A secondary heat exchanger suitable for use in a condensing furnace which is in the form of a bank of a plurality of metal tubes which are positioned in a plurality of stacked rows. The tubes are interconnected to form a continuous fluid flow path and have a uniform adherent corrosion resistant polymeric internal surface. The tubes further contain a longitudinal seam which is formed by crimping the edges of the tube together to provide for the compression of two polymer surfaces together thereby forming a seal capable of maintaining its integrity at conventional design pressures.

This invention relates generally to gas-fired condensing furnaces, and more specifically to a corrosion resistant secondary or condensing heat exchanger which is both inexpensive and relatively easy to manufacture.
Current heat exchangers which are used in residential furnaces are expensive, highly tooled clamshell designs, and are not easily adapted to other furnaces. Flexible designs, such as those using tubing, require the use of stainless steels for corrosion protection and are also relatively expensive to manufacture. Attempts have been made to fabricate low cost corrosion-proof tubes by using polymer coatings or dipping techniques. These methods have been unsuccessful to date due to the difficulty in obtaining a "leak free" polymer coverage.
There is also a need for improvements to the headering and manifolding of the secondary heat exchanger. If "roll lock", or expansion joints could be made between the secondary heat exchanger and vestibule/primary heat exchanger a difficult gasketing and sealing process would be eliminated. In addition, existing heat exchanger design does not facilitate the use of fins (for increasing the air side heat transfer surface area). A tubing design which could provide the advantages described above, would provide a solution to some of the existing disadvantages associated with current clamshell designs.

Secondary heat exchanger for condensing furnace


An improved electrical commutator which is particularly useful in a vehicle steering wheel system, includes sets of wire brushes or fingers on a first plate. The wire brushes or fingers contact plural co-planar rings on a second plate. The two plates rotate relative to each other. The wire brushes or fingers decrease the likelihood that any one of the sets will have a short circuit. Should any one of the wires bend, break, or come out of contact with its associated contact ring, there is a likelihood that at least several of the other wires will remain in contact. In addition, there are plural sets of wire brushes or fingers associated with each of the contact rings, again increasing the likelihood that the circuit will remain intact. In other features, the plural sets may be mounted such that circumferentially spaced ones of the sets face opposed directions. In this way, there is no difference in the resistance to rotation, or the quality of the electrical communication, when the wheel is turned either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

This application relates to improvements in electrical commutators for use on two relatively rotating parts.
In the prior art, rotating electrical commutators are utilized to transfer electrical communication between two parts that rotate relative to each other. In one common application, electrical communication between a steering wheel and the fixed steering column is provided by any one of several types of commutators. Since the steering wheel must rotate through several rotations relative to the fixed steering column, some method of communicating electrical signals between the steering wheel and the fixed steering column is necessary that can accommodate relative rotation.
In one standard steering wheel electrical commutator, a wire ribbon physically connects a rotating member to a connection on a fixed member. The wire ribbon is coiled such that several complete relative rotations are allowed. Prior art wire ribbons accommodate approximately three and one-half complete rotations of the steering wheel relative to the fixed steering column in either direction. While this may be adequate rotation, there are some deficiencies in the wire ribbon type of connection.
First, wire ribbons do not allow the use of more than one connection at any axial space. Thus, as the number of electrical communications that must be transferred from the steering wheel to the fixed steering column increase, the required axial length for a commutator utilizing wire ribbons also increases dramatically. Modem vehicle steering systems must communicate many distinct electrical signals between the steering wheel and the fixed steering column. As an example, steering wheels now must carry signals from the cruise control, the air bag system, and the horn. Moreover, other controls such as those for the radio or lights are being designed into the steering wheel. Thus, electrical commutators are needed that will reliably communicate many electrical signals between the rotating steering wheel and the fixed steering column. The relatively large wire ribbons would require excessive amounts of axial space to communicate all of the required signals.
In any automotive environment, it is necessary to minimize the required space. Thus, due to the large axial space requirements, wire ribbon commutators have limited application.
In addition, while wire ribbons are capable of providing acceptable amounts of relative rotation, they may only do so when they have been precisely mounted between the rotating and fixed members. That is, the wire ribbon may be able to provide three and one-half complete rotations in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, but only when the wire ribbon has been properly mounted between the rotating and non-rotating members. Should the wire ribbon be mounted improperly, it could, as an example, allow six complete rotations in a first direction, but only one in the other direction. This would, of course, be undesirable.
The other main type of steering wheel commutator has been a single connection point that rotates with the rotating member along a ring on the fixed member. Such commutators do not require the precise positioning of wire ribbons, nor do they require large amounts of axial space. However, the single contact point rotary commutators have not always operated as desired. As one example, should the single contact point break or bend out of contact with the ring, there is no longer any electrical communication between the rotating and fixed member.
With the prior art single contact points, contamination or dirt on either the contact point or the ring could cause the contact point to come out of electrical communication with the ring. In addition, with a single contact point, should there be a scratch or bump at any radial location on the ring, the electrical contact could move out of contact with the ring, thus breaking the electrical circuit. Also, the vibration on the connection could cause the single electrical contact to come out of contact with the ring. This is, of course, undesirable.
There has been one proposed system that utilized several wires held in contact with a ramped ring. This system would not be capable of transmitting several signals and also requires undue axial space.
Similarly, the prior art single contact points extend at an angle toward the other ring. The angle orientation in the clockwise direction could cause more resistance to turning in the counter-clockwise direction and vice versa. Moreover, the integrity of the electrical connection would also be different between the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.

Multiple brush steering wheel commutator


A data transmission network includes circulating loops designed to increase the reliability of the network and its transmission speed. Redundant transmission within the circulating loops is sensed and terminated. This is accomplished by identifying those stations serving as an entrance port to a circulating loop within the network. When a transmission of information is received at that station, it is marked with that station's address. The information is sent into the network including into the circulating loop. As the circulating loop leads back to itself, that transmission is received at the same entrance station which transmitted it into the circulating loop. Upon receipt, the entrance station recognizes its own address and terminates any further transmission.

Communication equipment typically operates around a set of rules. These rules govern the interactions of discrete elements of the communications network. In the case of data communications, the rules, called protocols, are programmed rather than built into the hardware. The protocols are typically a set of rules for grouping bits and characters (framing), error detection and correction (error control), the numbering of messages (sequencing), separating control characters, sorting, receiving and sending (line control), and actions required on initiations (start-up control) and actions required on termination (time-out control). The protocols are typically constructed on a frame, with bits grouped into define sequences and with the positions of the groups defining the meaning of the message. Examples of these protocols are well known in the art and are not discussed here.
Also well known in the art are the kind of communications equipment that use these protocols. Because this communication is well known, the type of equipment is not discussed.
For reference purposes, communications using message packets constructed on a frame such as to be used to practice this invention are described in ANSI/IEEE Standard 802.3, Information Processing Systems Local Area Networks; ISBN 1-55937-805-4. Further, systems using message packets, the manner of construction and use are well known, and for that reason are not discussed here. Examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,593, Arrangement For Testing Packet Switching Networks; U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,428, Data Transmission System Adapted to Facilitate Detection of Safe Receipt of the Transmitted Data Frame By a Receiving Station; U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,085, Fourth and Forward Routing for Broadcast Packets In Packet Switching Networks; U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,428, Reliable Broadcast and Information In a Wide Area Network.
Within any data communications system, one station may be dedicated to control of the network. That is, a master node may be programmed to initiate messages and to terminate messages that circulate through the system.
The use of a master node can be sufficient where an undelivered message or a message to be delivered circulates through the master node or in only one direction and complete control over the system is thereby insured at the master node. For example, the master node may be a switch. In functioning as a switch, the master node may break the path and in that way prevent recirculation of a message
However, in some networks, such as networks having internal circulating loops, and permitting message propagation two or more directions, it is possible for the message to be misdirected such as by continuous circulating within an internal loop, without providing any indication of such malfunction to the master.

Automatic termination of loop circulating messages


An adjustable holder for a container comprises a stationery member having a first surface for pressing against a first side of the container. A moveable member has a second surface for pressing against a second side of the container. First and second structures allow the moveable member to telescope with respect to the stationary member along a direction of adjustment. Third and fourth structures set a plurality of distances between the first and second surfaces. The third structure comprises a plurality of slots arranged along the direction of adjustment and oriented generally orthogonal to such direction. The fourth structure comprises a resiliently biased projection with a user-operated handle for being inserted into a desired slot. The holder adjusts to the size of the container, and, in preferred embodiments, can be made especially economically.

The present invention relates to an adjustable holder for a container and, more particularly, to a holder that is economical to make.
Holders for containers such as spice jars or the like are known in the art. They can be easily mounted on the inside of a door of an existing kitchen cabinet, for instance, and may occupy space that is normally wasted.
It would be desirable to provide a holder for a container that adjusts to the size of the container, so that a spice jar can be interchanged with a soup can, and so forth. It would further be desirable to provide such a holder that can be made economically.
An exemplary embodiment of the inventive holder for a container comprises a stationery member having a first surface for pressing against a first side of the container. A moveable member has a second surface for pressing against a second side of the container. First and second structures allow the moveable member to telescope with respect to the stationary member along a direction of adjustment. Third and fourth structures set a plurality of distances between the first and second surfaces. The third structure comprises a plurality of slots arranged along the direction of adjustment and oriented generally orthogonal to such direction. The fourth structure comprises a resiliently biased projection with a user-operated handle for being inserted into a desired slot.
The foregoing provides a holder for a container that adjusts to the size of the container, and that, in preferred embodiments, can be made especially economically.


