DNA for encoding a protein having D-hydantoinase activity which has a base sequence represented by Sequence ID No. 1 in the Sequence Listing. DNA for encoding a protein having D-carbamylase activity which has a base sequence represented by Sequence ID No. 3 in the Sequence Listing.

In a known method for producing amino acid using an enzyme, a 5-substituted hydantoin compound synthesized chemically at a low cost is employed as a starting material and is decomposed asymmetrically into optically active amino acids. A method for producing optically active amino acid from such a 5-substituted hydantoin compound is important for producing pharmaceuticals, chemical industrial products, food additives and the like.
In a method for producing optically active amino acid from such a 5-substituted hydantoin compound, the following enzymes (1) and (2) are required:
(1) An enzyme which catalyzes an N-carbamylamino acid producing reaction via an action on a 5-hydantoin compound to hydrolyze this compound: hydantoin hydrolase (hydantoinase).
(2) An enzyme which catalyzes an optically active amino acid producing reaction via an action on a resultant N-carbamylamino acid to hydrolyze this compound, N-carbamylamino acid hydrolase (carbamylase).
For producing optically active amino acid from a 5-substituted hydantoin compound describe above, an enzyme which is optically selective for at least one of (1) hydantoinase and (2) carbamylase may be employed, and known methods employ a microbial enzyme system or a microbial enzyme system combined with a chemical reaction system.
Among such known methods, a known method for producing D-amino acid from a 5-substituted hydantoin compound using a D-amino acid producing microorganism or a material containing an enzyme produced by the microorganism employs a Pseudomonas microorganism (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 56-003034) or an Agrobacterium microorganism (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 019696). Such a D-amino acid producing microorganism frequently has a hydantoinase activity specific generally to a 5-substituted hydantoin in a D form, and when using a DL-5-substituted hydantoin (5-benzylhydatoin as an example here) as a starting material, the D form is hydrolyzed exclusively to form an N-carbamyl-D-amino acid, which is then hydrolyzed by a D-carbamylase which acts exclusively on the D form, resulting in only an amino acid in the D form (D-phenylalanine as an example here), as shown in the following scheme.

DNA for encoding D-hydantoin hydrolases, DNA for encoding N-carbamyl-D-amino acid hydrolases, recombinant DNA containing the genes, cells transformed with the recombinant DNA, methods for producing proteins utilizing the transformed cells and methods for producing D-amino acids


The present invention relates to controlling a display in a mobile terminal including a touch screen having a display area that operates as a touch input area. The present invention includes displaying data information on the display area, wherein the data information is distinguished with graphic icons, and displaying a frame on the display area to at least partially overlap the data information and defining a first area within the frame and a second area outside of the frame to define the data information into at least two parts, wherein when at least one of the first area and a frame boundary is touched, a predetermined function associated with the data information displayed in the first area is performed.

As a demand for electronic devices increased, the electronic devices have provided more convenient services and functions for the user. Particularly, interest in electronic devices with a touch screen has become greater.
An electronic device with a touch screen allows a user to directly touch the touch screen to enter a desired menu or information, and therefore offer easy information accessibility. Thus, what is needed is an electronic device, such as a mobile terminal, that utilizes the touch screen to provide the user with better services and functions.


A query that identifies an input data source is rewritten to contain data parallel operations that include partitioning and merging. The input data source is partitioned into a plurality of initial partitions. A parallel repartitioning operation is performed on the initial partitions to generate a plurality of secondary partitions. A parallel execution of the query is performed using the secondary partitions to generate a plurality of output sets. The plurality of output sets are merged into a merged output set.

Software programs have been written to run sequentially since the beginning days of software development. Steadily over time, computers have become much more powerful, with more processing power and memory to handle advanced operations. This trend has recently shifted away from ever-increasing single-processor clock rates towards an increase in the number of processors available in a single computer resulting in a corresponding shift away from sequential execution toward parallel execution. Software developers want to take advantage of improvements in computer processing power to enable their software programs to run faster as new hardware is adopted. With parallel hardware, software developers arrange for one or more tasks of a particular software program to be executed in parallel (also referred to as concurrently), so that the same logical operation can utilize many processors at one time to thereby deliver better performance as more processors are added to the computers on which such software runs.
When parallelizing previously-written sequential algorithms, it is often desirable to keep as much of the previous sequential program behavior as possible. However, typical parallel execution of existing sequential logic introduces new behavioral characteristics and presents problems that can introduce challenges into the migration from sequential to parallel algorithms.

Partitioning and repartitioning for data parallel operations


A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a control circuit configured to perform a first block erase operation that erases nonvolatile memory cells together in a lump such that threshold voltages of the memory cells are set lower than a first erase verify voltage, to check whether a threshold voltage of each of the nonvolatile memory cells is lower than a first erase-degree-check voltage after the first block erase operation, to perform a first write-back operation in response to a check result indicating that the threshold voltage is lower than the first erase-degree-check voltage, thereby raising the threshold voltage above a voltage higher than the first erase-degree-check voltage, and to perform a second block erase operation that erases the nonvolatile memory cells together in a lump after the first write-back operation such that the threshold voltages of the memory cells are set lower than a second erase verify voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor memory devices and memory erasure methods, and particularly relates to a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and a method of erasing nonvolatile memory cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flash memories are widely used as nonvolatile semiconductor memory devices that allow memory cells to be electrically written and erased. An erase operation in flash memories is performed as a block erase for the entire memory cell array or a block erase on a block-by-block basis. Namely, memory cells are erased together in a lump with respect to the entire memory cell array or with respect to a specific one of the blocks into which the memory cell array is divided.
In the flash memories, electrons are injected into or removed from the floating gate of a memory cell, thereby performing a write operation and an erase operation with respect to the memory cell. As one of the characteristics of the flash memories, the threshold voltage of a memory cell is determined in response to the amount of electrons trapped in the floating gate. By utilizing this, the high-threshold voltage state (written state) in which electrons are trapped in the floating gate is assigned to logic "0", and the low-threshold voltage state (erased state) in which electros have been removed from the floating gate is assigned to logic "1".
In the flash memories, erase speed differs from memory cell to memory cell due to manufacturing variation in the thickness and/or minute defect of the oxide film of the transistor constituting a memory cell. Even when identical erase operations are performed, therefore, a cell that is easy to erase is set to a low threshold voltage, and a cell that is difficult to erase is set to a high threshold voltage. As a result, the threshold voltages of memory cells are not set constant, and end up having a certain distribution that may be defined with respect to the memory cells of a memory cell array.
FIG. 1 through FIG. 3 are drawings for explaining a memory erase operation in a conventional flash memory. In each of the drawings, the horizontal axis represents the threshold voltage of memory cells of a memory cell array, and the vertical axis represents the number of memory cells present in the memory cell array that have a given threshold voltage.
In order to erase the entire memory cell array or the block to be erased (hereinafter referred to as a memory cell array for the sake of convenience), a "preliminary write" operation is performed that places each memory cell of the memory cell array in the written state. To this end, a write verify that compares the current running through a reference cell having threshold voltage VTp as shown in FIG. 1 with the read current of each cell of the memory cell array is performed. A write operation with respect to each memory cell is performed until each memory cell of the memory cell array is placed in the written state by passing the write verify. After the "preliminary write", as shown as a distribution D2 in FIG. 2, the threshold voltages of all the memory cells are set higher than VTp, which corresponds to the logic "0" state.
Thereafter, a block erase is performed with respect to the memory cell array after the "preliminary write". To this end, an erase verify that compares the current running through a reference cell having threshold voltage VTe as shown in FIG. 2 with the read current of each cell of the memory cell array is performed. A block erase operation with respect to the memory cell array is performed until each memory cell of the memory cell array is placed in the erased state by passing the erase verify. As a result, as shown as a distribution D3 in FIG. 3, the threshold voltages of all the memory cells are set lower than VTe, which corresponds to the logic "1" state.
The reason why the preliminary write operation is performed prior to an erase operation will be described in the following. In a memory cell array prior to erasure, memory cells having logic "1" conforming to a distribution D11 and memory cells having logic "0" conforming to a distribution D10 are in existence as shown in FIG. 1. When the memory cells are subjected to a block erase, all the memory cells are erased in the same manner. As a result, the memory cells having logic "1" at the beginning tend to end up having a lower threshold than the memory cells having logic "0" at the beginning. Because of this, the distribution of threshold voltages of all the memory cells ends up being an extremely wide distribution. In order to avoid such an extremely wide threshold voltage distribution, a preliminary write operation is performed prior to an erase operation as described above.
In flash memories, voltage VWLs is applied to the selected word line, and voltage VWLu is applied to the unselected word lines in order to read data from memory cells. Further, voltage VLWs is applied to the word line of the read reference cell. This read reference cell has threshold voltage VTr. The voltage VLWs, voltage VWLu, and threshold voltage VTr are shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3.
The current of a memory cell coupled to the selected word line is compared with the current of the reference cell by a sense amplifier. If the current of the memory cell is larger (i.e., if the threshold voltage is lower), logic "1" is detected. If the current of the memory cell is smaller (i.e., if the threshold voltage is higher), logic "0" is detected.
The upper limit of the threshold voltage of a memory cell having logic "1" is controlled by the erase verify reference voltage VTe (i.e., the threshold voltage of the erase-verify-purpose reference cell). In order to properly detect a memory cell having logic "1" as being logic "1", the read reference cell threshold voltage VTr needs to be higher than the erase verify reference voltage VTe by a predetermined voltage ΔVT1. The value of the predetermined voltage ΔVT1 depends on the characteristics of the sense amplifier and required read speed.
Since there is a need to flow a current through the reference cell to be compared at the time of read operation, the selected-word-line voltage VWLs needs to be higher than the read reference cell threshold voltage VTr by a predetermined voltage ΔVT0. The value of the predetermined voltage ΔVT0 depends on the required read speed.
Accordingly, in order to correctly read the values of memory cells having the threshold voltage distributions as shown in FIG. 1, the selected-word-line voltage VWLs needs to be set higher than the erase verify reference voltage VTe by ΔVT1+ΔVT0. IF VTe=2.5 V, ΔVT1=0.5 V, and ΔVT0=1 V, for example, the selected-word-line voltage VWLs is 4 V. In this case, a 5-V power supply voltage applied to the flash memory can easily generate a proper word line voltage.
In recent years, however, the power supply voltage of flash memories has generally been lowered from 5 V to 3 V and further to 1.8 V. In order to generate a proper selected-word-line voltage VWLs from a low power supply voltage, there is a need to step-up the voltage. Such stepping-up of voltage, however, results in an increase in electric current consumption, which gives rise to a need to suppress the selected-word-line voltage VWLs as low as possible.
In order to lower the selected-word-line voltage VWLs in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, it suffices to lower the erase verify reference voltage VTe. If the erase verify reference voltage VTe is lowered, however, the threshold voltage distribution D3 after the erase operation ends up being shifted, as a whole, to a lower voltage. In this case, memory cells situated close to the left end of the threshold voltage distribution D3 are undesirably placed in the over-erased state. When a memory celli is in the over-erased state, a current constantly runs through the memory cell even if the unselected-word-line voltage VWLu is applied to the word line. As a result, the current of such unselected memory cell is added to the current of a selected memory cell, making it difficult to perform a proper read operation.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-184876
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-162896
Accordingly, there is a need for a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and a memory cell erase method that can achieve a threshold voltage distribution after the erase operation that is narrower than conventional distributions.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device performing erase operation that creates narrow threshold distribution


