The invention relates to a compound capable of blocking the absorption of heavy metals by plants and a composition containing the same. The compound was extracted from Aegiceras corniculatum. The compound is extracted by enzyme extraction, filtration, concentrating and drying. The compound is derived from natural plants, and no organic solvents are used in the extraction process. The compound and the composition formed by the compound have a certain barrier effect on the absorption of heavy metals by plants.

When plants are poisoned by cadmium, generally, the growth and development of cells and the entire plant are strongly inhibited, and mitochondria and chloroplasts are greatly damaged, resulting in affected respiration and photosynthesis. Leaves turn yellow, plant biomass declines, and dry mass reduces. Water and ion migration in guard cells are greatly affected, resulting in water shortage and wilting of the entire plant. At the same time, plant cell membrane permeability increases and free proline accumulation in the body increases, which in severe cases leads to plant death. Cadmium mainly affects the physiological metabolism of plants. Cadmium also inhibits cell division and plant growth. Experiments have shown that the effect of cadmium on the auxin carrier is related to the inhibition of cell elongation. When Donghua Liu and other researchers studied the effect of cadmium on the division and growth of onion root tip cells, they found that it inhibited cell division by affecting calmodulin involved in the assembly and disassembly of spindle tubulin. After plants absorb heavy metal cadmium, chlorophyll synthesis in the body is inhibited, which ultimately leads to the inhibition of photosynthesis. Treatment of rice plants at the tillering stage with cadmium revealed that the chlorophyll content in rice leaves was significantly reduced and chlorophyll a was reduced less than chlorophyll b. This shows that heavy metal cadmium has a significant effect on the pigment of rice leaves at the tillering stage. Cadmium can impair plant tolerance to water stress. When the relative water content and the leaf water content are relatively high, the elasticity of the plant cell wall becomes poor, causing the loss of turgor pressure, which causes the plant's tolerance to water stress to decrease. When plants are treated with cadmium, the stomata resistance of the plant leaves will increase, which causes the stomata pore size of the plant leaves to decrease, and the rate of transpiration slows down, which weakens the main motive force of the plant for water absorption and transportation. In addition, cadmium can also cause the xylem cell wall to degenerate, reducing the transport of water to the xylem at the same time, and eventually leading to plant wilting. Mitochondria are more sensitive organelles when poisoned by cadmium. When amaranth is poisoned by heavy metal cadmium, the mitochondria of leaf mesophyll cells disintegrates first, and the nucleoli divides into many pieces. Cadmium ions can increase the passive permeability of mitochondrial hydrogen ions and prevent oxidative phosphorylation of mitochondria. They can also increase the resistance of plant stomata, which directly affects the migration of water and ions in guard cells and hinders plant respiration. Peng Ming et al. observed the disintegration or swelling of plastid matrix particles when studying the damage of cadmium ions to maize seedlings. In order to reduce the use of heavy metals in plants, the following methods are generally available:
The bioavailability of heavy metals in soil depends on whether the heavy metals are easily absorbed by plants. Bioavailability is largely determined by plant rhizosphere microorganisms. Rhizosphere microorganisms can change the solubility, mobility, availability and specificity of metals by changing the pH value. The presence of rhizobia (a soil-fungi strain that is mutually beneficial with the roots of most plant ducts) can promote detoxification of plants and increase their tolerance to heavy metals. P. aeruginosa reduces the absorption of Cd2+ by pumpkin and mustard by increasing the utilization of Cd2+ in the soil. In order to prevent Cd from flowing into their host, Cd2+ will also be bound to sulfur-rich compounds such as glutathione and γ-glutamylcysteine to reduce the utilization of cadmium in plants.
The cell wall is the first structure where plants are exposed to heavy metals and contains xanthones and fructooligosaccharides. Thrombin exists in a large number of root endothelial cell walls, which can act as a barrier to control the cell body's absorption of water and minerals, and affect the accumulation and transport of nutrients and minerals. Fructooligosaccharides contain polysaccharides and are capable of binding divalent and trivalent heavy metal ions. Most essential and non-essential elements enter the plant in the form of divalent ions, such as Zn2+, Cd2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Cu2+. Therefore, the plant body can promote the binding of heavy metal cations to the cell wall by changing the composition of the cell wall, which can reduce its own absorption of toxic metals. Under cadmium stress, it was found that the number of lignin biosynthesis genes and cell enlargement genes in Arabidopsis thaliana were increased, but high levels of expression were maintained in thlaspi. It can be known that plants sensitive to Cd2+, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, can use lignin as a physical barrier to prevent Cd2+ from entering the plant.
Metal precipitation is another way to limit heavy metals to enter the plant body. Just as in Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant that accumulates heavy metals at excessive levels, cadmium phosphate compounds accumulate more outside the cell wall of the root epidermis. It shows that the potential root cell wall structure can reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals in plants, thereby enhancing the plant's tolerance to heavy metals.
There are several ways for heavy metals to enter plant symbiotic bodies: simple diffusion, passive transport of channel proteins, or active transport of transport proteins. Among them, active transporter plays a major role. This type of transporter is generally called a metal transporter, which has different transport capabilities for different heavy metals. Cd2+ is chemically similar to Zn and Fe. At present, no specific transporter of cadmium has been reported in plant cells. The absorption of cadmium in plants is likely to be carried out by ZIP transporter. This transporter has a strong specific transport capacity for Zn2+ or Fe2+, but it has a poor transport capacity for cadmium. Therefore, there is a chance of Cd2+ absorption in root cells. The super-absorption of cadmium by thlaspi eventually accumulated into the xylem juice. Under iron deficiency, the IRT1 gene can be strongly induced, causing a strong uptake of cadmium in plants. However, this view has not yet been confirmed.
Heavy metals generally need to be chelated by ligands through the cell membrane to reduce unnecessary association with cell complexes. These ligands include oligopeptides, organic acids, amino acids, and proteins. The heavy metal-ligand complex structure is an important part of the molecular mechanism of heavy metal balance, and metal chelation products play an important role in the plant's resistance to heavy metal stress. Compared with heavy metal non-super-accumulation species, heavy metal hyper-accumulation species have higher phytochelatin accumulation, which indicates that plant chelate peptides play an important role in detoxification of heavy metals, isolation of heavy metals, and elimination of heavy metals.
The present application discovered a compound having an ability to absorb heavy metals by extracting the plants that have a good absorption effect on heavy metal.
Aegiceras corniculatum is one of the important tree species that make up the mangrove forest. It is produced in the southern coast of China. The seed germinates before it leaves the mother tree, so it is called viviparous tree. Shrubs or small trees; leaf leathery, obovate, blunt; flowers bisexual, 5 petals, stipitate, arranged in gum or terminal umbels; sepals shingled; corolla tube short, 5 lobes; 5 stamens; filaments basal connate, born at the base of the corolla, with a diaphragm in the medicine room, divided into several chambers; upper ovary, oblong, with many ovules; capsules cylindrical, sharp, curved like horns, leathery. Aegiceras corniculatum, a common mangrove species, grows at the end of the offshore side. The leaf pattern is clearer than that of Kandelia, the petiole is red, and salt is often excreted on the leaf surface. The roots of the Aegiceras corniculatum are stretched horizontally under the soil surface to stabilize the tree body. The flowering period is from January to April and the fruit period is from May to September. Aegiceras corniculatum is also a common tree species in Fujian Province and has low temperature resistance. Aegiceras corniculatum is be widely distributed, but not as cold-resistant as Kandelia. It is widely distributed in Guangdong Province, Guangxi Province, and Fujian Province, especially at the outer edge of tidal flats or at the intersection of estuaries and the outer edge of Kandelia forest. The wood of Aegiceras corniculatum is yellow-green in appearance. The bases of the trees are more branched and the tops of the trees are flat. The height of this species decreases with increasing latitude. The structure of Aegiceras corniculatum forest is simple and has only one layer. Due to the many branches at the base, the diameter of the base is generally about 15 cm, and the larger one can reach 30 cm. Large plant clumps can produce short and dense pillar roots to support the tree body. Occasionally, small trees, such as red mangrove and bony soil, are also grown in the Aegiceras corniculatum forest, and they may grow in layers with candel.
It is known that plants of the same type can have different absorption and enrichment abilities of different heavy metal elements, and different types of plants can also have different absorption and enrichment abilities of the same heavy metal element. Aegiceras corniculatum has a certain absorption effect on heavy metals, and different parts have different absorption capacities for heavy metals. The absorption capacity of the same heavy metal element in different parts of Aegiceras corniculatum is root>stem>leaf>branch. Plants absorb too much heavy metals, which can seriously affect plant growth and development, and even cause genetic variation. At present, the way to prevent plants from absorbing heavy metals is often to add additional chemicals. While these chemicals absorb heavy metals, they also cause secondary pollution to the soil and plants. Based on this, the applicant's goal is to develop a component that blocks heavy metals, and at the same time isolates and absorbs heavy metals, while achieving the purpose of environmental protection.

Compound for blocking absorption of heavy metals by plants and a composition containing the same

SICHUAN HUI TAI AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.


