Provided is a method for manufacturing a flexible electrode substrate. The method includes forming a microlens array under a film, forming a transparent electrode layer on the film so as to oppose the microlens array, and forming a grid electrode between the film and the transparent electrode layer or on the transparent electrode layer. Herein, the grid electrode and the microlens array are formed on the both sides of the film by performing at least one of an inkjet printing process, a roll-to-roll printing process, a screen printing process, and a stamping printing process.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a flexible electrode substrate, and more particularly, to a flexible electrode substrate of a light-emitting diode.
Recently, it has received great attention to develop a technology for manufacturing a flexible and stretchable electronic device by mounting an electronic element on a plastic substrate. For instance, a flexible display, a flexible solar cell, a flexible RFID, and the like are manufactured by mounting electronic elements on a plastic substrate. Although there are various types of the flexible display, it is considered to be one of the most difficult and high potential techniques to manufacture a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED). The OLED, which emits light by virtue of recombination of electrons and holes in organic matter disposed between an anode and a cathode, is usually applied to a display device. In order to commercialize OLED lighting, it is needed to solve a voltage drop problem and improve light extraction efficiency.
The voltage drop of the OLED may occur due to high resistance of a transparent electrode layer. The voltage drop of the transparent electrode layer may be prevented by forming auxiliary wiring on a transparent electrode. However, a typical auxiliary wiring is formed by performing a photolithography process, which may increase the cost of producing the OLED.
The light extraction efficiency may be improved by means of a microlens or surface curve formed on the rear of a substrate. However, the costly photolithography process is required to form a typical microlens or surface curve. Thus, productivity is decreased.

Method for manufacturing flexible electrode substrate

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A method and apparatus for creating computer generated lines using a single or multiple instruction multiple data processor in conjunction with a modified version of Bresenham's line drawing algorithm wherein the speed of the operation is enhanced by allowing the processor to perform its memory writes in page mode.

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for drawing computer generated lines using Bresenham's line drawing algorithm. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for drawing lines using single (or multiple) instruction multiple data processors known as SIMD's (or MIMD'S) respectively.
In a SIMD processor, multiple tasks may operate on multiple data sets, while each task shares a single instruction set. A SIMD processor capable of operating on N data sets may generally function N times faster than a single processor if the same program is being used to operate on each of the N data sets. Accordingly, the performance of the SIMD may be optimized if each of the N tasks uses the same algorithm or instruction sequence. A SIMD processor differs from a multiple instruction multiple data processor ("MIMD") in that an MIMD is capable of operating on multiple data sets while using separate or distinct instruction sequences.
One type of algorithm which may be applied to multi-tasking processors is Bresenham's line drawing algorithm. Since computer generated lines are limited to representations based on discrete pixel locations, it often happens that the mathematical location of a point will differ from the location of the point on the screen. Bresenham's algorithm is directed towards this problem and is used for choosing pixel locations which tend to minimize differences between an actual mathematical line and a computer generated representation of such a line. Based on its determination of the error by which a drawn point on a line will deviate from the actual mathematical position of the point, Bresenham's algorithm will determine whether the next drawn point should be the one directly to the right of or one above and to the right of the last drawn point. In determining the error for any particular point, Bresenham's algorithm uses a composite error figure which has been incremented or decremented with each preceding point. The basic Bresenham algorithm to draw a line from (X.sub.1, Y.sub.1,) to (X.sub.2, Y.sub.2) can be described as shown in Table I below:
TABLE I ______________________________________ 1 dx = x.sub.2 -x.sub.1 2 dy = y.sub.2 -y.sub.1 3 inc1 = 2 * dy 4 inc2 = 2 * (dy-dx) 5 e = 2*dy - dx 6 x = x.sub.1 7 y = y.sub.1 8 for dx times { 9 draw point at x, y 10 if (e < o) 11 e = e + inc1 12 else 13 e = e + inc2 14 y = y + 1 15 x = x + 1 { ______________________________________
A mathematical analysis of Bresenham's Algorithm can be found in "Fundamentals of Interactive Computer Graphics", by Foley and VanDam.
For a multi-tasking processor capable of operating on N data sets, a typical application of Bresenham's algorithm might involve using a separate task to draw each (1/N)th of the line. A SIMD processor could be employed using this method, as each of the N tasks could be made to use the same instruction sequence.
This method is illustrated in FIG. 1, where the line to be drawn (10) is divided into N segments labelled 10a, 10b, . . . 10n. Each of the N processors is used to draw one of these N segments, by first calculating the position of the first point of its respective segment, and thereafter by calculating successive points on its respective segment using, for example, Bresenham's algorithm.
The drawback in using the method shown in FIG. 1 to draw lines using a SIMD or MIMD processor, is that the optimal speed is not achieved. The loss of speed is attributable to the memory addressing mode which must be used to write and store the calculated points in the computer memory.
Computer memory chips are typically divided into sections called pages. Since, in the method shown in FIG. 1, the N points being calculated at any particular time are each separated by a distance equal to (1/N)th of the line, the N points are not contiguous and will therefore not typically be written onto the same page in memory. The fact that each of the N processors must write to a difference page in memory works to significantly slow the line generating process of FIG. 1.
In a different mode known as "page mode", memory writes are not made to multiple pages but instead only to a single page at a time. Writing to memory in page mode is significantly faster than writing to separate pages in memory.
It is an object of the present invention to make optimal use of SIMD architecture by operating on multiple data sets using the same instruction sequence.
It is a further object of the present invention to use SIMD architecture in a manner which capitalizes on the speed achievable by writing to memory in page mode.

Method and apparatus for line drawing by interleaving multiple processors


A method for making a circuit plate includes: forming first holes in an insulating layer; forming a conductive layer on the insulating layer such that a portion of the conductive layer fills the first holes; grinding the conductive layer such that the portion of the conductive layer remains in the first holes to form a pattern of conductive traces; forming a dielectric protective layer that covers the insulating layer and the conductive traces; forming a pattern of second holes in the protective layer such that a portion of each of the conductive traces is accessible through a respective one of the second holes; and forming conductive bumps that are respectively connected to the conductive traces.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for making a circuit plate, more particularly to a method for making a circuit plate using semiconductor processing techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional circuit plates normally include a dielectric substrate that is formed with a pattern of conductive traces thereon for electrical connections among electronic components to be mounted on the substrate. Conventional methods for forming the conductive traces on the substrate involve attaching a copper film to the substrate, followed by forming the copper film into the pattern of the conductive traces through photolithographic techniques. Since the copper film is relatively thick, there is a minimum line width restriction for each of the conductive traces. As a consequence, when contacts of an electronic component, which are spaced apart by a very short distance, are to be mounted on the circuit plate, short circuits are likely to occur. Therefore, electronic components with very short spacing between contacts are unsuited for use with the conventional circuit plates.


A process for the production of hydrocarbon-containing oils, in which a starting material containing a sugar and/or a sugar derivative is thermally cleaved, including a reaction step in which the starting material is brought into contact with a contact oil which has an initial boiling point of at least about 200° C. at a pressure of about 1013 mbar with formation of a reaction phase at a reaction temperature in the range of from about 200 to about 600° C. and a pressure in the range of from about 0.1 to about 50 bar. The process also includes a processing step in which the reaction phase is separated into a low-boiling fraction and a high-boiling fraction. At least a portion of the high-boiling fraction is recirculated into the reaction step as contact oil. The invention also relates to a system for this process which is equipped with an oilification module.

