position.

There are various designs for conventional sealing caps in the industry. One common design of conventional sealing caps includes a cap body that is provided with a resilient gasket, and at least one locking mechanism. The cap body is first mounted on a container. Then the locking mechanism is operated to lock the cap body to the container, so that the resilient gasket is resiliently deforced to hermetically seal an opening of the container.
For the conventional sealing cap including one locking mechanism, e.g., a bail closure, the locking mechanism is generally designed to be operated with the exertion of a relatively great force to tightly lock the cap body to the container, making it a laborious affair to open the sealing cap afterwards. For the conventional sealing cap including a plurality of locking mechanisms, since each locking mechanism is operated independently, it is inconvenient and time-consuming for a user to operate the multiple locking mechanisms.


Panel assemblies that include a core sandwiched between face sheets made from composite material. A pigmented topcoat layer is applied directly to the composite material without the need for a separate adhesive. The pigmented topcoat layer includes a thermoplastic binder resin/pigment mixture that can be cured with the composite material in a single step. The topcoat may include permanent and/or temporary substrates for carrying the binder resin/pigment mixture and for providing a surface finish to the panel assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to panel assemblies in which a core material is sandwiched between layers of composite material and wherein a pigmented top coat is located on the outside of the panel to provide color and a surface finish to the panel. More particularly, the invention is directed to panel assemblies in which the pigmented topcoat is bonded to the panel without the use of a separate adhesive layer or the need for multiple curing steps.
2. Description of Related Art
Honeycomb sandwich panels have been used for many years as interior structural components of aircraft, trains and boats. Due to the need for low levels of fire, smoke and toxic emissions in the event of a fire situation, phenolic resin matrices embedded in a reinforcement fiber are typically used as the panel skin material. Examples of this approach are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,681, U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,419 and WO 92/17331.
In order to provide aesthetic appeal to these panels it is customary to apply a top layer of decorative material such as Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride film to the outer surface of the panel. These decorative sheets may be patterned as in an aircraft cabin or plain colored as in aircraft luggage holds, galleys and other enclosures and compartments. Current methods of applying the top layer to the panel have a limited process temperature interval due to the nature of the adhesive used to bond the decorative material to the panel's outer surface. This can restrict processing to temperatures of 90 to 130° C. depending upon the adhesive used. Since the resin matrix of the panel is typically cured at a temperature from 140° C. to 160° C., two separate curing steps are required. Two steps are also required to avoid the potential loss of Tedlar texture and the phenolic prepreg "staining" the decorative layer during the cure cycle. This is regarded as a disadvantage as it increases processing times and costs.
Attempts have been made to address this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,212 discloses a reinforced phenolic laminate panel having a finishing coat of a butylated phenol-formaldehyde resin in which the finishing coat can be mass-pigmented to the desired color. However, in this context mass-pigmented means homogeneously pigmented throughout the whole body of the laminate panel.
JP 2000071365 discloses a method of producing a decorative sheet by successively providing a base material layer, an expanded thermoplastic resin layer containing blowing agents and a colored thermoplastic resin layer containing titanium dioxide such that the top layer shields the yellowing of the expanded foam layer caused by the blowing agents. However, JP 2000071365 does not address fiber reinforced thermoset resin layers.
Pigmented gel coats are known in the composites molding industry, but these are pre-applied to the mold surface either by painting or spraying. Furthermore, gel coats are mixtures of resin and curing agents that are of a different formulation from, but capable of being co-cured with, the resin matrix. Scrim-based gel coats are also known, but these also need to be pre-applied to the mold and contain a high level of resin loading. A disadvantage with gel coats is that they have to be cured in the mold as the first stage of the lay-up and curing process.
Attempts have been made to incorporate titanium dioxide directly into a fiber reinforced phenolic resin matrix, but even with loadings as high as 50%, the desired color intensity was not achieved. In addition, structural integrity such as prepreg to core adhesion deteriorated.


A device for storing and dispensing fluid substances has at least one container for accommodating fluid substances, at least one outlet tap that is provided on the face of the container, a dispensing element that can be connected with the outlet tap, and a locking element for releasably locking the dispensing element on the outlet tap(s). A guide is provided on the container, in which the locking element is guided in such a manner that it can be transferred, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container, from a first open position in which the dispensing element is released, into a second locking position, in which it surrounds the dispensing element at least in part, to fix it in place on the at least one outlet tap.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for storing and dispensing fluid substances, which has at least one container, particularly a cylindrical container, for accommodating fluid substances, at least one outlet tap that is provided on the face of the container, a dispensing element that can be connected with the outlet tap, and a locking element for releasably locking the dispensing element on the outlet tap(s).
2. The Prior Art
Double cartridges or double syringes formed from two cylinders are known for storing and dispensing fluid substances from which multi-component materials can be mixed, in which the fluid substances are stored separate from one another. This is often used in dental preparations. Before use, these substances are dispensed from the device by a dispensing element, and mixed with one another, causing the substances to react with one another and cure. In many cases, an amount of the fluid substances that is sufficient for several applications is stored in the double cartridges or double syringes. The dispensing elements, which can be a static or dynamic mixer, for example, are therefore mostly disposable articles that must be attached to the container for use and afterwards must be removable from it, to dispose of them.
A device for dispensing a mixed multi-component mass is described in German Patent No. DE 100 38 882 A1, which device has containers having outlet taps as well as a coupling plate carried on them. The latter forms a guide for a frame-like coupling slide with which a mixer can be covered, in certain regions.
Particularly when the mixers are changed, residues of the components to be mixed with one another can remain on the coupling plate. There is therefore the risk that the components to be mixed contact one another and react even before they reach the mixer. This results in clogging of the outlet taps, making the entire device no longer usable.
Double cartridges formed from two cylinders connected with one another are known, in which each outlet tap can be releasably closed off via caps. In order to fix the caps in place on the cylinders, as well as in order to fix a mixer or the like in place on the outlet taps, a pivoting bracket is provided on a crosspiece that connects the cylinders with one another, on the side facing away from the caps, in the case of these known double cartridges. This bracket can be locked in place in a position oriented parallel to the cylinders, for example with a snap closure, in which position one end of the bracket holds the caps and the mixer in place. In order to allow the bracket to pivot open, however, too much construction space is required in some cases.