A photonic crystal device according to the present invention includes: a substrate 201; a periodic structure portion 206 formed in or on the substrate 201, the periodic structure portion 206 having a plurality of holes 2050 and 2051 arranged in a periodic array; at least one optical waveguide 202 formed in or on the substrate 201, the at least one optical waveguide 202 being adjacent to the periodic structure portion 206; and at least one optical resonator 203 formed in or on the substrate 201, the at least one optical resonator 203 being formed in a position away from the optical waveguide 202, with at least one hole 2051 among the plurality of holes 2050 and 2051 of the periodic structure portion 206 being interposed between the optical resonator 203 and the optical waveguide 202. The plurality of holes 2050 and 2051 of the periodic structure portion 206 include a hole 2050 having a depth different from a depth of the at least one hole 2051 interposed between the optical waveguide and 202 the optical resonator 203.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photonic crystal device, and in particular to a photonic crystal device which includes an optical waveguide and an optical resonator.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a periodic refractive index modulation structure which is formed within a dielectric or a semiconductor, electromagnetic waves such as light are susceptible to periodic perturbations. Therefore, a light band structure ("photonic band structure") whose relationship between wave number and frequency (dispersion relationship) is similar to that of a band structure of electrons within a crystal is formed. Such a periodic refractive index modulation structure is called a photonic crystal (J. D. Joannopouls et al., "Photonic crystals", Princeton University Press, 1995). Light propagation in a photonic crystal can be controlled based on the material and the photonic crystal structure.
Optical waveguides to which a photonic crystal structure is applied are attracting much attention as a technique which enables downsizing of optical circuit devices. In an optical waveguide which utilizes a photonic crystal structure, what is important is the refractive index difference between the optical waveguide portion and the periodic structure portion. Therefore, there have been many reports of examples of photonic crystals produced from a combination of a high refractive index material whose refractive index is 3 or more, such as gallium arsenide (refractive index: 3.6) or silicon (refractive index: 3.4), and a low refractive index material such as silicon dioxide (refractive index: 1.5) or air (refractive index: 1) (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-350657).
Chutinan et al., Physical Review B, vol. 62, No. 7, p4488, 2000, discloses an optical waveguide in which a photonic band is created by forming a periodic array of cylindrical air holes in a semiconductor substrate, thus providing an optical path which is bent perpendicularly. Y. Akahane et al., "Investigation of high-Q channel drop filters using donor-type defects in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs", Applied Physics Letters, vol. 83, p. 1512, 2003, discloses an optical resonator of a size of a light wavelength, which is produced by utilizing a photonic crystal. Y. Akahane et al., "Fine-tuned high-Q photonic crystal nanocavity", OPTICS EXPRESS, vol. 13, No. 4 p. 1202, 2005, discloses a photonic crystal device which includes an optical resonator and an optical waveguide.
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, a conventional photonic crystal device which is produced by using a photonic crystal structure will be described.
FIG. 1 is an upper plan view of a two-dimensional photonic crystal device. In this two-dimensional photonic crystal device, a two-dimensional photonic crystal is formed by arraying a multitude of air holes 102 in a semiconductor (silicon) layer of an SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) substrate 101. The photonic crystal has a photonic band structure which prevents propagation of light within a specific wavelength band. A photonic crystal device as shown in FIG. 1 can be produced by, for example, arraying air holes (having a diameter of 240 nm) at intervals of 420 nm on a slab (having a thickness of 250 nm), so as to form a triangular lattice.
The substrate 101 has a linear portion in which no air holes 102 are formed, the linear portion functioning as an optical waveguide 103. The optical waveguide 103 is a line defect in the photonic crystal. That is, no photonic band structure is present in the optical waveguide 103.
At a position which is at least one air hole 102 away from the optical waveguide 103, there exists a space 104 in which no air holes 102 are formed. This space 104 consists of point defects in the photonic crystal, and functions as a very small sized optical resonator, having a size on the order of a light wavelength. The optical resonator length is an integer multiple of the diameter of the air holes 102. Out of the light which propagates through the optical waveguide 103, light within a specific wavelength region resonates in the space 104. Since the space 104 is enclosed by the surrounding photonic crystal, the space 104 can exhibit a high Q value as an optical resonator. The illustrated photonic crystal device can be utilized in various devices such as optical filters and semiconductor lasers.
A diagram (FIG. 5) from Y. Akahane et al., "Fine-tuned high-Q photonic crystal nanocavity", OPTICS EXPRESS, vol. 13, No. 4 p. 1202, 2005, supra, is shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a graph whose vertical axis represents optical intensity (Intensity: arbitrary unit) and whose horizontal axis represents wavelength (Wavelength: nm). In FIG. 11, (a) shows the intensity of light which is transmitted and propagates through the optical waveguide, whereas (b) shows the intensity of light which is radiated to the outside through the optical resonator. The light which is radiated to the outside of the substrate through the optical resonator has a narrow spectrum at a resonant wavelength, the resonant wavelength being controllable by adjusting the resonator length. In such a photonic crystal device, by adjusting the degree of coupling between the optical resonator and the optical waveguide, it becomes possible to control the intensity of the light which is radiated to the outside through the optical resonator.
In the conventional photonic crystal device shown in FIG. 1, the resonant frequency is controlled by adjusting the length of the space 104 functioning as an optical resonator. On the other hand, the degree of optical coupling ("matching") between the optical resonator (space 104) and the optical waveguide 103 is adjusted based on the distance between the space 104 and the optical waveguide 103. However, this distance is set to be an integer multiple of the pitch of the air holes (lattice constant), and therefore it is difficult to realize a precise adjustment of the degree of optical coupling. Therefore, it has been impossible to arrive at a design which simultaneously realizes desired values for the Q value, matching, and resonant frequency of the optical resonator.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


What is described is a turbine guide vane having a guide vane leaf and with a radially outer platform connected to the guide vane leaf and having a platform surface which faces radially away from the guide vane leaf and on which a connecting structure is provided for fastening the guide vane to a supporting structure which has side wall portions which project radially beyond the platform surface and delimit an inner cavity and on which is provided at least in portions a joining contour which can be inserted into a reception shape countercontoured within the supporting structure. At least one seal is provided between the connecting structure and the supporting structure.

Guide vanes of turbo machinery, particularly where a gas turbine plant is concerned, are exposed directly to the hot gases flowing out of the combustion chamber and are consequently subjected to high thermal loads which, in modern gas turbine plants, lie well above the material-specific thermal load-bearing limits of the individual components. For this reason, the gas turbine components, such as, in particular, the guide vanes and rotor blades, which are exposed directly to the hot gases, have to be cooled so that it can be ensured that the respective components do not overheat and suffer any irreversible damage caused by thermally induced material deteriorations. Cooling measures of this type are known in many different forms and normally involve a directed supply of cooling air to the individual components to be cooled, the cooling air being part of the compressed combustion air which emerges from the compressor unit of the gas turbine plant and which is branched off and is therefore unavailable for the further combustion operation.
It is obvious that the cooling air quantity branched off from the compressed supply air for cooling purposes must be kept as low as possible, so as not permanently to influence the performance of the gas turbine plant. Moreover, it is appropriate for the branched-off cooling air fraction to be routed as effectively as possible and without losses, in particular without leakage losses, to the individual gas turbine components to be cooled. With regards the guide vane concept described below, it is appropriate to utilize effectively and without leakage losses the cooling air which is supplied to a guide vane for cooling purposes.
FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate respectively a side illustration and a cross-sectional illustration of the radially outer part region of a guide vane 1 with an adjacent stator-side supporting structure 2. FIG. 2a shows an axial side view of a guide vane 1 which issues radially inward into the flow duct K. A rotor blade La is indicated highly diagrammatically, offset axially with respect to the guide vane 1. The guide vane 1 has in a way known per se an inner duct system KS which may be gathered from the cross-sectional picture illustrated in FIG. 2b and drawn along the sectional plane A-A. To cool the guide vane 1, compressed cooling air L is supplied to the guide vane 1 through a cooling air supply duct SC provided on the stator side.
The guide vane 1 is composed of a guide vane leaf 3 (see FIG. 2b), of a platform 4 adjoining the guide vane leaf 3 radially on the outside and of a connecting structure 5 which lies opposite the guide vane leaf 3 in relation to the platform 4 and by means of which the guide vane 1 is fastened in the supporting structure 2 of the casing of the turbomachine or of the gas turbine plant. The platform 4 has in this case a first surface 41 facing the flow duct K and a second surface 42 facing away from the flow duct K. The connecting structure 5 projects radially beyond the plane of the platform surface 42 and with its side wall portions 51 and 52 and the end-face side wall portions, not illustrated in FIG. 2b, surrounds an inner cavity 6 which is connected, open, on the one hand, to the cooling air supply duct SC and, on the other hand, to the cooling duct system KS of the guide vane 1. The lateral dimensioning of the cavity 6 in the plane of the platform surface 42 is preferably selected such that the cross-section obtained in a radial projection onto the guide vane leaf 3 of the guide vane 1 is covered preferably completely by the cavity 6, so that all the cooling ducts KS incorporated within the guide vane leaf 3 can be supplied with cooling air L from the cavity 6. This ensures an optimal supply of cooling air to the guide vane leaf 3.
The fastening of the guide vane 1 within the supporting structure 2, mostly of annular design, takes place in recesses 2′ which run longitudinally within the supporting structure 2 and into which issue laterally joining contours 7 of collar-shaped design which project beyond the side wall portions 51 and 52 at their upper region. The joining tolerances between the recesses 2′ and the joining contours 7 of collar-like design are selected such that, on the one hand, rapid assembly by the joining contours being smoothly introduced longitudinally into the recesses of groove-shaped design is possible, but, on the other hand, gastight pressure between the joining contours and the recesses is ensured for operationally induced heating and associated material expansion, so that no cooling air entering the cavity 6 through the cooling air supply duct SC can pass through the joining connection described above.
For operational and also assembly reasons, an intermediate gap 8 is provided between the radially outermost boundary face 9′ of the side wall portions 51 and 52 and the inner contouring of the supporting structure 2 and extends, perpendicularly to the drawing plane illustrated in FIG. 2b, over the entire longitudinal extent of the fastening structure 5 and consequently over the end-face wall portions 53 and 54 (FIG. 2a). The intermediate gap 8, which is also formed between the end-face wall portions 53 and 54 and the radially opposite supporting structure 2, affords the cooling air flowing into the cavity 6 an excellent possibility of escaping through adjacent gaps. Leakage paths in respect of this may be gathered from FIG. 2a with reference to the arrowed illustrations representing in this the leakage flows. Thus, the cavity 6 is supplied from the cooling air supply duct SC with the main cooling air flow, from which part flows can escape laterally, on both sides, through the respective intermediate gaps 8 via the top edges of the end-face wall portions 53 and 54. The laterally escaping cooling air part streams, on the one hand, pass between radially running intermediate gaps 9 between the supporting structure 2 and axially adjacent guide vane casing regions and can ultimately pass, unused, via further intermediate gaps into the flow duct K (see the dashed arrowed illustration). It is appropriate to avoid leakage losses of this type, but without impairing the operating behavior and mountability of the individual components.