The present invention generally relates to a process for the production of hydrocarbon-containing oils, to a system for this process which is equipped with an oilification module, to a process for the generation of electrical, kinetic, and/or potential energy, to a process for the preparation of a chemical product, to a chemical product obtainable by this process, to materials which are at least partially based on this chemical product or contain such products, to a method of transporting objects or conveying persons, and to the use of one of the processes described hereinabove or of the system described hereinabove in a sustainable energy management or for reducing the generation of greenhouse gases.
There is generally worldwide a high demand for energy sources which rely on renewable resources, as the result of the increasingly diminishing mineral oil deposits, and as a result of the greenhouse effect, which is based on the combustion of fossil fuels. The economy of having available these energy sources are of paramount importance if these energy sources, which rely on renewable resources, are to become widespread and popular. One aspect of the economical availability is the production costs, which must be at least competitive in relation to comparable mineral oil products, or indeed be more economical. Furthermore, it is advantageous for the economical availability if the energy source which relies on renewable resources can be provided with as little red tape as possible and without unduly high initial investments in equipment. Another imperative factor regarding economy is sustainability. Here, it is of particular importance that so-called "waste products" which are generated in a series of operations constitute a so-called "useful material" for energies which rely on renewable resources.
A series of publications are known from waste management, in which existing chemicals or reusable materials are processed by pyrolytic processes, in most cases at very high temperatures and with the use of suitable solid catalysts, to give products which have smaller molecular weights in comparison with the existing chemicals or reusable materials. Examples which can be mentioned in this context are DE 44 35 238 A1, DE 196 23 528 A1, DE 693 26 527 T2, DE 44 23 394 C1, DE 44 12 941 A1, DE 43 11 034 A1 and DE 198 09 717 A1.
However, only a few pyrolytic processes are known in the field of the production of fuels from renewable resources. Thus, DE 102 15 679 A1 discloses a direct thermochemical conversion of high-molecular-weight organic substances into liquid fuels of low viscosity, where shock heating of the biomass is employed, in combination with the circulation of a product phase of low volatility, gives a combustible liquid of low viscosity. The disadvantage of this process is that obvious and technically customary measures for controlling the residence time are not sufficient for this process. Also, the process described in DE 102 15 679 A1 is carried out at a pressure of 80 bar, so that the reactor must be designed specifically for such high pressures. The use of such a reactor in mobile plants for producing fuels from renewable resources is therefore not without problems.
Furthermore, DE 100 49 277 A1 discloses a process for the catalytic production of diesel oil and gasoline from hydrocarbon-containing waste materials and oils, such as timber, in which a solid catalyst on sodium-aluminum-silicate basis is used. The disadvantage of this process is that small solid particles, which include pieces of the solid catalyst, are disadvantageous, because of the risk of clogging the production system and of the resulting frequency down-times of an oilification plant, for a lasting, continuous, and hence economical operation of an oilification plant. It can be seen from the application DE 101 11 765 A1, which constitutes an addition to DE 100 49 377 A1, that it is predominantly the residues of catalyst which remain in this process and which cannot be regenerated. Rather, such residues of catalyst must be cleaned by complicated burn-off processes and, since such a cleaning procedure is generally only possible once, ultimately be disposed of.
One aspect of the present invention contributes to the solution of the problems which result from the prior art and help overcome the disadvantages resulting from the prior art.
In particular, the present invention provides a process for the oilification of renewable resources which can be operated in an efficient, sustainable, and economical manner. In this context, the fuels which can be obtained by this process should, if possible, be less carcinogenic and upon combustion in a combustion engine ensure as high a cylinder pressure as possible.
The present invention further provides a process and a system which can be operated in units which are as small and local as possible.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a process and a system which makes possible an operation with the shortest possible down-times.
In addition, one aspect of the invention is to make a contribution to a more sustainable energy strategy which relies less on fossil fuels.
Another aspect of the invention is to make a contribution to the promotion of structural change in agriculture or forestry.


Three enzymes degrading sulfated glucuronofucan; processes for producing these enzymes; activators for these enzymes; glucuronofucan sulfate and degradation products thereof; and a novel microorganism.

Brown algae contain many kinds of sulfated polysaccharides. For example, the following sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharides are known: (1) sulfated fucans which consist of fucose and sulfate groups; (2) sulfated fucoglucuronomannans which contain glucuronic acid, mannose, fucose and sulfate groups, e.g., the sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharide-U as described in WO 97/26896 (approximate molar ratio of constituting saccharides, fucose:mannose:galactose:uronic acid:sulfate group=10:7:4:5:20; hereinafter referred to as U-fucoidan); and (3) sulfated fucogalactans which consist of fucose and galactose, e.g., the sulfated fucogalactan as described in PCT/JP00/00965 (molar ratio of constituting saccharides, fucose:galactose=1:1–6; hereinafter referred to as G-fucoidan).
These polysaccharides are generically called fucoidans or fucoidins. In many cases, their structures vary depending on the algae from which they derive. For example, sulfated polysaccharides extracted from Fucus vesiculosus, Laminaria japonica Areschoug, Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida, Nemacystus decipiens (Suringar) Kuckuck and sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar are known to have structures different each other. Almost all of these sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharides are macromolecular anions. Therefore, they behave in a chemically and physically similar manner in various purification steps, making it difficult to separate them each other. For this reason, in many cases, biological activities of sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharides derived from brown algae have been examined without separating them each other. For example, a sulfated fucan fraction has been reported to have a strong anticoagulant activity, whereas a sulfated fucoglucuronomannan fraction has been reported to have an apoptosis-inducing activity against tumor cells. However, it was difficult to identify the sulfated fucose-containing polysaccharide that was responsible for the observed biological activity.
If a physiologically active sulfated polysaccharide is to be developed as a pharmaceutical, it is necessary to determine its chemical structure. For this purpose, an enzyme that degrades the physiologically active sulfated polysaccharide is required. Similarly, if oligosaccharides are to be obtained from the above-mentioned sulfated polysaccharides, it is required to obtain enzymes that degrade the respective sulfated polysaccharides.
However, no enzyme that degrades a sulfated polysaccharide from brown algae is commercially available. In addition, a degrading enzyme that specifically degrades the sulfated polysaccharide of which the structure is to be determined is required. This is because, in many cases, sulfated polysaccharides from brown algae vary depending on the species of the algae. For example, a microorganism that utilizes a certain sulfated polysaccharide is often screened in order to obtain an enzyme that degrades the sulfated polysaccharide. In this case, a sulfated polysaccharide-degrading enzyme may be efficiently produced by isolating and identifying a microorganism that utilizes the sulfated polysaccharide, and examining culture conditions. However, it takes a long time to isolate and identify such a microorganism. Furthermore, it is not usual that a single microorganism utilizes more than one sulfated polysaccharides. Almost no microorganism is known to utilize sulfated polysaccharides from brown algae belonging to several orders or families.
Thus, it has been desired to produce a sulfated polysaccharide-degrading enzyme using an already identified and isolated microorganism, or to produce a several kinds of sulfated polysaccharide-degrading enzymes from a single microbial strain.
Recently, the following studies were reported with respect to a sulfated polysaccharide from Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida: the polysaccharide inhibits colonization of Helicobacter pyroli, a gastric ulcer-causing microorganism, on tunica mucosa ventriculi; a complex of the polysaccharide with fibroblast growth factor can be used as an agent for promoting growth of fibroblasts; and infection with a bacterium, a virus or the like can be prevented by oral administration of the polysaccharide. Accordingly, relationships between physiological activities connected with Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida and chemical structures of sulfated polysaccharides derived from Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida have been studied. For example, there are two reports on the polysaccharides. One describes a sulfated glucuronofucan containing fucose, glucuronic acid, sulfate group and acetyl group with a molar ratio of 6.1:1.0:2.9:1 and having a molecular weight of about 56,000 (Glycoconjugate Journal, 16:19–26 (1999)). The other describes a sulfated glucuronofucan containing fucose, glucuronic acid, xylose, sulfate group and acetyl group with a molar ratio of 3–4:0.8–1.2:0.1–0.3:0.8–1.2:0.5–1 and having a molecular weight of about 500,000–600,000 (Oyo Toshitsu Kagaku (Journal of Applied Glycoscience), 43:143–148 (1996)). To date, only average values for the structures have been shown based on physicochemical analyses.
In addition, it is necessary to obtain an oligosaccharide having a uniform structure in order to develop a pharmaceutical or the like. However, it has been difficult to obtain an oligosaccharide having a uniform structure, for example, from a sulfated polysaccharide derived from Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida.
For the reasons as described above, a microorganism that degrades many kinds of sulfated polysaccharides derived from brown algae, an enzyme that specifically degrades a sulfated polysaccharide derived from Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida (i.e., a sulfated glucuronofucan) and a sulfated glucuronofucan oligosaccharide having a uniform structure produced by an enzymatic means have been desired.


A plurality of cores are covered with the same jacketing material by passing the cores through respective dies of a plate, while flowing the jacketing material through sub-channels in the plate and into coating relationship with the cores. Any of the sub-channels can be shut off by diverting the jacketing material a flow diverting path without affecting the flow in the other sub-channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and apparatus for covering a core with a jacketing material as the core passes through a tool such as a die.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to jacket a complex material comprised of a plastic jacket and a core which is sensitive at the extrusion temperature of the jacket. It is also known to jacket a metal core, especially an electrical cable, by extrusion.
All the known processes for carrying out these jacketing operations only carry out the jacketing of a single core. In order to cover several different (or identical) cores with the same jacketing material, it is necessary to stop the extrusion of the jacket in order to clean, or indeed change, the die. It may also be necessary to stop the jacketing operation to modify the parameters of the extruder and of the attached equipment.

Process for covering at least two cores with the same jacketing material


A rotationally symmetric contact lens has a reservoir formed centrally on the posterior surface thereof to provide an additional optical power of up to 1.51 diopters. The reservoir may be spherically or aspherically shaped.

An astigmatism is a defect of the eye in which light from a point source produces a line image on the retina. This condition arises when the cornea or the crystalline lens is not perfectly spherical.
It has been known to correct astigmatism with lenses having different curvatures in two mutually perpendicular directions. Such a lens would have meridians of least and greatest curvature located at right angles to one another on the same surface. This is known as a toroidal surface, and a lens having this geometry is referred to as "toric."
The correction of astigmatism has typically involved using lenses, spectacle or contact, which have a toric surface. A variety of prior art toric lens configurations are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,359 to Roffman describes a lens for correcting myopia, presbyopia, astigmatism and other focusing problems, in which the lens has a rotationally symmetric, aspheric convex front surface and a concave, spheric back surface. The front surface is defined according to a specific Fourier Transform function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,262 to Glick describes a process for spincasting a compound contact lens having toric surfaces. The lens uses a compound anterior surface to correct vision.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,225 to Rothe describes a contact lens having compound anterior surfaces and a smooth, concave posterior surface.
Other patents showing various forms of contact lenses include the following: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,066,431; 4,884,482; 4,666,249; 4,580,882; 4,211,476; 4,318,595; and 4,555,372.
In spite of the above-noted disclosures, a continuing need exists for a contact lens capable of correcting astigmatism.