An exemplary prism sheet includes a light input surface, a light output surface opposite to the light input surface, and a plurality of triangular pyramidal micro-elements and a plurality of hexagonal pyramidal micro-elements. The triangular pyramidal micro-elements and the hexagonal pyramidal micro-elements are formed on the light output surface. Each triangular pyramidal micro-element surrounded by three adjacent hexagonal pyramidal micro-elements. Bottom surfaces of each hexagonal pyramidal micro-element and each triangular pyramidal micro-element are coplanar with the light output surface. A liquid crystal display device using the prism sheet is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to optical sheets, and particularly, to a prism sheet used in a liquid crystal display (LCD).
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 5 is an exploded, side cross-sectional view of a typical liquid crystal display device 100 employing a typical prism sheet 10. The liquid crystal display device 100 includes a housing 11 and a plurality of lamps 12 positioned in the housing 11. The liquid crystal display device 100 further includes a light diffusion plate 13, a prism sheet 10, and a LCD panel 15 stacked on the housing 11 in that order. The lamps 12 emit light, and inside walls of the housing 11 are configured for reflecting some of the light upwards. In use, light emitted from the lamps 12 enters the prism sheet 10 after scattered in the diffusion plate 13. The light is refracted and concentrated by the V-shaped protrusions 103 of the prism sheet 10, and then the light finally propagates into the liquid crystal display panel 15.
Referring to FIG. 6, the prism sheet 10 includes a base layer 101 and a prism layer 102 formed on the base layer 101. The prism layer 102 has a plurality of V-shaped protrusions 103. The V-shaped protrusions 103 are regularly arranged and extend along a direction parallel to one edge of the prism sheet 10. Typically, a method of manufacturing the prism sheet 10 includes following steps: first, a melted ultraviolet(UV)-cured transparent resin is coated on the base layer 101 to form V-shaped lenses, then the melted ultraviolet-cured transparent resin is solidified to form the prism layer 102. This results in that the V-shaped protrusions 103 of the prism layer 102 are easily damaged or scratched due to poor rigidity and mechanical strength.
However, the V-shaped protrusions 103 are prone to be aligned similarly to pixels of the liquid crystal display panel 15, consequently, moiré patterns may occur between the prism sheet 10 and the pixel pitch of the liquid crystal display panel 15. In order to reduce or eliminate the moiré patterns and protect the V-shaped protrusions 103 of the prism sheet 10, the liquid crystal display device 100 should further include an upper light diffusion film 14 on the prism sheet 10. However, although the upper light diffusion film 14 and the prism sheet 10 are in contact with each other, a plurality of air pockets still exist at the boundary between the light diffusion film 14 and the prism sheet 10. When the liquid crystal display device 100 is in use, light passes through the air pockets, and some of the light undergoes total reflection at one or another of the corresponding boundaries. In addition, the upper light diffusion film 14 may absorb an amount of the light from the prism sheet 10. As a result, a brightness of light illumination of the liquid crystal display device 100 is reduced.
Therefore, a new prism sheet is desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Prism sheet and liquid crystal display device using the same


A system for the manufacture, storage and transportation of hydrogen and oxygen gas wherein deep sealed production chambers (10) capable of withstanding high pressures are provided and water is fed by gravity from a water source to the bottom of the deep sealed production chamber (10) thereby producing water(16) in the bottom of the production chamber (10) under substantial pressure. Hydrogen and oxygen gas are produced in the water at the bottom of the production chamber (10) with electrolysis and the produced oxygen is captured in an oxygen escape pipe (18) extending from the bottom of the production chamber (10) to the exterior (19) of the production chamber (10), the oxygen escape pipe (18) containing a positive anode electrode (25) for the electrolysis in the bottom end of the oxygen pipe. The hydrogen gas is collected under pressure at the upper storage area (22) of the production chamber (10).

One of the main problems with green energies, such as wind and solar, is that they do not generate electricity when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. Another problem with these two systems and hydroelectric generation is that there is presently no way to economically store electrical energy when there is a surplus of energy created by these methods.
It is a principal object of the method and apparatus of the present invention to provide an efficient and inexpensive way to use electricity, from any source, and convert it to hydrogen and oxygen gases. In these forms the potential energy of electricity can be stored and transported for many different reasons, such as the generation of electricity and powering moving vehicles. The process uses a known procedure of electrolysis to break water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. Once the infrastructure of the present invention is in place, it is able to store large quantities of hydrogen (and oxygen if desired), under high pressures without the need for compressors. It can also provide constant high pressures to initiate the transportation of the hydrogen gas from the storage area through pipeline without compressors.

System and method for the manufacture, storage and transportation of hydrogen and oxygen gas


There is provided by the present invention methods for preparing coating formulations and thermal transfer ribbons which provide images of high resolution by thermal transfer printing. The formulations contain an incompatible resin or wax component for reduced cohesiveness between the components of the thermal transfer layer. These methods employ thermoplastic resins and waxes with distinct solubility in the absence of solvent to reduce cohesion but are sufficiently compatible as to exhibit film forming properties. A method for modifying a coating formulation is also provided where an incompatible resin or wax components is added thereto.