Device for storing and dispensing fluid substances


Systems and methods for reducing a churn rate associated with subscribers of social network services are described. In some example embodiments, the systems and methods may access activity information associated with a former subscriber of a social network service, compare the accessed activity information to activity information associated with subscribers of the social network service, identify one or more differences between the activity information associated with the former subscriber of the social network service and the activity information associated with the subscribers of the social network service, and perform an action based on the identified one or more differences.

Churn rate measures a number of individuals that leave a group or other collection over a certain period of time, such as a number of subscribers that leave a subscription-based service. Chum, therefore, is similar to attrition, and may be the opposite of retention. For example, a subscriber-based service model may succeed when subscriber chum is low (and retention is high), and may fail when subscriber churn is high (and retention is low), among other things.
Industries that rely on subscription-based service models, such as the cable television industry, the cell phone industry, web-based services, and so on, spend a considerable amount of time, money, and effort attempting to identify reasons why their subscribers chum, in order to provide retention incentives to subscribers that keep them from ending use of provided services. However, their efforts often lack insight or are driven by information received directly from subscribers or from simple metrics, which may lead to ineffective results and unsuccessful determinations as to why subscribers are not being retained, among other problems.

Determining a churn probability for a subscriber of a social network service


A conformable composite reinforcing member (20) includes a cavity formed at least in part from a fabric layer (12) and at least a first foam core (16) and at least a second foam core (18) positioned within the cavity. The second foam core has a relatively higher rigidity than the first foam core. The first foam core is preferably made from an open cell or flexible foam and the second foam core is preferably made from a rigid open cell foam.

Not applicable.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to structural members and more particularly, to structural members made with foam exhibiting different rigidity and/or flexibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Structural members for composite structures are commonly used in various applications such as cargo containers, vehicles, and boats. In the past, structural members have been developed using a variety of different technologies. One prior art technique for forming structural members for boat hulls uses plywood as the core of a sandwich laminate. The plywood acts to augment the structural properties of the fabric layer skins of the boat. Advantageously, plywood provides a low-cost means for providing structural rigidity. One significant drawback to working with plywood, however, is that it tends to decay significantly, often within five to seven years. Another drawback is the limited malleability of plywood for use in curved structures having small radii.
Another prior art technique for providing structural rigidity to composite structures makes use of a high-density structural foam core rather than a plywood core. The high-density structural foam is commonly formed from cross-linked PVC or very high-density urethane. Structural members having high-density structural foam cores and reinforced fabric skins commonly maintain their structural integrity for up to ten years. High-density structural foam is considerably more expensive than plywood, however, and is not cost effective to use in many applications, including boats. In addition, high-density foam, like plywood, is not sufficiently malleable or suitable for structural members requiring a tight curve. A tightly curved member made of foam or plywood is likely to crack or exhibit other structural defects when the structural member is positioned for example within a boat hull. These effects are due to strains on the outer curvature or stresses on the inner curvature of the member. For example, a relatively rigid structural member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,066 to Lewit et al. which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and herein incorporated by reference. The structural member disclosed in the ""066 patent comprises a fabric layer having an outer woven fabric layer and an inner non-woven fabric layer with a single structural foam core attached. The non-woven fabric layer, such as a mat fiber layer, is attached to the reinforcing fabric layer. A structural foam is attached to the non-woven fabric layer on the side of the non-woven fabric layer opposite the reinforcing fabric by filling the interstices of the non-woven fabric layer. However, the Lewit ""066 structure suffers from the inability to sufficiently bend for tight curvatures without deforming.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,591 to Lewit el al. concerns a composite structure having a structure similar to Lewit ""066 . Significantly, however, the Lewit ""591 composite structure does not make use of a second reinforcing fabric layer. Instead, penetration of the structural foam is controlled so as to leave an outer portion of the fabric layer of the cured composite structure substantially free of cured resin.
Thus, a need exists for a structural member which when laminated within a composite structure provides strength and rigidity, but is sufficiently malleable prior to lamination to allow for tight curvatures.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a structural member comprises providing a cavity formed at least in part from a fabric layer and inserting at least a first foam core and a second foam core within the cavity. The second foam core preferably has a relatively higher rigidity than the first foam core and penetrates the fabric layer.
In another aspect of the present invention, a conformable composite reinforcing member comprises a cavity formed at least in part from a fabric layer and at least a first foam core and at least a second foam core positioned within the cavity, wherein the second foam core has a relatively higher rigidity than the first foam core.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a composite structure such as a boat comprises the steps of providing a structural member, confirming the structural member to a tight curvature of the composite structure, and hardening the structural member once it has conformed to the tight curvature.

Conformable composite structural member and method therefor