Correction of astigmatism using rotationally symmetric contact lenses


An improved pocketed bed sheet is provided that avoids inadvertent placement of objects in a pocket, better controls placement and removal of objects from within its pocket, and deters babies and toddlers from accessing such pocket, all without the need for engagement or disengagement of a fastening member. The improved pocketed bed sheet includes a fabric body configured to substantially cover a mattress and a pocket provided on the fabric body. The pocket includes a wall configured to hold objects in the pocket and a diagonal fabric edge that defines a diagonal opening for predetermined angular ingress and egress into the pocket for controlling the placement and removal of objects within the pocket. The diagonal fabric edge is disposed at an angle relative to an edge of the fabric body.

a. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to pocketed bed sheets, and, more particularly to a bed sheet having side pockets designed for predetermined ingress and egress for thereby controlling placement of and removal of objects from within the pockets.
b. Description of Related Art
In the art, there presently exist a variety of known bed sheets for mattresses, with the sheets having pockets and the like for placement and/or organization of objects. The typical pocketed bed sheet includes one or more side pockets having an opening at a top area thereof for storage of objects such as television remote-controls, keys and other such objects. Other forms of pocketed bed sheets include pockets with zippers, buttons or other forms of means for closing the pockets.
Known prior art bed sheets are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,836 to Everson, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,250 to Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,574 to Stromatt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,009 to Putka, U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,814 to Cybulski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,544 to Graebe, D471,049 to Dale, and D481,899 to Thomas, the respective disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,836 to Everson discloses a bed sheet with convenience pouches having elastic pockets. FIG. 1 of Everson shows a typical fitted bottom sheet 10 with a convenience pouch 12 attached on side 14 of sheet 10. Pouch 12 includes a single longitudinal pocket, or may be divided into a plurality of smaller pockets 16 by the provision of vertical seams 18. Alternatively, a plurality of pockets may be separately provided as desired. Furthermore, sheet 10 and pouches 12 are made in such a manner as to allow items to be slipped into the pouch 12 or retrieved through an elasticized opening 26 at the top of the pouch 12.
One exemplary drawback of the convenience pouches disclosed by Everson is that objects can be inadvertently dropped into the pockets. More importantly, for homes with babies and toddlers, it is often necessary to provide means for preventing inadvertent placement of objects in pockets and other such areas. It is also necessary to provide means for deterring babies and toddlers from accessing such pockets and removing objects therefrom. The present invention thus purports to overcome at least the aforementioned exemplary drawbacks of the pockets disclosed by Everson.
Another type of pocketed bed sheet is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,250 to Taylor. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of Taylor, each of the pocket members 14 includes elastic bands 17 disposed along top edges of the front and side walls 15,16 for closing the opening to secure objects and items in pocket member 14. The pockets further contain fastening members 20, which are strips of hook and loop fasteners attached inside the pocket members 14 for securely closing the pockets.
While the pocketed bed sheet of Taylor overcomes some of the noted drawbacks of the convenience pouches disclosed by Everson, when the pockets of Taylor are disposed in the closed position by means of fastening members 20, the fastening members must be disengaged to enable objects to be placed into the pockets. Thus, the additional step of disengaging fastening members 20 is required before an object can be placed in the pocket for Taylor, and furthermore, the additional step of disengaging fastening members 20 is required in order to remove an object.
It would therefore be of benefit to provide a bed sheet having side pockets designed for predetermined ingress and egress for thereby controlling placement of and removal of items from within the pockets, without the need for engagement or disengagement of a fastening member. It would also be of benefit to provide a pocketed bed sheet which deters the inadvertent placement of objects in the pockets, for homes especially with babies and toddlers, and further having a means for deterring babies and toddlers from accessing such pockets and removing objects therefrom. There also remains a need for a pocketed bed sheet having side pockets which are simpler and more economical to manufacture, utilize less raw material, and are ergonomically superior to those of the prior art.


An identification module (such as a SIM card) for securely providing a mobile identity to a mobile data network for use in identifying mobile equipment in which that identification module is installed comprises a mobile identity memory which securely stores data defining two or more different mobile identities; a selector for selecting a mobile identity from the two or more mobile identities; a network interface for generating data derived from the selected mobile identity for transmission to a mobile network during a network authorization procedure, and for receiving acknowledgement data back from the mobile network indicating whether authorization was successful based on that selected mobile identity; and a detector for detecting whether the acknowledgement data indicates an unsuccessful authorization with the mobile network and, if so, for initiating a further network authorization procedure in which the selector selects a different one of the two or more mobile identities.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This invention relates to mobile communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
Some items of user equipment (UE) can make use of a mobile Internet (data) connection but do not necessarily require such an Internet connection for normal operation. An example of such equipment might be a portable gaming device or an electronic book (e-book) reader device. Here, the device may have sufficient stand-alone functionality that a user can enjoy owning and operating the device in the long term without needing to set up a mobile data service with associated ongoing costs.
However, the device manufacturer or retailer may realise that the functionality of the device, and hence the user's enjoyment of the device after purchase, can be enhanced by connecting the device to a mobile data network. For example, in the case of a portable gaming device, this could allow interactive games to be played away from the home, or high scores and other game data to be uploaded or downloaded to a game server. In the case of an e-book reader device, a mobile data network connection could allow e-books to be purchased or otherwise downloaded away from the home, or could allow a subscription to a daily newspaper or other real-time publishing arrangement to be fulfilled.
So, the use of the mobile data network can make the user's experience of the purchased device more attractive. It is therefore in the interests of the manufacturer of the device to encourage the user to enable a mobile data network service.
Another incentive for encouraging the user to enable a mobile data network service is that a commission may be payable to the manufacturer and/or to the retailer when the user establishes a chargeable mobile data network account.
One way to encourage a user to establish a chargeable mobile data network account, and also to demonstrate the added enjoyment that such a mobile data connection could bring to the user's experience of the device, is to provide a trial period of perhaps two to four weeks, during which period the user may make use of a mobile data network connection freely, without having to establish a long-term or otherwise chargeable contract with the mobile data network provider. At the end of the trial period, the user has to make a choice as to whether to continue using mobile data network access, in which case the user must start to pay for it, or to cease using mobile data network access.
A technologically straightforward way of allowing such a trial period would be to equip each UE device, as sold, with a conventional mobile SIM (subscriber identification module) card which is activated to a mobile data network. The manufacturer enters into an agreement with the mobile data network provider so that the manufacturer pays for any mobile data access made during the first two to four weeks of use of any of the individual SIM cards. At the end of the trial period of use, the user's free access (that is to say, the access paid for by the manufacturer) is terminated so that the user is forced to choose whether to establish a chargeable account or to cease using mobile data with the device.
However, a disadvantage of this technique is as follows. Whenever a SIM card is initially activated with a mobile network, the entity carrying out the activation has to pay a fee to the mobile data network. At the time of filing the present application, such a fee is typically between 1 and 10 for each SIM card.
This fee is perhaps acceptable for a manufacturer when the manufacturer is reasonably certain that the purchaser will go on to establish a chargeable contract using that SIM card. So, in the case of the purchase of a mobile telephone, the activation fee can be absorbed by the manufacturer or retailer because commission will be payable when the user starts to make chargeable calls. However, with a data-only device of the type described above (that is to say, a device which already has adequate functionality without necessarily needing a mobile data network connection), there may be some unwillingness by the user to bother with a chargeable mobile data network connection. This could mean that the manufacturer has to pay a fee for each SIM card in each device is sold, but only a relatively small proportion of the SIM cards are eventually linked with a chargeable mobile data account.


A connector for connection to terminals of an integrated circuit. The connector consists of a dielectric substrate having a first side and a second side. The connector has wire bond terminals which are attached to the first side of the substrate and configured to receive wire bonds connected to a first set of the terminals of the integrated circuit. The connector also has solder bump terminals, attached to the second side of the substrate so as to be insulated from the wire bond terminals, the solder bump terminals being configured to be coupled via solder balls with a second set of the terminals of the integrated circuit.

Space requirements in the field of integrated circuit utilization are a critical feature of the design of a system using integrated circuits. The smaller that an integrated circuit, and ancillary components such as conducting traces to the integrated circuit, can be made, the more integrated circuits can be produced for a given size of a silicon wafer. Other advantages for reduced size integrated circuits include the reduction in power requirements for operating the circuits.


A method of applying a clear glass primer material and then a black glass primer material onto the marginal edge of a windshield and/or rear window of a vehicle, in which a dispenser is employed to discharge such primer materials in discrete streams or drops. The streams or drops impinge upon the surface of the glass such that any ricocheting or deflection of the material will remain within the area to be coated or is entrapped by a felt wick or pad without splashing or overspray onto the surrounding surfaces. An optical detector is employed to monitor the streams or drops of primer material dispensed.

