The photosensitive transfer material of the invention comprises a support, a subbing layer comprising an organic polymer and an image-forming layer containing a photosensitive polymer, wherein the subbing layer and/or the image-forming layer contains a matting agent of core-shell type crosslinked resin particles consisting of a core part made of a polymer having a crosslinking degree of 0.05 to 3.0 mmole/g and a shell part made of a substantially linear polymer having at least one kind of a hydrophilic functional group.

As described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 46(1971)-15326 and No. 49(1974)-441, there is known a method comprising imagewise exposing a photosensitive transfer material consisting essentially of a support, a peel layer made of an organic polymer and an image-forming layer (color material-containing photosensitive layer or a composite layer of a color material layer and a photosensitive layer), superposed in this order, then developing the photosensitive transfer material to form a color image on the peel layer, and transferring the color image onto an optional support (permanent support) using an adhesive. This method has such a merit that various operations such as an overlay type operation and a surprint type operation can be utilized as a color proofing operation for the method. However, this method also has a demerit that the process of the method is complicated because an adhesive is necessarily used in each transferring stage and it is difficult to keep the accuracy in the adjustment of each image position during the transferring stage.
For improving the complicated process, a method of transferring the obtained image onto the permanent support under application of heat and pressure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 47(1972)-41830, No. 48(1973)-9373 and No. 51(1976)-5101. Particularly, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 51(1976)-5101 describes that a heat-fusible polymer layer is provided as an adhesive layer on the permanent support, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 47(1972)-41830 describes that an image is directly transferred onto the permanent support made of an art paper or a coat paper using the above-mentioned method.
However, these methods also have various defects. That is, the final image transferred onto the permanent support is reversed in right and left to the original. Further, in the case of using the heat-fusible polymer as an adhesive, a high temperature for the transference is required because a melting point of the polymer generally is high, and the dimensional stability of the support is reduced by influence of heat, whereby the positions of the transferred images become discrepant from each other. On the contrary, in the case of using a heat-fusible polymer having a low melting point as an adhesive, unfavorable adhesion is brought about after image formation, or the surface of the final image is easily damaged.
As a method of improving the above defects, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 59(1984)-97140 describes a method of temporarily transferring a color image onto a temporary image-receiving sheet (referred to simply as "image-receiving sheet" hereinafter) prior to the transference of the color image onto a permanent support. In this method, an image-receiving sheet having an image-receiving layer made of a photopolymerizable material such as an ethylenic polyfunctional monomer (this image-receiving layer is also referred to as "a photopolymerizable image-receiving layer" or "a photopolymerizable adhesive layer") on a support is prepared. Onto the image-receiving sheet, color images are temporarily transferred one after another to form a laminate of the color images on the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer, before each color image is transferred onto the permanent support. Thereafter, the laminate of the color images is transferred onto the permanent support with the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer, and then the transferred photopolymerizable image-receiving layer is wholly exposed to light on the permanent support to cure the transferred photopolymerizable image-receiving layer.
This image-transferring method using the image-receiving sheet solves the above-mentioned problems and further has an advantage that an erect image of the mask original can be obtained on the permanent support. Moreover, since the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer of the image-receiving sheet contains an ethylenic polyfunctional monomer, the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer itself is soft and transference of images at a low temperature is possible. In addition, after the transference of images, the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer can be easily cured by the exposure to light on the whole surface. Accordingly, any adhesion is not brought about after the images are transferred, and the final image is resistant to damage, so that this image-transferring method is an advantageous image-forming method in practical use.
However, the image-receiving sheet used in the method described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 59(1984)-97140 still has a problem that the adhesion strength between the photopolymerizable image-receiving layer (i.e., photopolymerizable adhesive layer) and the support is disadvantageously high when the image-receiving layer is in the unexposed state (i.e., unpolymerized state). That is, in the case that the photopolymerizable adhesive layer with the laminate of each color images is transferred onto the final support (permanent support), and then the support of the image-receiving sheet is peeled off prior to the exposure operation, peel lines (streaks) easily occur on the surface of the transferred photopolymerizable adhesive layer. For this reason, the method described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 59(1984)-97140 adopts a process comprising the steps of transferring the photopolymerizable adhesive layer having images thereon onto the final support, then subjecting the layer to exposure to light on the whole surface to cure the photopolymerizable adhesive layer so as to lower the adhesion strength between the photopolymerizable adhesive layer and the support of the image-receiving sheet, and then removing the support of the image-receiving sheet.
In the method of forming an image by way of transference of an image (i.e., image transferring method), a photosensitive laminate comprising a support, a subbing layer (e.g., a peel layer) made of an organic polymer and a photosensitive image-forming layer superposed in this order is employed as a photosensitive transfer material, as described before. The photosensitive transfer material may be further provided with a barrier layer between the peel layer and the image-forming layer to prevent occurrence of color material fogging on the non-image portion obtained after developing procedure.
In the process for preparing a color proof used for color proofing utilizing a photosensitive transfer material, photosensitive transfer materials for each colors (four colors) are prepared in the first place; then, they are exposed to light and developed to form an image of individual color on the image-forming layer of each photosensitive transfer material; thereafter, the obtained image-formed layers of each colors are transferred with the peel layer onto the image-receiving sheet one after another under application of heat and pressure with adjusting (joining) positions of those color images. Therefore, on the surface of the image-receiving sheet after the transference of the first color image, a peel layer of the first transferred color image is present. When the position of the second color image is tried to be joined with the position of the first color image to transfer the second color image onto the first color image, adjustment (joining) of the image positions is hardly made because the slipperiness between film surfaces of the images to be joined is insufficient owing to tackiness and adhesiveness of the peel layer, resulting in deterioration of workability. Further, there has been found other defect that air is drawn into between film surfaces of the images when ununiform force is applied during the transferring stage, whereby air bubbles are included in the transferred image. The inclusion of air bubbles in the obtained image (the latter defect) causes no problem in practical use, but it is unfavorable from the viewpoint of commercial value.
The above-mentioned problems such as reduction in slipperiness between film surfaces and inclusion of air bubbles are markedly shown between the peel layer previously laminated on the image-receiving sheet and the image layer superposed thereon, for example, between the surface of the non-image portion (peel layer) of the first color image and the surface of the image portion of the second color image. However, the same problems are also shown in a photosensitive transfer material having a barrier layer between the peel layer and the image-forming layer, as far as the barrier layer basically has such characteristics as tackiness and heat-adhesiveness.
For solving the above-mentioned problems, it has been proposed that matting agent particles such as silica particles are introduced into the peel layer, but in the case of using the known matting agent particles, the particles are unstable in a coating solution (i.e., coating solution for the formation of a peel layer), or the adhesive strength in the transferring stage is reduced, and as a result, uniform adhesion is hardly made.


The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a CIGS absorber of a thin film solar cell. The apparatus includes a supply chamber configured to provide a flexible substrate coated with precursors. The apparatus further includes a reaction chamber coupled to the supply chamber for at least subjecting the precursors on the flexible substrate to a reactive gas at a first state to form an absorber material. Additionally, the apparatus includes a gas-balancing chamber filled with the reactive gas at a second state. The gas-balancing chamber is communicated with the reaction chamber for automatically updating the first state of the reactive gas to the second state. Moreover, the apparatus includes a control system to maintain the second state of the reactive gas in the gas-balancing chamber at a preset condition and to adjust the transportation of the flexible substrate through the reaction chamber.

The present invention relates to the field of solar cell manufacturing, and particularly to a reaction apparatus and method for manufacturing a CIGS-based absorber of a thin film solar cell.
In recent years, people increasingly pay attention to issues of energy and environment, and the nuclear energy and the solar energy are the most prospective new energies to be developed. However, since nuclear leakage occurred in Japan, people begin to realize that the solar energy is the safest and the most environment-friendly new energy. A solar cell can directly convert sunlight into the electric energy. A solar cell is made of a semiconductor, and basically, when the sunlight irradiates the solar cell, a part of the sunlight is absorbed in the semiconductor material. Through a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor in the semiconductor material, electrons (negative) and electron holes (positive) are generated. The electrons are separated from the electron holes to form a voltage drop, and the energy stimulates the electrons to get rid of the constraint, so that the electrons flow freely. One or more electric fields exist in each solar cell, and an electron beam may be forcedly absorbed, released and flow in a certain direction. This electron beam current may be collected to the top and the bottom of a solar cell through metal contact, and then transmitted to a load through a lead. It means that the absorbed sunlight energy is converted into the semiconductor energy. Meanwhile, the current magnitude together with the voltage generated by the built-in electric field of the solar cell embodies the capacity of the solar cell.
In the conventional solar cell manufacturing, silicon is used as a monocrystal or polycrystal silicon chip which may absorb light. A wafer undergoes several process steps, and then is integrated to a module. The material and process costs of a crystalline silicon solar cell are high, so the manufacturing cost of a solar cell module is high. The technology of the thin film solar cell is greatly developed in the past thirty years, and the manufacturing cost thereof is lower than that of the crystalline silicon solar cell. Generally, the thickness of the semiconductor absorbing layer of the thin film solar cell is less than 1% of the thickness of the absorbing layer of the crystalline silicon cell, and the absorbing layer of the thin film solar cell is deposited on a substrate material with a relatively low cost, which is applicable to low-cost and mass production.
After development and evolution of the first generation monocrystal silicon solar cell, the second generation polycrystal silicon solar cell, and the non-crystalline silicon solar cell, the third generation thin film solar photovoltaic cell emerges. The CIGS-based thin film solar cell (a compound semiconductor formed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium, and named as CIGS by taking initial letters of the four components) has advantages such as high light absorbing coefficient, high conversion efficiency, adjustable band gap, high stability, and strong anti-radiation capability, and is highlighted widely. In a lab, the conversion efficiency is up to more than 20%, and even the thin film with the thickness being 1 μm may obtain enormous electric energy production, so the CIGS-based thin film solar cell is currently a thin film photovoltaic cell with the highest conversion efficiency, and is honored by the industry as: a rising star of solar cell products.
The CIGS thin film is a composite semiconductor material as an absorber for absorbing sunlight, and includes some group-IB (copper, silver, and gold), group-IIIA (boron, aluminum, gallium, indium, and titanium) and group-VIA (oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium) elements.
However, existing reaction apparatus for preparation of the CIGS-based absorber often leads to poor stability of concentration and pressure of the gas in the reaction chamber, resulting in an uneven distribution of a CIGS thin film absorber material, substantially lower fabrication yield, and poorer energy conversion performance of the CIGS-based thin film solar cell. All these issues are adverse to mass production and popularization of the CIGS-based thin film solar technology.
From the above, it is seen that an improved apparatus and method for forming a CIGS absorber material in an reactive process is desired.