A battery operable personal computer comprises a display, a keyboard, a CPU, and a power supply circuit. The display panel displays various types of data at a luminance level according to a value of a luminance control signal. The keyboard serves to enter data instructing alteration of the luminance level of the display unit. The CPU instructs the luminance level of the display unit in accordance with data entered through the keyboard, The power supply circuit controls the value of the luminance control signal to be supplied to the display unit in such a way that the luminance level of the display becomes one specified by the CPU.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a personal computer with a flat panel display and more specifically, to a battery operable personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various kinds of so-called laptop personal computers are recently being developed as portable personal computers. A specific laptop computer has a flat panel display, such as a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display is hinged to its computer body to swing from a closed position to an open position or vise versa. The liquid crystal display covers a keyboard which is built in its computer body when it is closed. Accordingly the computer is more easily carried around. The flat panel display, such as the liquid crystal display, is preferable for a laptop personal computer to improve the portability of the computer.
The laptop personal computer includes a battery so that it can be operated at any places, even where the commercially-available power supply is not provided. When the battery is almost discharged, an operator removes the battery from the computer body, and can charge the battery again, or replace it with a new one. While charging or replacing the battery, the operator has to use the commercially-available power supply to operate the laptop computer.
Recently, various means have been developed to prolong the service life of a battery. One of these means is to control a display luminance to reduce the power consumption of a display.
Generally, energy is converted in the form of luminance to provide a data display. The power consumption varies according to the luminance level.
For example, the display luminance rises as the electric power of a light source increases in a liquid crystal display using, as a light source, a back light that illuminates the display from the back by a plane luminophor, such as an electroluminescence (EL) panel, or a side light that illuminates the display from the side by a cold-cathode tube (fluorescent (FL) tube). In a plasma display, as electric discharge in the panel, i.e., power consumption by discharge, increases, the display luminance rises.
As described above, the power consumption varies in accordance with the luminance level of the display. Conventionally, therefore, the luminance is automatically varied between when the computer is driven by the battery and when it is driven by the commercially-available power supply; the luminance has a lower value during the battery-operated period than during the period in which the commercially-available power supply is used. The power consumption in the battery-operated period can be reduced in this manner, thereby prolonging the service life of the battery.
The luminance is, however, fixed to a given low level during the battery-operated period. The display luminance may appear too low for some operators that it is difficult for the operators to see the display screen. Or, some other operators may wish to set the display luminance lower to prolong the life of the battery.

Personal computer capable of altering display luminance through key operation


A mold (2) has a cooling means (21) for having the thermal flux at four corner sections (2a) be smaller than the thermal flux at four face sections (2b). The cooling means (21) has first channels (22a) which are each embedded in the four corner sections (2a) respectively and which channel cooling water, and second channels (22b) which are each embedded in the four face sections (2b) respectively and which channel cooling water. The distance from the inner peripheral surface of the mold (2) to the first channels (22a) is greater than the distance from the inner peripheral surface of the mold (2) to the second channels (22b).

An ingot is cast continuously by pouring metal melted by vacuum arc melting or electron beam melting into a mold not having a bottom section and extracting the metal downward while the metal is solidified.
Further, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for producing a titanium or titanium alloy rolled material. In the method, a thin-walled slab is produced by continuously casting titanium or titanium alloy melted by plasma in an inert gas atmosphere uninterruptedly in the inert gas atmosphere and a strip is produced by rolling the slab. A titanium or titanium alloy rolled material is obtained by rolling the strip.

Mold for continuous casting of titanium or titanium alloy ingot, and continuous casting device provided with same


The invention discloses a method and an apparatus for use in high speed networks such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks providing support for processing multipriority data flows at media speed, the major constraint being to share the storage and the ALU between all the tasks. The invention consists first in grouping the tasks in processes and the processes in set of processes all organized in decreasing order of their priority ; `on the fly`interruption of a lower priority process/set of processes by a higher priority process/set of processes is possible as well as reuse of the shared resources during task void states inactive in a process or between processes.. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the support of the reserved bandwidth and non reserved bandwidth ATM services data flows requires two different groups of processes, the highest priority being for the group of processes serving the reserved bandwidth service.. With the principle of the invention when used in network equipment the media speed is sustained and many different network traffics can be simultaneously supported. The apparatus implementing the solution of the invention, allowing sharing of resources saves place and costa by the improved reduced number of sophisticated hardware components such as static memories and programmable logic circuits.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to networking communication system and more particularly to network node attachment cards for high speed packet networks such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks.
2. Prior Art
High speed networks generate problems of performance and hardware integration in the networking equipment connected to their network lines. More particularly, in the physical network lines attachment cards, the network data flows are processed at media speed before being sent to the bus of a network equipment such as a switching node or a end station.
In Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks the attachment cards provide the physical layer and the ATM forwarder function which includes ATM processing and routing as defined in the ATM Forum specifications published by the Technical Committee.
In a network node, these problems become more crucial for implementing the support of the different types of services guaranteed to their users by the high speed network providers. At connection establishment, the user chooses between services supported by the network. Inside the network node attachment cards to connections corresponding to the different services will generate different levels of priority data flows to be processed at media speed.
This is why there is an emerging need to have in the high speed network equipment attachment cards as implementation of the multipriority processing with high performance to guarantee the quality of service. Simultaneously to this need, these equipment require hardware integration and cost saving in regards respectively with the decreasing size of equipment and the price of the hardware components. This implies the usage of designs allowing the implementation of processing sustaining the media speed while sharing hardware resources.
One constraint in network equipment attachments id the sharing between all the processes of the control blocks created at connection establishment storing connection information; these connection control blocs cannot be duplicated for evident reasons of space and cost. However, some hardware design duplicate the Logic Sections (Arithmetic and Logic Units) when more than one level of priority id to be supported for processing. As one ALU is needed per level of priority, this solution is quite expensive and does not offer a satisfying level of integration. Two other solutions for processing multipriority data flows with one ALU can be found in the network equipment today, one is the `dedicated processing without interruption`, the other one is a `comprehensive` processing. The drawbacks of the `dedicated processing without interruption` appears when a higher priority process needs to become active; it has to wait up to the completion of the lower priority process which is active. The performance if such a solution is not acceptable. One improved solution is a `comprehensive processing` which allows `on the fly` interruption of a lower priority process by a higher priority process. When a running process is interrupted `on the fly` by a higher priority process, the working data are saved. In a more complex processing environment, the higher priority tasks may comprise active and non-active states, each state corresponding to one clock cycle. Non-active or void state are lost cycles during which a result is computed or information are fetched, these operations having been started during the previous active state. As process cycles are lost, this solution is to be improved.
It is an object of the invention to provide an optimized solution for processing prioritized data flows.
It is a second object of the invention to simplify the implementation in order to have a limited number of components in a hardware implementation of the invention allowing hardware integration.

Method and apparatus to share resources while processing multiple priority data flows

International Business Machines Corporation


An adaptive cognitive prosthetic that learns to replace neural function that was lost due to a brain injury or disease is described herein. In some embodiments, an adaptive cognitive prosthetic comprises a processing unit for converting input data from an input assembly into a cognitive variable and selecting a stimulation pattern for conveying the cognitive variable. The processing unit employs an adaptive algorithm to assemble the stimulation pattern by combination of subset stimulation patterns, the combination of subset stimulation patterns learned by the adaptive algorithm through error analysis.

Traumatic brain injuries and various neurological diseases severely reduce the quality of life for affected individuals and carry significant societal and economic costs. For example, every year over 600,000 individuals in the United States experience a stroke according to Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates. Further, the CDC estimates over 275,000 individuals suffer traumatic head injuries requiring hospitalization. In many cases, individuals never fully recover from these injuries and exhibit limited function due to one or more cognitive disabilities.