The assembly of the windshield, rear window and other glass elements of a vehicle to their associated body flanges is an important operation in the manufacture of vehicles, particularly from a safety standpoint. The federal government requires vehicles to pass a windshield retention test, and the materials which are used to assemble the windshield to the body flanges of the vehicle must be properly applied to pass the test and avoid expensive recalls.
The preparation of the windshield and associated body flange of a vehicle for assembly involves a number of operations. With respect to the windshield, glass manufactures supply automobile windshields with a "blackened area", i.e., an area of predetermined width along the marginal edge of the windshield which is covered with a black, ceramic frit having a roughened surface. It is the responsibility of the automotive manufacturer to prepare this blackened area for assembly to the body flange of the vehicle. First, a clear glass primer material is applied to the blackened area, usually with a wet brush manipulated by a robot or other automated brush mover. The primer may be applied to the bristles of the brush by dispensing the primer through the center of the brush. Preferably, a felt wick is dragged by the robot immediately behind the wet brush to wipe dry the clear glass primer, and to force the clear glass primer into the roughened surface of the blackened area. The clear glass primer prepares the blackened area for receipt of a coat of black glass primer material.
The next step in the preparation of the windshield for assembly to the vehicle body flang involves the application of a black glass primer over the area which had been previously coated with the clear glass primer. One method of applying the black glass primer to the windshield involves a manual operation using a flow brush or the like. This method is labor-intensive, and human applicators are prone to dripping some of the black glass primer from the brush onto areas outside of the blackened, ceramic frit. Such drips onto the clear portion of the glass are unacceptable and may require rejection of the windshield for use. Alternatively, the black material may be applied similarly to that used for the clear primer.
Another method shown schematically in FIG. 1, is to provide a continuous stream or intermittent streams, drops, of primer onto the windshield which are then distributed by a trailing pad of felt. A coating tool assembly 10 has been employed which carried two dispensing guns 12, 14 and a gripper assembly 16 which carries a pad or wick of felt 18. The dispensing guns 12, 14 have been oriented at an angle A which is substantially less than 45.degree. from the vertical centerline CL of the gripper assembly 16. For example, assemblies have been used wherein the angle A has been in the range of 20.degree.-25.degree.. In this manner, the stream or drops 20 of fluid are dispensed substantially in front of the felt 18, the direction of movement of the assembly being indicated by arrow 22, were the trailing pad of felt is used to distribute and wipe the excess of the material from the glass 24. One problem with this method is that splashing of the primer outside of the blackened area onto the clear portions of the window may occur. Another problem is that with a continuous stream of fluid, it is difficult to control the exact amount of fluid applied to the glass.
Furthermore, the gripper assembly 16 tightly holds the felt 18 in contact with the glass 24. At times, the pressure of holding the felt in contact with the glass has actually shattered the glass. Also, it has been found that the amount of film build up of either the clear or black primer on the glass is related to the pressure exerted by the felt onto the glass. If too much pressure is applied, the felt, instead of uniformly spreading the primer over the area to be covered actually may wipe away the material. In such cases, the felt may act as a snow plow, pushing the material before it to the side. This may result in a heavier build up at the outer edges with a corresponding lesser amount in the central region.
One problem which has been experienced with the application of the primers onto the blackened area of the windshield is that it is difficult to maintain the proper amount of film build up, let alone the fact that it is difficult to determine how much clear glass primer has been applied (because it is not readily visible) and whether the desired amount of the surface area of the ceramic frit has been covered. An inadequate amount or film build of clear glass primer, and/or an incomplete covering of the surface area having the ceramic frit, can result in a failure of the windshield retention test after the windshield is installed.
Another means of applying the black glass primer onto the marginal edge of the windshield is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,367 to Thorn et al. This patent discloses an apparatus which comprises a liquid spray nozzle, an air nozzle and a vacuum device which are movable as a unit upon a robot arm relative to the marginal edge of a windshield. The liquid nozzle sprays atomized black glass primer material in a triangular pattern onto the edge of the windshield. In order to prevent oversprayed, atomized black glass primer from being deposited onto the clear portion of the windshield, the air nozzle directs a stream of air from the interior of the windshield outwardly so as to force any oversprayed primer particles away from the interior or clear portion of the windshield. The vacuum device is located beneath and alongside the peripheral edge of the windshield to draw a vacuum and collect the oversprayed primer particles which do not adhere to the glass.
While systems of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,367 are intended to avoid the drippage problem obtained with manual application of the black primer, it has been found that the application of at least some black glass primer onto the clear portion of the windshield can still occur. The vacuum device is not completely effective in collecting the oversprayed, atomized black glass primer discharged from the liquid nozzle, and some of this oversprayed black glass primer can fall onto the clear portion of the windshield.
The function of the black primer is to bond to the clear glass primer and to provide a good bonding site to beads of adhesive or sealants, such as illustrated in EPO 379 908 assigned to Essex Specialty Products, Inc. in the assembly of automobile windshields. The black primer also acts as a blocking agent for blocking the transmission of ultra violet light to the beads of adhesive or sealant. The ceramic frit does not completely block the transmission of ultra violet light. Therefore, improper application of the black primer may result in improper bonding of the adhesive/sealant and/or the degradation of the seal due to the ultra violet light.
As a result, it is very important to be sure that enough of the primers, either clear or black, are being deposited onto the glass. If for some reason the flow of material is reduced or stopped altogether, such as due to a partial or complete blockage of flow, improper bonding of the glass to the automobile may result.

Method of applying primers onto glass elements of vehicles


A method for successively performing a powder diffraction analysis of at least two powder samples being contained in sample holding means. Use is made of an apparatus comprising:—a source of radiation being adapted to direct a radiation beam to a power sample,—a detector for detecting diffraction radiation of a powder sample,—a drive means associated with said sample holding means for effecting a movement of an irradiated powder sample during irradiation and detection. The method comprises the steps of irradiating a powder sample and detecting the diffraction radiation of the powder sample, arranging a further powder sample such that said radiation beam is directed to said further powder sample, and irradiating said further powder sample and detecting the diffraction radiation of said further sample. During irradiation and detecting of each sample the drive means effect a movement of the irradiated sample with respect to the radiation beam for the purpose of improving particle statistics. The sample holding means comprise a common multiple samples holder holding said at least two powder samples. Said drive means effect, during irradiation and detection of a sample contained in said common multiple samples holder, a movement of said common multiple samples holder with respect to the radiation beam.

DE 15 98 413 discloses an apparatus wherein a single sample is held in a sample holder. During the irradiation and detection of diffracted radiation, the drive means associated with the single sample holder cause the sample to perform a translation in combination with a rotation of the sample about an axis at right angles to the irradiated plane of the sample. The purpose of the sample movement during the irradiation and detection is to improve the so called "particle statistics" and to obtain more reliable reflection intensities, or intensities with reduced standard deviation.
A problem that is encountered when using the apparatus of DE 15 98 413 is that it is time consuming when a plurality of powder samples have to be analysed. This problem is particularly pertinent in case of high throughput experimentation. According to the known method each powder sample is prepared one by one in an associated single sample holder and placed in the apparatus for performing the powder diffraction analysis. Then the apparatus is set and aligned, whereupon irradiation and detection take places. Subsequently, the powder is removed and a further powder sample is prepared and so on. This results in an ineffective way of working and thus in a considerable loss of time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,111,930 a powder diffraction analysis apparatus is disclosed having a sample changer. Said changer has a plurality of ring-shaped containers each for receiving a sample. The containers are mounted on a linear magazine, such that the samples can be successively brought into the irradiation beam. This known apparatus allows for the spinning of ring-shaped container holding the irradiated sample about an axis perpendicular of the sample surface, which is a common approach to improve the particle statistics.
A problem that is encountered with other known powder diffraction analysis equipment using a 2D detector is that during detection of the diffraction radiation, single diffraction spots and arcs are often observed instead of rings, especially when organic crystalline material (such as pharmaceuticals) is irradiated. This may be the result of the fact that not all lattice planes of the crystalline powder material have been in reflection or not for the same time or same amount, because the crystals were not random oriented or only a few crystals were present. As a result, the peak intensities of the powder diffraction patterns are not correct, and no representative 1D-powder diffraction pattern (intensity vs. diffraction angle 2θ) is created after integration of the detected 2D diffraction patterns causing problems during comparison of diffraction patterns for identification.