Reaction apparatus and method for manufacturing a CIGS absorber of a thin film solar cell


An eye liner pencil. The pencil includes an elongate portion which is gripped by the user, the elongate portion having a central axis. The pencil includes a marking portion extending from the elongate portion and in an angular relationship between 5° and 175° with the elongate portion. The marking portion is for marking an eyelid. A lip liner pencil. A method for applying eye liner to an eyelid. A method for applying lip liner to a lip. The pencil can include a plurality of sections.

Currently, all eye liners operate in the same manner; that being "color inside wood or plastic wand, straight, pencil-like case. These products are deficient in that they only allow the user to apply the eye liner at an 180° angle. This can be awkward, imprecise and in some cases, unsafe (greater risk of poking eye).
The present invention allows the user to apply the liner at approximately a 90° angle; offering much greater control, precision, improved arm/wrist/hand angle and safety, (less risk of poking eye).


A process is described for the delivery of a therapeutic polynucleotide to limb muscle tissue suffering from or potentially suffering from Muscular Dystrophy. The polynucleotide is inserted into a mammalian limb vessel such as an artery. Delivery efficiency and distribution is enhanced by combining injection of a solution containing the polynucleotide with the use of an externally applied cuff.

Biotechnology includes the delivery of genetic information to a cell to express an exogenous nucleotide sequence, to inhibit, eliminate, augment, or alter expression of an endogenous nucleotide sequence, or to express a specific physiological characteristic not naturally associated with the cell. Polynucleotides may be coded to express a whole or partial protein, or may be anti-sense, or non-viral DNA, or recombine with chromosomal DNA.
A basic challenge for biotechnology and thus its subpart, gene therapy, is to develop approaches for delivering genetic information to cells of a patient in a way that is efficient and safe. This problem of drug delivery, where the genetic material is a drug, is particularly challenging. If genetic material are appropriately delivered they can potentially enhance a patient's health and, in some instances, lead to a cure. Therefore, a primary focus of gene therapy is based on strategies for delivering genetic material in the form of nucleic acids. After delivery strategies are developed they may be sold commercially since they are then useful for developing drugs.
Delivery of a nucleic acid means to transfer a nucleic acid from a container outside a mammal to near or within the outer cell membrane of a cell in the mammal. The term transfection is used herein, in general, as a substitute for the term delivery, or, more specifically, the transfer of a nucleic acid from directly outside a cell membrane to within the cell membrane. The transferred (or transfected) nucleic acid may contain an expression cassette. If the nucleic acid is a primary RNA transcript that is processed into messenger RNA, a ribosome translates the messenger RNA to produce a protein within the cytoplasm. If the nucleic acid is a DNA, it enters the nucleus where it is transcribed into a messenger RNA that is transported into the cytoplasm where it is translated into a protein. Therefore if a nucleic acid expresses its cognate protein, then it must have entered a cell. A protein may subsequently be degraded into peptides, which may be presented to the immune system.
It was first observed that the in vivo injection of plasmid DNA into muscle enabled the expression of foreign genes in the muscle (Wolff 1990). Since that report, several other studies have reported the ability for foreign gene expression following the direct injection of DNA into the parenchyma of other tissues. Naked DNA was expressed following its injection into cardiac muscle (Acsadi 1991).
The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a heterogeneous group of mostly inherited disorders characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness which eventually leads to death. In most in not all forms of MD, the disease is associated with either a non-functioning or malfunctioning protein due to the presence of a mutant or deleted gene (Hartigan-O'Connor 2000). Because of the nature of these diseases, few traditional treatments are available. However, because the genes and protein products that are responsible for most of the dystrophies have been identified, delivery of corrective genes offers a promising treatment.
Several attributes of striated muscle cells make genetic repair feasible. First, myofibers have a long life span, facilitating long term persistence of delivered genes. Second, for DMD and MCDM, it has been shown that gene replacement in striated muscle alone can alleviate the major features of the disease (Cox 1993, Kuang 1998). Third, dystrophin positive fibers may possess a survival advantage over dystrophin negative fibers, suggesting that only a portion of the fibers need to receive the correcting polynucleotide (Morgan 1993). Finally, only 20% of the normal level of dystrophin is required to be asymptomatic. Thus, low level dystrophin expression in a majority of muscle fibers may be sufficient for elimination of symptoms (Phelps 1995).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Devices and processes for distribution of genetic material to mammalian limb


Systems and methods are included for managing persistent enrollment of a user device. The persistent enrollment can be controlled by an administrator at an administrator console. The administrator can enable or disable persistent enrollment for the user device at the admin console. A deployment agent can be provided to the user device. During the boot process, the deployment agent can verify the persistent enrollment status of the user device. The deployment agent can retrieve and install a software package for a management agent. The management agent can enroll the user device with an enterprise under a staging user profile. The management agent can install a provisioning package associated with the staging user profile. The management agent can receive user input login credentials. The management agent can change the ownership of the user device with the enterprise. The management agent can configure the user device for the user profile.

Enterprises often provide employees with corporate-owned computing devices, such as laptops, tablets, cell phones, and personal computers. These computing devices typically require an initial setup before being given to an employee. For example, an administrator may need to install a specific operating system and applications on the device. The administrator can also take steps to enroll the computing device with a Unified Endpoint Management ("UEM") system before handing the device over to an employee. Without enrollment software installed on the computing device, the device would not be secure, and someone could install software meant to circumvent UEM management or otherwise compromise the device and any information on it. Installing the correct software, hardware, drivers, and configurations can be done as part of a device enrollment program ("DEP").
Currently, there is no way for administrators to easily enroll non-APPLE user devices or to track the device configurations. Each user device can include a different combination of hardware and software from multiple vendors. There is no central entity or repository that tracks ownership and configuration information, unlike in the APPLE ecosystem.
As a result, it can be difficult to determine which devices should be enrolled. Manually prepping each device is impractical in the scope of large enterprises. Additionally, the management features installed as part of enrollment can change over time, reducing the effectiveness of static UEM pre-installations. Further, if a device is wiped and rebooted, there are few solutions that will ensure that the device is re-enrolled in the UEM prior to launching the operating system. Likewise, if a device is decommissioned from UEM use, the device should not attempt to re-enroll or remain enrolled in the UEM system.
Further, individual device configuration is currently required. This can require user login into an OS prior to enrollment in the UEM. This gives a user opportunity to circumvent management policies, which are not yet installed in the non-enrolled device. Additionally, there is no current way for an administrator to remotely enable or disable enrollment of a device. This can allow a disgruntled ex-employee, for example, to steal corporate data from a computer before departing.
As a result, a need exists for a system for enrolling user devices for UEM operation on its initial boot based on identifying information. A need also exists for allowing an administrator to remotely enable and disable the enrollment status of user devices.

Managing persistent enrollment of a user device


Systems and methods are presented that offer significant improvements in the performance of time division duplex (TDD) systems by utilizing an adaptive synchronous protocol. Conventional TDD systems are limited because data is transmitted during discreet and limited intervals of time, and because TDD transceivers may not simultaneously transmit and receive for reasons of insufficiently separated frequencies and limited receiver selectivity. Typically, TDD systems have significant latency due to the time to change from transmission to reception and the propagation delay time. By synchronizing the master nodes and the one or more remotes and by scheduling the traffic loads between these nodes, remote nodes may begin transmitting before the master node is finished with its transmission, and vice versa. This method reduces latency and improves the frame efficiency. Further, the frame efficiency may improve as the distance from the master node to the remote node increases.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A time-division duplex ("TDD") system typically uses a single physical channel and carrier frequency. Further, a TDD system shares the information channel for both transmission and reception, where the transmission and reception signals are spaced apart by multiplexing the two signals on a time basis. TDD systems may support data transmissions (e.g. data or digitized voice or video), transmitting a short burst of data in each direction. It is preferable that the transmission periods are relatively short, so that there is minimal time delay detected for voice transmissions and control messaging resulting from the time delays introduced by using TDD.
Conventionally TDD schemes specify a guard time between transmission and reception. The guard time provides a safety margin against symbol interference in the time between sequential operations such as transmission, encoding, decoding or switching. This guard time should be sufficient in order to allow the signals traveling from the remote transmitter to arrive before a master node transmission is started and the master node receiver is inhibited. In other words, the master node should wait until the entire transmission from the remote node is received before the master node may begin transmitting. When changing between transmission and reception many times a second, even a small guard time may reduce the efficiency of the system because the guard time is idle time and is not used for transmission of information. For TDD systems communicating over short distances, e.g. up to a mile, the guard time is normally small and has a minimal impact on system performance. For greater distances the size of the guard time may be problematic because it must be set to a higher value.
Guard time and transmission length contribute to the latency in the operation of a TDD system. Consequently TDD systems may not be suitable for use over long distances as the guard time increases and the channel efficiency decreases. Thus, it would be beneficial to develop a method and system that minimizes the latency and maximizes the frame efficiency in a time division multiplex communication system.