Thermal transfer printing has displaced impact printing in many applications due to advantages such as the relatively low noise levels which are attained during the printing operation. Thermal transfer printing is widely used in special applications such as in the printing of machine readable bar codes and magnetic alpha-numeric characters. The thermal transer process provides great flexibility in generating images and allows for broad variations in style, size and color of the printed image. Representative documentation in the area of thermal transfer printing includes the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,278, issued to J. H. Blose et al. on May 16, 1972, discloses a thermal transfer medium having a coating composition of cellulosic polymer, thermoplastic resin, plasticizer and a "sensible" material such as a dye or pigment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,643, issued to Y. Tokunaga et al. on Feb. 16, 1982, discloses a thermal transfer element comprising a foundation, a color developing layer and a hot melt ink layer. The ink layer includes heat conductive material and a solid wax as a binder material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,224, issued to R. C. Winowski on Sep. 6, 1983, discloses a surface recording layer comprising a resin binder, a pigment dispersed in the binder, and a smudge inhibitor incorporated into and dispersed throughout the surface recording layer, or applied to the surface recording layer as a separate coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,034, issued to Y. Tokunaga et al. on Jul. 31, 1984, discloses a heat-sensitive magnetic transfer element having a hot melt or a solvent coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,207, issued to M. W Lewis et al. on Jun. 11, 1985, discloses a multiple copy thermal record sheet which uses crystal violet lactone and a phenolic resin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,000, issued to S. G. Talvalkar et al. on Dec. 9, 1986, discloses a thermal transfer formulation that includes an adhesive-plasticizer or sucrose benzoate transfer agent and a coloring material or pigment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,701, issued to K. Knirsch et al. on Aug. 18, 1987, discloses a heat sensitive inked element using a blend of thermoplastic resins and waxes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,268, issued to S. Ueyama on Oct. 6, 1987, discloses a heat resistant substrate and a heat-sensitive transferring ink layer. An overcoat layer may be formed on the ink layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,395, issued to S. Ueyama et al., on Nov. 17, 1987, discloses a substrate, a heat-sensitive releasing layer, a coloring agent layer, and a heat-sensitive cohesive layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,079, issued to M. Nagamoto et al., on Oct. 11, 1988, discloses an image transfer type thermosensitive recording medium using thermosoftening resins and a coloring agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,729, issued to A. Mizobuchi on Oct. 18, 1988, discloses a heat transfer sheet comprising a hot melt ink layer on one surface of a film and a filling layer laminated on the ink layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,941, issued to Ohki on Sep. 26, 1989, discloses an imaged substrate with a protective layer laminated on the imaged surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,749, issued to Talvalkar on May 8, 1990, discloses a thermal transfer ribbon which comprises two layers, a thermal sensitive layer and a protective layer, both of which are water based.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,332, issued to Shini et al. on Dec. 4, 1990, discloses a recording medium for transfer printing comprising a base film, an adhesiveness improving layer, an electrically resistant layer and a heat sensitive transfer ink layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,446, issued to Taniguchi et al. on Jan. 8, 1991, describes a thermal image transfer recording medium which comprises as a main component, a saturated linear polyester resin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,563, issued to Wehr on Jan. 29,1991, discloses a thermal transfer ribbon having a thermal sensitive coating and a protective coating. The protective coating is a wax-copolymer mixture which reduces ribbon offset.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,128,308 and 5,248,652, issued to Talvalkar, each disclose a thermal transfer ribbon having a reactive dye which generates color when exposed to heat from a thermal transfer printer.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,781, issued to Obatta et al., discloses an ink ribbon for thermal transfer printers having a thermal transfer layer comprising a wax-like substance as a main component and a thermoplastic adhesive layer having a film forming property.
Many attempts have been made to improve the print quality (resolution) of thermal transfer printing ribbons, some of which are described in the patents above. This has been accomplished by careful selection of different waxes, resin binders and other additives, which are compatible with the each other and optimizing the ratios of these components to obtain uniformity, good flowing characteristics, stability and a narrow melting range.
In conventional coating formulations, fine pigment powders and the optimization of component ratios have been used to obtain good fracture between transferred material and the non-transferred layer and thereby provide good quality images. However, this technique is limited with respect to the components used and the particle size of the pigments. Pigment particles can not be easily ground finer than micron size and are difficult to disperse when this small. A coating formulation comprising Kraton 1107 styrene-isoprene-styrene block elastomer by Shell Corp., Carnauba wax, sucrose benzoate and carbon black pigment has been found to provide thermal transfer ribbons with superior print resolution with carbon black pigments of a particular particle size. The use of incompatible components may enhance the desirable print characteristics, but it has not been known to select and/or identify incompatible components which produce desirable print characteristics. It is desirable to provide additional formulations with equivalent or improved performance in print resolution consistent with the continuing effort to enhance image quality and expand the use of thermal transfer ribbons.

High print quality thermal transfer ribbons


A method of analysing changes in the electrical activity of a patient's heart between a reference state and a test state, the method using a reference data set of electrophysiological data captured from the patient in the reference state and at least one test data set of electrophysiological data captured from the patient in the test state, each data set defining a plurality of electrograms for a respective plurality of spatial locations relative to the heart, the method comprising processing the electrophysiological data by, matching each electrogram in the reference data set to a corresponding electrogram in the at least one test data set to create a pair of electrograms for each of the plurality of spatial locations, and deriving a time delay for each spatial location by calculating the time delay between the electrograms of the pair of matched electrograms for that spatial location.

Although it is now possible to collect large amounts of electrical information about the electrical changes that occur in the heart throughout the cardiac cycle, it is still difficult to process this information to predict which patients are prone to abnormalities of electrical behaviour including arrhythmias and sudden death.
Tests are available to stimulate the heart for example with pharmacological agents (for example, ajmaline, adrenaline, isoprenaline, and flecainide) or physiological stimuli (for example, exercise or change of body position on a tilt-table). Moreover, there is also a variety of ways of acquiring electrical information on the heart, including from electrograms obtained from electrodes placed on the body surface, from electrodes placed within the heart, or from electrodes placed on the surface of the heart, or any combination of these. Furthermore, this electrical information can be processed to derive electrograms that describe an imputed electrical state on the surface of the heart.
The current state-of-the-art of interpretation of these electrical data involves a human expert inspecting the data, often displayed graphically, to detect patterns or make measurements. A common challenge is the reliable identification of the time of an electrical event at an electrode, because the electrical signal is a curve, whose interpretation may vary between experts. Moreover, comparison of signals from adjacent points on the electrical signal curve may differ so that there is even more uncertainty for the expert as to which instant on a second curve corresponds to the identical point on the first curve.
The weaknesses of the current state of the art include:                a) Expertise in interpretation is relatively scarce.        b) The time taken to manually annotate times of electrical events means that even if large amounts of data are collected, only a small proportion can be analysed in a practical timeframe.        c) It is difficult to describe and visually present, in terms of quantity and spatial localisation, the patterns of degree of change of electrical events under different conditions.        d) There can be multiple conflicting interpretations of the same data.
US2012123283 describes an approach to predicting the risk of sudden cardiac death based on analysis of electrocardiograms. US2014148677 describes an approach to providing an electrical activity map of the heart using signals acquired by a plurality of surface electrodes. US2004039292 describes a system for the diagnosis and monitoring of coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndromes, cardiomyopathy and other cardiac conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 7,983,743 describes non-invasive systems and methods for determining electrical activity for a heart of a living being.

Method and apparatus for analysing changes in the electrical activity of a patient's heart in different states


An antimicrobial cementitious composition for imparting antimicrobial characteristics to cement comprises cement and an antimicrobial agent selected from the group consisting of an ortho-phenyl phenol or salt thereof, a tolyl diiodomethyl sulfone, a zinc pyrithione, an oxathiazine, an azole, a chlorothalonil, and a triazine diamine; combinations of agents also may be employed.

Cementitious compositions have been used in the construction industry for years. Examples of cementitious compositions include concrete, mortar, grout, and stucco. Stucco is commonly used in the construction of buildings, particularly on the exterior of a building in lieu of vinyl siding. A framework such as paper or metal wire is affixed to a building, for example, and stucco is applied to the framework. Stucco is typically comprised of cement and inert materials such as sand and lime.
A common problem with a cementitious composition such as stucco is that it has a high pH when it is fresh or newly applied. A high pH (e.g., >9) intrinsically protects against microorganisms and will naturally protect the material from attack by fungi and other microorganisms. However, over time, the cementitious composition is gradually neutralized and an untreated cementitious composition loses this innate efficacy against microorganisms such as bacteria, algae, mold and fungus. Furthermore, stucco is porous and absorbs moisture, which is particularly attractive to microorganisms.
Others have attempted to add antimicrobial agents to cementitious compositions and to other components of cementitious compositions such as fibers. However, there are problems that have yet to be solved with known antimicrobial cementitious compositions. For example, the high pH of cementitious compositions places unique demands on the particular choice of an antimicrobial agent. Since the pH of a cured cementitious composition tends to remain very high even after it sets, the particular antimicrobial agent chosen must be very resistant to hydrolysis at the high pH. If the antimicrobial agent is susceptible to hydrolysis, then it would be most likely to be quickly degraded. Some antimicrobial agents such as triclosan are also particularly sensitive to the combination of high pH and ultraviolet light such that the antimicrobial agent causes yellowing when the two conditions are present. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,845 discloses the use of triclosan in fibers for blending with concrete and like materials.
Another problem with many known antimicrobial agents is that they disrupt the cure chemistry of a cementitious composition. For example, certain antimicrobial agents may be susceptible to coupling with impurities and will lead to possible color changes. Still another problem with many known antimicrobial agents is that they have poor solubility in a cementitious composition. The agents may leach out of the cementitious composition and, also as a result of poor solubility, cannot be homogeneously applied to the substrate.