This disclosure relates to a positive photosensitive resin composition including (A) a resin precursor including a polybenzoxazole precursor, a polyamic acid, or a combination thereof, (B) a dissolution-controlling agent having a boiling point ranging from about 210° C. to about 400° C. and a polarity ranging from about 1 D to about 4 D, (C) an acid generator, (D) a silane-based compound, and (E) a solvent. The polybenzoxazole precursor includes a repeating unit represented by Chemical Formula 1, or both of repeating units represented by Chemical Formulae 1 and 2 and has a thermally polymerizable functional group at at least one end. The polyamic acid includes a repeating unit of Chemical Formulae 50 and 51.

Conventional surface protective layers and interlayer insulating layers for semiconductor devices can include a polyimide resin, which can have excellent heat resistance and electrical characteristics, and mechanical characteristics, among other properties.
Polyimide resins have recently been used in the form of a photosensitive polyimide precursor composition. This polyimide precursor composition can be coated on a semiconductor device, patterned by ultraviolet (UV) rays, developed, and heat imidized to easily form a surface protective layer, an interlayer insulating layer, and the like. Recently, semiconductor devices have become thinner and smaller but with increased chip integration.
A positive photosensitive polyimide precursor composition can include a polyimide precursor of polyamic acid, a photosensitive material of diazonaphthoquinone, and the like. However, the positive photosensitive polyimide precursor composition may not provide a desired pattern, because the carbonic acid of the polyamidic acid used therein can be too highly soluble in an alkali.
Unlike the positive photosensitive polyimide precursor composition, a region exposed to radiation should rapidly dissolve during development, while dissolution of a region which is not exposed to radiation should be suppressed in the patterning process. However, since conventional materials may not effectively suppress dissolution of an unexposed region and rapidly dissolve an exposed region, the coated layer can be thinner after development, even when more energy is used for patterning.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Pyeung 3-209478 discloses a photosensitive polyimide-based resin that can be developed in an alkali aqueous solution. Japanese Patent Publication Pyeung 11-044948 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Pyeung 11-65107 disclose a positive material prepared by combining a polyimide or a polyamide having a phenolic hydroxyl group with diazonaphthoquinone. However, this resin can result in poor optical transmission and may not form a pattern on a 10 micrometer or thicker layer. In addition, since the resin has a low molecular weight in terms of its development properties and is included in a smaller amount than diazonaphthoquinone as a photoresist, there can be problems associated with its use, such as low concentration and strength deterioration of a layer.
In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Pyeung 10-30739 discloses a material including a hydroxyl phenol group introduced through an ester bond instead of carbonic acid. However, this material may be insufficiently developed, which can cause problems such as reduced layer thickness and delamination of the resin from a substrate.
Japanese Patent Publication Soh 63-96162 discloses a material prepared by mixing a diazonaphthoquinone compound with a polybenzoxazole precursor. However, it can be difficult to obtain a desired pattern after development using this material, since layer thickness can decrease in the unexposed region.
A polybenzoxazole precursor with a higher molecular weight can be used to reduce the decrease in layer thickness. Increasing the molecular weight of the polybenzoxazole precursor, however, may cause development residue, and thus can deteriorate resolution and extend development time.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Pyeung 9-302221 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-292913 disclose a method of suppressing loss of layer thickness in an unexposed region by adding a particular phenol compound to a polybenzoxazole precursor composition. These methods, however, may not sufficiently suppress the decrease in layer thickness. Accordingly, there is still a need for a material and method which can prevent or minimize the generation of residue and also can effectively suppress loss of layer thickness.
In addition, there is a need for a dissolution-controlling agent, since phenol is decomposed or negatively reacts at a high temperature during thermal curing, or forms micropores in a layer during high temperature evaporation, which can significantly damage mechanical properties of the cured layer. It also should be free from sensitivity deterioration and be solution-storage stable depending on its amount.

Positive type photosensitive resin composition


A Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) (66) of a Portable Microkernel Operating System (OS) is tested and verified by loading a HAL test program (96) into Kernel Space (60) as a device driver. This allows direct access to the HAL layer (66) and to the computer hardware accessed by the HAL layer (66). The HAL test program (96) makes HAL layer requests, then verifies HAL (66) operation by directly examining the hardware affected by the HAL request. The HAL test program (96) is controlled by either an external HAL test system (98), or by a HAL control program (99) executing in User space (62).

The preferred Operating System (OS) design for ease of porting across computer architectures is a Microkernel Operating System with its hardware specific portions isolated in a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) set of modules. Porting to a new architecture then only requires replacing or modifying the HAL, and recompiling the remainder of the Operating System with a compiler targeted to the new architecture.
One problem that has slowed successful Microkernel Operating System porting is the testing of a new HAL. Testing is difficult for a number of reasons. First, there is an abstraction mismatch between User/Kernel interface requests and the corresponding Kernel/HAL interface requests. Often a single Kernel request will translate into an undeterministicly larger number of HAL interface commands. Secondly, some HAL requests have no direct Kernel request counterparts. The result has been slipshod and difficult HAL testing.

Portable microkernel operating system verification and testing


Single digit Light Emitting Diode (LED) modules for replacing plastic numerals in a gas station pricing sign. Three or four LED modules represent one fuel price. The LED modules are mounted to a transparent face present on existing signs, and may be mounted on an exterior or interior surface of the face. In one embodiment, first LED modules mechanically cooperate with backing plates, thereby sandwiching the face, in another embodiment, second LED modules attach to posts glued to the face. When mounted externally, the LED modules fit into tracks provided for the plastic numerals which are being replaced. An RF, infrared, or hard wired control signal may be used to change prices, and a photocell may be used to control LED intensity in response to ambient light. Additional low power consumption LEDs are provided inside the sign to back illuminate information provided on the face.

The present invention relates to signs for exhibiting prices at gasoline stations, and more particularly to single digit electronic sign elements suitable for using with existing signs.
During a business day, events may motivate one or more price changes at gasoline stations. For example, fuel costs may change or a competitor may change prices. The station operator may observe that sales are low due to too high of a price, or that long lines are developing at pumps are due to too low of a price. Additionally, station operators may wish to adjust prices at predetermined times during the day based on predictable changes in demand. For example, some stations are contractually obligated to remain open 24 hours of the day. Lower prices may add to sales (and thus profits) outside commuting hours, and both operating cost and market prices may increase between late night and early morning hours.
Gasoline stations are often operated by a single individual responsible for a variety of tasks including receiving payments for fuel and other purchases, resolving any problems that might arise, monitoring activity around the station, and adjusting fuel prices. Generally, gasoline stations are required to post fuel prices which are in agreement with actual prices on gasoline pumps. Although changing actual prices on the pumps may be fairly easy, changing prices on signs may be difficult and time consuming. Because the operator does not have time available to manually changes prices on signs posted for passing motorists, the station operator is not free to make desired price changes on the pumps. As a result, profits are reduced.
Known gasoline station signs use replaceable numerals comprising rectangular transparent plastic sheets bearing numerals, which replaceable numerals are changed to reflect new fuel prices. The replaceable plastic numerals reside over a transparent window (or face) which passes light radiated from light sources inside the sign. Generally, the replaceable plastic numerals slide into tracks or holders on the faces. Because of the expense of replacing the entire gasoline station sign, there is a need for an apparatus and method for replacing existing replaceable numerals with controllable electronic numerals.
Some replacement Light Emitting Diode (LED) numerals have been proposed, which numerals comprise a single LED panel displaying a three or four digit price of fuel. Unfortunately, such panels are heavy and are not effectively adaptable to signs with curved fronts. The large multi-digit panels may not match the curvature of sign fronts, and thus are not suitable for mounting outside the face, and when the large multi-digit panels are mounted inside the face, a gap between the curved face and the flat panel results in defusion of light and thus blurring of the prices.
Known sign faces are generally acrylic or poly carbonate. The acrylic faces are most common, and may crack if holes are drilled to mount LED panels. The poly carbonate faces may be drilled but are less frequent.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for replacing the existing plastic numerals with individual single digit LED modules, which method preferably does not require drilling mounting holes in acrylic faces of signs.


A material and method for augmenting soft tissue. The tissue augmentation material consists essentially of water and a polysaccharide gel former selected from the group consisting of a cellulose polysaccharide, starch, chitin, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, hydrophobe modified polysaccharide, an alginate, a carrageenan, agar, agarose, an intramolecular complex of a polysaccharide, an oligosaccharide and a macrocylic polysaccharide. Glycerin may also be included. The material may be used to augment soft tissue in a variety of areas, including the facial region and vocal folds.