Adaptive cognitive prosthetic and applications thereof


Food product stabilization systems employing features to stabilize upright food wares that are subject to tipping, crumbling and/or being damaged during transport or storage. Freestanding upright food wares may have exposed edges requiring some form of protection to reduce and/or prevent unwanted surface deterioration, crumbling, tilting, sliding, collapsing and/or damage resulting from transportation and/or storage. Varieties of food containers are disposed around upright food wares as a general means of protecting against humidity, oxidation and/or contaminates from an outside environment. In cases where upright food wares are dissimilarly shaped or sized disproportionately to food containers, unwanted surface deterioration, crumbling, sliding, spillage or damage may occur. The food product stabilization system comprises proportionately designed shapes and/or extendable/contractible edge support features to better enable the upright food wares to be protected, braced, and held more securely during transportation and/or storage. In this manner upright food wares may be efficiently contained, transported or stored even while subjected to external conditions that might otherwise cause damage.

Traditional food product container systems are primarily intended to provide storage and/or means of transportation for various food wares, to divide food wares into equal portions, and/or to provide protection for exposed edges of food products. Lacking from prior-art food product storage, stabilization and/or transportation devices is the capability to make easily customizable adjustments that continuously conform to the diverse geometry of food wares throughout the various instances of consumption. As a non-limiting example, a whole cake can be easily transported via prior-art container devices but ensuing consumption may lead to the need for transporting smaller portions of the cake that are far less stable, which may cause unwanted tipping, crumbling, collapsing, and/or shifting that damages the food products during transportation or storage. Furthermore, prior-art food container systems are principally designed around a whole food product, which can create wasted storage space as food wares are gradually consumed and the larger containers are utilized to store smaller and smaller fractions of partly consumed food wares. Another disadvantage of prior-art food product container systems is the inability to reposition more delicate food wares from one food storage device to another without causing undesirable damage such as tipping, crumbling and/or collapsing. What is needed is an efficient food product stabilization systems employing proportionately designed shapes and expandable/contractible support features to protect, brace, store, transport and continuously maintain various geometry of upright food wares.


A process and electrolyte for forming mound-free coatings of zinc-iron alloy on metal, e.g. steel, sheet and strip comprises passing the article to be plated through an electrolyte bath containing chlorides of iron and zinc and from about 2 to about 6 g/l, and particularly about 2.5 to about 3.5 g/l, of citric acid.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to iron-zinc electrogalvanized metal sheet and strip, and particularly to improved methods and electrolytes for providing electrogalvanized steel sheets and strip having enhanced surface smoothness essentially free of "mounds" caused by metal oxides occluded in the electrodeposited metal coating.
2. Description of Related Art
Manufacture of lustrous iron-zinc electrodeposited coatings on metal substrates is described in Salt, U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,787. In that patent, such deposits are obtained from an electrolyte bath containing chlorides of iron, zinc, ammonia and potassium and, for example, 0.5 g/l of citric acid which furnishes ferric ion with a chelate group, thereby preventing precipitation of ferric hydroxide from the bath.
In an article entitled "Development of Zn-Fe Alloy Electroplating With Soluble Anode in Chloride Bath, " 4th AES Continuous Strip Plating Symposium, Chicago, Ill., May 13, 1984, Irie et al. describe a similar process using soluble anodes and with addition of citric acid (amount not specified) to prevent precipitation of ferric hydroxide from an electrolyte bath containing chlorides of iron, zinc and ammonia.
Japanese published application No. 59/211594 discloses the production of Zn-Fe electroplated steel sheets wherein the deposited coating contains 7-35 weight percent Fe and is chemically single-phase. Examples of electrolyte baths contain chlorides of iron, zinc, ammonia and either ammonium citrate, 5 g/l, or citric acid, 2 g/l, together with sodium acetate, 10 g/l, and wherein plating was performed at 50.degree. C. (122.degree. F.) and a pH of 3.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,472 discloses the electrodeposition of Zn-Fe alloy coatings from an electrolyte bath containing chlorides of zinc, iron and potassium, together with an amount of sulfate ion, an adduct such as a polyethylene glycol, and a chelating agent such as citric acid in an amount from 0.5 g/l to 5 g/l.

Minimization of mounds in iron-zinc electrogalvanized sheet


A structurally supported non-pneumatic tyre comprises a tread, an annular band, a plurality of spokes extending transversely and radially inside the annular band, and means for connecting the plurality of spokes to a wheel, characterized in that the spokes comprise a polymeric composition based on at least one polymeric matrix comprising 50 to 70% of one or more thermoplastic polymers, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of which is within a range extending from 120 to 250° C. and 30 to 50% of one or more thermoplastic elastomers, said thermoplastic elastomer(s) being compatible with said thermoplastic polymer(s), such that the elongation at break of the mixture of these polymers is greater than or equal to the elongation at break of the thermoplastic polymer(s) alone.

The present invention relates to a structurally supported non-pneumatic tyre and to the composition of the elements of this non-pneumatic tyre.
Structurally supported non-pneumatic tyres have been known for several years and are described especially in patent EP1420964. This type of structurally supported non-pneumatic tyre does not have a cavity intended to contain pressurized air and consequently has no need to form an airtight seal with the wheel rim in order to maintain the internal air pressure. This type of structurally supported non-pneumatic tyre comprises an annular band, a plurality of spokes extending transversely and radially inside the annular band, and means for connecting the plurality of spokes to a wheel, the annular band usually comprising a shear layer made of elastomer, at least one first membrane adhering to a portion located radially on the inside of the shear layer and at least one second membrane adhering to the portion located radially outside the shear layer, each of these membranes having an elastic modulus of longitudinal tension which is greater than the shear modulus of the shear layer.
A great deal of the properties of non-pneumatic tyres rely on the mechanical characteristics of the spokes which compose them. The latter must consist of a material which is both rigid and deformable, to withstand loading and transmit forces while deforming when the wheel rotates and when passing obstacles.
It is known to use materials of polyurethane type which meet these criteria, such as polyurethane of the Vibrathane B836 brand, described in document EP1420964. However, as is known to those skilled in the art, the processing time for polyurethanes is long. It would therefore be advantageous for the manufacturers of non-pneumatic tyres to have technical solutions which make it possible to reduce the manufacturing time of the spokes.
Moreover, it is constantly beneficial to lower the rolling resistance of tyres, also of non-pneumatic tyres, in order to reduce energy consumption during the use of the tyres.
Thus, it emerges from the prior art that there is a need to be able to reduce the manufacturing time of spokes for non-pneumatic tyres, and to lower the rolling resistance of these tyres.
In continuing their research, the applicant has now unexpectedly discovered that a particular composition for the spokes of non-pneumatic tyres made it possible to reconcile excellent properties of stiffness, of deformability and of low rolling resistance in non-pneumatic tyres using these compositions.

Non-pneumatic tire having a composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and a thermoplastic elastomer

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN


The present invention provides oligonucleotide primers and a method of using these primers for identification of the species of an organism, wherein the identification includes amplification of a variable polynucleotide sequence encoding a highly conserved region of a heat shock polypeptide.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to taxonomic and phylogenic identification of organisms and specifically to the use of universal oligonucleotide primers and HSP60 amplicons to identify and distinguish organisms at the species level.
2. Description of Related Art
Coagulase positive and negative Staphylococci such as S. aureus and S. epidermidis are clinically important human pathogens (Jarvis and Martinec, J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 29(A):19-24, 1992; Kloos, and Lambe, Jr., Amer. Society of Microbiology, pp. 222-237, 1991). For example, coagulase negative Staphylococci are responsible for about 25% of nosocomial bacteremia in the United States (Banerjee, et al., Am. J. Med., 3B:86-89 (Suppl.), 1991). Like other bacteria, these Staphylococci species respond to external stress agents by expressing a set of heat shock proteins (HSP) (Ellis and van der Vies, Annu. Rev. Biochem., 60:321-347, 1991; Yura, et al., Annu. Rev. Microbiol., 47:321-360, 1993; Qoronfleh, et al., Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 58:79-86, 1990). Of the known molecular weight classes of HSPs, the 60 kD and 70 kD families have been the most studied with the GroEL gene product from E. coli (Hemmingsen, et al., Nature, 333:330-334, 1988) being representative of the 60 kD family. This protein functions as a molecular chaperone with Gro ES (HSP 10) by assisting in protein folding (Gething and Sambrook, Nature, 355:33-45, 1992; Craig, et al., Cell, 78:365-372, 1994; Martin, et al., Nature, 366:228-233, 1993).
Previously studied methods for Staphylococcal identification using PCR amplification of either the 16S rDNA genes (Greisen, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 32:335-351, 1994) or spacer regions between 16S and 23S genetic loci as DNA targets (Jensen, et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 59:945-952, 1994) failed to differentiate unequivocally some of the Staphylococcal species tested. The most promising nucleic acid based method for identification of the Staphylococci has been developed mainly by El Solh and colleagues (De Buyser, et al., J. Gen. Microbiol., 135:989-991, 1989; El Solh, et al., VCH Publishers, Inc., N.Y., pp. 585-593, 1990; De Buyser, et al., J. Gen. Microbiol., 138:889-899, 1992) and others (Thomson-Carter, et al., J. Gen. Microbiol., 135:2093-2097, 1989; Bialkowska-Hobrzanska, et al., Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis., 9:588-594, 1990; Pennington, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 29:390-392, 1991). The method is based on Southern blot analyses of 16S rRNA gene polymorphisms following restriction enzyme digestion of genomic DNA and gel separation of the digested DNA. However, this method is deemed laborious and requires pure bacterial cultures.
Other non-nucleic acid based commercial identification kits for laboratory identification of Staphylococci are also currently available (e.g., API Staph-Trac, API 20GP and Vitek GPI). However, recent publications report shortcomings in these test kits, especially when used for the identification of coagulase negative staphylococci (Grant, et al., Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis., 18:1-5, 1994; Perl, et al., Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis., 18:151-155, 1994). Several commercial products are available for the identification of isolates from the central nervous system (CNS), to the species level, however, very few of these systems have been evaluated and challenged in a direct comparative fashion using appropriate reference methods.
Three studies have reported the use of various Mycobacterium genus specific primers to amplify various target regions of the HSP 65 genes of Mycobacteria via PCR (Hance, et al., Mol. Microbiol., No. 3, 7:843-849, 1989; Plikaytis, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 30:1815-1822, 1992; Telenti, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 31:175-178, 1993). Hance, et al., used apparent species-specific complementary oligonucleotides to probe the PCR products. However, speciation was unsuccessful by this method.
Two other studies (Plikaytis, et al., supra; Telenti, et al., supra) described similar PCR strategies for Mycobacterial speciation, but these methods required the detection of restriction enzyme site polymorphisms (RFLP) within the PCR amplified products. Both methods relied on the use of two restriction enzymes for differentiating the Mycobacterial species. Also, intraspecies DNA RFLPs were observed. En initial studies with clinical samples (Telenti, et al., supra), problems were observed associated with generating sufficient PCR signals for visualizing DNA digestion products run on gels and with the presence of restriction enzyme inhibitors.
Consequently, there is an apparent need for a reliable and reproducible method for identifying and distinguishing Staphylococci species as well as other species of other genera. The present invention provides such a method.