Method for performing power diffraction analysis


A new class of composite polymer films where the refractive index can be varied by simple compressive or extensive forces. The films are comprised of alternating layers of an elastomer and a glassy polymer or two different elastomers. When the layer spacing is much less than the wavelength of the probe light, these materials behave as effective medium composites. The layer thickness of the elastomer component and thus the effective index of the composite can be varied by compression, tension or shear.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to composite polymer films where the refractive index can be varied by simple compressive or extension forces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Extrusion process to produce polymeric photonic materials in the form of flexible sheets with large surface areas is known. This process gives a material comprising many thousands of alternating layers of polymers, polymer composites, and/or polymers containing inorganic or metallic nanoparticles. The polymer materials in the alternating layers can be chosen to have substantial differences in the index of refraction (n) so that the resulting materials will possess a modulation in the index with a period corresponding to the layer thickness.
Multilayer extrusion of polymers with hundreds of layers is known. The methods of fabricating dielectric reflectors and filters with specific transmission properties and pass bands are known. Properly oriented layered birefringence polymers can give multilayer mirrors that maintain reflectivity over a broad band of incident angles. Generally, the multilayer polymers have been fabricated using glassy polymers. Elastomeric multilayer with layer spacings suitable for dielectric filters and reflectors have been fabricated by sequential spin coating and by multilayer extrusion.
The fabrication of elastomeric multilayer structures with layer spacings much less than the wavelength of visible or near infrared (NIR) light has never been reported. It has not been recognized that such a composite will behave as a dynamically variable refractive index.

Variable refractive index polymer materials


A method for orientating a focused laser cutting beam eccentrically relative to the nozzle axis of a cutting gas nozzle and a laser processing machine for performing the same, the method including: arranging a redirecting mirror in a beam path of the laser cutting beam upstream of the cutting gas nozzle, the mirror being rotated about a direction which is coaxial with the nozzle axis and/or about a direction which is perpendicular relative to the nozzle axis and which corresponds to the beam incidence direction of the laser beam on the redirecting mirror. The cutting gas nozzle and the redirecting mirror are arranged in a second structural unit of a laser processing head, for rotation about the direction corresponding to the beam incidence direction relative to a first structural unit.

In order to connect two workpieces, e.g., tubular workpieces, to each other to form an angle of, for example, 90°, each workpiece can first be cut obliquely at an angle of 45° and subsequently welded together at the cut edges. For the welding operation, the cut edges should abut each other in as planar a manner as possible which is difficult, however, when the laser cutting beam is oriented perpendicularly relative to the surface of the workpiece surface during the cutting operation because warped cut faces can be produced during separation. In order to prevent this, during oblique laser beam cutting, the laser cutting beam and the supersonic cutting gas flow which supports the laser cutting is inclined at an angle relative to the surface of the workpiece, the so-called oblique cutting angle. If the oblique cutting angle varies during the cutting operation, a planar cut face can also be produced with an oblique cutting action on a tube so that, for example, welding the cut edges is substantially easier. The oblique cutting operation can be carried out not only on tubular workpieces but also on thick and plate-like workpieces in order to be able to more readily weld them together at the oblique cut edges, for example, which are formed during the oblique cutting operation.
However, the above-described oblique laser beam cutting operation has not yet been completely mastered, i.e., there are substantial advance rate reductions (at an oblique cutting angle of 45° of up to 70%) and substantial reductions in quality in comparison with conventional laser beam cutting with a laser cutting beam orientated perpendicularly relative to the workpiece surface. For example, the cut edges produced during the oblique laser beam cutting operation can have surface qualities which vary in accordance with the oblique cutting angle such that it is possible to observe a powerful burr formation at one cut edge and a rough surface structure at the other cut edge.
In the case of trepanning microholes in turbine blades, the article "Melt Expulsion by a Coaxial Gas Jet in Trepanning of CMSX-4 with Microsecond Nd:YAG Laser Radiation," (Proceedings of the SPIE, Vol. 5063) discloses laterally displacing the laser cutting beam, which is orientated at an oblique angle (in this case, for a drilling operation) relative to the workpiece, and the supersonic cutting gas flow or the cutting gas nozzle, which is orientated parallel with the laser cutting beam, in order to position the dynamic pressure point or the high-pressure region of the supersonic cutting gas flow directly over the hole. In that manner, it is intended to prevent the gas pressure and the thickness of the hardened melt from varying periodically along the wall of the hole, as is the case with a coaxial orientation of the gas flow and the laser beam axis when the workpiece surface is arranged obliquely relative thereto. Due to the lateral displacement, those oscillations are intended to be prevented and an increased gas flow is intended to be achieved through the hole, to allow easier discharge of the melt at the lower side of the hole. In order to increase the size of a hole, which is obtained by trepanning, another hole is placed beside it with overlapping. Overlaps between the holes in the range between 50% and 80% having been found to be advantageous.


The present invention relates to processes and intermediates for preparing 3-(cyanomethyl)-3-(4-{[(1R,2S)-2-phenylcyclopropyl]amino}piperidin-1-yl)azetidine-1-sulfonamide, and salts and solid forms thereof, which selectively modulate demethylase. Particular embodiments contemplate compounds and disease indications amenable to treatment by modulation of lysine specific demethylase-1 (LSD1).