Adaptive synchronous protocol for minimizing latency in TDD systems


A non-deformable patterned template includes a stable mesh, wherein the stable mesh is resistant to deformation; a polymer sheet with the stable mesh embedded therein, wherein the polymer sheet is formed using a liquid polymer adapted to receive the stable mesh, and wherein the liquid polymer is cured after the stable mesh has been placed within the liquid polymer; and a surface pattern on at least one face of the polymer sheet.

Nanoimprint lithography is a method of fabricating nanometer scale patterns by mechanical deformation of imprint resist and subsequent processing. The imprint resist can be a thermally softened or photo-initiated liquid coating that is cured by heat or UV light during the imprinting. A template is brought into contact with the liquid coating and the liquid is cured. The cured liquid includes an imprint of any patterns formed in the template. Alignment of the template with the substrate is performed prior to curing the liquid as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,584. Adhesion between the resist and the template must be controlled to allow proper release, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,036. The subject matter of both patents is incorporated herein.
A nano-pattern "parent" is produced using lithography on a silicon or glass parent. The parent pattern, sometimes called a positive image, is created using durable or environmentally stable materials, for example, a chrome positive created on glass. The pattern is then replicated on a liquid Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, sometimes called a child layer or negative image. The PDMS is then cured and the final image is used as a template or stamp to reproduce the image on multiple products. The PDMS child pattern is then replicated onto another liquid layer, for example an epoxy-based negative photoresist (SU-8), re-creating the original positive image. SU-8 can be hardened using a combination of light and heat.
Despite the good properties of PDMS, there is a possibility of mechanical stress and thermal expansion causing errors in the moldable layer. As a result, U.S. Pat. No. 7,704,425 teaches performing all processing steps when using the stamp to transfer a pattern to a substrate at a constant control temperature, which is inconvenient in a manufacturing environment.
Wilhelm (Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 2001) teaches casting the stamp around spring steel. As a result of the stresses, however, and under repeated bends, separation of the elastomer from the substrate or steel will occur resulting in waste and short life for the template. Wilhelm also identifies a significant problem with stamping using a flat fixed stamp with air bubbles. Air bubbles trapped between the stamp and the liquid substrate which receives the pattern transfer, prevents good contact between the stamp and substrate thereby resulting in pattern transfer defect. Wilhelm suggests a stiff bowed stamp as a solution. The bow in the stamp shape can help to push the air bubbles formed out from the center of the stamp. There is, however, a problem, there is too much contact force in the center of the stamp, where the stamp is at maximum height and poor pattern transfer at the edges of the stamp where the stamp is a minimum height. Wilhelm suggests the use of a thin flexible stamp to avoid the pattern transfer issues, but that results in wrinkles and poor pattern transfer.
What is needed is a reinforced elastomeric template or stamp. It must be resistant to mechanical stress and thermal expansion and have excellent durability. For UV curing during the pattern transfer process, the stamp must pass light even with the reinforcing substrate in place. Finally, the stamp must be able to take some curvature during its use to avoid the formation of bubbles and have a well controlled contact profile to avoid loss of quality due to failure to transfer the pattern in areas of excessive or insufficient contact.

PDMS imprinting stamp with embedded flexure


There is provided a substantially planar, resilient base adapted for receiving the lower portion of a circular pail containing a material needing stirring or mixing. A raised annular wall on the upper surface of the planar base encircles the circumference of the lower portion of the bucket thereby retaining the bucket. One or more radially projecting wings provide pads upon which the feet of the person stirring the bucket contents may be placed further securing the base to the floor or other surface. The resilient nature of the upwardly projecting, bucket encircling wall allows accommodating buckets of varying diameters.

Painters, dry wall installers, and other craftspeople often rely on materials supplied in large pails or buckets, for example 3, 4.5 or 5 gallon round pails or buckets.
Materials include paint, varnish, dry wall "mud", stucco, coatings, grout, cements, etc. A common characteristic of such materials is that they must be stirred or otherwise mixed prior to their respective uses. Because of the typical viscosity of these materials, any attempt to stir or mix the bucket contents generally results in rotation of the container was well as the contents thereof.
Many makeshift arrangements have been used by craftspeople in an attempt to stop such container rotation. For example, a worker may sit and attempt to secure a bucket between his or her knees or legs. However, none have provided a satisfactory mechanism to prevent container rotation during stirring or mixing.


A drawer slide having first and second rails interconnected by a center rail. The center rail includes a spool configured to provide half-speed travel of the center rail relative to the travel of the first rail. The drawer slide is configured for use with a drawer assembly having a drawer and a chassis. The drawer assembly further includes a radius limiter secured to the center rail. The radius limiter travels at half-speed relative to the drawer. The radius limiter also automatically rotates relative to the travel of the drawer. The chassis includes sides including threaded backing plates, and mounting brackets. The mounting brackets include tri-lobed holes for receipt of a reciprocally shaped washer and a fastener for mounting the brackets to the chassis sides.

Cable storage devices and arrangements have been used to prevent unnecessary or excessive displacement of optical fibers. Some examples of known devices and arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,066,149 and 6,504,988, both assigned to ADC Telecommunications, Inc., and incorporated herein by reference. Other cable storage devices and arrangements are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/900,465, filed Jul. 6, 2001, and Ser. No. 10/346,914, filed Jan. 15, 2003, both assigned to ADC Telecommunications, Inc., and incorporated herein by reference.
Generally, these devices and arrangement are provided so that when moving the trays or drawers, unnecessary or excessive displacement of the optical fiber cables is avoided. Excessive displacement can cause the optical fibers to bend resulting in attenuation and loss of signal strength. As the fiber bends, the fiber can also break, resulting in a loss of transmission through the fiber.
In general, improvement has been sought with respect to such devices and arrangements, generally to better accommodate: ease of use, manufacture, reliability, and cost of such devices.


The invention provides a fluorine-containing resin blend. This resin blend includes 100 parts by weight of a first resin and 1-50 parts by weight of a second resin. The first resin is one of an elastic fluorohydrocarbon resin and a vinylidene fluoride based resin. The second resin is a graft copolymer prepared by graft copolymerization of a rubber-like polymer with a first monomer and an optional second monomer. The first monomer is at least one of an acrylic ester and a methacrylic acid ester. The optional second monomer is at least one copolymerizable monomer other than the first monomer. When the elastic fluorohydrocarbon resin is used as the first resin, the resin blend is improved in extensibility upon molding in a melted condition and lowered in modulus of elasticity under a condition that the resin blend is strained by up to 20%, without impairing the elastic fluorohydrocarbon in its heat resistance, low-temperature characteristics and the like. When the vinylidene fluoride based resin is used as the first resin, the resin blend is improved in mechanical strength at low temperature, without impairing superior characteristics of the vinylidene fluoride based resin.

The present invention relates to a fluorine-containing resin blend of first, and second resins. The first resin is one of an elastic fluorohydrocarbon resin and a vinylidene fluoride based resin. The second resin is mixed with the first resin for improving characteristics of the resin blend.
Fluororesins are widely used in various fields by reason of their characteristic properties attributed to the presence of C-F bond, such as good heat resistance, high resistance to oils and many other chemicals and good weather resistance. In particular, elastic fluororesins having softness and moldabililty are widely used as electrical wire covering, tubes, and composite tent materials. For example, Japanese Patent Examined Publication JP-B-62-34324 discloses an elastic fluorohydrocarbon (EFHC) resin which is superior in softness and moldability. This resin has a trunk polymer (i.e., a fluorine-containing elastic polymer) and a branch polymer (i.e., polyvinylidene fluoride). This resin can be molded under melted condition at a relatively low temperature into a tube, an electrical wire covering, a sheet, a film, and the like, with an extruder, an injection molding machine, a calender or the like.
There are proposals of resin blends each containing the EFHC resin and another resin, for improving characteristics of the resin blends as compared with the EFHC resin. For example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication J1P-A-62-68844 discloses a resin blend containing a first resin which is the EFHC resin having a branch polymer of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) polymer, and a second resin which is the VDF polymer or, for example, a copolymer of VDF and hexafluoroacetone (HFA). This resin is improved in mechanical strength at high temperature or water repellency. As another example, JP-A-2-135269 discloses a mixture of a first solution containing the EFHC resin dissolved in a polar solvent and a second solution containing a methyl methacrylate resin dissolved in an organic solvent. As still another example, JP-A-4-370133 discloses a resin blend containing the EFHC resin and a thermoplastic urethane resin.
Of fluororesins, VDF based resin referring to PVDF or to VDF copolymer is widely known as being resistant against corrosive chemicals and ultraviolet rays and as being superior in mechanical characteristics. VDF based resin is particularly superior in extrudability and meltability for use as a powder coating or the like. Therefore, VDF based resin is widely used as an anticorrosion coating for metal and as an electric wire coating. Furthermore, VDF has a superior characteristic as a barrier to gases, as compared with other fluororesins. For example, JP-A-4-224939 discloses a fuel distributing resin tube having an inner layer of PVDF and an outer layer of polyamide resin. PVDF is widely used in the field of paint. In particular, PVDF has been used for long as a paint for precoated metal.
PVDF is a crystalline polymer and thus is insufficient in softness. In view of this, there are proposals of resin compositions each of which contains PVDF and is improved in softness as compared with PVDF itself. For example, JP-B-55-35042 discloses a resin composition containing PVDF and a methyl acrylate resin, which is improved in softness and extensibility. As another example, JP-B-61-16769 discloses a resin composition containing the above-mentioned EFHC resin and PVDF, which is improved in impact resistance and low-temperature characteristics.