Universal targets for species identification


Some embodiments provide a real-time distributed tree (RDT) comprising scalability, protocol, and data layers for dynamically and in real-time defining and implementing customer applications over cloud operator resources. The RDT is a tree structure with customer branches comprising nodes hierarchically organizing domains, domain applications, and application rooms. Service layer service nodes can be linked to any customer branch node. Linking service nodes to the customer node reserves services represented by the service nodes for allocation to or scaling of any customer application or room under that customer branch. Linking service nodes to an application node or room node allocates the corresponding services to the application or room. The RDT moves linkages to maximize service usage and minimize wasted allocation. Protocol layer nodes modify signaling or messaging of the services implementing a customer application. Data layer nodes provide customizable four-dimensional storage of activity occurring anywhere in the customer branch.

Much of today's digital content and services are consumed and delivered from the "cloud". Generally, the cloud refers to a distributed platform whose architecture and resources are operated and managed by one entity. Different customers leverage and rely on these resources to execute and deliver their applications to end users located throughout the world. By leveraging the cloud, application providing customers can direct their focus to content and application creation, rather than building and managing the infrastructure to serve the content and applications to end users.
Cloud operators include content delivery networks (CDNs), hosting providers, or any operator operating multiple servers at different geographic locations for purposes of serving content and services of others. Akamai and Amazon Web Services are examples of some cloud operators. Together, the cloud operators create a virtually unlimited resource pool from which application providers can reach end users.
The problem with cloud usage is the manual or human administrative and configuration overhead required to deploy applications thereon. This problem is evident in applications that are active for short periods of time and that can experience widely fluctuating demand. For example, web real-time communication (WebRTC) applications include live streaming events, chat and other communication sessions, online meetings, and other online collaborations. These applications are relatively brief in length and can experience unexpected or large spikes in demand over that brief interval. These applications require rapid allocation and deallocation of resources, service configuration and customization, and attention to scaling. Such operations are normally beyond the automated functions of current cloud operators, whereby cloud operators primarily deploy machines for customers to use and leave much of the configuration and customization of the machines up to the customers. As a result, these applications can reintroduce much of the infrastructural overhead that the cloud was intended to remove and free application providers from.
Accordingly, there is a need to simplify the deployment of WebRTC and other applications on the cloud. To this end, there is need to obfuscate the allocation and scaling of the underlying services and resources on which the applications are implemented. There is further a need to automate the allocation and scaling of such services and resources with the automation occurring dynamically and in real-time.


Capacitance element electrodes (E1 to E5) and a grounded reference electrode (E0) are formed on a substrate (20). A displacement electrode (40) that is Z-axially displaced in accordance with a Z-axial movement of a detective member (30) externally operated, is disposed so as to be opposed to the above electrodes (E0 to E5). The displacement electrode (40) cooperates with the reference electrode (E0) and the capacitance element electrodes (E1 to E5) to form capacitance elements (C0 to C5), respectively. Each of the capacitance elements (C1 to C5) is connected to the capacitance element (C0) in series in relation to an externally input signal. Changes in the capacitance values of the capacitance elements (C1 to C5) when the detective member (30) is moved, is detected by a signal processing circuit having hysteretic characteristics. Thereby, the displacement of the detective member (30) is detected.

A capacitance type sensor is used as a device for converting the intensity and direction of a force applied by an operator, into an electric signal. For example, as an input device for a game machine used is a device incorporated as a capacitance type force sensor, so-called joy stick, for inputting operations in multidimensional directions.
Using the capacitance type sensor, an operation quantity with a predetermined dynamic range can be input as the intensity of a force applied by the operator. Such a sensor may be used in the form of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional force sensor capable of detecting each directional component divided from the applied force. In particular, a capacitance type force sensor in which a capacitance element is made up of two electrodes and a force is detected on the basis of a change in the capacitance value due to a change in the interval between the electrodes, has a merit that a cost reduction can be intended by simplifying the construction. Therefore, sensors of this type have been put in practical use in various fields.
A capacitance type sensor is known that includes a pair of fixed electrodes for detecting opposite directional componential forces, and a displacement electrode disposed so as to be opposed to the pair of fixed electrodes. The capacitance type sensor detects an externally applied force on the basis of changes in the capacitance values of a capacitance element formed between one fixed electrode and the displacement electrode and a capacitance element formed between the other fixed electrode and the displacement electrode. The pair of fixed electrodes are supplied with signals, respectively. The signals are delayed on the basis of changes in the capacitance values of the respective capacitance elements, and then read by an exclusive OR circuit or the like to derive an output signal.
In the sensitivity characteristic of the above capacitance type sensor, however, each dimensional componential force may not sufficiently be detected. In addition, when the signals to be input to the respective fixed electrodes contain noises, the sensor may erroneously operate because an erroneous output signal is detected.
Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a capacitance type sensor superior in sensitivity characteristic and hard to be influenced by noise.


A film of a pen input device is provided, and a point determined by a combination of a static friction coefficient value x and a kinetic friction coefficient value y falls within a region including a line segment and the neighborhood of the line segment in a coordinate system showing the static friction coefficient on the X-axis and the kinetic friction coefficient on the Y-axis, the line segment being expressed asy=0.3071x+0.04960.26≧x≧0.13,the following conditions being satisfied:0.16≧the static friction coefficient value x≧0.100.100≧the kinetic friction coefficient value y≧0.080,the size a, the height b, and the pitch c of concavities and convexities in the surface satisfying the following conditions:20 μm≧a≧16 μm0.9 μm≧b≧0.4 μm30 μm≧c≧26 μm.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film placed on the input surface of an input device that receives inputs hand-written with a pen, and a pen input device that uses the film.
Description of the Related Art
There exist various kinds of input devices that receive inputs hand-written with a pen, such as a touch-panel display and an input pad. In such input devices, there is a demand for comfortable writing at a time of inputting with a pen. Writing involves various aspects of a writing material, such as slipperiness, softness, and roughness. For example, JP 2003-296008 A (WO 2003/67416 A) discloses a surface material for a pen input device that has improved slipperiness. JP 2013-77135 A discloses a touch-panel sheet material that includes a self-restoring resin layer, and is 0.05 or less in the difference between the static friction coefficient and the kinetic friction coefficient. JP 2013-152714 A (US 2013/0,164,543 A) discloses a touch-sensor overall panel that includes a high-resistance layer made of tin oxide and titanium oxide, and an insulating layer formed on the high-resistance layer and made of a hardening resin or an inorganic oxide, and has a static friction coefficient of 0.2 or smaller and a kinetic friction coefficient of 0.2 or smaller.
The above mentioned surface material disclosed in JP 2003-296008 A has an improved feel of writing that prioritizes slipperiness. However, the feel of writing is not sufficiently comfortable, and there is still a demand for an input surface that realizes writing to be more preferred by users.
The above mentioned sheet material disclosed in JP 2013-77135 A contains a self-restoring resin. Therefore, the soft input surface is liable to irreparable damage or is easily modified. The relationship between the static friction coefficient and the kinetic friction coefficient that provide comfortable writing naturally differs from that in a case where a resin with poor self-restorability is used, but this aspect is not discussed in this literature.
In the above mentioned overall panel disclosed in JP 2013-152714 A, the high-resistance layer is formed by a vapor phase deposition method such as sputtering, and the insulating layer is formed by coating or sputtering as disclosed. However, how the friction coefficients are adjusted is not disclosed at all. If the friction coefficients are controlled by adjusting film forming conditions, product quality will become unstable. Moreover, improvement of operability of a touch sensor is an objective in the literature, and the feel of writing with a writing tool is not fully discussed.