Examples of biocompatible materials that have been proposed for use in augmenting soft tissue in the practice of plastic and reconstructive surgery, include collagen, gelatin beads, beads of natural or synthetic polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene, silicone rubber and various hydrogel polymers, such as polyacrylonitrile-polyacrylamide hydrogels.
Most often, the biomaterials are delivered to the tissue site where augmentation is desired by means of an injectable composition which comprises the biomaterial and a biocompatible fluid that acts as a lubricant to improve the injectability of the biomaterial suspension. The injectable biomaterial compositions can be introduced into the tissue site by injection from a syringe intradermally or subcutaneously into humans or other mammals to augment soft tissue, to correct congenital anomalies, acquired defects or cosmetic defects. They may also be injected into internal tissues such as tissue defining sphincters to augment such tissue in the treatment of incontinence, and for the treatment of unilateral vocal cord paralysis.
U.K Patent Application No. 2,227,176 to Ersek et al, relates to a microimplantation method for filling depressed scars, unsymmetrical orbital floors and superficial bone defects in reconstructive surgery procedures using microparticles of about 20 to 3,000 microns which may be injected with an appropriate physiologic vehicle and hypodermic needle and syringe in a predetermined locus such as the base of depressed scars, beneath skin areas of depression and beneath perichondrium or periosteum in surface irregularities of bone and cartilage. Textured microparticles can be used, including silicone, polytetrafluoroethylene, ceramics or other inert substances. In those instances wherein the requirement is for hard substances, biocompatible material such as calcium salts including hydroxyapatite or crystalline materials, biocompatible ceramics, biocompatible metals such as stainless steel particles or glass may be utilized. Appropriate physiological vehicles have been suggested, including saline, various starches, polysaccharides, and organic oils or fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,075 to Wallace et al, relates to an injectable implant composition for soft tissue augmentation comprising an aqueous suspension of a particulate biocompatible natural or synthetic polymer and a lubricant to improve the injectability of the biomaterial suspension.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,285 to Berg et al, relates to a collagen-based composition for augmenting soft tissue repair, wherein the collagen is in the form of resorbable matrix beads having an average pore size of about 50 to 350 microns, with the collagen comprising up to about 10% by volume of the beads.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,954 to Yannas et al, relates to a collagen-based composition for surgical use formed by contacting collagen with a mucopolysaccharide under conditions at which they form a reaction product and subsequently covalently crosslinking the reaction product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,883 to Lim discloses a method for encapsulating a core material, in the form of living tissue or individual cells, by forming a capsule of polysaccharide gums which can be gelled to form a shape retaining mass by being exposed to a change in conditions such as a pH change or by being exposed to multivalent cations such as calcium.
Namiki, "Application of Teflon® Paste for Urinary Incontinence-Report of Two Cases," Urol. Int., Vol. 39, pp. 280-282, (1984), discloses the use of a polytetrafluoroethylene paste injection in the subdermal area to treat urinary incontinence.
Drobeck et al, "Histologic Observation of Soft Tissue Responses to Implanted, Multifaceted Particles and Discs of Hydroxylapatite," Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Vol. 42, pp. 143-149, (1984), discloses that the effects on soft tissue of long and short term implants of ceramic hydroxylapatite implanted subcutaneously in rats and subcutaneously and subperiosteally in dogs. The inventions consisted of implanting hydroxylapatite in various sizes and shapes for time periods ranging from seven days to six years to determine whether migration and/or inflammation occurred.
Misiek et al., "Soft Tissue Responses to Hydroxylapatite Particles of Different Shapes," Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Vol. 42, pp. 150-160, (1984), discloses that the implantation of hydroxylapatite in the form of sharp edged particles or rounded particles in the buccal soft tissue pouches produced inflammatory response at the implant sites with both particle shapes. Each of the particles weighed 0.5 grams. However, inflammation resolved at a faster rate at the sites implanted with the rounded hydroxylapatite particles.
Shimizu, "Subcutaneous Tissue Responses in Rats to Injection of Fine Particles of Synthetic Hydroxyapatite Ceramic," Biomedical Research, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 95-111 (1988), discloses that subcutaneous injections of fine particles of hydroxyapatite ranging in diameter from about 0.65 to a few microns and scattered in the tissue were phagocytized by macrophages in extremely early stages. In contrast, larger particles measuring several microns in diameter were not phagocytized, but were surrounded by numerous macrophages and multinucleated giant cells. It was also observed that the small tissue responses to hydroxyapatite particles were essentially a non-specific foreign body reaction without any cell or tissue damage.
R. A. Appell, "The Artificial Urinary Sphincter and Periurethral Injections," Obstetrics and Gynecology Report Retort Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 334-342, (1990), is a survey article disclosing various means of treating urethral sphincteric incompetence, including the use of injectables such as polytetrafluoroethylene micropolymer particles of about 4 to 100 microns in size in irregular shapes, with glycerin and polysorbate. Another periurethral injectable means consists of highly purified bovine dermal collagen that is crosslinked with glutaraldehyde and dispersed in phosphate-buffered physiologic saline.
Politano et al, "Periurethral Teflon®Injection for Urinary Incontinence," The Journal of Urology, Vol. 111, pp. 180-183 (1974), discloses the use of Polytetrafluoroethylene paste injected into the urethra and the periurethral tissues to add bulk to these tissues to restore urinary control in both female and male patients having urinary incontinence.
Malizia et al, "Migration and Granulomatous Reaction After Periurethral Injection of Polytef (Teflon®)," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 251, No. 24, pp. 3277-3281, June 22-29 (1984), discloses that although patients with urinary incontinence have been treated successfully by periurethral injection of polytetrafluoroethylene paste, a study in continent animals demonstrates migration of the polytetrafluoroethylene particles from the inspection site.
Claes et al, "Pulmonary Migration Following Periurethral Polytetrafluoroethylene Injection for Urinary Incontinence," The Journal of Urology, Vol. 142, pp. 821-22, (September 1989), confirms the finding of Malizia in reporting a case of clinically significant migration of polytetrafluoroethylene paste particles to the lungs after periurethral injection.
Ersek et al, "Bioplastique: A New Textured Copolymer Microparticle Promises Permanence in Soft-Tissue Augmentation," Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vol. 87, No. 4, pp. 693-702, (April 1991), discloses the use of a biphasic copolymer made of fully polymerized and vulcanized methylmethylpolysiloxane mixed with a plasdone hydrogel, and used in reconstructing cleft lips, depressed scars of chicken pox and indentations resulting from liposuction, glabella frown wrinkles and soft tissue augmentation of thin lips. The biphasic copolymer particles were found to neither migrate nor become absorbed by the body were textured and had particle sizes varying from 100 to 600 microns.
Lemperle et al. "PMMA Microspheres for Intradermal Implantation: Part I. Animal Research," Annals of Plastic Surgery, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 57-63, (1991), discloses the use of polymethylmethacrylate microspheres having particle sizes of 10 to 63 microns in diameter used for correction of small deficiencies within the dermal corium to treat wrinkles and acne scars.
Kresa et al, "Hydron Gel Implants in Vocal Cords," Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Vol. 98. No. 3, pp. 242-245, (March 1988), discloses a method for treating vocal cord adjustment where there is insufficient closure of the glottis which comprises introducing a shaped implant of a hydrophilic gel that has been previously dried to a glassy, hard state, into the vocal cord.
Hirano et al, "Transcutaneous Intrafold Injection for Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis: Functional Results," Ann. Otol. Rhinol. Laryngol., Vol. 99, pp. 598-604 (1990), discloses the technique of transcutaneous intrafold silicone injection in treating glottic incompetence caused by unilateral vocal fold paralysis. The silicone injection is given under a local anesthetic with the patient in a supine position, wherein the needle is inserted through the cricothyroid space.
Hill et al, "Autologous Fat Injection for Vocal Cord Medialization in the Canine Larynx," Laryngoscope, Vol. 101, pp. 344-348 (April 1991), discloses the use of autologous fat as an alternative to Teflon®collagen as the implantable material in vocal cord medialization, with a view to its use as an alternative to non-autologous injectable material in vocal cord augmentation.
Mikaelian et al, "Lipoinjection for Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis," Laryngoscope, Vol. 101, pp. 4654-68 (May 1991), discloses that the commonly used procedure of injecting Teflon®paste to improve the caliber of voice in unilateral vocal cord paralysis has a number of drawbacks, including respiratory obstruction from overinjected Teflon® and unsatisfactory voice quality. In this procedure, lipoinjection of fat commonly obtained from the abdominal wall appears to impart a soft bulkiness to the injected cord while allowing it to retain its vibratory qualities. The injected fat is an autologous material which can be retrieved if excessively overinjected.
Strasnick et al, "Transcutaneous Teflon® Injection for Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis: An Update," Laryngoscope, Vol. 101, pp. 785-787 (July 1991), discloses the procedure of Teflon® injection to restore glottic competence in cases of paralytic dysphonia.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet containing C: 0.05 to 0.15%, Si: no more than 1.50% (excluding 0%), Mn: 0.5 to 2.5%, P: no more than 0.035% (excluding 0%), S: no more than 0.01% (including 0%), Al: 0.02 to 0.15%, and Ti: 0.05 to 0.2%, which is characterized in that its metallographic structure is composed of 60 to 95 vol % of bainite and solid solution-hardened or precipitation-hardened ferrite (or ferrite and martensite) and its fracture appearance transition temperature (vTrs) is no higher than 0° C. as obtained by impact tests. (% in terms of % by weight).