Elastic fluorohydrocarbon resin-based polymer blend with graft copolymers of rubbers


A method for quantitative detection of trace polylactic acid microplastics (PLA MPs) in an environmental sample is disclosed, where the PLA MP in the environmental sample is depolymerized in an alkaline alcohol phase system, and the monomers thereof, i.e., lactic acid molecules were separated and recovered. Mass concentrations of lactic acid before and after reaction are quantitatively detected by HPLC-MS, and the initial mass concentration of PLA MPs in the sample is calculated using a formula. The minimum detectable concentration may be as low as 0.05 mg/kg. This method can quantify the trace PLA in water body, sludge, sediment, dust, and soil samples; no special treatment is required before heating in pentanol; use of such reaction conditions as heating and alkaline alcohol phase reduces reaction time substantially.

With the increasing use of plastic products, microplastics (MPs) are inevitably present in the environment. Due to slow degradation, the majority of MPs will accumulate in the environment constantly, aggravating the pollution increasingly. Therefore, MPs, as a novel type of environmental pollutant, have attracted wider attention. A problem is that nondegradable plastics, e.g., polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), are refractory in the environment. In view of this, degradable plastics, represented by polylactic acid (PLA), will be one of the development directions of plastics industry and one of the solutions to the abatement of current nondegradable plastic pollution. PLA, also known as polylactide, is a polyester polymerized with lactic acid as a raw material; compared with conventional plastics, PLA can be degraded to CO2 and H2O by microbes and light in natural environments. Waste PLA plastics will enter the environment inevitably and be degraded to MPs, but concentrations of PLA plastics have not been detected quantitatively in different environmental samples. At present, to establish an accurate and efficient microplastics assay is a foundation for research on microplastics environment. In the existing microplastics assay, microplastic particles are mainly screened out by means of flotation and digestion, followed by qualitative analysis by infrared spectrometry and Raman spectrometry, and by visual quantification under microscopy. This will lead to a difficult literature-literature comparison, and subjective judgments by operators may also cause bigger errors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method for quantitative detection of trace PLA MPs in different environmental samples.

Method for quantitative detection of trace polylactic acid microplastics in environmental sample


A semiconductor substrate includes a vertical conductor and an insulating layer. The vertical conductor includes a metal/alloy component of a nanocomposite crystal structure and is filled in a vertical hole formed in the semiconductor substrate along its thickness direction. The insulating layer is formed around the vertical conductor in a ring shape and includes nm-sized silica particles and a nanocrystal or nanoamorphous silica filling up a space between the silica particles to provide a nanocomposite structure along with the silica particles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor substrate, an electronic device and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been proposed a TSV (through-silicon-via) technology of providing a circuit substrate with a large number of through-electrodes and stacking such circuit substrates. With the TSV technology, many functions can be packed into a small footprint and important electrical pathways between elements can also be dramatically shortened to increase processing speed.
When using the TSV technology, the through-electrodes must be electrically insulated from a silicon substrate. As means for electrical insulation, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-251964 discloses a technology of forming a ring-shaped isolation groove passing through a silicon substrate in such a manner as to surround a through-electrode passing through the silicon substrate, forming a silicon film directly on the bottom surface and the side surfaces of the isolation groove, then forming an insulation film on the silicon film in such a manner as to fill up a gap left in the isolation groove, and thermally oxidizing each surface of the silicon film in contact with the inner or outer peripheral side surface of the isolation groove into a thermally-oxidized silicon film.
However, since it requires the steps of forming a silicon film directly on the bottom surface and the side surfaces of the isolation groove, forming an insulation film on the silicon film in such a manner as to fill up a gap left in the isolation groove after formation of the silicon film, and then thermally oxidizing the surface of the silicon film, the process inevitably becomes complicated and time-consuming. When replacing the conventional planar arrangement with the TSV technology, cost performance is important from the viewpoint of industrial mass production, but the above related art cannot meet this need sufficiently.
Moreover, since it is configured to electrically insulate the through-electrodes and the silicon substrate with the thermally-oxidized silicon film, it is difficult to form a sufficiently thick insulating film and therefore it is difficult to decrease capacitance for the through-electrodes, which results in limiting improvement in signal transmission properties and reduction of power consumption.
Furthermore, since it is difficult to form a sufficiently thick insulating film, the effect of relaxing a stress occurring in the vicinity of the through-electrodes with the insulation film can be hardly expected. Therefore, the semiconductor circuit elements have to be located away from the through-electrodes, reducing area efficiency.
On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-31923 discloses technical details of forming a separating trench groove for a MOS capacitor or a bipolar capacitor. The disclosed information is roughly as follows.    (a) A suspension having insulating particles such as silica particles dispersed in a disperse medium such as an organic solvent is applied to a trench-having surface of a silicon substrate by spin coating, and then, the disperse medium is removed from the applied film to fill the trench with the insulating particles. The insulating particles are bonded neither to each other nor to the side walls and bottom surface of the trench. Then, the top of the trench is closed by a reflowable dielectric layer, preventing the insulating particles from escaping from the trench.    (b) Also disclosed is a particulate insulating layer in which after the insulating particles are filled in the trench in the same manner as in the above (a), the insulating particles are bonded to each other through an insulating binder to form a network structure of the insulating particles and the insulating binder. It describes that an inorganic or organic SOG obtained by dissolving a silanol in an organic solvent can be used as a material for the insulating binder. Also disclosed is that —OH and —O— bonded to an Si atom in the silanol used for the inorganic or organic SOG can be partially replaced with —H, that —CH3 in the silanol used for the organic SOG can be replaced with other alkyl groups such as —C2H5, that —OH and —O— bonded to an Si atom in the silanol used for the organic SOG can be partially replaced with alkyl groups such as —CH3 and —C2H5, and so on.    (c) A first particulate insulating layer containing no binder and a second particulate insulating layer containing a binder are combined to provide an insulating layer. The top of the first particulate insulating layer containing no binder is covered with the second particulate insulating layer containing an insulating binder.    (d) A particulate insulating layer forming an insulating layer includes first and second insulating particles that are homogeneously mixed together and an insulating binder for cross-linking them.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-31923, however, since the insulating particles such as silica particles are bonded neither to each other nor to the side walls and bottom surface of the trench, it is required to employ the technique of closing the top of the trench with a reflowable dielectric layer (see the above (a)) or the technique of bonding the insulating particles through a binder (see the above (b) to (d)), complicating the insulating structure and the manufacturing process.
In the case of the above technique (a), moreover, it is impossible to form an insulating layer having a high adhesion strength to the silicon substrate. In the case of the technique (b), since the particulate insulating layer has a network structure formed from the insulating particles and the insulating binder, the adhesion strength of the insulating layer to the silicon substrate is not sufficient, either. When using a binder such as an organic SOG, on the other hand, since the insulating layer contains carbon, it is not inherently desirable as an insulating layer that requires high insulation resistance. In the techniques (c) and (d), since the first and second insulating particles are included, the problem still remains regarding the adhesion strength.
When insulating a vertical conductor forming the through-electrode or the like, furthermore, the vertical conductor may be embedded in the insulating layer itself, but such an insulating structure cannot be dealt with by the technology described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-31923.

Semiconductor substrate, electronic device and method for manufacturing the same


An active matrix LCD employs a two-terminal or three-terminal switch structure employing an electrically conductive wire. The wire has an insulating layer thereon forming a wire structure. The wire structure is placed in a groove in a transparent substrate and an electrode layer is deposited on the insulating layer at spaced intervals to form an array of diodes connected in parallel. By applying a suitable voltage to the wire, all of the diodes in parallel are turned on to charge the electrodes to desired electrical potentials on one side of the liquid crystal material. An array of electrodes matching the position of the diodes on the other side of the liquid crystal material are charged to the desired potentials in order to control the color and brightness of the display by controlling the light transmittance of the liquid crystal cells between the two sets of electrodes. In another embodiment, a three-terminal switch device is used instead, where the switch includes an insulating layer on a conductive wire and a semiconductor layer on top of the insulating layer. A conductive layer is then formed on top of the semiconductor layer to provide a source and a drain electrode with the wire acting as the gate of an array of transistors. When the common gate of the transistors is at On potential, the drain electrodes may be charged to the desired potentials in order to control the color and brightness of the display.