A truncated SE fimbria antigen useful as an antigen for immunoassay diagnosis of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) infection or evidence of infection.

The present invention relates to a method of cloning and expressing a truncated form of a fimbrial gene and the use of the truncated fimbrial gene product in an immunodiagnostic assay and for immunoprophylaxis.
Foodborne infections cause an estimated 6.5 million cases of human illness and 9000 deaths annually in the United States alone. Bacterial infections by Salmonella are the most commonly reported cause of foodborne outbreaks. Salmonella enteritidis (SE) is the dominant Salmonella serotype isolated from cases of food poisoning. Many of these outbreaks are thought to be due to infected poultry products, particularly eggs and egg products.
The best way to prevent infection in human populations is to diagnose and treat the infected animal prior to human consumption. Because the greatest threat of food poisoning from Salmonella is from poultry products, there is a need for a method to detect birds that are infected with SE.
Some current diagnostic methods rely on conventional bacteriologic cultures. However, these procedures are relatively slow, often taking up to 3 to 4 days to provide even a presumptive diagnosis. Additionally, the great susceptibility of SE to physical and chemical factors such as desiccation, radiation, low temperature, heating, or chemical preservatives, causes traditional bacteriologic culture methods to generally have a low sensitivity. Consequently, many birds or animals that are infected with SE are often not detected when conventional bacterial cultures are used.
Other diagnostic methods rely on the detection of serum antibodies specific to SE. Although several serological methods such as micro-agglutination, serum plate agglutination, latex particle agglutination microantiglobulin, ELISA have previously been employed, these assays lack either the sensitivity or specificity necessary to detect SE infected birds, or the tests are too difficult to perform in a routine laboratory or field setting. Consequently, widespread application of these tests for the detection of SE infections has been impractical.
A useful antigenic determinant that is found on many species of Enterobacteriaceae are fimbriae, proteinaceous filamentous surface structures composed of protein subunits called fimbrin. Upon infection, birds make antibodies to this SE fimbrial antigen. Therefore, the SE fimbrial antigen is useful in a diagnostic assay for the presence of SE in poultry.
SE is known to have at least four distinct fimbria, designated Sef14, Sef17, Sef18 and Sef21. These proteins are encoded by SefA, AgfA, SefD and FinA genes, respectively.
Although the gene encoding Sef14 has been identified and its DNA nucleotide sequence determined (Trucotte and Woodward, Journal of General Microbiology, 139:1477-1485 (1993)), an effective diagnostic method using this surface antigen has not been developed, partially due to the difficulty of efficiently producing the fimbriae proteins in purified form and in large quantities. Additionally, expression of Sef14 fimbriae by cultured Salmonella enteritidis is highly dependent on the growth medium composition. In a study by Thorns et al., International Journal of Food Microbiology, 21:47-53 (1994), only peptone water pH 7.2 supported the expression of Sef14 by all Salmonella enteritidis strains examined. [Consequently, previous diagnostic assays using Sef14 have used antibodies against Sef14 and not the antigen itself.]
Thorns et al., Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 34(4):792-797 (1996),have disclosed an ELISA for the detection of Salmonella enteritidis based on antibodies to an uncharacterized fraction of cell lysates having SEF14 activity. This assay suffers from the problems previously mentioned. Thorns isolates SEF14 from harvested Salmonella enteritidis 486/86 (phage type 4) rendering the process highly dependent on the growth medium and susceptible to the difficulties in efficiently producing the fimbriae proteins in purified form and in large quantities.
Hence, there is a need for a sensitive, specific and routine antigen and method to reliably detect SE infection in birds, preferably a method that is easily adaptable to large-scale screening of poultry flocks.
The use of recombinant techniques as presented herein afford a process for efficiently producing a truncated or modified form of SEF14. The truncated or modified form of SEF14 is easily isolated to a high degree of purity in large quantities suitable for use in diagnostic assays for large-scale screening.
The present invention provides a sensitive, specific, routine antigen and assay to reliably detect SE-infected animals. Specifically, the present invention provides a truncated form of the Sef14 antigen that can be easily produced in purified form and in large quantities and used in the method of the invention. The novel Sef14 antigen, when coupled to a substrate such as latex beads, provides a diagnostic assay for SE, particularly useful in large-scale screening of poultry flocks.

Recombinant Sef14 fimbrial protein from Salmonella


Novel, improved ligand-containing media, a method of preparation and use in the production of peptides, proteins, and the like, by chromatographic separation, and more specifically media having permanently attached via a covalent bond to an inert solid substrate an avidin polypeptide ligand in the dissociated renatured form which reversibly binds to certain molecules such as proteins, peptide, nucleotides, oligonucleotides, and the like and to other molecules which bind to avidin via biotinylation or by way of their secondary/tertiary micromolecular structures.

The present invention relates to improved ligand-containing media, their method of preparation and use in the production of peptides, proteins, and the like, by chromatographic separation. In a preferred embodiment the invention comprises media having permanently attached via a covalent bond to an inert solid substrate an avidin polypeptide ligand in the dissociated renatured form which reversibly binds to certain molecules (proteins, peptides, nucleotides, oligonucleotides, and the like) and other molecules which bind to avidin via biotinylation or by way of their secondary/tertiary micromolecular structures.
The production of certain peptides and proteins for use in human health, animal health, industrial, food, and agricultural markets has been hampered by high cost and scarcity, particularly in the health care area. Peptides and proteins for human health uses are naturally synthesized by living organisms for their own needs and until recently, animals, plants, cadavers, serum and urine were the only sources from which these valuable biomolecules could be obtained. For example, porcine or bovine insulin was extracted from the pancreas of pigs or cattle for use by diabetics and HGH (human growth hormone) was obtained in small quantities from cadavers to treat infantile dwarfism. These biomolecules were usually obtained in very small quantities because only limited amounts were produced biologically or they were rapidly degraded by enzymes in their environment. Two new technologies have been developed which make possible the production of almost any peptide or protein in relatively large quantities: chemical and biological synthesis.
The chemical route is achieved by solid phase (Merrifield technique) and solution phase peptide synthesis; this approach is usually limited to peptides of less than 20 amino acid residues. Biological synthesis uses genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technologies and production of cells in tissue cultures or by microbial fermentation. The biological route has been the only practical approach to the production of higher molecular weight peptides in relatively large quantities.
Since interest in these biomolecules is based on their performance, purification of the desired biomolecule becomes a very important factor, especially in the health care and food additive industries, where the cost of purification alone, usually involving multiple process steps, can represent more than half of the total cost of producing the desired biomolecules.
The prior art has taught many techniques for covalently binding materials such as proteins to solid substrates as a technique for separating the bound species. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,811 (granted Mar. 22, 1988) describes the use of polymers containing polyaldehyde groups as capable of binding compounds containing primary amino groups (e.g., protein, antibodies and drugs).
Regardless of the synthetic route used, purification is necessary and liquid chromatography has been the universal tool used for these bioseparations. Among the chromatographic approaches available (ion exchange, size exclusion, reverse phase, hydrophobic interaction, and affinity), affinity chromatography has the potential for significantly reducing the number of purification steps required. Affinity columns based on avidin are known as being useful for the isolation of various biomolecules (D. A. Fuccillo, Biotechniques, 3 (6), 494-501 (1985)). In particular, avidin-biotin interactions have been applied to the isolation of proteins from biological synthetic routes. Avidin is a basic high-molecular weight glycoprotein found in egg whites; biotin is a low-molecular weight molecule with a fused imidazole-thiophene ring system which acts as a tag for recognition by avidin, resulting in an extremely stable avidin-biotin complex. Since the synthetic route chosen usually requires isolation of the desired biomolecule from very low concentrations in its environment, the extremely high affinity of avidin for biotin has been exploited in the chromatographic concentration and isolation of biotin-tagged ("biotinylated") molecules by use of avidin affinity columns. The specificity and affinity of avidin (native tetrameric form of 4 identical subunits) for biotin is extremely high and chromatography columns based on this principle have been used for analytical purposes. However, proteins and peptides containing the biotin-tag can not be recovered from an avidin tetramer column without using harsh conditions which invariably destroy the very biomolecule being isolated. Attempts to overcome the strong binding of biotin by avidin without losing the high specificity for binding biotinylated molecules have concentrated on using solid supports to stabilize the dissociated form of avidin; however, these columns have not been satisfactory for preparative use because of the presence of several classes of binding sites with less than desirable binding capacities as well as other deficiencies associated with the particular solid support matrices used (KP Henrikson, et al., Analytical Biochemistry, 94,366-370 (1979)).
Various routes have been used to anchor the avidin moiety to a solid support. Most commonly, agarose activated to a proper form for covalent coupling of the primary amino groups of avidin is used as a support (A. D. Landman, et al., J. Chem. Educ., 53 (9), 591 (1976)). However, these covalent linkages have not proven satisfactory due to chemical instability and resultant leaching of the avidin from the support, thus reducing the operational life of the column and also contaminating the purified product sought. Other major disadvantages of these particular columns include nonspecific adsorption of proteins, compressibility of the column matrix at high liquid flow rates resulting in back pressure and reduced flow, and the sensitivity of agarose to microbial degradation. In addition, agarose materials are not susceptible to easy cleaning and sterilization. Other supports based on polystyrene or silica (Japanese Kokai Patent Application JP 64-003129 A) have been used, but these suffer from even lower binding capacities than does agarose as well as incompatibility with certain biologically important ions.
For these reasons there is a need for a purification medium which allows efficient separation and subsequent isolation of biologically important molecules in a form satisfactory for the critical needs of such fields as health care and food additives.
The terms "adsorption" or "chromatographic adsorption" are intended in the specification and the appended claims in a broad, but perhaps not entirely pure technical, sense to embrace any form of binding between chemical species, other than covalent binding. Thus, binding by affinity or Van der Walls forces, while technically distinguishable, are both intended to be included within the broad meaning of "adsorption" as used herein.