There is an increasing demand for high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet (with a tensile strength higher than 780 MPa) for automobiles from the standpoint of weight reduction (which leads to energy saving and good fuel economy) and improved safety in case of collision. The high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet for such uses is required to have good drawability as well as hole expandability. Thus there have been proposed several techniques to meet these requirements.
Among known high-strength hot-rolled steel sheets is the one which has a composite structure composed of residual austenite and martensite. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of improving hole expandability of steel sheet of composite structure composed of ferrite, bainite, residual-austenite, and martensite by extremely reducing the P content, controlling the maximum size of microstructure and inclusions, and controlling the hardness of microstructure.
Patent Document 2 discloses a high-strength steel sheet of ferrite-bainite structure (with ferrite dominating) which contains an adequately controlled amount of unfixed carbon (which remains unreacted with Ti and Nb in steel) and unprecipitated carbon (which precipitates in grain boundaries at the time of ageing to increase strength). Patent Document 3 discloses a method of improving hole expandability by turning a high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet into one which has microstructure composed of ferrite (as a major component) and bainitic ferrite and polygonal ferrite. The disclosed method involves the condition and technique of cooling the hot-rolled sheet in the coiling step which are necessary to form the above-mentioned microstructure.
Patent Document 4 also discloses a method of improving hole expandability by turning a high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet into the one which has microstructure composed of bainitic ferrite and polygonal ferrite. The disclosed method involves the condition and technique of cooling the hot-rolled sheet in the coiling step which are necessary to form the above-mentioned microstructure.
Unfortunately, the techniques proposes so far are not able to improve hole expandability as desired.
Patent Document 1:
    Published Japanese Translation of PCT No. 2004-536965Patent Document 2:    Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-342684Patent Document 3:    Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-250749Patent Document 4:    Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-225109

High strength hot rolled steel sheet excellent in bore expanding workability and method for production thereof


Disclosed is a substance delivery carrier for an extracellular-matrix-producing cell in the bone marrow, which comprises a retinoid. Also disclosed in an agent for treating myelofibrosis by utilizing a substance capable of regulating the activity or proliferation of an extracellular-matrix-producing cell in the bone marrow.

Myelofibrosis is a general term referring to diseases which causes an extensive diffuse fibrosis in bone marrow, and includes primary myelofibrosis whose etiology is unknown and secondary myelofibrosis with an underlying disease.
Primary myelofibrosis belongs to a chronic myeloproliferative disorder, being characterized by the involvement of a fibrosis in bone marrow throughout the body and extramedullary hematopoiesis in liver and spleen, as well as the manifestation of leukoerythroblastosis in which immature granulocytes and erythroblasts appear in peripheral blood. The essential of the primary myelofibrosis is considered to be a monoclonal proliferation of hematopoietic cells due to genetic abnormality including Jak2 gene mutation caused at the level of hematopoietic stem cells. Various cytokines produced by the proliferated hematopoietic cells (mainly megakaryocyte) act on bone marrow stromal cells to cause a proliferation of reactive polyclonal bone marrow stromal cells, which leads the fibrosis of bone marrow, osteosclerosis and angiogenesis. This results in characteristic clinical symptoms such as an ineffective hematopoiesis, an appearance of dacryocytes in peripheral blood, leukoerythroblastosis, and an extramedullary hematopoiesis causing a splenomegaly.
Approximately 40% of the primary myelofibrosis have gene mutation in Jak2, a tyrosine kinase essential for signal transduction of cytokines, resulting in a constitutive activation of Jak2 even in the absence of a cytokine stimulation. Apart from Jak2, there are a few cases with genetic mutation in c-mpl (a thrombopoietin receptor).
It is currently considered to be difficult to cure primary myelofibrosis by drug therapy, and an allogeneic transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells is the sole curative therapy. However, the mortality rate associated with transplant is as high as 25 to 48%, limiting the total survival rate to around 50%. Recently, the utility of nondisruptive transplant of bone marrow stem cells (mini-transplant) with less treatment-associated toxicity has been highlighted, yet only a limited number of cases has been studied and their long-term prognoses are yet to be known.
As drug therapy, although being palliative, the effectiveness of anabolic hormones such as danazol and Primobolan, angiogenesis inhibitor such as thalidomide and lenalidomide, anti-tumor drug such as hydroxycarbamide, anagrelide, imatinib, 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine, melphalan, busulfan and etoposide, and other drugs such as erythropoietin, for anemia, thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly has been shown (see Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
On the other hand, secondary myelofibrosis is those which occur secondary to a disease such as acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, polycythemia vera, primary thrombocythemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, multiple myeloma, malignant lymphoma, carcinoma, systemic lupus erythematosus and progressive systemic sclerosis, or radiation, and shows a similar bone marrow image to primary myelofibrosis. Treatment for the secondary myelofibrosis is focused on improving the underlying disease. However, many of these underlying diseases are difficult to be radically cured. Thus, there is a strong need for alleviating the adverse effect due to myelofibrosis itself.
In those circumstances, a great deal of investigation has been made for the development of myelofibrosis therapeutics. As a result, there have been reports that successes to a certain extent were provided in animal models of myelofibrosis or in clinical trials by, for example, inhibitors of a tyrosine kinase JAK2V617F, TGF-β inhibitors such as soluble TGF-β receptor, NFκB inhibitors such as bortezomib, DNA methyltransferase inhibitors such as decitabine, histone deacetylase inhibitors such as trichostatin A, VEGF inhibitors such as PTK787/ZK222584 and bevacizumab (see Non-Patent Literature 1) and certain types of anti-human lymphocyte antibody (see Patent Literature 1). However, none of these drugs are satisfactory, and development of further agent for treating myelofibrosis has been longed.    Patent Literature 1: JP A No. 8-002799    Patent Literature 2: WO 2006/068232    Non-Patent Literature 1: Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2007; 2007:346-54.    Non-Patent Literature 2: The Journal of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine, Vol. 96, No. 7, Jul. 10, 2007, pp. 1398-1404.


The present disclosure relates to the control of fungal infection of horn-like envelopes covering dorsal and terminal phalanges in humans and animals and related cerebral protrusions in animals as well as keratin comprising material on surfaces of humans and animals. Agents and natural and synthetic formulations and extracts useful for the control of fungal infection of these envelopes and related protrusions and keratin comprising material are also encompassed by the subject disclosure. In an embodiment, the present disclosure teaches the treatment of fungal infection of nails and in particular onychomycosis in humans.