Epigenetic modifications can impact genetic variation but, when dysregulated, can also contribute to the development of various diseases (Portela, A. and M. Esteller, Epigenetic modifications anda3 human disease. Nat Biotechnol, 2010. 28(10): p. 1057-68; Lund, A. H. and M. van Lohuizen, Epigenetics and cancer. Genes Dev, 2004. 18(19): p. 2315-35). Recently, in depth cancer genomics studies have discovered many epigenetic regulatory genes are often mutated or their own expression is abnormal in a variety of cancers (Dawson, M. A. and T. Kouzarides, Cancer epigenetics: from mechanism to therapy. Cell, 2012. 150(1): p. 12-27; Waldmann, T. and R. Schneider, Targeting histone modifications—epigenetics in cancer. Curr Opin Cell Biol, 2013. 25(2): p. 184-9; Shen, H. and P. W. Laird, Interplay between the cancer genome and epigenome. Cell, 2013. 153(1): p. 38-55). This implies epigenetic regulators function as cancer drivers or are permissive for tumorigenesis or disease progression. Therefore, deregulated epigenetic regulators are attractive therapeutic targets.
One particular enzyme which is associated with human diseases is lysine specific demethylase-1 (LSD1), the first discovered histone demethylase (Shi, Y., et al., Histone demethylation mediated by the nuclear amine oxidase homolog LSD1. Cell, 2004. 119(7): p. 941-53). It consists of three major domains: the N-terminal SWIRM which functions in nucleosome targeting, the tower domain which is involved in protein-protein interaction, such as transcriptional co-repressor, co-repressor of RE1-silencing transcription factor (CoREST), and lastly the C terminal catalytic domain whose sequence and structure share homology with the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monoamine oxidases (i.e., MAO-A and MAO-B) (Forneris, F., et al., Structural basis of LSD1-CoREST selectivity in histone H3 recognition. J Biol Chem, 2007. 282(28): p. 20070-4; Anand, R. and R. Marmorstein, Structure and mechanism of lysine-specific demethylase enzymes. J Biol Chem, 2007. 282(49): p. 35425-9; Stavropoulos, P., G. Blobel, and A. Hoelz, Crystal structure and mechanism of human lysine-specific demethylase-1. Nat Struct Mol Biol, 2006. 13(7): p. 626-32; Chen, Y., et al., Crystal structure of human histone lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2006. 103(38): p. 13956-61). LSD1 also shares a fair degree of homology with another lysine specific demethylase (LSD2) (Karytinos, A., et al., A novel mammalian flavin-dependent histone demethylase. J Biol Chem, 2009. 284(26): p. 17775-82). Although the biochemical mechanism of action is conserved in two isoforms, the substrate specificities are thought to be distinct with relatively small overlap. The enzymatic reactions of LSD1 and LSD2 are dependent on the redox process of FAD and the requirement of a protonated nitrogen in the methylated lysine is thought to limit the activity of LSD1/2 to mono- and di-methylated at the position of 4 or 9 of histone 3 (H3K4 or H3K9). These mechanisms make LSD1/2 distinct from other histone demethylase families (i.e. Jumonji domain containing family) that can demethylate mono-, di-, and tri-methylated lysines through alpha-ketoglutarate dependent reactions (Kooistra, S. M. and K. Helin, Molecular mechanisms and potential functions of histone demethylases. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 2012. 13(5): p. 297-311; Mosammaparast, N. and Y. Shi, Reversal of histone methylation: biochemical and molecular mechanisms of histone demethylases. Annu Rev Biochem, 2010. 79: p. 155-79).
Methylated histone marks on K3K4 and H3K9 are generally coupled with transcriptional activation and repression, respectively. As part of corepressor complexes (e.g., CoREST), LSD1 has been reported to demethylate H3K4 and repress transcription, whereas LSD1, in nuclear hormone receptor complex (e.g., androgen receptor), may demethylate H3K9 to activate gene expression (Metzger, E., et al., LSD1 demethylates repressive histone marks to promote androgen-receptor-dependent transcription. Nature, 2005. 437(7057): p. 436-9; Kahl, P., et al., Androgen receptor coactivators lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 and four and a half LIM domain protein 2 predict risk of prostate cancer recurrence. Cancer Res, 2006. 66(23): p. 11341-7). This suggests the substrate specificity of LSD1 can be determined by associated factors, thereby regulating alternative gene expressions in a context dependent manner. In addition to histone proteins, LSD1 may demethylate non-histone proteins. These include p53 (Huang, J., et al., p53 is regulated by the lysine demethylase LSD1. Nature, 2007. 449(7158): p. 105-8.), E2F (Kontaki, H. and I. Talianidis, Lysine methylation regulates E2F1-induced cell death. Mol Cell, 2010. 39(1): p. 152-60), STAT3 (Yang, J., et al., Reversible methylation of promoter-bound STAT3 by histone-modifying enzymes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2010. 107(50): p. 21499-504), Tat (Sakane, N., et al., Activation of HIV transcription by the viral Tat protein requires a demethylation step mediated by lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1). PLoS Pathog, 2011. 7(8): p. e1002184), and myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) (Cho, H. S., et al., Demethylation of RB regulator MYPT1 by histone demethylase LSD1 promotes cell cycle progression in cancer cells. Cancer Res, 2011. 71(3): p. 655-60). The lists of non-histone substrates are growing with technical advances in functional proteomics studies. These suggest additional oncogenic roles of LSD1 beyond in regulating chromatin remodeling. LSD1 also associates with other epigenetic regulators, such as DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) (Wang, J., et al., The lysine demethylase LSD1 (KDM1) is required for maintenance of global DNA methylation. Nat Genet, 2009. 41(1): p. 125-9) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) complexes (Hakimi, M. A., et al., A core-BRAF35 complex containing histone deacetylase mediates repression of neuronal-specific genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2002. 99(11): p. 7420-5; Lee, M. G., et al., Functional interplay between histone demethylase and deacetylase enzymes. Mol Cell Biol, 2006. 26(17): p. 6395-402; You, A., et al., CoREST is an integral component of the CoREST-human histone deacetylase complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2001. 98(4): p. 1454-8). These associations augment the activities of DNMT or HDACs. LSD1 inhibitors may therefore potentiate the effects of HDAC or DNMT inhibitors. Indeed, preclinical studies have shown such potential already (Singh, M. M., et al., Inhibition of LSD1 sensitizes glioblastoma cells to histone deacetylase inhibitors. Neuro Oncol, 2011. 13(8): p. 894-903; Han, H., et al., Synergistic re-activation of epigenetically silenced genes by combinatorial inhibition of DNMTs and LSD1 in cancer cells. PLoS One, 2013. 8(9): p. e75136).
LSD1 has been reported to contribute to a variety of biological processes, including cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and stem cell biology (both embryonic stem cells and cancer stem cells) or self-renewal and cellular transformation of somatic cells (Chen, Y., et al., Lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1): A potential molecular target for tumor therapy. Crit Rev Eukaryot Gene Expr, 2012. 22(1): p. 53-9; Sun, G., et al., Histone demethylase LSD1 regulates neural stem cell proliferation. Mol Cell Biol, 2010. 30(8): p. 1997-2005; Adamo, A., M. J. Barrero, and J. C. Izpisua Belmonte, LSD1 and pluripotency: a new player in the network. Cell Cycle, 2011. 10(19): p. 3215-6; Adamo, A., et al., LSD1 regulates the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in human embryonic stem cells. Nat Cell Biol, 2011. 13(6): p. 652-9). In particular, cancer stem cells or cancer initiating cells have some pluripotent stem cell properties that contribute the heterogeneity of cancer cells. This feature may render cancer cells more resistant to conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and then develop recurrence after treatment (Clevers, H., The cancer stem cell: premises, promises and challenges. Nat Med, 2011. 17(3): p. 313-9; Beck, B. and C. Blanpain, Unravelling cancer stem cell potential. Nat Rev Cancer, 2013. 13(10): p. 727-38). LSD1 was reported to maintain an undifferentiated tumor initiating or cancer stem cell phenotype in a spectrum of cancers (Zhang, X., et al., Pluripotent Stem Cell Protein Sox2 Confers Sensitivity to LSD1 Inhibition in Cancer Cells. Cell Rep, 2013. 5(2): p. 445-57; Wang, J., et al., Novel histone demethylase LSD1 inhibitors selectively target cancer cells with pluripotent stem cell properties. Cancer Res, 2011. 71(23): p. 7238-49). Acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) are an example of neoplastic cells that retain some of their less differentiated stem cell like phenotype or leukemia stem cell (LSC) potential. Analysis of AML cells including gene expression arrays and chromatin immunoprecipitation with next generation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) revealed that LSD1 may regulate a subset of genes involved in multiple oncogenic programs to maintain LSC (Harris, W. J., et al., The histone demethylase KDM1A sustains the oncogenic potential of MLL-AF9 leukemia stem cells. Cancer Cell, 2012. 21(4): p. 473-87; Schenk, T., et al., Inhibition of the LSD1 (KDM1A) demethylase reactivates the all-trans-retinoic acid differentiation pathway in acute myeloid leukemia. Nat Med, 2012. 18(4): p. 605-11). These findings suggest potential therapeutic benefit of LSD1 inhibitors targeting cancers having stem cell properties, such as AMLs.
Overexpression of LSD1 is frequently observed in many types of cancers, including bladder cancer, NSCLC, breast carcinomas, ovary cancer, glioma, colorectal cancer, sarcoma including chondrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, prostate cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and papillary thyroid carcinoma. Notably, studies found over-expression of LSD1 was significantly associated with clinically aggressive cancers, for example, recurrent prostate cancer, NSCLC, glioma, breast, colon cancer, ovary cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and neuroblastoma. In these studies, either knockdown of LSD1 expression or treatment with small molecular inhibitors of LSD1 resulted in decreased cancer cell proliferation and/or induction of apoptosis. See, e.g., Hayami, S., et al., Overexpression of LSD1 contributes to human carcinogenesis through chromatin regulation in various cancers. Int J Cancer, 2011. 128(3): p. 574-86; Lv, T., et al., Over-expression of LSD1 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion in non-small cell lung cancer. PLoS One, 2012. 7(4): p. e35065; Serce, N., et al., Elevated expression of LSD1 (Lysine-specific demethylase 1) during tumour progression from pre-invasive to invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. BMC Clin Pathol, 2012. 12: p. 13; Lim, S., et al., Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is highly expressed in ER-negative breast cancers and a biomarker predicting aggressive biology. Carcinogenesis, 2010. 31(3): p. 512-20; Konovalov, S. and I. Garcia-Bassets, Analysis of the levels of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) mRNA in human ovarian tumors and the effects of chemical LSD1 inhibitors in ovarian cancer cell lines. J Ovarian Res, 2013. 6(1): p. 75; Sareddy, G. R., et al., KDM1 is a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of gliomas. Oncotarget, 2013. 4(1): p. 18-28; Ding, J., et al., LSD1-mediated epigenetic modification contributes to proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer. Br J Cancer, 2013. 109(4): p. 994-1003; Bennani-Baiti, I. M., et al., Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A/AOF2/BHC110) is expressed and is an epigenetic drug target in chondrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. Hum Pathol, 2012. 43(8): p. 1300-7; Schulte, J. H., et al., Lysine-specific demethylase 1 is strongly expressed in poorly differentiated neuroblastoma: implications for therapy. Cancer Res, 2009. 69(5): p. 2065-71; Crea, F., et al., The emerging role of histone lysine demethylases in prostate cancer. Mol Cancer, 2012. 11: p. 52; Suikki, H. E., et al., Genetic alterations and changes in expression of histone demethylases in prostate cancer. Prostate, 2010. 70(8): p. 889-98; Yu, Y., et al., High expression of lysine-specific demethylase 1 correlates with poor prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2013. 437(2): p. 192-8; Kong, L., et al., Immunohistochemical expression of RBP2 and LSD1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Rom J Morphol Embryol, 2013. 54(3): p. 499-503.
Recently, the induction of CD86 expression by inhibiting LSD1 activity was reported (Lynch, J. T., et al., CD86 expression as a surrogate cellular biomarker for pharmacological inhibition of the histone demethylase lysine-specific demethylase 1. Anal Biochem, 2013. 442(1): p. 104-6). CD86 expression is a marker of maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) which are involved in antitumor immune response. Notably, CD86 functions as a co-stimulatory factor to activate T cell proliferation (Greaves, P. and J. G. Gribben, The role of B7 family molecules in hematologic malignancy. Blood, 2013. 121(5): p. 734-44; Chen, L. and D. B. Flies, Molecular mechanisms of T cell co-stimulation and co-inhibition. Nat Rev Immunol, 2013. 13(4): p. 227-42).
In addition to playing a role in cancer, LSD1 activity has also been associated with viral pathogenesis. Particularly, LSD1 activity appears to be linked with viral replications and expressions of viral genes. For example, LSD1 functions as a co-activator to induce gene expression from the viral immediate early genes of various type of herpes virus including herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), and β-herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (Liang, Y., et al., Targeting the JMJD2 histone demethylases to epigenetically control herpesvirus infection and reactivation from latency. Sci Transl Med, 2013. 5(167): p. 167ra5; Liang, Y., et al., Inhibition of the histone demethylase LSD1 blocks alpha-herpesvirus lytic replication and reactivation from latency. Nat Med, 2009. 15(11): p. 1312-7). In this setting, a LSD1 inhibitor showed antiviral activity by blocking viral replication and altering virus associated gene expression.
Recent studies have also shown that the inhibition of LSD1 by either genetic depletion or pharmacological intervention increased fetal globin gene expression in erythroid cells (Shi, L., et al., Lysine-specific demethylase 1 is a therapeutic target for fetal hemoglobin induction. Nat Med, 2013. 19(3): p. 291-4; Xu, J., et al., Corepressor-dependent silencing of fetal hemoglobin expression by BCL11A. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2013. 110(16): p. 6518-23). Inducing fetal globin gene would be potentially therapeutically beneficial for the disease of β-globinopathies, including β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease where the production of normal β-globin, a component of adult hemoglobin, is impaired (Sankaran, V. G. and S. H. Orkin, The switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med, 2013. 3(1): p. a011643; Bauer, D. E., S. C. Kamran, and S. H. Orkin, Reawakening fetal hemoglobin: prospects for new therapies for the beta-globin disorders. Blood, 2012. 120(15): p. 2945-53). Moreover, LSD1 inhibition may potentiate other clinically used therapies, such as hydroxyurea or azacitidine. These agents may act, at least in part, by increasing γ-globin gene expression through different mechanisms.
In summary, LSD1 contributes to tumor development by altering epigenetic marks on histones and non-histone proteins. Accumulating data have validated that either genetic depletion or pharmacological intervention of LSD1 normalizes altered gene expressions, thereby inducing differentiation programs into mature cell types, decreasing cell proliferation, and promoting apoptosis in cancer cells. Therefore, LSD1 inhibitors alone or in combination with established therapeutic drugs would be effective to treat the diseases associated with LSD1 activity.