Disclosed is a constitution formed from an oxide of an element having a smaller work function than aluminum. This oxide is comprises an oxide of vanadium (V), an oxide of an alkaline earth metal and an oxide of an alkali metal. The elements for the alkaline earth metal are comprise one or more elements out of the elements calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) and at least contain barium. The elements for the alkali metal include at least one or more of sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb) and cesium (Cs). When the element vanadium is included as vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), the vanadium pentoxide content is 40-70 wt %. Thus, a glass composition for aluminum electrode wiring with an apparent work function for electrode wiring that is smaller than the work function for aluminum (Al) can be provided without the inclusion of lead.

An electrode wire is formed in a solar battery cell, or in an electronic component of a plasma display (PDP) or a liquid crystal display (LCD). Such an electrode wire is formed, using a conductive paste. Silver (Ag) or aluminum (Al) is used as metal particles for a conductive paste. An electrode wire is formed by firing a conductive paste in the atmosphere at a high temperature. Herein, in addition to metal particles, the conductive paste contains powder of a glass composition, and the glass composition becomes soft and flows when heated to a temperature higher than or equal to the softening point of the glass composition during firing of the conductive paste so that a silver electrode wire or an aluminum electrode wire becomes densified and firmly adhered to a substrate.
For this glass composition, used is a lead oxide (PbO) based glass composition that becomes soft and flows at a comparatively low temperature. However, as the lead oxide contained in the glass composition is a harmful material, in order to attain reduction in the environmental load, a lead free glass composition has come to be used for an electrode wire of a solar battery cell, an electronic component of a plasma display panel, or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 presents a lead free glass containing a bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and a silicon oxide (SiO2) to be used for a silver (Ag) electrode wire or an aluminum (Al) electrode wire formed in a solar battery cell. Further, Patent Document 2 presents a lead free glass containing a bismuth oxide and a boron oxide (B2O3) to be used for an aluminum electrode wire formed in a solar battery cell.

Glass composition and conductive paste for aluminum electrode wiring, electronic component provided with that aluminum electrode wiring and method for producing this electronic component


A polymer electrolytic material has excellent proton conductivity and excellent fuel shutting property, and accordingly provide a polymer electrolytic fuel cell with a high efficiency. This polymer electrolytic material has an unfreezable water ratio Rw1 defined by the following expression (S1) in a range of 20 to 100% by weight in hydrated state:Rw1=[Wnf/Wfc+Wnf)]×100  (S1)in which Wnf represents the unfreezable water content per 1 g of the polymer electrolytic material in dry state and Wfc represents the low freezing point water content per 1 g of the polymer electrolytic material in dry state.