Film for pen input device, and pen input device


The arc plates of an arc chute assembly for a circuit breaker are supported in spaced, stacked relation by a structural shell molded of a gas evolving resin. Generation of arc gases, that cool the arc thereby increasing the current interruption capability of the breaker, can be further enhanced by gas evolving additives included in the resin. Arc gas flow is increased to further cool the arc by molding the interior walls of the structural shell to form venturies between the arc plates. One or more elongated fibers wrapped around the stack of arc plates in an oval strengthen the structural shell to withstand the increased pressure generated by the high arc gas volume.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to arc chute assemblies that assist in extinguishing arcs formed as the separable contacts of a circuit breaker open under load. More particularly, aspects of the invention are directed toward generation of increased gas during current interruption and directing the flow of those gases to promote arc cooling and more rapid termination of the arc, while at the same time, containing the increased gas pressure.
2. Background Information
The current interruption capability of air circuit breakers is dependent in part upon their ability to extinguish the arc that is generated when the breaker main contacts open. Even though the contacts separate, current continues to flow through the ionized gases formed by vaporization of the contacts and surrounding materials. Effective current limiting requires fast and efficient cooling of the arc. The arc is extinguished through transfer to a set of stacked metal plates in an arc chute. The basic geometry has been optimized over the years for the number of plates, plate spacing, and a variety of throat shapes. This stack of metal plates increases the arc voltage in an air circuit breaker to produce a current-limiting effect thereby providing downstream protection. The process of increased arc voltage results from cooling the arc and splitting the arc into series of arcs. Cooling results from arc attachment to the metal plates, vaporization of the plates and insulating materials, and discharge of the hot gases out of a vent. Arc splitting into a series of arcs also results in increased arc voltage due to additional cathode fall potentials. Magnetic materials, for example, steel, are used for the arc plates for their ability to attract the arc due to the self-induced magnetic field produced from the fault current. In addition, arc cooling depends on the gas flow over the plates (convection) and hot gas removal out of the vent of the circuit breaker. The volume of gas generated during current interruption has been enhanced by coating the support structure for the stacked metal plates with gas evolving materials such as cellulous filled melamine formaldehyde, glass polyester filled with alumina trihydrate (ATH) or by providing inserts made of such materials. While increasing the volume of gas generated during current interruption and enhancing its flow aids in extinguishing the arc, it also increases pressure within the circuit breaker, and therefore, on the arc chute and the circuit breaker casing. This can limit the current interruption capability of the circuit breaker.
There is a need, therefore, for improvements in arc chute assemblies for circuit breakers.


An optical cavity device for converting concentrated light into electricity. The device includes an outlet compartment and a middle compartment. A passage connects the middle compartment and the outlet compartment together. A first shutter selectively opens and closes the passage. The middle compartment has an aperture that permits passage of outside light into the middle compartment where the light is concentrated. An inlet shutter permits selective opening and closing of the aperture in the middle compartment. A plurality of photoelectric cells for converting concentrated light into electricity are provided in the outlet compartment. Light is introduced into the middle compartment and permitted to continue to enter the middle compartment. Electricity is produced when a controlled quantity of light is allowed to pass from the middle compartment to the outlet compartment where the light is converted into electricity by the photoelectric cells.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photoelectric devices and more particularly pertains to a new optical cavity device for converting concentrated light into electricity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of photoelectric devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, photoelectric devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art photoelectric devices include U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,442; U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,462; U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,060; U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,409; U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,563; U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,257; U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,254; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,729; U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,898; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,897,219.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new optical cavity device. In particular, the aforementioned devices do not disclose an apparatus for concentrating light for conversion to electrical energy. To achieve this, the inventive device includes an outlet compartment and a middle compartment. A passage connects the middle compartment and the outlet compartment together. A first shutter selectively opens and closes the passage. The middle compartment has an aperture that permits passage of outside light into the middle compartment where the light is concentrated. An inlet shutter permits selective opening and closing of the aperture in the middle compartment. A plurality of photoelectric cells for converting concentrated light into electricity are provided in the outlet compartment. Light is introduced into the middle compartment and permitted to continue to enter the middle compartment. Electricity is produced when a controlled quantity of light is allowed to pass from the middle compartment to the outlet compartment where the light is converted into electricity by the photoelectric cells.
In particular, the invention is a device which uses concentrated light energy rather than chemical energy and utilizes captured photon densities above that available from average, incidental sunlight or ordinary levels of artificial light.
Other prior art devices utilize chemically-based batteries which supply electricity to power various devices. While those batteries have found many applications, they are characterized by many deficiencies and shortcomings including gradual deterioration of the chemical components, particularly on frequent use and recharge.
In these respects, the optical cavity device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of converting concentrated light into electricity.


A fluid powered diaphragm pump with an adjustable stroke is provided. The stroke of the pump is adjusted by providing an inner diaphragm plate assembly that includes a retractable piston. The piston is biased towards the inner plate by one or more standoffs that attach the piston to the plate. The bias of the piston is overcome by pressurized fluid that is communicated to a chamber defined by the piston and the inner plate. The fluid may be communicated to the chamber through the diaphragm rod. The inner diaphragm plate assemblies of both diaphragm chambers may be connected to different pressurized fluid supplies there enabling the stroke or capacity of the two diaphragm chambers to be controlled independently. As a result, the stroke or capacity of the two diaphragm chambers may differ.

Fluid powered diaphragm pumps are known. However, in currently available fluid powered diaphragm pumps, the stroke of the pump is fixed and defined by the construction of the pump. When it becomes necessary to adjust or change the stroke of a diaphragm pump, the pump must be disassembled and modified.
It is often necessary to change the stroke of a diaphragm pump. For example, if it is desired to transfer a defined volume such as 525 gallons with a diaphragm pump that has fixed displacement of 0.325 gallons per stroke, the required 525 gallon volume cannot be accurately displaced because the strokes required is not a whole number (525/0.325=1615.385). In the above example, setting the stroke count at 1615 results in a displacement of too little liquid; setting the stroke count at 1616 results in the displacement of too much liquid. Thus, to produce the desired volume of 525 gallons in 1615 strokes, the pump displacement must be adjusted to 0.32508 (0.3250774) gallons per stroke. In order to accomplish this in a currently available fluid powered diaphragm pump, the pump must be disassembled and modified.
One such way to modify the pump is to disassemble the pump and thicken or use a thicker inner diaphragm plate. The inner diaphragm plate effects the length of the stroke because in many currently available designs, it is the inner diaphragm plate that contacts the pilot valve actuator. Thus, by using a thicker inner diaphragm plate, the pump stroke is shortened; by using a thinner diaphragm plate, the pump stroke is lengthened. However, this strategy is extremely inconvenient as it requires a major disassembly of the pump.
Further, when changing the pump stroke for the first time, the operator must often undergo a cumbersome trial and error process. That is, the pump must be disassembled, the thickness of the inner diaphragm plate changed, the pump reassembled, and tested so that the pump stroke can be accurately measured. Often, the pump must fine tuned by adding or subtracting the shim. Thus, the disassembly and reassembly of the pump in order to achieve the desired stroke displacement require a substantial amount of labor and down time.
The demand for adjusting the stroke length of diaphragm pumps is increasing. For example, a diaphragm pump may be used to pump ink to a printing head in a separate diaphragm pump used to scavenge the ink that is not consumed in the printing process. In order to simplify the installation and operation of the system, it may be required that both pumps be the same basic construction and run from a common controlled air supply. Further, it is typical to require the scavenger pump to pump more than the ink supply pump to prevent an overflow situation. Accordingly, in this situation, it would be convenient to easily shorten the stroke length of the supply pump while using the optimum or maximum flow rate for the scavenger pump.
Another application involves the use of a dual ported design with a single diaphragm pump. Specifically, each pump discharge chamber may be equipped with its own suction and discharge porting. Effectively, two single acting pumps are created from one diaphragm pump assembly. When this design is employed, it is often necessary to modify the stroke length of one or both of the diaphragm chambers. Specifically, if one side of the pump acts as a supply pump and the other side acts as a scavenger pump, it would be necessary to increase the thickness of the inner diaphragm plate of the ink supply pump side in order to ensure that the scavenger pump side is pumping at a greater capacity than the ink supply pump side.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fluid power diaphragm pump which the stroke length of one or both of the diaphragm chambers can be easily modified. Further, there is a need for an improved fluid powered diaphragm pump where the stroke length can be modified during operation of the pump. Still further, there is a need for a fluid powered diaphragm pump whereby the stroke length of one or more of the diaphragm chambers can be modified without disassembly of the pump.

Diaphragm pump with adjustable stroke length


An electronically programmed mask is connected to an electronic device, such as a processor. In operation, a mask design is first entered into the processor. The processor controls a display of an image on the electronically programmed mask, wherein the display replicates conventional type masks. The electronically programmed mask is designed such that the display presented on its screen provides optical contrast and characteristics that are easily changed or reprogrammed by the processor. Electronically controlled masks provide the same patterns as mechanical type masks without requiring rigid, permanent type structures to form a desired pattern.