This invention relates in general to electrode structures and active matrix liquid crystal displays, and in particular to a wire electrode structure and an active matrix liquid crystal displays employing at least one wire electrode structure for addressing.
The active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD), including thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) and thin-film diode (e.g. MIM diode) liquid crystal display (TFD-LCD) has been widely used for lap-top computers, small screen televisions and the like. It is currently a mainstream technology of the flat panel display which has a good performance in terms of color gamut, gray scale and resolution.
However, this conventional AMLCD has some limitations and shortcomings. For instance, it is difficult to use the conventional AMLCD for large screen displays, such as those greater than 30 inches diagonally. In addition, it is difficult and costly to manufacture conventional AMLCDs, because of a requirement of many mask steps, high processing cost and high capital investment on equipment involved. Furthermore, conventional AMLCDs usually demonstrate certain drawbacks such as low-brightness and low efficiency due to a low aperture ratio.
In order to overcome the above-described limitations and shortcomings, active matrix liquid crystal displays employing plasma gas discharge addressing have been proposed in the place of thin-film transistor or thin-film diodes. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,521 to Kwon et al. As in all AMLCDS, in the device proposed by Kwon et al., light transmittance through liquid crystal (LC) cells is controlled by applying appropriate voltages across a layer of LC material. On one side of the LC layer is an array of electrodes as in the TFT-LCD and TFD-LCD, where each of the electrodes in the array acts as a capacitor plate. On the other side of the layer, however, is a very thin dielectric layer separating the LC layer from an array of gas chambers. By causing plasma gas discharge in the chambers, a surface of the dielectric layer is charged to a desired electrical potential so that such surface acts as a capacitor plate. Such surface of the dielectric layer, together with a matching electrode in the array of electrodes on the other side of the LC layer, then control the light transmittance of the LC cell therebetween.
In order for the above-described plasma gas discharge AMLCD to be feasible, the above-described dielectric layer must be very thin; otherwise, the charges on the surface of the dielectric layer will be ineffective to affect the light transmittance of the LC layer. As described in the '521 patent to Kwon et al., the thin dielectric plate is a thin glass sheet of about 50 microns in thickness.
In order to avoid leakage of the plasma gas in the above-described device proposed by Kwon et al., it is necessary to vacuum seal the gas chambers. Therefore, the above-described thin dielectric layer of Kwon et al. must be able to withstand atmospheric pressure and vacuum sealing. The process for manufacturing a large sheet of very thin glass forming one side of vacuum chambers is very difficult. Furthermore, in order to achieve adequate resolution, the gas chambers for controlling and addressing individual LC cells must be small. In such event, the side walls of the gas chambers would severely limit the aperture ratio of the display, so that only a low percentage of the light from a backlight will be able to penetrate the gas chambers. The display is, therefore, of low efficiency and poor brightness. It is possible to increase the aperture ratio by increasing the size of the gas chamber laterally to the display. This, on the other hand, has the undesirable effect of reducing the resolution of the display. Moreover, the plasma discharge chambers would need to be manufactured under high temperature, which increases the difficulty of alignment and processing costs. The plasma gas discharge AMLCD is operated at high voltages so that expensive driving circuits must be used.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved AMLCD where the above-described difficulties are alleviated.

Wire electrode structure based on 2 or 3 terminal device employed in a liquid crystal display


A device of an engine having a plurality of cylinders includes: exhaust passages each connected with either a single cylinder or two or more cylinders having non-adjacent exhaust order; a manifold section connected with each downstream end of the exhaust passages; a catalyst device downstream of the manifold section; and a valve driver. Within a low-speed and high-load engine operating range, the valve driver drives intake and exhaust valves of each cylinder such that, for a particular cylinder, a period of positive valve overlap overlaps an exhaust valve opening time of another cylinder adjacent in the exhaust order. The manifold section includes a part that reduces in diameter downstream from the upstream end of the manifold section, and a straight part with a substantially fixed flow area extending upstream from the downstream end of the manifold section. In this way, negative pressure may be generated due to an ejector effect.

The present invention relates to an intake and exhaust device of a multi-cylinder engine provided to, for example, an automobile.
Conventionally, an intake and exhaust device has been developed for an engine of, for example, an automobile for the purpose of increasing an engine output.
For example, JP2009-097335A discloses a device including a turbocharger. The device is provided with a plurality of independent exhaust passages that are respectively connected with exhaust ports of cylinders and independent from each other, a manifold section provided upstream of the turbocharger and where the independent passages assemble, and valves that are provided to the manifold section and can change flow areas of the independent passages. The device reduces the flow areas of the independent passages by the valves so that exhaust gas in the cylinder on exhaust stroke flows from a predetermined independent passage to the manifold section at comparatively high speed. Further, the exhaust gas in the other independent passages is sucked downstream thereof by a so called ejector effect caused by a negative pressure produced around the exhaust gas flowing at high speed that affects the other independent passages in the manifold section. In this manner, an amount of gas supplied to the turbocharger is increased to increase the engine output.
While the output of the engine itself is desired to be increased as above, in regard to mass producing, for example, vehicles, it is desired to suppress a performance variation between vehicles due to a manufacturing variation, etc.
The present invention is made in view of the above situations, and provides an intake and exhaust device of a multi-cylinder engine that can suppress a performance variation due to a manufacturing variation, etc.

Intake and exhaust device of multi-cylinder engine


A cDNA molecule encoding for a particular 33 kD cysteine proteinase derived from maize is provided. When expressed in a plant, particularly corn or cotton, the protein provides insect resistance to the plant, and when expressed in the anther, the 33 kD cysteine proteinase provides sterility in the male of the plant species. The cDNA molecule can also be used as a probe to isolate suitable promoters for regulating expression of a 33 kD cysteine proteinase in callus or to provide a transformed baculovirus, which confers insect resistance upon a plant when the plant is infectted with the transformed baculovirus. Additionally, a DNA sequence of 264 base pairs in length is provided that provides enhanced enzymatic/catalytic activity in proteins expressed when the 264 base pair sequence is operably linked to a DNA molecule encoding for a cysteine proteinase.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plant genetic engineering, particularly to a cDNA encoding a Maize 33 kD cysteine proteinase and its use to transform cells to express the cysteine proteinase to provide insect resistance.
2. Discussion of the Background
The larvae of both fall armyworm and southwestern corn borer are serious insect pests of corn (Zea mays L.) in the southern United States and cause damage to plants by feeding on leaves within the whorls. Several germplasm lines with resistance to these two insects have been developed and released (Williams et al, Crop Sci., 22:1269-1270 (1982); Williams et al, Crop Sci., 24:1217 (1984); Williams et al, Crop Sci., 30:757 (1990)). These lines also show resistance to several additional lepidopterous insects, including the sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis [Fab]), the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea [Boddie]), and the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis [Huber]) (Davis et al, Miss. Agric. For. Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull., 157:1-6 (1988)).
Fall armyworm and southwestern corn borer larvae feed more extensively on whorls of susceptible plants than they do on resistant plants. Thus, larvae recovered from resistant plants are smaller than those recovered from susceptible plants (Williams et al, Crop Sci., 29:913-915 (1989)), with both antibiosis and nonpreference appearing to be operative as mechanisms of resistance (Wiseman et al, J. Econ. Entomol., 74:622-624 (1981) and Wiseman et al, Protection Ecology, 5:135-141 (1983)). Similar results have been obtained using callus initiated from mature embryos of resistant and susceptible genotypes (Williams et al, Crop Sci., 23:1210-1212 (1983)). Attempts to identify specific secondary metabolites that may be involved in resistance have been inconclusive (Hedin et al, J. Agric. Food Chem., 32:262-267 (1984)).
Several endogenous plant proteins may confer resistance to insect pests. These include the Ser proteinase inhibitors, lectins, and .alpha.-amylase inhibitors (Shade et al, Biotechnology, 12:793-796 (1994)). Proteins such as these may not be highly toxic, but they can control the rate of development of pest insect populations (Ibid.). These moderately toxic proteins exert a less stringent selection pressure than highly toxic insecticides and slow the development of resistance (Tabashnik, Annu. Rev. Entomol., 39:47-49 (1994)).
Although there is little specific information about the role of proteinases in insect resistance, it is generally believed that hydrolytic enzymes are involved in the plant defense response (Boller, in "Plant Proteolytic Enzymes, Vol. I, M. J. Dalling, Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., (1986)). Typically, hydrolytic enzymes are sequestered in the vacuole and are released when it is broken. The released hydrolases may be the first line of defense against pathogen or herbivore attack (Ibid.). Some proteinases such as the one found in Phaseolus vulgaris leaves (Van der Wilden et al, Plant Physiol., 73:576-578 (1983)) are present in the cell wall and thus provide another site of defense. Feeding by Spodoptera littoralis induces Leu aminopeptidase in tomato (Pautot et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90:9906-9910 (1993)). This proteinase may be involved in systemic response to wounding, which leads to the expression of plant defense proteins (Pearce et al, Science, 253:895-897 (1991)).
Cysteine proteinases are endoproteinases found in bacteria, eukaryotic microorganisms, plants and animals (Barrett, in "Plant Proteolytic Enzymes, Vol. I, M. J. Dalling, Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., pp. 1-16 (1986)). One of the most studied cysteine proteinases is papain, which is found in the latex of Carica papaya L (Ibid.). There is a large family of enzymes with similarity to papain, including the cathepsins present in mammalian lysosomes (Ibid.). The thiol group on cys-25 of papain is required for activity, hence the name cysteine proteinase. This class of enzymes is inhibited by iodoacetate, E64, and small proteins called cystatins (Ibid.).
Many cysteine proteinases have been identified in plants. One group, synthesized during seed germination, is involved in storage protein degradation. Several isozymes from this group have been purified and cloned from barley (Kohler et al, Plant Cell, 2:769-783 (1990)), corn (deBarros et al, Plant Science, 99:189-197 (1994) and Mitsuhashi et al, Plant Physiol., 104:401-407 (1994)), rice (Watanabe et al, J. Biol. Chem., 266:16897-16902 (1991)), and other species.
Although the nucleus of every cell contains the entire complement of genomic DNA, a cell in a given tissue does not express every single gene in the genome. Rather, a given cell expresses a population of genes which code for proteins that are critical for maintaining cellular physiology. The challenge every cell faces is to express thousands of different genes at exactly the right times and in exactly the right amounts to prevent cellular physiology from becoming compromised.
Tissue-specific gene expression is often regulated at the level of gene transcription. Transcription is the process by which double-stranded DNA is read into singlestranded RNA. The processes of transcription initiation, and regulation of subsequent changes in rates of transcription reinitiation, are controlled by protein-DNA interactions.
Transcription is a highly regulated process in which nuclear gene regulatory proteins (often called transcription factors) bind, with high affinity, to short (five to fifteen base pair) lengths of DNA sequence known as control elements. Protein-DNA interactions occur in the promoter, 5' flanking, and 3' flanking regions of the gene. Through such protein-DNA interactions, gene expression is programmed to respond to changes in extracellular signals such as light, temperature, growth factor concentration, hormone concentration, and drug concentration and post-translational modification of protein (level of phosphorylation, myristylation, etc.). Such transcriptional mechanisms regulate tissue-specific protein expression.