Fuel cells are electric power generation apparatuses with little emission of substances, a high energy efficiency, and a low load on the environments. Therefore, they have again been in the limelight along with the increased concerns for global environmental preservation in recent years. As electric power generation apparatuses for relatively small scale decentralized power generation facilities and transportable bodies such as automobiles and ships, the fuel cells are expected to be future power generation apparatuses. Further, it is expected that the fuel cells are to be disposed in compact type mobile apparatuses such as cellular phones and personal computers in place of the secondary batteries such as nickel-hydrogen batteries and lithium ion batteries.
With respect to polymer electrolyte fuel cells (hereinafter, sometimes referred to also as PEFC), direct type fuel cells in which fuel such as methanol is directly supplied (hereinafter, sometimes referred to also as DFC) are also spotlighted in addition to conventional cells using hydrogen gas as fuel. Although the DFC has a low output as compared with a conventional PEFC, the fuel is a liquid and no reformer is required, so that the energy density is increased and the power generation duration per single charge is long.
A polymer electrolytic fuel cell generally is composed as a cell unit by forming a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) composed of electrodes, an anode and a cathode, which cause reaction of generating electricity, and a polymer electrolytic member to be a proton conductor between the anode and the cathode and sandwiching the MEA with separators. In this case, each electrode is composed of an electrode substrate (also called as a gas diffusion electrode or an electric collector) for promoting gas diffusion and collecting electricity (or supplying electricity) and an electrode catalytic layer where electrochemical reaction is actually carried out. For example, in the case of an anode of PEFC, fuel such as hydrogen gas is reacted in the catalytic layer of the anode to generate proton and electron and the electron is transmitted to the electrode substrate and the proton is transmitted to the polymer electrolytic member. Therefore, the anode is required to have good gas diffusivity, electron conductivity, and proton conductivity. On the other hand, in a cathode, an oxidizing gas such as oxygen and air is reacted with the proton transmitted from the polymer electrolytic member and the electron transmitted from the electrode substrate to produce water in the catalytic layer of the cathode. Therefore, the cathode is required to efficiently discharge produced water in addition to the gas diffusivity, electron conductivity, and proton conductivity.
Particularly, with respect to electrolytic membranes for DFC using organic compounds such as methanol as fuel among solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells, in addition to the properties required for the electrolytic membranes for conventional PEFC using hydrogen as fuel, fuel permeation suppression is also required. The fuel permeation in the electrolytic membrane is called as fuel cross-over (FCO) or chemical short to cause a problem of decrease of fuel cell output and energy capacity.
Further, in a direct fuel cell, properties different from those of conventional PEFC using hydrogen gas as fuel are required. That is, with respect to the direct fuel cell, in the anode, fuel such as an aqueous methanol solution is reacted in the catalytic layer of the anode to generate proton, electron, and carbon dioxide and the electron is transmitted to the electrode substrate, the proton is transmitted to the polymer electrolyte, and the carbon dioxide passes the electrode substrate and is release to the outside of the system. Therefore, in addition to the required characteristics of the anode of a conventional PEFC, permeability of fuel such as an aqueous methanol solution and discharge property of carbon dioxide are also required. Further in the cathode of the direct fuel cell, in addition to the reactions similar to those in a conventional PEFC, reaction of fuel such as methanol passed through the electrolytic membrane and an oxidizing gas such as oxygen or air is caused in the catalytic layer of the cathode to produce water. Therefore, the water to be produced is more than that produced in a conventional PEFC and it is required to further efficiently discharge water.
Conventionally, perfluoro type proton conductive polymer membranes represented by Nafion (trade name, manufactured by Du Pont de Nemours & Co.) have been used as polymer electrolytic membranes. However, these perfluoro type proton conductive polymer membranes have high permeation quantities of fuel such as methanol in the direct type fuel cells and thus there are problems that the cell output and the energy capacity are insufficient. Further, the perfluoro type proton conductive polymers are every expensive in cost due to used of fluorine.
For that, non-fluoro type proton conductive polymer electrolytes are desired in markets and some developments of polymer electrolytic membranes base on non-fluoro type polymers have been tried.
For example, in 1950's, styrene type cation exchange resins have been investigated. However, they have been found insufficient in the strength as membranes in the state for use of general fuel cells and consequently, they have failed to give sufficient cell lives.
Fuel cells using sulfonated aromatic polyether ether ketones as electrolytes have been investigated. For example, it is disclosed (reference to Non-patent Document No. 1) that aromatic polyether ether ketones (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as PEEK) hardly soluble in organic solvents are made soluble in organic solvents and easy to form membranes by sulfonation to a far extent. However, these sulfonated PEEK are improved also in hydrophilicity and become water-soluble or deteriorated in the strength at the time of water absorption. The polymer electrolytic fuel cells generally produce water as a byproduct by the reaction of fuel and oxygen and in DFC, water is contained in the fuel in almost all cases and therefore, in the case particularly such sulfonated PEEK become water-soluble, they are not suitable to be used as electrolytes for fuel cells as they are.    [Non-patent Document No. 1]: Polymer, 1987, vol. 28, 1009.
Non-patent Document No. 2 describes sulfonated compounds of PSF (UDELP-1700) and PES which are aromatic polyether sulfones (reference to Non-patent Document No. 2). There is description that the sulfonated PSF completely become water soluble and cannot be evaluated as electrolytes. Meanwhile, although the sulfonated PES do not become water soluble, they have a problem of high water absorption and therefore, cannot be expected to be highly effective to suppress fuel cross-over.    [Non-patent Document No. 2]: Journal of Membrane Science, 83 (1993) 211-220.
Further, Non-patent Document No. 3 describes sulfonated compounds of polyphosphazenes as phosphorus polymer-based polymer proton conductors. However, the sulfonated polyphosphazenes are considerably hydrophilic in the main chains themselves and the water contents are too high to expect them to have a high fuel cross-over suppression effect.    [Non-patent Document No. 3]: Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 71 (1999) 387-399.
Further, a variety of other types of polymer electrolytic membranes produced by introducing anionic groups into non-fluoro aromatic polymers have been proposed (Patent Documents Nos. 1 and 2, Non-patent Document No. 1).    [Patent Document No. 1]: US Patent Application laid-open No. 2002/91225    [Patent Document No. 2]: U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,675    [Non-patent Document No. 4]: Journal of Membrane Science, Vol. 197, 231-242 (2002).
However, these conventional polymer electrolytic membranes become easy to take water in the inside if the introduction amounts of the ionic groups to obtain high conductivity and have a defective point that the cross-over of fuel such as methanol is significant. The polymer electrolytic membranes contain low freezing point water in a large quantity in the membranes and unfreezable water at a low ratio and therefore, it is supposed that fuel such as methanol is easy to pass through the low freezing point water and the fuel cross-over becomes significant.
Patent Document No. 3 discloses polymer electrolytic materials comprising sulfonated polyether type copolymers containing fluorene components. However, the document does not sufficiently description of groups effective for shutting the fuel or of membrane formation methods and according to follow up experiments by inventors, membrane formation is difficult by the method described and no polymer electrolytic membrane is formed.
Further, there are descriptions of polymer electrolytic materials of sulfonated polyether type copolymers containing both fluorene component and phenylene component in Examples 19 and 24 of Patent Document No. 4. However, the fluorene component is introduced only at 20% by mole and the production method and the membrane formation method are different from those of the invention, so that the swelling to the fuel is significant and the cross-over of fuel is considerable and thus the polymer electrolytic materials are not practical for use and the polymer electrolytic materials have a low unfreezable water ratio.    [Patent Document No. 3]: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-226575    [Patent Document No. 4]: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-524631.
Further, composite membranes of proton conductive polymers and other polymers are also proposed. For example, composite membranes comprising sulfonated polyphenylene oxide and polyvinylidene fluoride (Patent Document No. 5) have been known. Also, composite membranes comprising sulfonated polystyrene and polyvinylidene fluoride (Patent Document No. 6) have been known. However, the polymer electrolytic membranes described in these documents are membranes of blended polymers of ion conductive polymers and polyvinylidene fluoride and easy to cause significant phase separation structure in μm order owing to bad compatibility of the polymers and thus it has been difficult to satisfy both of high conductivity and fuel cross-over suppression simultaneously. In the polymer electrolytic membranes, low freezing point water and bulk water exist in inter-phases and the ratio of the unfreezable water in the electrolytic membranes is low, so that it is supposed to be difficult to suppress the fuel cross-over.
Further, membranes of composites of proton conductive polymers and copolymers of siloxanes having nitrogen atom-containing groups and metal oxides have been known (Patent Document No. 7). Also, composites of Nafion (trade name, manufactured by Du Pont de Nemours & Co.) and siloxanes have been known (Non-patent Documents Nos. 5 and 6). However, since the membranes described in these documents use Nafion, perfluoro type proton conductive polymers, even if the membranes are composite membranes with other polymers, it is difficult to satisfy both of high proton conductivity and low fuel cross-over simultaneously.
Further, ion exchange materials obtained by polymerizing compositions containing monomers having unsaturated bonds and monomers capable of introducing crosslinking structure after impregnation of porous substrates with the compositions and then sulfonating the produced polymerization products (reference to Patent Document No. 8). However, in the case of using the membranes for direct methanol type fuel cell (hereinafter, also referred to as DMFC), although it takes a long time to carry out sulfonation, the proton conductivity is insufficient and it is difficult to obtain proton conductivity high enough for practical use of the DMFC.    [Patent Document No. 5]: U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,414    [Patent Document No. 6]: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-504636    [Patent Document No. 7]: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-110200    [Patent Document No. 8]: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-12835    [Non-patent Document No. 5]: Polymers, Vol. 43, 2311-2320 (2002)    [Non-patent Document No. 6]: Journal of Material Chemistry, Vol. 12, 834-837 (2002).
In these conventional techniques, there are problems that the electrolytes to be obtained are expensive: that waterproofness (anti-swelling) is insufficient and therefore, the strength is insufficient or fuel cross-over is significant: and that the oxidation resistance and radical resistance are inferior.
The invention aims to provide a polymer electrolytic material excellent in proton conductivity and also excellent in the fuel shutting property and accordingly to provide a polymer electrolytic fuel cell with a high efficiency.

Polymer electrolytic material, polymer electrolytic part, membrane electrode assembly, and polymer electrolyte fuel cell


An airbrush spraying device particularly adapted for the application of beauty products includes a tubular main body that is attached to a pressurized air supply. A control switch is situated on a top side of the airbrush. The control switch is connected to a mechanism that controls an air valve and a position of a makeup flow control mechanism. The air valve is an on/off mechanism, but the makeup flow control mechanism includes adjusting means so that the flow rate of makeup through the airbrush can be controlled by the user. The makeup is supplied to the airbrush from one of a plurality of makeup collars that are affixed to the main body of the airbrush. In order to enable the user to accurately apply the makeup, a mirror and a standoff marker are affixed to a forward end of the airbrush.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an airbrush spraying device, and more particularly is an airbrush adapted to enable the user to self-apply beauty products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, it has become standard practice to apply various paints and pigments to a person's body by means of a spraying apparatus commonly referred to as an airbrush. The airbrush is used to accurately spray paints, or some other pigmented material used as a decorative and protective finish with an expectation of extended durability and wear. The beauty products are applied daily or more often for esthetic and therapeutic purposes.
One example of such a device in the prior art is the "Spraying Apparatus" of Ching, U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,400, issued Mar. 10, 1992. The device is connected to a pressurized air supply, and is operated by a sliding thumb switch. The makeup to be applied is contained in a cup mounted on the airbrush body. While this device is an excellent means of applying makeup, it does have several shortcomings.
Further, the Ching device is operated by a switch that is basically on/off. The user cannot easily control of the flow rate of makeup from the device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that has multiple interchangeable makeup supply reservoirs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a control switch that allows the user to easily adjust the flow rate of makeup from the device.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device that can be constructed from dishwasher safe plastic parts, so that the device can be cleaned in a dishwasher.

Airbrush spraying device for beauty products


An automotive seat assembly with improved side impact rigidity is provided including a seat frame. The seat frame includes a frame track, a frame base slidably engaged to the frame track, and a frame back rotatably engaged to the frame base. A rear lateral support assembly includes a support frame attached to a rear portion of the frame base such that the support frame is movable in concert with the frame base. The support frame defines a pocket portion. A tubular member is positioned within the pocket portion. A rocker panel end cap assembly secures a first end of the tubular member within the pocket portion. The rocker panel end cap positioned to engage a rocker panel during side impact. A tunnel console end cap assembly secures a second end of the tubular member within the pocket portion. The tunnel console end cap assembly is positioned to engage a tunnel console such that the tubular member generates a rigid support between the rocker panel and the tunnel console.