Salts of an LSD1 inhibitor and processes for preparing the same


The present invention provides a gallium-containing composition for coating/impregnating a device or device surface to prevent biofilm growth formation. The present invention also provides a method of preventing or inhibiting biofilm growth formation. The present invention also provides methods for killing established biofilms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the medical and industrial fields. More particularly, it concerns a gallium-containing composition to prevent or inhibit biofilm growth formation and infections arising therefrom.
2. Description of Related Art
Bacterial contamination of medical devices are commonly caused by biofilm formation which leads to infections such as nosocomial infections. Nosocomial pneumonia is the second most common nosocomial infection, and is associated with the highest attributable mortality and morbidity. For example, the risk of nosocomial pneumonia has dramatically increased over the years from the use of mechanical ventilation equipment (Official Statement, American Thoracic Society). Nosocomial infections, especially those involving the bloodstream or lung often cause death.
Population-based surveillance studies of nosocomial infections in U.S. hospitals indicate a 5% attack rate or incidence of 5 infections per 1,000 patient-days (Wenzel et al., 2001). The Surveillance and Control of Pathogens of Epidemiologic Importance (SCOPE) surveillance system of nosocomial bloodstream infections in U.S. hospitals identified a crude mortality rate of 27%, with great variation by pathogen. Estimates of nosocomial bloodstream infections from the SCOPE database indicate that 70% occur in patients with central venous catheters (Wenzel et al., 1999). SCOPE has identified that 49% of all nosocomial bloodstream infections occur in intensive-care units where patients often have weakened immune systems and are frequently on ventilators and/or catheters on which bacteria often form biofilms.
Nosocomial pneumonia is also commonly caused by endotracheal tubes which are common vehicles for bacterial colonization/contamination leading to biofilm growth formation. The endotracheal tube connects the oropharyngeal environment with the sterile bronchoalveolar space, significantly increasing the risk of nosocomial pneumonia. Formation of biofilms within endotracheal tubes plays a role in the initiation of ventilator-associated pneumonia and may select for antibiotic resistance among bacterial species causing such infections (Sottile et al., 1986; Inglis et al., 1989; Adair et al., 1993; Koerner et al., 1998; Gorman et al., 2001; Adair et al., 1999).
A primary contributor to nosocomial bloodstream infections are vascular catheters. It is estimated that around 400,000 vascular catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) occur annually in the United States (Raad, 1998). Another frequent causes of nosocomial infections are urinary tract infections (UTI), which contribute to 34% of all nosocomial infections (Klempner et al., 1998). Nosocomial UTI are usually associated with contamination of urinary catheters.
In addition, nosocomial infections due to biofilm growth formation are common complications of surgical procedures, particularly in cancer and immunocompromised patients with devitalized tissue and decreased immunity. Surgical wound infections contribute to 17% of all nosocomial infections (Platt and Bucknall, 1988). Many surgical wound infections are associated with the bacterial contamination of sutures.
Antibiotics and antiseptics have been used to coat/impregnate devices on which bacteria may grow and form biofilms, leading to infection such as nosocomial infections. However, although these infections can be controlled for many years by antibiotics, ultimately the bacteria (e.g., P. aeruginosa) form a biofilm that is resistant to antibiotic treatment therefore rendering these agents therapeutically ineffective. The durability of existing antiseptics in controlling biofilm formation has also been limited.
Several studies have examined the effect of various types of antimicrobial treatment in controlling biofilm formation on devices. For example, the use of chlorohexidine/silver sulfadiazine in impregnating the surface of vascular catheters resulted in limited activity against gram-negative bacilli, such as Pseudomonas. Catheters impregnated with minocycline and rifampin were somewhat effective in preventing bacterial colonization (Darouiche et al., 1999). Anwar et al. (1992) showed that treatment with levels of tobramycin far in excess of the MIC reduced biofilm cell counts for P. aeruginosa by approximately 2 logs, while the same dosage provided a >8-log decrease in planktonic cells of this organism. Addition of sodium metabisulfite to a dextrose-heparin flush eliminated microbial colonization of atrial catheters (Freeman and Gould (1985). Catheters coated with a cationic surfactant (tridodecylmethylammonium chloride), which was in turn used to bond cephalosporin to the surface, were found less likely to become contaminated and develop biofilms than were untreated catheters (Kamal et al., 1991). Flowers et al. (1989) found that an attachable subcutaneous cuff containing silver ions inserted after local application of polyantibiotic ointment conferred a protective effect on catheters, resulting in lower rates of contamination. Maki (1994) suggested several ways to control biofilms on central venous catheters, including using aseptic technique during implantation, using topical antibiotics, minimizing the duration of catheterization, using an in-line filter for intravenous fluids, creating a mechanical barrier to prevent influx of organisms by attaching the catheter to a surgically implanted cuff, coating the inner lumen of the catheter with an antimicrobial agent, and removing the contaminated device.
Antiseptics used in industrial applications have also failed to prevent biofilm growth formation of bacterial organisms. For example, industrial water contamination and public health issues due to an outbreak of P. aeruginosa peritonitis was traced back to contaminated poloxamer-iodine solution, a disinfectant used to treat the peritoneal catheters. P. aeruginosa was found to contaminate distribution pipes and water filters used in plants that manufacture iodine solutions. Once the organism had matured into a biofilm, it became resistant to the biocidal activity of the iodophor solution. Hence, biofilm growth formation causes mechanical problems in industrial settings, which in some instances may lead to infections in humans.
Other methods of inhibiting biofilm formation in medical and industrial settings have previously been developed using metal chelators (U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/373,461). These methods have disclosed the use of small molecule chelators, i.e., EDTA, EGTA, deferoxamine, detheylenetriamine penta-acetic acid and etidronate for the inhibition of biofilm. U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,979 discloses the use of metal chelators in combination with antifungal or antibiotic compositions for the prevention of biofouling in water treatment, pulp and paper manufacturing, and oil field water flooding. U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,921 discloses the use of thiol containing compounds in combination with heavy metals as biocides; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,516 discloses the use of non-glycopeptide antimicrobial agents in combination with divalent metal chelating agents for use in the treatment and preparation of medical indwelling devices.
Although the current methods used to control biofilm growth formation have been somewhat effective, biofilm growth formation continues to be problematic in a variety of setting such as medical and industrial environments. Therefore, better means of targeting biofilm growth formation are needed in the art.


Disclosed is a barrier for protecting an object from encroaching elements. In one embodiment, the object is a utility pole and the barrier comprises an organic bentonite-based material and an outer boundary surface. The organic bentonite-based material may be formed substantially of sodium bentonite. The outer boundary surface may be an annular plastic sheet. Alternatively, the outer boundary surface may comprise the edges of a depression formed around the utility pole. The barrier may be disposed about any object that requires protection from encroaching elements, such as, but not limited to, fences, fence posts, poles, buildings, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective devices for objects and more particularly relates to barriers which may be used to protect utility poles from encroaching elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
A utility pole is designed to support various lines and aid in their distribution. Some of the various lines that are supported on utility poles include telephone lines, television cables, and power or electric lines. Commonly, utility poles are made of one of two materials. The first material is metal.
Metal utility poles are preferred because the metal utility pole can be built to almost any size in order to accommodate many lines. Also, the metal utility pole is resistant to insects, fire, and water damage. However, metal utility poles are highly conductive and generally create an unsafe environment for the utility personnel that maintain and repair the pole. Additionally, metal poles can be expensive, and are relatively heavy, typically requiring a crane to lift and install the poles, and therefore are nearly impossible to install in remote locations without the help of a helicopter. For that reason, the traditional wood utility pole is still widely used.
Wooden utility poles are typically anchored into the ground. The utility poles will generally have arms that support a number of electrical power lines. The continuous exposure to harsh environmental conditions can cause wood poles to rot and decay. To prevent rotting, the wood is sometimes treated with a carbon based material such as tar. It has been found that most conventional wood treatments are harmful to the environment.
Additionally, wood utility poles are subject to insect infestation and fires. Insect and fire damage to wood utility poles is generally the result of plant growth around the base of the pole. To limit damage to wood utility poles due to insects and fires, one of two methods is typically employed. The first method consists of extending the cement that anchors the utility pole to a radius of about 3 feet around the base of the utility pole. While this is a very effective method for inhibiting growth, and thereby limiting insects and creating a fire break, extending the cement is not very economical. Furthermore, creating a cement barrier may be very difficult depending upon the location of the pole.
The second method for preventing growth around a pole is to spray a type of growth inhibitor around the pole. This is a very cost effective and easy to implement solution to the problem of overgrowth. However, the duration of the effectiveness of the spray is limited. Additionally, some states prohibit the use of such a spray as it may be harmful to the environment. Also, the spray does little to protect the base of the utility pole from water damage.
What is needed is a barrier that protects utility poles from foliage overgrowth. Beneficially, such a barrier would be environmentally-friendly, water resistant, inhibit foliage growth, and deter insects.