Field
The present disclosure relates to the control of fungal infection of horn-like envelopes covering dorsal and terminal phalanges in humans and animals and related cerebral protrusions in animals as well as keratin comprising material on surfaces of humans and animals. Agents and natural and synthetic formulations and extracts useful for the control of fungal infection of these envelopes and related protrusions and keratin comprising material are also encompassed by the subject disclosure. In an embodiment, the present disclosure teaches the treatment of fungal infection of nails and in particular onychomycosis in humans.
Description of Related Art
Bibliographic details of the publications referred to by author in this specification are collected alphabetically at the end of the description.
Reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any country.
Fungal infection including infestation can lead to significant health issues in humans and animals.
Although chemical fungicides have been successful in human and veterinary medicine, there is a range of environmental and regulatory concerns with the continued use of chemical agents to control fungal infection. The increasing use of these agents is also providing selective pressure for emergence of resistance in fungal species. There is clearly a need to develop alternative mechanisms of controlling infection in humans and animals by fungal pathogens.
A particularly troublesome condition is onychomycosis, also known as dermatophytic onychomycosis and tinea ungium (Rapini et al. (2007) Dermatology:2-volume set, St. Louis: Mosby). This is a fungal infection of the nail and other horn-like envelopes covering dorsal and terminal phalanges in humans and animals. In particular, it is an infection of the toenail or fingernail involving any component of the nail unit including the matrix, bed or plate. The disease in humans is not uncommon but can be difficult to treat since the infecting fungus is embedded within and underneath the nail. While not life threatening, onychomycosis can cause pain, discomfort, disfigurement and produce both physical and psychological damage. The effects of onychomycosis are widespread and have a significant impact of the quality of life.
The major pathogens that cause onychomycosis are the dermatophytes Tricophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, with T. rubrum accounting for 90% of cases (Sotiriou et al. (2010) Acta Derm-Venereol 9(2):216-217).
The treatment of onychomycosis depends on the clinical subtype, the number of affected nails and the severity of nail involvement. While oral drugs have been most effective, there are a number of factors that prevent their use. Side effects, including hepatotoxicity associated with systemic exposure to most oral antifungal medications, make oral medications unappealing. Furthermore, the elderly are a large demographic that suffer from onychomycosis and unwanted drug-drug interactions due to frequent use of concomitant medications preclude the use of oral medications. This highlights the importance for the development of topical therapies to treat onychomycosis. Most treatments involve either topical or oral antifungal formulations (Westerberg et al. (2013) American Family Physician 88(11):762-770). Oral medicaments include terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole (Westerberg et al. (2013) supra). These treatments only cure infections in 14-38% of cases and come with a high risk of liver damage. Topical medicaments include ciclopirox, clotrimazole, amorolfine, efinaconazole, tavaborole and butenafine. These treatments have cure rates of between 5 and 17% and must be applied every day for at least 48-weeks. These low cure rates are a result of very poor permeation of the active ingredients through nails as well as fungistatic modes of action which only inhibit fungal growth rather than killing the fungal cells, allowing a reservoir of fungus to persist and re-infect the nail. In addition, the long treatment regimens result in non-compliance by many patients. None of these treatments is totally effective and the condition can persist for many years.
For a topical onychomycosis treatment to reach the site of infection the antifungal agent must be able to permeate the nail. Studies of permeation of the human nail plate and of keratin membranes from bovine hooves by several model antimycotic drugs showed that nail permeability decreases as molecular weight increases (Mertin and Lippold (1997) J Pharm Pharmacol 49:866-872; Kobayashi et al (2004) Eur J Pharm Sci 21:471-477). Each of the model drugs tested had a molecular weight of less than 1000. These studies suggest that a molecule with a MW>5000 would not be able to permeate the nail.
Another problematic condition is fungal infection of hair and other keratin comprising material including the interface between the hair and hair follicle. This condition is sometimes known as tinea capitis or scalp ringworm. Treatment can be in the form of oral medicaments including griseofulvin, terbinafine and itraconazole. Topical treatments include shampoos containing antifungal agents such as ketoconazole, cyclopirox, piroctone and zinc pyrithione. Fungal infections of the scalp and skin can also cause irritation and flaking of the skin leading to conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. Shampoos containing antifungal agents can be used to treat dandruff caused by fungal infection.
Plant defensins are small (45-54 amino acids), basic proteins with four to five disulfide bonds (Janssen et al. (2003) Biochemistry 42(27):8214-8222). They share a common disulfide bonding pattern and a common structural fold, in which a triple-stranded, antiparallel β-sheet is tethered to an α-helix by three disulfide bonds, forming a cysteine-stabilized αβ motif. A fourth disulfide bond also joins the N- and C-termini leading to an extremely stable structure. Plant defensins can have many biological functions, including anti-bacterial activity, protein synthesis inhibition, α-amylase and protease inhibition, roles inflower development and pollen sensing and antifungal activity (Colilla et al. (1990) FEBS Lett 270(1-2): 191-194; Bloch and Richardson (1991) FEBS Lett 279(1):101-104; van der Weerden et al (2013) Fungal Biol Rev 26:121-131).
The structure of defensins consists of seven 'loops', defined as the regions between cysteine residues. Loop 1 encompasses the first β-strand (1A) as well as most of the flexible region that connects this β-strand to the α-helix (1B) between the first two invariant cysteine residues. Loops 2, 3 and the beginning of 4 (4A) make up the α-helix, while the remaining loops (4B-7) make up β-strands 2 and 3 and the flexible region that connects them (β-hairpin region) [van der Weerden et al. (2013) Cell Mol Life Sci 70 (19): 3545-3570]. Loop 5 of plant defensins is known to be essential for antifungal activity and an important determinant for the mechanism of action of these proteins (Sagaram et al., (2011) PLoS One 6.4: e18550).
Plant defensins generally share eight completely conserved cysteine residues. These residues are commonly referred to as "invariant cysteine residues", as their presence, location and connectivity are conserved amongst defensins. Based on sequence similarity, plant defensins can be categorized into different groups. Within each group, sequence homology is relatively high whereas inter-group amino acid similarity is low (van der Weerden et al. (2013) Fungal Biol Rev 26:121-131). Plant defensins belonging to different groups have generally different biological activities or different mechanisms of action for the same biological activity. For example, plant defensins belonging to the group of the radish peptide RsAFP2 inhibit fungal growth by binding to sphingolipids in the cell wall (Thevissen et al. (2012) Mol Microbiol 84(1):166-180). In contrast, plant defensins belonging to the group of the Nicotiana defensin NaD1 inhibit fungal growth by entering the fungal cell and inducing production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to cell lysis (Hayes et al. (2013) Antimicrob Agents Ch 57(8)3667-3675).
There are two major classes of plant defensins. Class I defensins consist of an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) signal sequence followed by a mature defensin domain. Class II defensins are produced as larger precursors with C-terminal pro-domains or pro-peptides (CTPPs) of about 33 amino acids. Most of the Class II defensins identified to date have been found in Solanaceous plant species.
There is a need to develop protocols to more effectively manage fungal infection in humans and animals and in particular, onychomycosis in humans, for which until the advent of the present invention, no safe and effective treatments were available. Whilst some defensins have antifungal properties, their activities across different fungal pathogens vary significantly and a majority of demonstrated activity has been toward plant fungal pathogens. In addition, their size (MW>5000 Da) would appear to limit their permeability into the nails.


A method and a device for particularly rapidly producing wells (18) in the surface of a rotating rotogravure cylinder (2) by a pulsed laser beam (13), which is deflected and directed via an optical lens (7) onto the surface of the rotogravure cylinder (2) to be processed. The power of a single laser beam pulse is adjusted in such a way that it is sufficient for removing the maximum volume needed for a well (18). Furthermore, the laser beam (13) is deflected by an optoacoustic modulator (8) by diffraction onto the optical axis of the lens (7), and the individual laser beam pulses are controlled in their pulse power by the same modulator (8) in accordance with the volumes of the wells to be formed.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing wells in the surface of a rotogravure cylinder.
Such a method and such an apparatus are known, for example, from WO-A-92/09399. There the rotogravure cylinder is rotated by a rotational drive at a constant rotational speed and is processed by a laser light source so that wells are produced in its surface. The laser beam emitted as a continuous wave is pulsed by a laser control and is controlled in its power. A processing head, comprising a mirror, an optoacoustic modulator and an optical lens, is moved along the rotogravure cylinder. The pulsed laser beam is deflected by the mirror and adjusted by the optoacoustic modulator to correspond to the rotational speed, and directed in a specific processing mode onto the surface of the rotogravure cylinder. The optoacoustic modulator is likewise controlled by the laser control. It is pointed out specifically that it is hardly possible to carry out processing of adjacently located wells since breaches to the adjacent well can occur due to the intense local heating of the cylinder surface. For this reason, a processing mode is proposed, in which the laser beam is deflected by the optoacoustic modulator in such a way that, for example, starting from a hollowed-out well, firstly two intended wells are missed out forwards and the following well is hollowed out, and then two intended wells are missed out backwards and the following well is hollowed out. The hollowed-out wells have thus cooled down sufficiently to produce an adjacent well without breaches in the wall. In the event of the energy being insufficient to hollow out a relatively large well, the laser beam is directed onto it again subsequently after cooling. The person skilled in the art can assume from all these tasks that the rotational speed of the rotogravure cylinder must be relatively slow and the processing time for an individual well must be relatively long.
The present invention is based on the object of specifying a method and a device for producing wells in the surface of a rotogravure cylinder, which allow far more rapid processing of directly adjacent wells.

Method and apparatus for producing wells in the surface of a rotogravure cyclinder with a laser


An expression vector comprising a promoter capable of directing expression of a coding sequence in an angiosperm cell, and a 3' untranslated region of a rice .alpha.-amylase gene, wherein, after the coding sequence is inserted into the vector, the 3' untranslated region and the coding sequence are transcribed into a single mRNA. Also featured are methods of producing a polypeptide in angiosperm cells using such a vector.

Sugar repression of gene expression is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to adjust to changes in nutrient availability. In multicellular plants, expression of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism is often feedback-regulated by sugar metabolites (Sheen, J., Photosynth. Res., 39:427-438, 1994). For instance, carbohydrate depletion has been shown to enhance expression of a wide variety of genes involved in photosynthesis, reserve mobilization, and export processes (Koch, Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol., 47:509-540, 1996).
.alpha.-amylases are the major amylolytic enzymes for hydrolysis of starch stored in the endosperm during germination of cereal grains. These enzymes are encoded by a group of genes whose expression is repressed by sugars. In the embryos of germinating rice seeds, the transient expression of certain .alpha.-amylase genes is thought to be induced by sugar depletion in the embryos following imbibition of the seeds, and suppressed by sugar influx from the endosperm as germination proceeds (Yu et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 30:1277-1289, 1996). Similarly, expression of .alpha.-amylase genes in cultured rice suspension cells has also been shown to be suppressed by sugar present in the medium and induced in its absence (Yu et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266:21131-21137, 1991, Gene 122:247-253 1992; Chen et al., Plant J., 6:625-636, 1994). Further studies reveal that the transcription rate of .alpha.-amylase genes in rice suspension cells increases in response to sucrose depletion in the culture medium (Sheu et al., Plant J., 5:655-664, 1994). Protein expression systems have been established to make use of the sugar-responsive promoters of these .alpha.-Amylase genes (U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,952 to Yu et al.).
Sugar-regulated stability of rice .alpha.-amylase mRNAs, on the other hand, has also been investigated. Under transcription-inhibiting conditions, the mRNA half-lives of three .alpha.-amylase genes were found to be prolonged by sucrose-starvation (Sheu et al., J. Biol. Chem., 271:26998-27004, 1996). This result suggests that, in addition to enhanced transcription rate, increased mRNA stability may also contribute to the elevation of the steady-state levels of certain .alpha.-amylase mRNA species in sucrose-starved cells. It is unclear, however, what mechanism is responsible for the increased degradation of .alpha.-amylase mRNAs in cells provided with sucrose as compared to cells deprived of sucrose. It has been postulated that mRNA transcripts are selected for degradation in a sequence-dependent manner (Sachs, Cell, 74:413-421, 1993). Yet it remains largely unknown what sequences in RNA transcripts are responsible for targeting degradation in plants.

3' untranslated regions of .alpha.-amylase genes


A receiver is tuned to a transmission frequency of a data signal after the receiver has already locked onto a frequency carrying the data signal. A frequency offset between a locked frequency of a tuner on the receiver and the actual transmission frequency is determined by a comparator. If the frequency offset is greater than a threshold value, then the tuner is stepped to another frequency and the frequency offset is determined again. The direction of the tuning step can be determined by comparing multiple frequency offsets. An average value of multiple frequency offset measurements may also be used to determine if the tuner should retune to another frequency by comparison with the threshold value.