The present invention relates generally to an automotive seat assembly and more particularly to seat assembly for contributing to increase side-impact rigidity.
Automotive side-impact protection is a significant field in automotive design. Automobile side impact protection often includes mandated parameters in accordance with federal requirements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration additionally has begun performing a higher velocity Lateral Impact New Car Assessment Program (LINCAP) test, using a moving deformable barrier (MDB) to arrive at a performance rating for each vehicle. The importance of positive performance on such testing, in addition to customer safety and satisfaction, places automotive side impact protection as an important design consideration.
It is apparent that during many simulations, the MDB generates interaction with the rocker panel of the struck vehicle. Common MDBs create a simulated vehicle to strike the test impact vehicle. Newer MDBs used to simulate SUVs and pickup trucks (such as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing (IIHS)) have been found to generate further interaction with the rocker panel of the struck vehicle. In fact, the higher ground clearance and mass of these new MDBs, when striking a test passenger vehicle, has been found to override the rocker panel and generate additional side impact intrusion. This is clearly undesirable.
The lateral strength of vehicle seats positioned within the struck vehicle play a role in side-impact test ratings. Vehicle crash comparisons demonstrate that a seat that is stronger in lateral compression may improve the LINCAP and other side-impact test ratings. Lateral seat strength may play an even more important role in the IIHS testing as the IIHS MDB typically contacts the struck vehicle in an even higher location that the federal requirements test.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have an automotive design with improved side impact rigidity to resist intrusion during side impact. It would further be highly desirable to have an automotive seat assembly that contributed toward prevention of rocker override and side-impact intrusions.

Automotive seat assembly with improved side impact rigidity


A battery condition detecting method is provided which includes the steps of setting a current required during standard discharge of a battery as a set current, detecting a discharge current and a voltage of the battery, determining a battery voltage when the battery discharges the set current based on the discharge current and the voltage of die battery, and projecting an actual voltage of the battery based on the battery voltage determined.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a method for determining conditions of a storage battery, and more particularly to an improved method for determining the amount of available reserve electric power remaining in an automotive storage battery to know a time when the battery should be recharged.
2. Background Art
An available capacity remaining in a battery is usually expressed in ampere-hours (AH), and determined by, for example, measuring current and voltage during discharge and looking up given data provided based on the measured current and voltage.
Japanese Patent First Publication No. 52-70234 teaches a simple battery capacity determining method utilizing a voltage level detected when a given battery current value is reached.
Generally, in a storage battery installed in vehicles, especially, employed as a power source of an electric vehicle, a discharged current and a battery voltage during vehicle traveling are frequently varied. The variation in the battery voltage, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), undergoes a delay following an abrupt variation in the discharged current. Thus, when a battery voltage is measured immediately after change in current, it will contain an error. This is because the specific gravity of electrolyte initially experiences a great reduction near electrodes, and then decreases wholly as a function of time.
Additionally, in an electric vehicle, the battery is recharged every time the vehicle is braked, leading to charge polarization of the battery. This will cause a battery voltage to be changed higher than a normal level. It, therefore, becomes difficult to determine a battery voltage correctly.
Further, continuous discharge of the battery also induces discharge polarization. This, as shown in FIG. 4, causes a battery consumption (AH) to be changed dependent upon an average current discharged so far if a battery voltage during discharge at given amperes (e.g., 200A) remains unchanged. Specifically, as the average discharged current increases, the battery consumption at a constant voltage, as shown by lines x, y, and z, tends to be decreased. Therefore, when the battery is discharged continuously with a great change in discharged current, it is difficult to determine a remaining battery capacity based on the battery voltage during discharge at given amperes (e.g., 200A).
Tie above phenomenon may be explained using a discharge characteristic of a constant current shown in FIG. 5. As can be seen in the graph, as an average discharge current is increased, a voltage drop, as shown by lines x, y, z, is developed earlier so that an available discharge duration is shortened, resulting in decreased available discharge capacity (discharge current x discharge duration). Thus, in this case, a remaining battery capacity cannot be used to determine battery conditions.


A method of resetting an active emissions system error indicator associated with a vehicle. The method comprises performing at least a first requesting step, where the requesting step is performed indirectly by using a record mode function until said active e emissions system error indicator resets in response to the requesting step. In one embodiment an additional step comprises the additional step of performing at least a second requesting step for a second type of information, the second requesting step performed either manually or by the record mode function. In a particular embodiment of the invention, an electronic tool, such as a bi-directional scan tool, is used to perform the firsgt and second requesting steps.

It has become apparent that gas emissions from vehicles (such as automobiles) can contribute to air pollution, especially in particularly congested areas, such as large cities. Accordingly, modem vehicles are equipped with sophisticated emissions systems that are configured to reduce harmful emissions from the vehicle. These vehicles are also equipped with a variety of sophisticated emissions-related devices for informing the vehicle's owner and vehicle technicians if the vehicle's emissions systems are not functioning properly.
One such emissions-related device is a "check engine" light (or malfunction indicator light), which is commonly located on the vehicle's dashboard. Such "check engine" lights are typically configured to illuminate when the vehicle's on-board computer detects a problem with the vehicle's emissions system.
The vehicle is also equipped with a variety of emissions-related sensors that are configured to monitor (either continuously or intermittently) various aspects of the vehicle's emissions system. These sensors are configured to transmit data to a computer within the vehicle for analysis by the computer. If the computer determines that data from one or more of the sensors is indicative of a problem within the vehicle's emissions system, the computer activates one or more system error indicators (which are commonly referred to as readiness monitor points or "flags"). These system error indicators are then used to help technicians diagnose and repair the vehicle's emissions system. In addition, the system error indicators may be used by state-certified emissions testing authorities to determine whether the vehicle meets state emissions standards.
In many states, such as Georgia, in order for a vehicle to pass a regularly scheduled emissions test, the vehicle's "check engine" light must be off, and the vehicle must not have any currently active system error indictors (e.g., the vehicle's OBD II readiness monitors must not indicate that there is a problem with the vehicle's emissions-related systems or components). If a vehicle fails inspection, the owner typically takes the vehicle to a mechanic who uses a diagnostic tool, such as a "scan tool", to determine which of the vehicle's system error indicators are currently active. The mechanic then uses this information to determine which, if any, specific repairs are needed to bring the vehicle into compliance with emissions standards.
Once the repairs are done, it is necessary to deactivate or "reset" any active system error indicators. To do this, a technician typically puts the vehicle through a "drive cycle", such as the Ford P1OOO, I/M Readiness Code Drive Cycle. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, during the "drive cycle", the vehicle is operated in various prescribed ways for specified periods of time.
When putting the vehicle through the drive cycle, the technician also activates various vehicle systems, such as the vehicle's air conditioning system. If all of the vehicle's systems are functioning properly, and if the drive cycle is executed properly by the technician, all of the vehicle's active system error indicators will reset automatically in response to the vehicle being put through the drive cycle. Technicians typically attach a scan tool to the vehicle while performing the drive cycle to manually verify, in real time, that the vehicle's system error indicators are resetting properly.
Once the technician determines that all of the vehicle's system error indicators have reset properly, the vehicle's owner takes the vehicle back to an emissions testing facility where an emissions tester verifies that the vehicle's check engine light is not illuminated, and that none of the vehicle's system error indicators are "active" (e.g., that the current status of all the vehicle's readiness monitors is "ready"). Once this verification process is complete, the vehicle is certified as having passed the emissions test.
One problem with the current emissions testing process is that the prior art process of resetting active system error indicators is unnecessarily time-consuming. This is due to the fact that standard drive cycles typically require that the vehicle be driven for at least 40 minutes to properly complete the drive cycle. In fact, it commonly takes an hour or more to properly reset a vehicle's system error indicators using prior art techniques.
Another problem with current emissions testing processes is that the prior art process of resetting active system error indicators is often difficult and unsafe. This is due to the fact that standard drive cycles often require that the vehicle be driven in a rigorously prescribed manner in order to reset the various system error indicators. For example, the Ford drive cycle referenced above requires that a driver drive the vehicle continuously for 10 minutes at a speeds of 45–65 mph while avoiding sharp turns and hills. This can be difficult and unsafe to achieve in certain settings, especially on the congested roadways common to most major cities.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for resetting active emissions system error indicators that may be performed quickly and safely.

Systems and methods for resetting vehicle emission system error indicators


A unique routing system and method that facilitates adjusting waypoint locations to optimize a cost function and presenting more relevant contextual advertisements based in part on the waypoint locations. The system and method involve examining waypoint locations including a start, end, and any in-between waypoint to determine whether they are reachable or routable according to the preferred mode of transportation. Adjustments can be made to one or more of the waypoint locations in order to accommodate this mode of transportation in view of a given cost function. Adjustments can be made that optimize the cost function to minimize overall costs. Multi-modal routing can be initiated as well to configure a route using the selected or adjusted waypoints and multiple modes of transportation in order to optimize the cost function. Adjustments and the selection of contextual advertisements can be based on user intention and several other route related factors.