DNA molecule encoding a 33kD cysteine proteinase and its use in transforming plants to provide insect resistance


Systems and techniques to create and conduct a reverse auction include creating a reverse auction object having a number of components; and copying information from a number of components in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) object into corresponding components of the reverse auction object. Bids received for the RFQ may be copied into the reverse auction object, and information in the bids may be validated. If the bids do not include information required for the reverse auction object, the bid may be marked as incomplete.

The following description relates to online bidding systems, for example, a system and method for creating and conducting a reverse auction.
In electronic commerce, dynamic systems for commercial transactions provide a number of advantages not available in static systems. In general, a dynamic system is one in which the characteristics of potential transactions, as well as the universe of available transactions, may change over time. An online auction is an example of a dynamic system. In contrast, a static system is one in which the characteristics of a potential transaction generally do not change. An offer to sell a product at a fixed price on a company's web site is an example of a static system.
Conventional dynamic systems for commercial transactions, such as online auction sites, generally provide companies or other entities with an efficient avenue for buying and selling goods and services. For example, an auction may be opened to a much wider range of participants when conducted online. However, conventional online systems tend to be limited in flexibility, security, and/or functionality.

Methods and computer readable storage medium for conducting a reverse auction


In an approach to mature a knowledge corpus using artificial intelligence (AI) and user collaboration, embodiments create, by an AI response system, a knowledge corpus based on retrieved data associated with a first user. Additionally, embodiments execute, by the AI response system, a search to locate one or more matching knowledge corpora based on a request of the first user, and identify, by an anonymous network, at least one cluster of one or more anonymous second users having respective search requests that substantially match the search request of the first user. Furthermore, embodiments execute an AI exchange between the identified one or more anonymous second users and the first user, and mature the knowledge corpus, via the AI response system, based on the AI exchange between the first user and the identified one or more anonymous second users.

The present invention relates generally to the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and more particularly to maturing knowledge corpora.
Knowledge corpus smart spaces are structures that consist of a set of shared resources including data and data processing function, which continuously performs data mining operations for extracting new relevant knowledge and performing routine monitoring functions based on the target functions set by the user or smart space services
An intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) or intelligent personal assistant (IPA) is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual based on commands or questions. Sometimes the term "chatbot" is used to refer to virtual assistants generally or specifically accessed by online chat. In some cases, online chat programs are exclusively for entertainment purposes. Some virtual assistants are able to interpret human speech and respond via synthesized voices. Users can ask the IVA's questions, control home automation devices and media playback via voice, and manage other basic tasks such as email, to-do lists, and calendars with verbal or spoken commands. A similar concept; however, with differences, lays under the dialogue systems.

Generating and mutually maturing a knowledge corpus

International Business Machines Corporation


In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the type using single-ingredient type high resistance toner, a developing roller or similar toner conveyor roller is covered with a dielectric layer which is comparatively thick at opposite end portions than at an intermediate portion. A conductive or semiconductive elastic layer underlies the dielectric layer. With the above configuration, the dielectric layer is prevented from coming off the roller. This, coupled with the fact that the elastic layer does not contact a photoconductive element, eliminates current leaks and thereby extends the life of the roller and photoconductive element.

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the type using single-ingredient type high resistance toner, and a developing roller or similar toner conveyor roller included in the apparatus.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus operable with single-ingredient type high resistance toner is advantageous in that, e.g., a developing device and therefore the entire apparatus is small size, and in that maintenance is basically needless. The apparatus can be further miniaturized if an image carrier is implemented as a photoconductive drum. However, with a photoconductive drum, it is difficult to uniformly charge the toner due to the low reliability of the drum.
Two different developing systems using the above toner are available in the imaging art. A first developing system uses an elastic developing roller. The problem with this system is that toner particles charged to the polarity opposite to the expected polarity appear and deposit on and contaminate the background of a sheet. A second developing system has an intermediate roller between a developing roller and a photoconductive element in order to eliminate the above problem. Specifically, the second system protects a sheet from background contamination because when the toner is transferred from the developing roller to the intermediate roller, the toner particles of opposite polarity are left on the developing roller.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-64366 proposes an arrangement wherein charged toner of the kind described is conveyed by first conveying means to second conveying means, transferred to the second conveying means by an electrical force, and then conveyed to an image carrier by the second conveying means. The first and second conveying means are implemented as a roller and a belt, respectively, while the image carrier is implemented as a drum. The belt is held in contact with the roller and drum. On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-175477 teaches a toner conveyor roller formed of a soft material and intervening between a hard photoconductive drum and a conveyor roller. This kind of scheme further miniaturizes the apparatus.
In the first developing system, it is necessary to form a layer of uniformly charged toner on the developing roller. The amount of toner must be small enough for the toner to be uniformly charged. If the linear velocity ratio of the toner conveyor roller to a photoconductive element is excessive, the returning force of the toner is excessively increased at the nip while the background is contaminated by, e.g., friction between the photoconductive element and the toner. Further, even when a doctor blade is held in contact with the developing roller in order to charge the toner by friction while regulating the amount of toner, or even when charge is injected into the toner, the amount of toner (for a unit area of the developing roller) which can be uniformly charged is limited. Hence, although the toner may be uniformly charged, the amount of toner deposited on the developing roller and the amount of toner required on the photoconductive element are not always identical. In addition, if the above limit is exceeded, there increases the ratio of toner particles of opposite polarity and uncharged particles to the entire particles. Therefore, at the present stage of development, the apparatus design is required to balance the amount of toner on the developing roller and the linear velocity ratio of the developing roller to the photoconductive element. This eventually does not always result in desirable images.
The above is also true with the second developing system or two-step developing system. Specifically, the developing roller and intermediate roller are each driven at a particular linear velocity. In addition, the linear velocity of the intermediate roller and that of the photoconductive element are often slightly different from each other. Therefore, a stress acts between the developing roller and the intermediate roller and between the intermediate roller and the photoconductive element. Particularly, when the developing roller and intermediate roller are moved in opposite directions at a position where they contact each other, the stress acting there is great. As a result, if the intermediate roller is coated with a dielectric material, the dielectric layer is apt to wear or come off. The dielectric layer often comes off at the end portions thereof. Once the dielectric layer comes off, it is likely that the underlying conductive layer exposed to the outside contacts the photoconductive element, resulting in a current leak. The current leak destroys the dielectric layer and makes the roller unusable.
In the first and second developing systems, the developing roller and intermediate roller (collectively referred to as a toner conveyor roller hereinafter) each contacting the photoconductive element are elastic or soft. While the toner conveyor roller must be semiconductive, it is most desirable that the roller be provided with a dielectric outermost layer and a semiconductive or conductive underlying layer in order to prevent current from leaking at the position where the roller contacts the photoconductive element. For this reason, the conventional toner conveyor roller has a conductive elastic layer, and a dielectric layer formed on the conductive layer. However, the dielectric layer is extremely thin. When the toner conveyor roller and photoconductive element contact each other, the insulation distance between them decreases. As a result, current is apt to leak between the edge of the end portion of the conductive layer and the photoconductive element. Further, the end portion of the conductive layer often bulges out, depending on the production method. When the roller in this condition is coated with a dielectric material, the dielectric layer is reduced in thickness at the end portion thereof. If this kind of roller is held in contact with the photoconductive element, the current leak is aggravated.
As stated above, when use is made of an elastic toner conveyor roller, current leaks due to the peeling of the dielectric layer which is ascribable to a stress acting on the roller, or leaks between the edge of the conductive layer and the photoconductive element on the contact of the roller with the element. The leak not only results in defective images including images with contaminated background, but also destroys the dielectric layer of the roller and that of the photoconductive element and makes them practicably unusable.