A typical broadband communication system, such as a coaxial cable communication system (CATV), provides downstream data communications from a centralized node or headend to modems of many users. The downstream data communications are provided from the nodes or headends at specific frequencies. The communication system operators, e.g. multi-service operators (MSOs) may use several data communication frequencies and different frequencies are often used by different operators and different headends. The downstream data frequencies used are typically in a wide frequency spectrum which ranges range from 88 MHz to about 850 MHz.
When a modem is connected to the communications system, it typically scans the downstream frequency spectrum until a data signal is received. The modem typically locks onto the frequency at which the data signal is received. However, the data signal may be received at a frequency which is not the actual transmission frequency from the headend. For example, if an operator transmits a downstream data signal at 150.1 MHz, the modem may start to detect the data signal at 150 MHz and lock onto the 150 MHz frequency, i.e. 1 MHz away from the actual transmission frequency.
A modem maybe preprogrammed with a channel map which instructs the modem which frequencies to scan to detect a downstream signal rather than scanning the entire spectrum. However, an operator may use a transmission frequency which is not on the channel map. Moreover, the lock range, or channel pull up range, of a modem may encompass more than one channel on the channel map. As a result, even with a channel map, the modem may lock onto a frequency which is not the actual transmission frequency.
When a modem locks onto a frequency which is not the actual transmission frequency data will likely be received by the modem but the communications will not be optimal. In some instances, the error rates in the data received, e.g. the packet error rate and/or the bit error rate, may be sufficient to sustain the channel lock but may greatly reduce the communication speed and the quality of the data received. As a result, a user may not receive the data communications speeds from an operator at levels advertised by an operator. A user may also experience frequent loss of data packets which may impair communications with a network element, and may be particularly noticeable in voice communications, e.g. VoIP calls, video applications, and file downloads.

Adaptive tuning to improve demodulator performance


A tundish baffle having a plurality of fluted openings is provided. The fluted openings interrupt and remove inclusions from molten metal passing through the baffle, using a plurality of obstructive peaks and valleys located at the perimeters of the openings. The fluted openings also include central portions which are not obstructed by the flutes, through which molten metal can flow in a regular fashion.

During the continuous casting of steel, for example, molten metal is transferred from large ladles into intermediate pouring vessels called tundishes. From these tundishes, the molten metal is poured into ingots, or other molds, to cast the molten metal.
While in the tundishes, impurities (called "inclusions") in the molten metal float to the top, forming a "slag" layer of impurities, and the pure, substantially "inclusion-free" metal exits from the bottom. Depending on the size of the tundish, and the flow rate of molten metal, the molten metal may not always have enough residence time in the tundish to permit the impurities to float to the top. To increase the residence time in tundishes, and regulate the flow of molten metal, baffles having flow control openings have been developed. One such baffle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,939, issued to Luyckx.
Impurities entrained in the molten metal may affect the final cast product. Processing of the metal may be thereby hampered, or the finished product may be less pure, less structurally sound or have poor finishing quality. These impurities originate from several sources. For example, impurities may include metallic impurities such as alkaline and/or alkaline earth metals, dissolved entrained gases and occluded tundish surface oxide films which have broken up in the molten metal. In addition, inclusions may originate from non-metallic sources such as carbides or borides and eroded furnace and trough refractories. Effective removal of these impurities, with the aid of apertured baffles and other flow control devices, as appropriate, is an important aspect of molten metal processing.
As described in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,939, tundish baffle openings or apertures are typically round. The apertures may be formed straight through the tundish baffle in a horizontal orientation, or may be slanted at an angle to direct the molten metal (and inclusions) somewhat upward. Also, the apertures may be cylindrical or frustoconical (i.e. tapered).
One of the problems existing in prior art apertured tundish baffles is that non-metallic inclusions tend to collect or "cake" around the outer circumferences of the round apertures. As this occurs, the baffle openings gradually become smaller until the flow of molten metal through the openings is blocked or choked off. Even when the round openings are only partially blocked, the functions of the apertured baffles are inhibited because the openings no longer control the residence time and flow of molten metal in the desired manner. Therefore, there is a need or desire in the iron and steel industry for apertured baffles which can accommodate the buildup of non-metallic inclusions in the apertures without seriously disrupting the residence time and flow control functions of the baffles.


This invention relates to a process for producing electron deficient olefins, such as 2-cyanoacrylates, in a polar solvent, such as an ionic liquid.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for producing electron deficient olefins, such as 2-cyanoacrylates, in a polar solvent, such as an ionic liquid.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Cyanoacrylate adhesives are known for their fast adhesion and ability to bond a wide variety of substrates. They are marketed as "super glue" type adhesives. They are useful as an all-purpose adhesive since they are a single component adhesive, very economical as only a small amount will do, and generally do not require any equipment to effectuate curing.
Traditionally, cyanoacrylate monomers are produced by way of a Knoevenagel condensation reaction between a formaldehyde precursor, such as paraformaldehyde, and an alkyl cyanoacetate with a basic catalyst. During the reaction, monomer forms and polymerises in situ to a prepolymer that is subsequently thermally cracked or depolymerised into the pure constituent monomer. This approach has remained essentially the same although various improvements and variants have been more recently introduced. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,245,933, 5,624,699, 4,364,876, 2,721,858, 2,763,677 and 2,756,251.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,698, the synthesis of difunctional cyanoacrylates using a Knoevenagel condensation is described. However the ability to thermally depolyerise the resulting, now crosslinked, prepolymer in a reliable and reproducible manner to produce pure difunctional monomers in high yields is questionable [see J. Buck, J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem. Ed., 16, 2475-2507 (1978), and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,975,422, 3,903,055, 4,003,942, 4,012,402, and 4,013,703].
A variety of other processes for producing cyanoacrylate are known, and some of which are described below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,267 defines a process for producing a 2-cyanoacrylic acid which comprises subjecting a 2-cyanoacrylate and an organic acid to a transesterification reaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,369 defines an improvement in a process for preparing methyl cyanoacrylate, in which methyl cyanoacetate is reacted with formaldehyde to form a polymer that is then depolymerized to the monomeric product, and in which the purity of yield is 96% or better. The improvement of the '369 patent is reported to be conducting the process in a poly(ethyelene glycol) diacetate, dipropionate, or dibutyrate, having a number average molecular weight of 200-400, as the solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,848 defines a process for the production of a biscyanoacrylate, which comprises the steps of esterifying a 2-cyanoacrylic acid or transesterifying an alkyl ester thereof to obtain a reaction mixture; and fractionally crystallizing the reaction mixture to obtain the biscyanoacrylate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,059 defines a process for the preparation of monomeric 2-cyanoacrylates comprising the steps of (a) reacting (i) a 2,4-dicyanoglutarate with (ii) formaldehyde, cyclic or linear polymers of formaldehyde, or a mixture thereof, in the presence of between about 0.5 and about 5 mols of water per mol of 2,4-dicyanoglutarate, at an acid pH of about 3 to slightly less than 7, and at a temperature of about 70 to about 140, to form an oligomeric intermediate product, and (b) removing water that is present from step (a) and thermolyzing the oligomeric intermediate product for a period of time sufficient to effect its conversion to monomeric 2-cyanoacrylates.
Commercial production of cyanoacrylate monomers ordinarily relies on the depolymerisation of a prepolymer formed under Knoevenagel reaction conditions. Previous efforts to produce cyanoacrylates explored alternative routes that do not rely on depolymerisation, for instance in the synthesis of difunctional monomers that cannot be reliably accessed by depolymerisation, or for the synthesis of esters not easily accessed by depolymerisation.
Still today the Knoevenagel condensation reaction is believed to remain the most efficient and prevalent commercial method for producing high yields of monofunctional cyanoacrylates. Nevertheless, it would be desirable to not have to resort to thermally induced depolymerisation of a prepolymer produced by the Knoevenagel condensation reaction. This prospect would also enable facile access to highly useful difunctional monomers, such as so-called bis-cyanoacrylates or hybrid materials of cyanoacrylate and other polymerisable or reactive functions.
The Knoevenagel reaction is well known not only for its usefulness in the manufacture of cyanoacrylates, but also (and perhaps more so) for its immense potential generally in the synthesis of electrophilic olefins from active methylene and carbonyl compounds [G. Jones, Organic Reactions, Vol. XV, 204, Wiley, New York (1967)]. A wide range of catalysts have been employed in carrying out this reaction, each affording variable yields of olefins. The reaction is catalysed by weak bases under homogeneous conditions. More recently, heterogeneous catalysts have been use, many of which include inorganic materials such as clays and zeolites [F. Bigi et al., J. Org. Chem., 64, 1033 (1999)]. These materials are environmentally benign and have been used because they are ditopic in nature, some containing both acidic and basic sites, while others are soley acidic or soley basic. Some Lewis acid catalysts have also been employed in the Knoevenagel reaction [B. Green et al., J. Org. Chem., 50, 640 (1985); P. Rao et al., Tett. Lett., 32, 5821 (1991)]. Since bases are generally active nucleophiles and cyanoacrylate monomer is highly susceptible to initiation of polymerisation by active nucleophiles, it is not possible to exploit base catalysed Knoevenagel synthesis of cyanoacrylate monomer without polymerisation occurring. And while acid catalysed Knoevenagel condensation reactions to form cyanopentadienoate monomers (related to cyanoacrylates) are known (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,544), these routes do not lead to the direct synthesis of cyanoacrylate monomers per se.
The Knoevenagel reaction also liberates water during the condensation of aldehydes with reactive methylene compounds, and neutral and basic water is well known to initiate polymerisation of cyanoacrylate monomers.
The efficiency of the Knoevenagel reaction is also known to be highly solvent dependent and that usually dipolar aprotic solvents, like dimethylformamide or dimethylsulfoxide, or especially useful in this condensation, because the second step, a 1,2-elimination has been reported to be inhibited by protic solvents [L. Tietze and U. Beifuss, Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, B. Trost et al., eds., Pergamon Press, Oxford, Vol. 2, Chapter 1.11, 341 (1991)]. The aforementioned solvents are toxic, teratogenic and suspected carcinogens, and can initiate cyanoacrylate polymerisation, thus their usage is disfavoured on a commercial scale.
Notwithstanding the reported inhibition by protic solvents, various authors have found that the Knoevenagel reaction easily occurs in protic media and also in water, even though this reaction remarkably involves a net dehydration [see e.g. F. Bigi et al., J. Org. Chem., 64, 1033 (1999), P. Laszlo, Ac Chem. Res., 19, 121 (1986), K. Kloestra et al., J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1005 (1995), P. Lednor et al., J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1625 (1991), and F. Bigi et al., Tett. Lett., 40, 3465 (1999)].
Recently there have been reports of the use of polar aprotic and protic solvents, including water, in uncatalysed Knoevenagel reactions leading to excellent yields and selectivities in the formation of products dervied from malononitrile and mainly aromatic aldehydes, although some aliphatic aledhehydes were reported on [F. Bigi et al., Green Chem., 2, 101 (2000)]. The use of water as a solvent in organic chemistry has received increasing attention in the past decade [see e.g. R. Breslow, Ac Chem. Res., 24, 159 (1991) and Li, Chem. Rev., 93, 2023 (1993)], however a large excess of neutral and basic aqueous reaction media would initiate polymerisation in the Knoevenagel synthesis of cyanoacrylate monomers even though this may offer other benefits since water is an environmentally benign, non flammable, and relatively inexpensive solvent. Thus a depolymerisation step is still required to yield pure monomer.
A highly desirable goal would be to find a solvent with some of the characteristics of water that would encourage high yields and selectivities and preferably act as a solvent-catalyst for the Knoevenagel reaction of electron deficient olefins, such as cyanoacrylates, without resort to a depolymerisation step. If necessary, acidic (e.g. Lewis) catalysts may be used in conjunction with such a solvent, as could common dehydrating agents that would react with water liberated from the Knoevenagel reaction proper.
Several publications have shown that replacing organic solvents by ionic liquids can lead to improvements in well known procedures [T. Welton, Chem Rev., 99, 2071 (1999), D. Morrison et al., Tet. Lett., 42, 6053 and 6097 (2001), and M. Smietana et al., Org. Lett., 3, 1037 (2001)]. Indeed, ionic liquids have been used with some success as solvents in Knoevenagel reactions. For example, n-butyl pyridinium nitrate has been used as a solvent to replace conventional organic solvents in the Knoevenagel condensation of various carbonyl substrates with active methylene compounds [Y-Q Li et al., Chinese Chem. Letts., 14, 5, 448 (2003)]. The ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidiazolium chloroaluminate, has been used in the synthesis of electrophilic alkenes via the Knoevenagel condensation [J. Harjani et al., Tet. Lett., 43, 1127 (2002)]. Functionalised ionic liquid solvents have also been used in Knoevenagel reactions [X-M Xu et al., J. Org. Chem., 24(10), 1253 (2004)]. The use of ionic liquids as solvents for Knoevenagel condensation in the presence of specific catalysts for this reaction is also known [Su et al., Synthesis, 4, 555 (2003)].
Recently, J. S. Yadav et al., Phosphane-Catalyzed Knoevenagel Condensation: A Facile Synthesis of α-Cyanoacrylates and α-Cyanonitriles", Eur. J. Org. Chem., 546-551 (2004) reports of the use of triphenylphosphane [sic, triphenylphosphine] as a catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes with acidic methylene compounds, such as ethyl cyanoacetate and malonitrile, to afford substituted olefins in an efficient manner under mild and solvent-free conditions. Triphenyphosphine is a known initiator for the polymerization of 2-cyanoacrylates.
However, to date, it is not believed that any one has investigated the synthesis of cyanoacrylates or other electron deficient olefins using an ionic liquid as a solvent in the Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Method of preparing electron deficient olefins in polar solvents