In photolithography, masks are used to expose a pattern upon a semiconductor or wafer for the formation of integrated circuits. One method of forming integrated circuits is by projecting or transmitting light through a mask pattern made of optically opaque or semi-opaque areas and optically clear areas. The optically opaque and semi-opaque areas of the pattern block or partially block the light, thereby casting shadows and creating dark areas, while the optically clear areas allow the light to pass thereby creating light areas. Radiation is then projected through the mask pattern onto a substrate. Material photoresist of the integrated circuit changes state when exposed to light, forming the integrated circuit.
In lieu of using opaque or semi-opaque areas to form the mask pattern, phase shifting photolithography masks can be used. Phase-shifting is achieved by passing light through areas of a transparent material of either differing thicknesses or through materials with different refractive indexes, or both, thereby changing the phase or the periodic pattern of the light wave. Phase shift masks reduce diffraction effects by combining both diffracted light and phase shifted diffracted light so that constructive and destructive interference takes place favorably.
A third method of forming integrated circuits is by combining the two photolithography mask methods discussed above. A mask pattern therefore would consist of phase shifting techniques and opaque or semi-opaque areas. Regardless of the patterning method used on a mask, photolithography utilizes a beam of light, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, through an imaging lens to transfer the pattern from the mask onto a photoresist coating layered upon the semiconductor wafer.
Each of the above described methods rely upon the physical properties associated with the materials used in forming the masks. Once a mask is formed, it is a permanent structure that can not be easily changed. Three masks using the above discussed techniques are illustrated in FIGS. 1A-C. All three masks use a quartz 21 structure upon which a pattern is formed. The masks comprise: 1) material that block or partially block the light, or 2) a notch in the quartz substrate to change a phase of the light, or 3) a combination of the notch and the material.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a first prior art mask 20 uses an etched layer 22 of quartz 21 with opaque materials 24 deposited on the underside. As light passes through the quartz 21 section represented by arrow 30, a 100% transmission of light passes through without a shift in phase. A 100% transmission of light through a quartz/air or an air/quartz interface assumes that no light is lost or blocked. In actuality, some light is blocked by the transition between these interfaces. Typically, the amount of light that passes through a quartz/air interface or an air/quartz interface is approximately 92% with light having a wavelength of 248 nanometers. For purposes of discussion herein, 100% is used in lieu of actual percentages that may vary depending on the wavelength of light.
Similarly, as light passes through the notched 22 section represented by arrow 32, a 100% transmission of light passes through, except with a 180 degrees shift in phase. For purposes of discussion herein, 180 degrees is used in lieu of actual degrees that may vary depending on the characteristics of regions causing the phase shift. The notch 22 creates the phase shift. When light hits opaque material 24, as represented by arrow 31, the light is completely blocked.
A second prior art mask is illustrated in FIG. 1B, where semi-opaque material 40 is deposited on the underside of the mask 26. When light passes through the semi-opaque material, as represented by arrow 42, the semi-opaque material 40 blocks some of the light, e.g., 10%, and shifts the phase of the light that does pass through. The shift in phase is 180 degrees from the light that passes through the quartz section 21, as represented by arrow 44.
Finally, the third type of prior art mask is illustrated in FIG. 1C, where the quartz 21 material is notched 54 to change the phase of the light passing through. Both sides transmit 100% of the light. However, the notched side represented by arrow 50 produces a 180 degree phase in light as compared to the light transmitted through the un-notched side represented by arrow 52.
A common feature of these three masks is that they are all designed to mechanical specifications to produce the desired patterning effect. A common disadvantage is that once a mask is produced, it cannot be easily changed. To make a change in the pattern often requires a new mask to be manufactured. Changing a design is both costly and time consuming because of the lengthy steps required to reconstruct a mask. Accordingly, this disadvantage discourages experimentation. Another disadvantage of the masks illustrated in FIGS. 1A-C is that the physical characteristics degrade over time, thus effecting optical performance.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art to perform photolithography with a masking plate that is easy to change and its performance does not degrade over time.

Electrically programmable photolithography mask


A mobile terminal capable of performing updating on an application and a control method thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal includes: a checking unit configured to check status information of the mobile terminal in relation to updating of an application; a detection unit configured to detect an application in which an update event has occurred, on the basis of the status information of the mobile terminal; and a controlled configured to perform updating on the application detected by the detection unit.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal capable of updating an application, and a control method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
In general, terminals may be divided into a mobile terminal and stationary terminal according to whether or not terminals are movable. In addition, mobile terminals may be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether or not users can directly carry it around.
A mobile terminal may be configured to perform various functions. Examples of such functions include data and voice communication function, a function of capturing images and video through a camera, a function of storing a voice, playing music files through a speaker system, a function of displaying images or video. Some mobile terminals include additional functions which supports game playing, while other terminals are configured as multimedia players. More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receive broadcast and multicast signals to allow for viewing of videos and television programs.
Efforts are ongoing to support and increase the functionality of mobile terminals. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements, as well as changes and improvements in the structural components which form the mobile terminal.
Also, an application program (referred to as an 'application', hereinafter) having a particular purpose may be installed in a mobile terminal to execute various function through the mobile terminal. Meanwhile, the application installed in the mobile terminal may be updated by using update data received from an external server or a service provider. In a method for updating an application, in the related art, a user enters a program that performs updating and applies an update command, or the like. Namely, an application is updated passively.
Also, before the user enters such a program, the user cannot know update content with respect to the application, having a problem in which the user cannot use the latest version of application.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mobile terminal and control method thereof


A process has been developed that allows reliable fabrication of vias, used for multi-level wiring purposes. The process features the use of a metallization structure, overlying a pillar structure in a specific area, resulting in a raised and extended metal surface, in areas of overlap. The raised and extended metal surface is used for subsequent via contact. Spin on glass processes are also employed to fill narrow spaces between metal structures.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the methods used to fabricate semiconductor devices, and more specifically to a method of planarizing semiconductor structures using spin on glass and etch back processes.
(2) Description of Prior Art
The trend in the semiconductor industry has been to continually increase device performance, while still maintaining or decreasing the cost of semiconductor devices. These objectives have been partially satisfied by micro-miniaturazation, or the ability to produce semiconductor devices with sub-micron features. Advances in the photolithographic discipline, in terms of more sophisticated exposure cameras, as well as the development of more sensitive photoresist materials have allowed sub-micron images in photoresist to be routinely achieved. In addition similar advances in the dry etching discipline has allowed the sub-micron images in photoresist to be successfully defined, in underlying materials that are used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips.
The use of sub-micron features however, can create new problem areas that have to be addressed by the semiconductor engineering community. For example the use of sub-micron metal interconnects, with sub-micron spaces between metal interconnects, has created a problem in terms of using standard dielectric passivation processes to successfully insulate specific metal interconnects. To satisfy the conductivity, as well as the reliability requirements, in terms of current density for electromigration resistance, the narrower metal interconnects have to be thicker. This together with the narrower spaces now used between metal lines, result in aspect ratios that conventional insulator deposition processes have difficulty in successfully filling. Several processes, such as the use of spin on glass, (SOG), and chemical mechanical polishing, (CMP), have been used in an attempt to solve the problem of filling narrow spaces between metal interconnect lines. For example Allman, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,512, describe the use of both SOG deposition, and CMP planarazation processes, in the fabrication of integrated circuits using multi-level metallizations.
Another problem encountered with narrow metal lines is the ability to successfully fabricate the connection between overlying and underlying metallization levels. Via holes, created in the dielectric layer used between metallization levels, filled with a metal, are normally used for this purpose. However to reliably create the metal filled via, a large surface area of the underlying metallization level is needed to guarantee that the via totally resides on the underlying metallization level. This increased layout demand negatively impacts semiconductor device packing density, ultimately resulting in less semiconductor chips being fabricated from a specific diameter, starting substrate. The use of a pillar technology increases, or extends the available surface area of the underlying metallization level, enabling successful via hole formation to occur. Fisher, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,759, describe the use of a pillar technology, for use in the formation of vias, to be used to connect metallization levels. However these inventions, Fisher, et al, as well as Allman, et al, do not teach the processes needed to fabricate advanced semiconductor devices. This invention will feature a metal pillar, with an overlying metallization layer, used to extend the available surface area of this metallization level in terms of accepting a via hole. This invention also features the use of SOG insulation, for purposes of filling narrow spaces between metal features, and dry etching processing for etching back the SOG layer. However in this invention the porous SOG layer is passivated during subsequent via hole openings, as well as during subsequent metal depositions, thus not allowing deleterious outgassing to occur, which can adversely influence the properties of the depositing metal.