Method of coating a toner conveyor roller


Techniques are disclosed for improved autonomous agents that can provide a recommendation in a non-intrusive, conversational manner. In an aspect, a method determines a first sentiment score for a first utterance and a second sentiment score for a second utterance, each sentiment score indicating an emotion indicated by the respective utterance. The method further identifies that a difference between the first sentiment score and the second sentiment score is greater than a threshold. The method further extracts a noun phrase from the second utterance. The method identifies a text fragment that includes an entity that corresponds to the noun phrase. The method identifies that the text fragment addresses a claim of the second utterance. The method forms a third utterance that includes the a recommendation related to the second utterance and adds the third utterance to the sequence of utterances after the second utterance.

Computer-implemented applications of linguistics are increasing due to the greatly increased speed of processors and capacity of memory. For example, computer-based analysis of language discourse facilitates numerous applications, such as automated agents that can answer questions received from user devices.
But such solutions are unable to fully analyze utterances in a conversation between a user device and an autonomous agent. Consequently, these systems are unable to develop appropriate recommendations. Moreover, these systems are often overly intrusive from a user perspective.

Generating recommendations by using communicative discourse trees of conversations


An apparatus and method for limiting sharing of reproduction information of a data authorized for only a specific user when a video and audio reproduced from a portable terminal are shared with a peripheral second terminal. The apparatus preferably includes an application analyzer, and a sharing information generator. Sharing information of the reproduced data is replaced with non-shared information when it is verified that the data which is not authorized to be shared is reproduced. A controller transmits the sharing information or the sharing information replaced with the non-shared information to the peripheral second terminal. The sharing information includes picture information and voice information of the reproduced data and wherein the non-shared information is replacement information for limiting viewing of the voice and audio information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for sharing a data in a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable terminals have become necessities of modern life for people of all ages. Portable terminals are now being used as media devices capable of servicing wireless voice calls and exchanging information. Portable terminals have become popular because it is possible for such portable terminals to be simply carried and service wireless voice calls. Subsequently, service providers and terminal manufacturers have been competitively developing differentiated products (or services) to supplement the functions of voice calls and text messages, and sales have increased in accordance with the development of those technologies.
For example, the portable terminal has developed into a multimedia device capable of providing various services such as a phonebook, a game, a Short Message Service (SMS), an Electronic (E)-mail service, a morning call, a Motion Picture Expert Group Audio Layer-3 (MP3) player, a schedule management function, a digital camera, and a wireless Internet service.
Recently, a portable terminal which provides a function for sharing an output of data with other portable terminals was released.
The sharing function results in a terminal "A" being controlled by a terminal "B". Data reproduced at the A terminal and an application executed at the A terminal are simultaneously output on a screen of the B terminal.
Accordingly, a user of the B terminal may execute a data to be reproduced among data items stored in the A terminal.
In accordance with the aforementioned sharing function for sharing the output data, a portable terminal which reproduces a data provides picture information and voice information of the reproduced data to a sharing terminal which is positioned around the portable terminal. The sharing terminal which receives the picture information and the voice information reproduces the received information to share the output data in real time.
However, as the portable terminal provides picture information and voice information of an executed data to the sharing terminal immediately (real time) according to the aforementioned function, there is a problem in that the portable terminal which provides the information also shares information comprising a data which is not authorized to be shared and the sharing terminal also reproduces the data which is not authorized to be reproduced.
For example, when a data in which Digital Rights Management (DRM) is set is stored in the A terminal, it is impossible to reproduce the data at the B terminal.
However, when the A terminal reproduces a data in which DRM is set in a state where it is shared with the B terminal, it provides picture information and voice information about the reproduced data in which the DRM is set to the B terminal as it is.
For this reason, there is a problem in that it is possible for the B terminal to reproduce the received data and share the data in which the DRM is set even though only the A terminal was authorized to access such data.
Accordingly, at least in order to solve the problem, there is a need for an apparatus and method for limiting the sharing of a data which is not authorized to be shared in a portable terminal which shares output data in real time.

Apparatus and method for sharing output data in portable terminal


An exercise apparatus includes a frame assembly, a flywheel unit mounted rotatably on the frame assembly, a manually operated driving unit for driving rotatably the flywheel unit, and a magnet-type resistance generator to provide resistance to rotation of the flywheel unit. The resistance generator includes a central shaft mounted on the frame assembly and formed with an intermediate worm section, and a rotary plate mounted rotatably on the central shaft on one side of the worm section and driven rotatably by the flywheel unit. The rotary plate has a circular plate portion and a peripheral ring which extends from a front side of the circular plate portion. A movable slide seat is mounted movably on the central shaft and is provided with a worm shaft unit which meshes with the worm section. The slide seat has an outer periphery which is provided with a plurality of angularly spaced magnets that are disposed adjacent to the peripheral ring of the rotary plate. A motor control unit activates a motor to rotate the worm shaft unit and cause movement of the slide seat relative to the rotary plate to vary the strength of a magnetic field applied by the magnets on the peripheral ring of the rotary plate and vary correspondingly magnetic resistance to rotation of the rotary plate and the flywheel unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an exercise apparatus, more particularly to an exercise apparatus with an improved magnet-type resistance generator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Exercise apparatuses with magnet-type resistance generators are known in the art. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a conventional exercise bicycle which incorporates a magnet-type resistance generator. The resistance generator includes a magnet unit (B) which pivots frontward and rearward and which is disposed adjacent to a periphery of a flywheel (A) of the exercise bicycle. When the magnet unit (B) pivots frontward, the periphery of the flywheel (A) cuts into a magnetic field that is generated by the magnet unit (B). Referring to FIG. 3, the magnet unit (B) utilizes several spaced pairs of oppositely polarized permanent magnets (B1) to generate the magnetic field.
A cantilever (C) is disposed on one side of the flywheel (A). A link mechanism (D) mounts pivotally the magnet unit (B) on the cantilever (C). The link mechanism (D) includes a pair of parallel cranks (D1). A shaft sleeve (D2) is provided on each end of each crank (D1). Each shaft sleeve (D2) is formed with an axial through hole (D3). A rocking arm (E) interconnects the upper ends of the cranks (D1). The rocking arm (E) has a rear side which is secured to a side wall of the magnet unit (B), and a front side which is formed with a spaced pair of frontwardly extending shafts (E1). Each of the shafts (E1) extends into the shaft sleeve (D2) on the upper end of the respective crank (D1). Nuts (D4) engage the distal ends of the shafts (E1) so as to mount the cranks (D1) pivotally on the rocking arm (E). The cantilever (C) has a front side which is formed with a spaced pair of frontwardly extending shafts (C1). Each of the shafts (C1) extends into the shaft sleeve (D2) on the lower end of the respective crank (D1). Nuts (D4) engage the distal ends of the shafts (C1) so as to mount the cranks (D1) pivotally on the cantilever (C). A push piece (D5) is secured on the upper end of one of the cranks (D1). The push piece (D5) is formed with a vertically extending notch (D6). The distal end of a bent pull shaft (F1) is received in the notch (D6) and is movable upwardly and downwardly therein. The other end of the pull shaft (F1) is connected to a slide piece (F2) of a bolt unit (F). The slide piece (F2) is mounted threadedly on a guide bolt (F4) that is driven rotatably by a motor (F3). A gear (F5) is secured on a distal end of the guide bolt (F4). The gear (F5) meshes with another gear (F51) which is driven rotatably by the motor (F3). The upper end of the slide piece (F2) is formed with an upwardly extending rod (F21). A slide potentiometer (F6) is disposed parallel to the guide bolt (F4). The rod (F21) moves a slider (not shown) of the slide potentiometer (F6) frontward and rearward. Referring to FIG. 4, the slide potentiometer (F6) is connected electrically to a voltage sensor. The voltage sensor includes a position sensor (G11) and a position control (G12) and is connected electrically to a microcomputer (G2). The microcomputer (G2) is connected to a motor control unit (G) which, in turn, is connected to the motor (F3) so as to control the rotation of the latter. Referring once more to FIGS. 1 to 4, an instrument control unit (H) is operated so as to adjust the resistance that is to be provided by the bicycle exerciser to the desired level. The microcomputer (G2), which is disposed in the instrument control unit (H), commands the motor control unit (G) to activate the motor (F3) and rotate the gears (F5, F51) in order to rotate correspondingly the guide bolt (F4). The slide piece (F2) moves forward or rearward in accordance with the direction of rotation of the motor (F3) and moves the pull shaft (F1) therewith. Movement of the pull shaft (F1) causes forward or rearward pivoting movement of the link mechanism (D). At the same time, the rod (F21) moves the slider of the slide potentiometer (F6) frontward or rearward, thereby adjusting the resistance output of the latter. The position sensor (G11) and the position control (G12) generate a control signal to the microcomputer (G2) in accordance with the instantaneous resistance output of the slide potentiometer (F6). The microcomputer (G2) continues to command the motor control unit (G) to activate the motor (F3) until the desired resistance to the rotation of the flywheel (A) is attained. When the link mechanism (D) pivots forward, the periphery of the flywheel (A) cuts deeper into the magnetic field that is generated by the magnet unit (B), thereby resulting in a larger resistance to the rotation of the flywheel (A). When the link mechanism (D) pivots rearward, a smaller portion of the periphery of the flywheel (A) cuts into the magnetic field that is generated by the magnet unit (B), thereby resulting in a smaller resistance to the rotation of the flywheel (A). When the flywheel (A) ceases to cut into the magnetic field that is generated by the magnet unit (B), no resistance to the rotation of the flywheel (A) is produced.
From the foregoing, it has been shown that in order to convert the rotation of the motor (F3) into pivoting movement of the link mechanism (D) and the magnet unit (B), movement of several components, such as the gears (F5, F51), the guide bolt (F4), the slide piece (F2), and the pull shaft (F1), is required. This results in a relatively large tolerance. The following are some of the drawbacks of the above described resistance generator:
1. Referring once more to FIGS. 1 and 3, the magnet unit (B) confines a groove (B2) between the spaced pairs of oppositely polarized permanent magnets (B1). The periphery of the flywheel (A) extends into the groove (B2) such that the permanent magnets (B1) are disposed on two sides thereof. In order for the flywheel (A) to cut equally through the magnetic lines of the permanent magnets (B1), the flywheel (A) must be disposed at the center of the groove (B2). However, because of the presence of the relatively large tolerance, the flywheel (A) usually does not cut equally through the magnetic lines. This often results in an unstable resistance to the rotation of the flywheel (A). The exercise apparatus thus becomes uncomfortable to use and can result in uneven muscle development.
2. Proper installation and adjustment of the magnet unit (B) is difficult to achieve. When the magnet unit (B) accidentally bumps into an object, the flywheel (A) is easily displaced from its proper position.
3. Note that the instrument control unit (H) is operable in order to set the desired calorie loss and to compute the actual calorie loss. To compute the calorie loss, two factors are required: the rotational speed of the flywheel (A) in revolutions per minute, and the resistance offered by the resistance generator to the rotation of the flywheel (A). As mentioned hereinbefore, the resistance to the rotation of the flywheel (A) is usually uneven. Thus, the computed calorie loss is usually inaccurate.