An interface circuit cooperates with an existing power-stealing circuit designed for use with low voltage AC power. The existing power-stealing circuit provides low voltage DC power for operating an auxiliary circuit and for switching power for an AC load. The existing power-stealing circuit has a semiconductor switch for switching power to the AC load, and a control circuit that when the load receives power, shuts off the semiconductor switch near the zero crossing points in the power voltage waveform and converts the voltage to DC for use by the auxiliary circuit. The interface circuit is interposed between the semiconductor switch and the control circuit of the power-stealing circuit, and reduces the high voltage AC power to the lower voltage for which the power-stealing circuit was designed. In a preferred embodiment, a power field effect transistor drops the voltage applied to the control circuit to a level compatible with the control circuit while the semiconductor switch is open and the load unpowered.

Before electronic thermostats were available, electromechanical thermostats relied on energy provided by the temperature changes in the controlled space to operate a very low force switch, typically a mercury switch, and hence had no need for electrical operating power. These thermostats typically activated the heating or cooling plants they controlled by switching low voltage (i.e., 24 v.) AC power to a HVAC controller. The HVAC controller then switched 24 v. AC power to the various components of the plant, such as the gas valve and igniter in the heating plant or to the contactor controlling high voltage power for the air conditioning compressor and fan. But the electronic thermostats widely used nowadays typically require a constant supply of electrical power. In typical existing installations, two or three wires connect the thermostat to the plant. To run additional wires solely for operating power is often quite labor intensive, and hence relatively expensive. If external power is to be used, additional wires are necessary because when the thermostat switch closes, no power is available across the switch at the thermostat from the wires supplying power to the heating or cooling plant while the plant is operating. The voltage drop across the thermostat""s internal switch element is essentially zero while the switch is closed. Adding impedance to the switch to create a constant small voltage drop is undesirable because this generates heat within the enclosure, affecting thermostat operation. And for some controllers, impedance in the wires supplying power may affect controller operation.
Alternative internal power sources for thermostats are problematic. As previously mentioned, running a separate set of power wires to the thermostat solves the problem of supplying power for thermostats, and in new construction this is easy to do. But for older buildings in which an electronic thermostat is being retrofitted, this may be very difficult.
To address these problems, I earlier developed an alternative power source for thermostats that involved what I call power stealing. This power source is an electronic circuit that, while the thermostat is conducting current to the controller, takes a small section (typically no more than a few tens of xcexcsec.) of the beginning of each half of the low voltage AC cycles of the controller current, converts it to DC, and filters and regulates the stolen power voltage to the 3 v. that the thermostat circuitry uses. The amount of power stolen is so small that the HVAC controller operation is unaffected. I implemented this power-stealing function in an electronic circuit that uses little power and takes little space on the circuit board of the thermostat. My U.S. patents numbered U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,116 (issued Jun. 16, 1998) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,139 (issued-May 11, 1999) describe the power-stealing circuit and its operation, and these patents are incorporated by reference into this specification.
Briefly, the power-stealing circuit controls a pair of power field effect transistors (power FETs) to switch 24 v. AC to the HVAC controller or other load. When the controller is receiving power, the power-stealing circuit turns the power FETs off for a short period of time before and after each time the voltage crosses the 0 v. line and when the power voltage is relatively low. This allows the circuit to resynchronize with the AC wave, and to divert load current to a 3 v. supply capacitor. When the power voltage reaches 4 v. or so in each half cycle and the capacitor is fully charged, the power-stealing circuit causes the power FETs to again conduct and redirect power away from the 3 v. capacitor. The power xe2x80x9cstolenxe2x80x9d from each half cycle immediately after each zero crossing and used to charge the 3 v. capacitor then provides the operating voltage for the thermostat control circuitry.
Some thermostats and other similar types of controllers operate on line voltage, typically either 117 or 220 v. AC. The current version of the power-stealing circuit is implemented in an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) that is not compatible with such voltage levels. It would be possible to redesign the ASIC for compatibility with line voltage. However, this is not presently preferred because of the expense of redesigning and requalifying the existing 24 v. version of the ASIC.
I have developed an interface circuit that allows an existing power-stealing control circuit designed for low AC voltage power to operate successfully with line voltage power. Such an interface circuit cooperates with a first semiconductor switch of the type having a control terminal and first and second power terminals and similar to the power FETs used for switching power by the original design. The first semiconductor switch has first and second power terminals for connection in series with the load to control power applied to the load. The first switch conducts between the first and second power terminals responsive to a conduction signal at the control terminal. The control circuit has first and second power terminals connected in parallel with the first semiconductor switch power terminals. The control circuit has a switch terminal for receiving an on/off signal having first and second levels, and a switch control terminal providing the conduction signal to the first semiconductor switch for a period of time between successive zero crossings by the AC voltage responsive to the first level of the on/off signal. A storage element cooperates with the control circuit to store power available across the first semiconductor switch while the conduction signal is absent, and provides the stored power as a low DC voltage.
The interface circuit allows the existing low voltage control circuit design to operate with line AC voltage levels. The interface circuit comprises a variable impedance element connected between the first semiconductor switch first power terminal and the control circuit first power terminal. The variable impedance element functions to clip the voltage at the control circuit first power terminal to a peak voltage on the order of the low voltage AC power.
In a preferred embodiment the interface circuit includes a first variable semiconductor impedance having a first power terminal connected to the first semiconductor switch first power terminal, a second power terminal connected to the control circuit first power terminal, and a control terminal. The first variable semiconductor impedance has an impedance value dependent on the voltage between the control terminal and the second power terminal of the first variable semiconductor impedance. A voltage reference element provides a voltage to the first variable semiconductor impedance on the order of the peak voltage of the relatively low AC voltage. When the load is not receiving power, the first variable impedance assumes an internal impedance that creates sufficient voltage drop to hold the voltage applied to the control circuit to a level on the order of the low AC voltage level.