From onboard navigation systems to online navigation and mapping websites, users have virtually unlimited resources when it comes to obtaining driving directions. For example, in their personal vehicle, they can be given turn-by-turn directions to a selected destination and can be provided with a map display of their current location as they proceed along. For those who plan ahead, directions can be obtained and trips can be planned from the Internet or other computer program according to selected start and end points. Despite the many conveniences that both of these conventional techniques provide, they tend to be more problematic and restrictive in use. For instance, such conventional systems rely on and in most cases require address input in order to determine a reasonable set of driving directions. Otherwise, the midpoint of the end destination or beginning point is used. So if a user selects Los Angeles, Calif. as the end destination, conventional systems provide directions to about the midpoint of the city, which is probably not useful considering the size of the city.
Furthermore, conventional routing systems tend to assume that the user can travel from start to finish using the same means of transportation which in some cases may not be true. Oftentimes, these systems also fail to account for travel delays such as road construction or traffic volumes and rather focus only on the route.

Waypoint adjustment and advertisement for flexible routing


The present invention relates to a flag forming device after laser notching of a secondary battery for an electric vehicle, and particularly, to a flag forming device after laser notching of a secondary battery for an electric vehicle configured by stacking electrode rolls within a circular box, which makes a flag shape by notching an uncoated portion having no coating of a negative electrode and a positive electrode with a laser, and makes the uncoated flag made by laser notching pass through a flag forming unit before winding to enable an uncoated tap to be folded inward. The present invention includes a flag forming device after laser notching of a secondary battery for an electric vehicle of the present invention including a tilt EPC unit 1 which moves a pole plate while maintaining a material uniformly and constantly at a setting value of an EPC sensor when the pole plate is moved, the EPC sensor 2 which numerically indicates the degree of distortion when the pole plate is moved through the tilt EPC unit 1, a flag forming unit 3 which molds a flag of the pole plate moved through the EPC sensor 2, an encoder roller 4 which measures a movement distance of the pole plate passing through the flag forming unit 3, a winding unit 5 which winds an electrode that has passed through the flag forming unit 3, and an air nozzle 6 which blows air before an uncoated flag is wound in the winding unit 5 to enable an uncoated tab to be folded inward.

In general, lithium ion batteries have not been commercialized due to stability problems due to the high reactivity of lithium, but have recently started to be commercialized and the lithium ion batteries have the following advantages compared to other batteries.
That is, because lithium metal is lighter than any other metal, the lithium metal has a very large energy density and large electromotive force, and has no memory effect, so the lithium ion battery may be charged even in a charged state at a certain degree without being completely discharged, and power loss due to self-discharge is very little.
The lithium ion secondary battery having the foregoing advantages is a high-voltage battery with stability because the lithium ion secondary battery can be rapidly charged due to an inflow reaction of lithium ions, in which a charging reaction of the negative electrode is relatively fast, and exist in the state of lithium ions, and the lithium ion secondary battery is mainly used in portable electronic devices, such as a mobile phone and a notebook computer, because the lithium ion secondary battery has large charging capacity and can be miniaturized, and recently, the lithium ion secondary battery is used in a battery for an electric vehicle.
The lithium ion secondary battery is completed by manufacturing a positive electrode and a negative electrode by applying a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material on metal foil, manufacturing a jelly roll by putting a separation film between both electrodes and winding the separation film, inserting the jelly roll (electrode roll) into a cylindrical or square metal container, and filling the cylindrical or square metal container with an electrolyte and sealing the cylindrical or square metal container.
The jelly roll refers to a product produced by winding the secondary battery.
Herein, the jelly roll is finally finished and completed in such a manner that a negative electrode plate is first wound, the separation film is wound on the negative electrode plate, a positive electrode plate is wound on the separation film, a positive electrode surrounds a negative electrode at the topmost portion with the separation film interposed therebetween, and the separation film is located on the surface.
The secondary battery used in an electric vehicle is a chemical cell that repeats charging and discharging by using reversible interconversion of chemical energy and electrical energy, and high-performance secondary batteries include Ni-MH secondary batteries and lithium secondary batteries, and lithium secondary batteries include lithium metal secondary batteries, lithium ion secondary batteries (prismatic, cylindrical, and pouch types), lithium ion polymer secondary batteries, lithium polymer secondary batteries, and the like.
Recently, with the commercialization of electric vehicles, research on automation equipment for mass production of the lithium secondary batteries is being actively conducted along with the development of large-sized lithium secondary batteries for electric vehicles.
Among the lithium ion secondary batteries, in particular, pouch-type batteries are easily deformable in shape, have low manufacturing costs, and are small in weight, so the demand for pouch-type batteries is increasing.
An electrode film for forming an electrode assembly is manufactured in a form in which an active material is applied to a part and the active material is not applied to the remaining part, and an electrode body is exposed.
An exposed portion in which the electrode body is exposed as described above is processed to serve as an electrode terminal for connecting the positive electrode and the negative electrode when the electrode assembly is configured, and the electrode film processed is processed by applying the active material on a conductor of a thin film configuring the electrode body to enable such processing, and is indistinguishable.
In general, the notching device is a device that forms a terminal part by cutting the exposed portion of the electrode film and a part of the coating part to which the active material is applied, and forms the terminal part by cutting a part of the exposed portion by using punching or a laser.
In the related art, the noting device using punching is mainly used, but recently, the use of a notching device using a laser, which causes less damage to the electrode compared to punching, and achieves efficient production, is increasing.
When the laser is used in the related art, unlike the existing punching device, an efficient arrangement of the working machine need to be made in consideration of a path of the laser, but the current notching device has a problem in that laser efficiency is lowered.

Flag forming device after laser notching of secondary batteries for electric vehicles


A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for generating contextualized live auction feeds. The method of generating contextualized live auction feeds comprises receiving context data from a user. The method further comprises utilizing the context data received from the user to search auctions. The method, in one embodiment, includes generating contextualized live auction feeds for an auction based on the context data.

The internet continues to expand as a source of information gathering, information distribution, and a marketplace for consumer goods. Websites, computer desktops, and other computer applications that were once composed of static or fixed content, now provide live content to readers. Feeds can be incorporated into a user interface, either manually, by software, or through the use of online services, to provide relevant and up-to-date information, in the form of links, short textual excerpts, or a combination of both. Generally, a feed is created based on manual selection, a keyword search of content, constructed rules, or automated algorithms. The result is feed content consisting of a group of links, news headlines, podcasts, weblogs, etc.
A powerful feature of a feed is that it provides relevant data, such as news data, to a person who is a consumer of the content of the feed. The feed generally represents current content. When new content is added to a feed, the old content is removed. Thus, the user sees current information. Because of the ability to provide up-to-date information, feeds are typically incorporated into other content such as web sites, newsletters, weblogs, intranets, applications, kiosks, phones, set top boxes (i.e., cable television), etc. However, one significant limitation of a feed is that the content of the feed is determined in advance.
One attempt to overcome the limitation of predetermined feed content is contextualized advertising. In contextualized advertising, a website may decide to include feeds that provide advertisements to the website, usually in the form of banner ads, pop-up, advertisement frames, etc. The contextualized advertisement feeds include the ability to analyze the content of a website and provide an advertisement relevant to the content currently being supplied by the website.
A drawback to contextualized advertisements is the possibility of displaying an inappropriate or unwanted advertisement on a website. If a website publishes an article harshly criticizing a major airline, analysis of the content by a contextualized advertisement service may pick up on references to the airline in the article. According to the discussion above, a contextualized advertisement server might then insert an advertisement for that airline into the website. However, supplying an advertisement for the airline to a website criticizing the airline would neither be relevant nor appropriate. The problem described above would be true for any server that is attempting to add contextualized advertisements to a user interface.
Another area of great interest on the internet is in the expansion and growth of internet auctions. An internet auction is generally facilitated by an auction host that provides sellers a marketplace to offer their goods for sale. The auction host also allows buyers to bid on the goods over a predetermined period of time. At the conclusion of the auction, the highest bidder wins, which can result in great financial savings to the buyer. Because of the explosion in popularity of internet auctions, there are currently millions of items for sale on auction hosts. However, because of the staggering number of items for sale in internet auctions, it can be difficult for a potential buyer to locate a specific item. Furthermore, a buyer may not be aware of similar but equally relevant items to an item the user is currently searching for.
Another drawback of the current state of internet auctions is that while the auction is underway, a potential buyer may not be fully apprised of the current state of the auction. Unless the buyer sets up a messaging service or periodically navigates to an auction host, the buyer may miss critical updates to the auction, such as the current bid, how much time is left in an auction, whether a reserve price has been met, etc. These critical pieces of information often determine the outcome of an auction and the success or failure of a potential buyer in winning an auction and acquiring the desired goods.

Method and apparatus for creating contextualized auction feeds