Exercise apparatus with magnet-type resistance generator


Interchangeable control panels for a gas cylinder cart, and a new cart frame for use therewith are disclosed. A method of reconfiguring the gas cylinder cart comprises disconnecting a first control panel from the frame and removably connecting a second control panel to the frame, wherein the first and second control panels comprise a first and second configuration of gas control devices arranged thereon respectively. A gas cylinder cart comprises a frame defining at least one bay shaped to receive a cylinder, a control panel removably connected to the frame, and at least one gas control device mounted on the control panel.

Gas cylinder carts, and in particular portable gas cylinder carts, are typically used to provide access to various gases, such as air, at remote locations. For example, fire and rescue personnel use air supply carts to provide an air supply in locations where the ambient air supply may be limited and/or contaminated. In addition, such workers may also have the need for pressurized air to run various pneumatic tools, such as saws and pry devices. In other applications, construction and steel workers use such carts to transport various cylinders of welding gases and the like, and entertainers may use such carts to transport tanks of helium and the like.
High quality gas cylinder carts and other breathing air, ventilation and safety equipment are available from Air Systems, Inc., d.b.a. Air Systems International, Inc., 821 Juniper Crescent, Chesapeake, Va., 23320, U.S.A., and are viewable at the web site www.airsystems.com. Air Systems, Inc. may also be contacted via telephone at phone number 800-866-8100 or phone number 757-424-3967.
Typically, gas cylinder carts are configured to hold one or more cylinders of gas. Often, various pressure gauges, regulators and valves are operably connected to the cylinder to allow the operator to control the flow of gas from the cylinder to the user, whether for breathing or other uses. In such an embodiment, it can be difficult and time consuming to remove various control devices from the cylinder, once emptied, and reattach them to another cylinder.
In other known embodiments, the various pressure control devices are connected to a control panel, which forms part of the cart as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,895. Typically, however, the control panel is fixedly secured or integrated into the cart, such that the cart is provided with only a single configuration or particular arrangement of control devices. Accordingly, the cart cannot be readily reconfigured to accommodate additional control devices, such as additional air ports and/or regulators. Therefore, the user of such carts may be required to keep multiple carts in inventory in order to service their various needs, with an attendant increase in the costs associated with the purchase of additional carts and the storage space required therefore.

Interchangeable control panels for gas cylinder cart


A diagnostic method for analysing the operation of at least part of a production line in the tobacco industry includes feeding through the line a probe having the shape of a smokers' article and provided with an electronic card configured to acquire one or more parameters; the method includes a step of activating the probe with the possibility of temporally synchronizing the data acquired by the probe with the data acquired by the line at the same time.

As is known, a need which is felt particularly strongly in the tobacco industry (that is, in the cigarette production and/or packing sector) is that of monitoring—for essentially diagnostic purposes—the performance and state of the machines forming part of the cigarette production and/or packing line.
Obviously, a need which is felt particularly strongly is that of being able to monitor the state of machine components in order to avoid visual inspections by operators which inevitably entail removing certain components and cause lengthy machine downtimes.
Another need which is felt particularly strongly by machine designers and installers is that of being able to diagnose machine operation upon completion of assembly and/or installation in order to ensure that the machine is properly operational prior to delivery to the end customer.

Diagnostic method for analysing the operation of at least part of a production line in the tobacco industry


A personal pulmonary function analyzer comprises a generally elongate body which defines a flow passageway extending between an opening at one end of the body and an opening at a side of the body. The flow passageway can be less than 10 cm in length, and is conveniently about 3 cm in length.

Lung function depends on the ease with which air passes from the atmosphere to the alveoli (air sacs) and back to the atmosphere again. This is mainly determined by the flow resistance of the small airways of the lungs. Lung function can vary considerably over short periods of time, and can be affected by such factors as temperature, humidity, exercise and disease, such as asthma. For example, a person playing a sport may suddenly become short of breath as a result of a sport-induced bronchiospasm, in which the bronchial tubes contact due to exertion. Asthma sufferers are also particularly vulnerable to allergens, viruses and smoke.
Although portable peak-flow meters are available at low price, their usefulness in analyzing lung function is limited. Such peak-flow meters are prone to significant errors, which are particularly undesirable in the case where the meters are used to regulate a drug treatment for a pulmonary disorder. Known low price peak-flow meters are based on mechanical friction spring arrangements, which are uncalibrated, and intended to provide relative results only. Such devices are often used to regulate a user's intake of steroids, which provide a preventative treatment for asthma. It will be appreciated that an incorrect reading from the peak-flow device will result in the user's taking an incorrect dose of steroids, either too much or too little, which is undesirable and potentially dangerous.
In order to carry out accurate pulmonary function tests, it is normally necessary for the patient's lung function to be tested in the hospital using non-portable testing equipment. However, in view of the fact that asthma, particularly in the case of asthma suffers who are children, is believed often to contain a psychosomatic element, tests which are carried out in the hospital do not always give representative results. This is because the mere fact that a patient has to attend the hospital tends to increase the stress level of the patient, and this in turn leads to less reliable test results. Lung function is very changeable over short periods of time, e.g. before and during exercise. To get a complete picture of a person's lung function, multiple measurements over time need to be taken during normal day-to-day activities. At present, testing a patient in the hospital is often the only way of carrying out the full range of appropriate tests.
Such tests result in a variety of useful measurements, the five most significant of which are summarized below.
PEAK FLOW is the simplest measurement, and is simply an indication of the peak velocity of expelled air expressed in liters per minute. This measurement, like the other measurements discussed below, is typically obtained by asking the patient to blow into suitable apparatus.
VC is the total volume of expelled air, expressed in liters.
FEV1 is the volume of air expelled in the first second, expressed in liters.
FEV1/VC is the volume of air expelled in the first second divided by the total volume expelled, expressed as a percentage.
FEF25%-75% is the average velocity of air flow between 25% expelled volume and 75% expelled volume, expressed in liters per minute.
Devices for carrying out the above measurements typically involve the patient's blowing through a tube containing a restriction, and taking pressure measurements on each side of the restriction. The restriction is often in the form of one or more gauzes or meshes, which have the effect of reducing the chaotic behavior of the air flow through the pipe. A portable device which operates on the basis of pressure measurements on either side of a flow restriction is described in Australian Patent Application No. 67994/90. FIG. 1 of that application shows a hand-held device (see FIG. 1), the upper part of which is provided with a straight tube 16 along which the user blows air in order to obtain PEAK FLOW and FEV1 measurements. These measurements are obtained by measuring the pressure on either side of a restriction within the tube 16, as shown in FIG. 5. Although the device is portable, the device cannot easily be carried in a pocket. This is due in part to the length of the tube 16 of the manufactured article, which is around 12 cm. In the prior art, lengths of this size or greater have been favored in order to reduce the chaotic behavior of the air flow within the tube, thus making reliable pressure measurements within the tube more easy to carry out.
The invention seeks to provide an improved personal pulmonary function analyzer, and an improved method of performing flow measurements in a personal pulmonary function analyzer.