Electronic interface for power stealing circuit


A golf club head includes a head body having a front opening, a striking plate member covering the front opening, and at least one vibration-absorbing element. The striking plate member includes a striking face with a striking zone, and a back face opposite to the striking face and having a receiving groove. The vibration-absorbing element is disposed in the receiving groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a golf club head, more particularly to a golf club head that has a good vibration-absorbing effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional golf club head 1 includes a head body 11 having a front opening 111, and a striking plate 12 covering the front opening 111 for striking a golf ball (not shown). Since the conventional golf club head 1 is not provided with a vibration-absorbing element, when a player strikes the ball with a large swinging force, a substantial impact force is absorbed by the striking plate 12, such that an intense vibration is produced. This intense vibration can make it difficult to hit the ball accurately. Further, the intense vibration is transmitted to the player's hands which may bring discomfort to the player. Such transmission of vibration may be especially acute when the player is using a wood.
Referring to FIG. 3, another conventional golf club head 2, as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. M240256, includes a head body 21, and a striking plate 22 fixed to a front end face of the head body 21. A receiving space 23 is formed in a bottom portion of the head body 21 adjacent to the striking plate 22. Fluid 24 is filled into the receiving space 23 to serve as a vibration-absorbing element. The fluid 24 in the receiving space 23 produces a viscous force that dampens the vibration produced during striking of the ball.
Although the conventional golf club head 2 of FIG. 3 can achieve a vibration-absorbing effect, the fluid 24 may leak out from the receiving space 23 during use of the golf club head 2 over time. Further, such a configuration of the conventional golf club head 2 is difficult to produce, so that the cost to produce the same is high. Moreover, during swinging of a golf club incorporating the golf club head 2, because of the movement of the fluid 24 in the receiving space 23, a delayed condition is produced, which reduces stability during hitting of the ball.


The invention relates to a method and apparatus that can improve the lifetime and performance of an ion source in a cyclotron. According to one embodiment, the invention comprises an ion source tube for sustaining a plasma discharge therein. The ion source tube comprises a slit opening along a side of the ion source tube, wherein the slit opening has a width less than 0.29 mm. The ion source tube also comprises an end opening in an end of the ion source tube. The end opening is smaller than an inner diameter of the ion source tube and is displaced by 0–1.5 mm from a central axis of the ion source tube toward the slit opening. The plasma column is displaced 0.2 to 0.5 mm relative the slit opening. The ion source tube comprises a cavity that accommodates the plasma discharge. The invention also relates to a method for making an ion source tube.

The present invention relates generally to the field of cyclotron design for radiopharmacy and more particularly to a method and apparatus that can improve ion source lifetime and performance.
Hospitals and other health care providers rely extensively on positron emission tomography (PET) for diagnostic purposes. PET scanners can produce images which illustrate various biological process and functions. In a PET scan, the patient is initially injected with a radioactive substance known as a PET isotope (or radiopharmaceutical). The PET isotope may be 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG), for example, a type of sugar which includes radioactive fluorine. The PET isotope becomes involved in certain bodily processes and functions, and its radioactive nature enables the PET scanner to produce an image which illuminates those functions and processes. For example, when FDG is injected, it may be metabolized by cancer cells, allowing the PET scanner to create an image illuminating the cancerous region.
PET isotopes are mainly produced with cyclotrons, a type of particle accelerators. A cyclotron usually operates at high vacuum (e.g., 10−7 Torr). In operation, charged particles (i.e., ions) are initially extracted from an ion source. Then, the ions are accelerated while being confined by a magnetic field to a circular path. A radio frequency (RF) high voltage source rapidly alternates the polarity of an electrical field inside the cyclotron chamber, causing the ions to follow a spiral course as they acquire more kinetic energy. Once the ions have gained their final energy, they are directed to a target material to transform it into one or more desired PET isotopes. Since a cyclotron typically involves a substantial investment, its isotope-producing capacity is very important. Theoretically, the production rate of isotopes in a given target material is directly proportional to the flux of the charged particles (i.e., ion beam current) that bombard the target. Therefore, it would be desirable to extract a high output of ion current from the ion source.
Apart from the ion output, the lifetime of an ion source is also important. An ion source typically has a limited lifetime and therefore requires periodic replacement. During a scheduled service, the cyclotron needs to be opened up to allow access to the ion source. However, since the cyclotron usually becomes radioactive during isotope production, it is necessary to wait for the radiation to decay to a safe level before starting the service. In one cyclotron, for example, the wait for the radiation decay can last ten hours. Replacement of the ion source takes some time depending on the complexity of the ion source assembly as well as its accessibility. After the ion source has been replaced, it takes additional time for a high vacuum to be restored inside the cyclotron. As a result, every scheduled service for ion source replacement causes extended down time in isotope production. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the lifetime of the ion source so that the isotope production time will be longer between scheduled services.
FIG. 1 illustrates the operation of a known plasma-based ion source 100 used in cyclotrons for isotope production. As shown, the ion source 100 comprises an ion source tube 104 positioned between two cathodes 102. The ion source tube 104 may be grounded while the two cathodes 102 may be biased at a high negative potential with a power source 112. The ion source tube 104 may have a cavity 108 into which one or more gas ingredients may be flowed. For example, a hydrogen (H2) gas flow of around 10 sccm may be flowed into the cavity 108. The voltage difference between the cathodes 102 and the ion source tube 104 may cause a plasma discharge (110) in the hydrogen gas, creating positive hydrogen ions (protons) and negative hydrogen ions (H−). These hydrogen ions may be confined by a magnetic field 120 imposed along the length of the ion source tube 104. A puller 116, biased with a power source 114 at an alternating potential, may then extract the negative hydrogen ions through a slit opening 106 on the ion source tube 104 during positive half periods of the alternating potential. The extracted negative hydrogen ions 118 may be further accelerated in the cyclotron (not shown) before being used in isotope production.
FIGS. 2–7 illustrate a prior art design of an ion source tube 200, where FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ion source tube 200, FIG. 3 is a front view, FIG. 4 is a side view, FIGS. 5 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the section a—a, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the section b—b. The length unit is millimeters (mm). The ion source tube 200 has a cylindrical cavity 212 that is centered along the axis 216. There is also a slit opening 214 along the front side of the ion source tube 200. This prior art design further requires two separate restrictor rings 210 that can be inserted into the cavity 212 and positioned against the edges 220 and 222 to help define the shape and position of the plasma column 218.
Some drawbacks may exist in the design of the prior art ion source tube 200. For example, the use of the restrictor rings 210 may require some amount of time for assembly and adjustment during manufacturing. And the prior art design of the restrictor rings may impose a stringent manufacturing tolerance. Furthermore, the slit opening 214 can degrade relatively quickly due to bombardment of the ions generated in the plasma column 216, leading to a short lifetime of the ion source tube 200.
These and other drawbacks may exist in known systems and methods.


In an example, a text sentence comprising a plurality of words is obtained. Each of the plurality of words is passed through a deep compositional character-to-word model to encode character-level information of each of the plurality of words into a character-to-word expression. The character-to-word expressions are combined with pre-trained word embeddings. The combined character-to-word expressions and pre-trained word embeddings are fed into one or more bidirectional long short-term memories to learn contextual information for each of the plurality of words. Then, sequential conditional random fields are applied to the contextual information for each of the plurality of words.

Named entity recognition (NER) is a fundamental problem in Natural Language Processing (NLP). It generally is one of the first stages in a machine-learning algorithm's attempt to understand tasks in a language. NER comprises classifying a chunk of text into several predefined categories of interest, such as person, organization, location, and time. NER is a challenging learning problem because in many domains and languages there is only a very small amount of supervised training data available in order to train a machine-learning model. As a result, carefully constructed hand-crafted orthographic and domain-specific knowledge (e.g., gazetteers) are widely used for solving this task. Unfortunately, hand-crafted features and language-specific resources are difficult to develop and do not scale well. As such, NER is challenging to adapt to new languages and new domains.
The headings provided herein are merely for convenience and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the terms used.

Deep hybrid neural network for named entity recognition