Method for forming vias in multi-level integrated circuits, for use with multi-level metallizations

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company


A method of controlling a robot with a supplementary axis, whereby a tool center point (TCP) of the robot is controlled in response to a movement of the supplementary axis. The supplementary axis is moved manually (S1), and the resulting coordinate position of the supplementary axis is read (S2), the coordinates and posture of the tool center point (TCP) that keep the position and posture of the supplementary axis in relation to the robot tool center point (TCP) unchanged are determined (S3), and the tool center point (TCP) is moved to the determined position and posture are changed accordingly. Thus, the relationship between the position of the supplementary axis, such as a table or the like, and the position and posture of the tool center point (TCP) remains unchanged.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a robot with a supplementary axis, whereby robot is controlled by following the supplementary axis, and more particularly, to a method of controlling a robot with a supplementary axis, whereby the robot is automatically moved in response to a manual jog-run of the supplementary axis.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a welding robot or the like, a table on which a workpiece is fixed is designed to rotate or move in a direction perpendicular to such a rotation. The table is controlled by a supplementary axis control circuit incorporated in a robot control unit. This facilitates the control of the posture of the robot when performing a welding or other machining.
If, however, the table is jogged by the hand, the position and posture of the torch of the welding robot and the work on the table are changed. Therefore, to maintain a constant position and posture, it is necessary to give an instruction to adjust the position and posture of an arm of the robot; and posture. Such an instruction, however, cannot be easily given in a conventional robot, as it requires much time and a complicated teaching procedure.

Method of controlling a robot with a supplementary axis


There is provided a ceramic member which is a sintered body containing enstatite and boron nitride as constituents, in which boron nitride is oriented in a single direction, a probe holder formed using the ceramic member, and a manufacturing method of the ceramic member. In the ceramic member, an index of orientation degree is not less than 0.8. In so doing, it is possible to provide a ceramic member which has a free machining property, a coefficient of thermal expansion which is close to that of silicon, and high strength, and a probe holder which is formed using the ceramic member, and a manufacturing method of the ceramic member.

Conventionally, a probe holder with a thin plate shape on which multiple minute through holes are formed is embedded in a micro contactor to be used for a semiconductor test or a liquid crystal test in order to insert probes for electrically connecting a circuit structure of a test object with a circuit structure for sending a signal for the test. As the probe holder, a ceramic member with a free machining property (machinable ceramics) with which machining becomes possible is used (see Patent Literature 1, for example).

Ceramic member, probe holder, and manufacturing method of ceramic member


A conductive polymeric composition includes, based on a total weight of the conductive polymeric composition, 0.1 wt % to 10 wt % of carbon nanotubes, 0.2 wt % to 4 wt % of a first component, 0.1 wt % to 4 wt % of a second component made by esterification of a C16-C30 fatty acid with a polyol compound, and the balance being a polymeric component. When the first component is a first polymer obtained from polycondensation of an aromatic diacid compound and an aliphatic glycol compound, the polymeric component is a polyester. When the first component is a second polymer obtained from polycondensation of a lactam compound, a diamine compound and a dicarboxylic acid compound, the polymeric component is a polyamide.

In order to make a conductive fiber, carbon nanotubes are added to a polymeric component (such as polyester and polyamide) so as to impart conductive property to the fiber made therefrom. However, a deficient amount of carbon nanotubes would adversely affect the conductivity of the fiber made therefrom, whereas an excess amount of carbon nanotubes would easily cause blockage of a spinneret, resulting in filament breakage during spinning process, and thus hinders mass production of the fiber. In particular, filament breakage of a multifilament yarn used for preparing a conductive fiber is a challenging issue since the holes of the spinneret for making the multifilament yarns are relatively small as compared to that for making a monofilament yarn. That is, each of the filaments in the multifilament yarn has a relatively smaller size, which may be prone to filament breakage when wound into a bundle of yarn, thereby hampering the mass production of the multifilament yarn.
Therefore, there is still a need to develop a polymeric composition adapted for making a multifilament yarn exhibiting improved conductivity and spinnability.

Conductive polymeric composition and fiber yarn


The present invention provides novel engineered derivatives of green fluorescent protein (GFP) which have an amino acid sequence which is modified by amino acid substitution compared with the amino acid sequence of wild type Green Fluorescent Protein. The modified GFPs exhibit enhanced fluorescence relative to wtGFP when expressed in non-homologous cells at temperatures above 30° C., and when excited at about 490 nm compared to the parent proteins, i.e. wtGFP. An example of a preferred protein is F64L-S175G-E222G-GFP. The modified GFPs provide a means for detecting GFP reporters in mammalian cells at lower levels of expression and/or increased sensitivity relative to wtGFP. This greatly improves the usefulness of fluorescent proteins in studying cellular functions in living cells.

The use of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) derived from Aequorea Victoria has revolutionised research into many cellular and molecular-biological processes. GFP allows researchers to label proteins within cells with an intrinsic fluor, so obviating the requirement to perform chemical labelling of proteins, and allowing development of assays of biological processes in intact living cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,084 describes the use of GFP as a biological reporter. Early applications of GFP as a biological reporter (Chalfie et al. Science, (1994), 263, 802–5; Chalfie, et al, Photochem.Photobiol., (1995), 62(4), 651–6) used wild type (native) GFP (wtGFP), but these studies quickly demonstrated two areas of deficiency of wtGFP as a reporter for use in mammalian cells. Firstly, the protein being derived from a poikilothermic marine organism does not undergo protein folding efficiently when expressed in mammalian cells cultured at 37° C., resulting in weak fluorescence. Secondly, the spectral characteristics of the wtGFP are not ideally suited to use as a cellular reporter, requiring excitation with electromagnetic radiation in the near-UV range, which is potentially damaging to living cells.
Consequently, significant effort has been expended to produce variant mutated forms of GFP with properties more suitable for use as an intracellular reporter.
A number of mutated forms of GFP with altered spectral properties have been described. A variant-GFP (Heim et al. (1994) Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci. 91, 12501) contains a Y66H mutation which blue-shifts the excitation and emission spectrum of the protein. However, this protein is only weakly fluorescent and requires potentially damaging Lw excitation.
A further mutant of GFP (Heim et al, Nature, (1995), 373, 663–664) contains a S65T mutation which red-shifts the optimum excitation and emission wavelengths relative to wtGFP and which is 4–6 fold brighter than wtGFP when expressed as a recombinant protein at 25° C. However, this variant does not yield bright fluorescence when expressed in hosts cultured at 37° C.
Ehrig et al (FEBS Lett., (1995), 367,163–6) describe two mutations of GFP, T203I and E222G, which individually delete one of the excitation maxima of wtGFP. The E222G mutation deletes the near-UV excitation peak at 395 nm and produces a red-shift in the excitation peak at 475 nm to 481 nm. The emission peak for this mutant protein is at 506 nm.
WO96/27675 describes two variant GFPs, obtained by random mutagenesis and subsequent selection for brightness, which contain the mutations V163A and V163A+S175G, respectively. These variants were shown to produce more efficient expression in plant cells relative to wtGFP and to increase the thermotolerance of protein folding. The double mutant V163A+S175G was observed to be brighter than the variant containing the single V163A mutant alone; however this mutant exhibits an undesirable blue-shifted excitation peak.
A further mutant, termed cycle-3, generated by molecular evolution through DNA shuffling (Crameri, A. et al, Nature Biotechnology, (1996), 14, 315–9) is available commercially from Invitrogen Inc. Cycle-3-GFP contains three mutations (F99S+M153T+V163A) which increase whole cell fluorescence approximately 42 fold when compared with wtGFP. However, this mutant retains the near-UV excitation maximum of the wtGFP, making it less suitable as a reporter for use in living cells.
The above mutations effectively address some of the spectral deficiencies of wtGFP as a biological reporter in providing variant forms of GFP which are compatible with lower energy excitation and which emit at wavelengths compatible with detection instrumentation commonly in use for measuring biological reporters. However, such mutations do not address the problem of inefficient folding and chromophore formation when wtGFP or spectral variants are expressed in hosts requiring growth at temperatures significantly greater than ambient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,188 describes variant GFPs wherein the amino acid in position 1 preceding the chromophore has been mutated to provide an increase of fluorescence intensity. Such mutations include F64I, F64V, F64A, F64G and F64L, with F64L being the preferred mutation. These mutants result in a substantial increase in the intensity of fluorescence of GFP without shifting the excitation and emission maxima. F64L-GFP has been shown to yield an approximate 6-fold increase in fluorescence at 37° C. due to shorter chromophore maturation time.
In addition to the single mutants or randomly derived combinations of mutations described above, a variety of mutant-GFPs have been created which contain two or more mutations deliberately selected from those described above and other mutations, and which seek to combine the advantageous properties of the individual mutations to produce a protein with expression and spectral properties which are suited to use as a sensitive biological reporter in mammalian cells.
One mutant, commonly termed EGFP, available commercially from Clontech Inc., contains the mutations F64L and S65T (Cormack, B. P. et al, Gene, (1996), 173, 33–38). These mutations when combined, confer an approximate 35-fold increase in brightness over wtGFP and the spectral characteristics permit excitation and detection of EGFP with commonly used fluorescein excitation (488 nm) and emission filters (505 nm–530 nm). EGFP has been optimised for expression in mammalian systems, having been constructed with preferred mammalian codons.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,548 discloses GFPs with improved fluorescence and folding characteristics at 37° C. that contain, at least, the changes F64L and V163A and S175G. A further mutant GFP containing the F64L, S65T and V163A mutations has been described (Cubitt, A. B. et al, Methods in Cell Biology, (1999), 58, 19–29).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,707 describes a blue fluorescent protein (BFP) containing the F64L mutation in combination with Y66H and U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,548 describes a further BFP containing the F64L, Y66H, Y145F and L236R substitutions.