Device for protecting an object from encroaching elements


A method of improving control of thin strip produced by continuous casting including the steps of assembling a continuous casting apparatus having a pair of counter-rotating cooling rolls, having a nip there between and at least one enclosure downstream from the nip, introducing molten metal to form a casting pool supported on the cooling rolls above the nip and counter-rotating the cooling rolls forming cast strip downwardly from the nip, guiding the strip through the at least one enclosure downstream from the nip, the at least one enclosure having gas inlets for directing oxygen-containing gas into the enclosure, and directing oxygen-containing gas having a desired amount of oxygen through the inlets into the enclosure to provide an atmosphere 0.5% and 15% oxygen with between 3 and 10% humidity to oxidize at least one surface of the strip a desired thickness of scale on the surface of the strip to provide less mill force and downstream control of the strip.

This invention relates to the casting of metal strip by continuous casting in a twin roll caster.
In a twin roll caster, molten metal is introduced between a pair of counter-rotated horizontal casting rolls that are cooled so that metal shells solidify on the moving roll surfaces and are brought together at a nip between them to produce a solidified strip product delivered downwardly from the nip between the rolls. The term "nip" is used herein to refer to the general region at which the rolls are closest together. The molten metal may be poured from a ladle into a smaller vessel or series of smaller vessels from which it flows through a transition piece to a metal delivery nozzle located above the nip, so forming a casting pool of molten metal supported on the casting surfaces of the rolls immediately above the nip and extending along the length of the nip. This casting pool is usually confined between side plates or dams held in sliding engagement with end surfaces of the rolls so as to dam the two ends of the casting pool against outflow.
When casting steel strip in a twin roll caster, the strip leaves the nip at very high temperatures of the order of 1400° C. and can suffer very rapid scaling due to oxidation at such high temperatures in an air atmosphere. Such excessive scaling of the strip may result in significant rolled-in scale.
To deal with the problem of rapid scaling of strip emerging from a twin roll strip caster, the newly formed strip has been maintained within a sealed enclosure, or a succession of such sealed enclosures, in which a controlled atmosphere or atmospheres is maintained in order to inhibit oxidation of the cast strip. The controlled atmosphere can be produced by delivering non-oxidizing gases to the sealed enclosure or successive enclosures. However, uneven scaling across the strip can cause uneven friction between the strip and work rolls, and uneven steering of the strip through the rolling mill and downstream to the coiler.
Disclosed is a method of selectively oxidizing on the cast strip surface or surfaces to desirably oxidize the cast strip surface or surfaces, decreasing the friction coefficient of the cast strip. The decreased friction coefficient and more even friction coefficient across the strip decreases mill loads for a given reduction in strip thickness decreasing production costs, and produces strip with smoother surfaces providing higher strip yield for an intended purpose. Also with a decreased and more even friction coefficient, control of strip steering at rolling mill and pinch roll upstream from the coiler is improved resulting in more even strip coiling, and less risk of deformities such as camber and less risk of excessive telescoping in coils.
Disclosed is a method of improving control of thin strip produced by continuous casting comprising:                a) assembling a continuous casting apparatus having a pair of counter-rotating casting rolls, positioned to provide a nip there between, and at least two enclosures downstream from the nip,        b) introducing molten metal to form a casting pool supported on the casting rolls above the nip and counter-rotating the casting rolls to form thin metal strip downwardly from the nip,        c) guiding the strip through a first enclosure downstream from the nip, and a set of pinch rolls into a second enclosure providing entry to a rolling mill, and        d) directing oxygen-containing gas having a desired amount of oxygen through the inlets into the second enclosure to provide an atmosphere of 0.5 and 15% oxygen with humidity between 3% and 10% in the second enclosure to oxidize at least one surface of the strip to form a desired more even thickness of scale on the surface of the strip providing reduced mill load, smoother strip surfaces and more stable downstream steering control of the strip.
The atmosphere in the second enclosure may comprise between 3% and 7% oxygen inclusive or between 5% and 10 or 15% oxygen, and the humidity in the second enclosure may be between 3% and 5%. Also, the scale on the strip may have a thickness of between 0.05 and 4.0 microns, or between 0.2 and 2.0 microns.
In some embodiments, the gas inlets may be disposed in the top portion or bottom portion of the second enclosure directing oxygen-containing gas downwardly or upwardly respectively toward the surface of the strip. In other embodiments, the gas inlets may be positioned in the top portion and bottom portion of the second enclosure directing oxygen-containing gas both downwardly and upwardly toward both the upper and lower surfaces of the thin metal strip. In such embodiments, the gas inlets may be a top and/or a bottom header comprising at least one nozzle in the top and/or bottom portion of the second enclosure adapted to direct oxygen-containing gas downwardly and/or upwardly toward the surface of the thin metal strip as desired.
The gas inlets in the second enclosure may be adapted to deliver oxygen-containing gas to the enclosure in an amount sufficient to form between 0.05 and 4.0 microns or between 0.2 and 2.0 microns of scale on at least one surface of the thin metal strip and to provide a positive pressure within the second enclosure inhibiting ingress of atmospheric air.
Also disclosed is an apparatus for continuously casting thin metal strip comprising:                a) a continuous caster having a pair of counter-rotatable casting rolls laterally positioned to form a nip therebetween through which thin metal strip can be downwardly cast and a metal delivery system adapted to deliver molten metal between the casting rolls above the nip,        b) at least one enclosure positioned downstream from the nip adapted to permit movement of the cast strip therethrough and providing entry to a rolling mill, and        c) gas inlets adapted to deliver oxygen-containing gas having a desired amount of oxygen into said enclosure to provide an atmosphere of 0.5% and 15% oxygen with humidity between 3% and 10% in the second enclosure, adapted to oxidize at least one surface of the thin metal strip to form scale on the strip to a desired scale thickness on the strip surface to provide less mill loading, smoother strip surfaces, and more stable steering control of the strip downstream from the enclosure.
In some embodiments, the gas inlets may be adapted to deliver oxygen-containing gas having a desired amount of oxygen into the enclosure to oxidize at least one surface of the thin metal strip to form scale on the strip to a desired thickness of between 0.05 and 4.0 microns to provide less mill loading, smoother strip surfaces and steering control of the strip downstream from the enclosure. In other embodiments, the gas inlets may be adapted to deliver oxygen-containing gas having a desired amount of oxygen into said enclosure to oxidize at least one surface of the cast strip to form scale on the thin metal strip to a desired thickness of between 0.2 and 2.0 microns, to provide less mill loading, smoother strip surfaces and steering control of the strip downstream from the enclosure. The atmosphere of said enclosure may be controlled to be between 3 and 7% or between 5 and 10 or 15% oxygen, with the humidity in the second enclosure may be between 3% and 5%.
In some embodiments, the enclosure may have gas inlets in the bottom portion or top portion of said enclosure adapted to deliver oxygen containing gas upwardly or downwardly into the enclosure to oxidize at least one surface of the strip to provide less mill loading, smoother strip surface, and more stable steering control of the strip downstream from the enclosure. In other embodiments, the enclosure may have gas inlets in the top portion and bottom portion of the enclosure adapted to deliver oxygen containing gas downwardly and upwardly into the enclosure toward the thin metal strip to oxidize both the upper and lower opposed surfaces of the strip to provide less mill loading, smoother strip surfaces and more stable steering control of the strip downstream from the enclosure.
In some embodiments, the enclosure may have a lower pressure than components upstream from the enclosure and may have a higher pressure than components downstream from the enclosure, inhibiting the flow of gases upstream in the system. Alternatively, or in addition, the enclosure may have a higher pressure than the external ambient atmosphere inhibiting the ingress of gasses from adjacent external atmospheres into the enclosure.
Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of embodiments of the invention proceeds.

Method of continuously casting thin strip


According to one embodiment, a cable anchor system for an end terminal includes a cable anchor bracket configured to couple to a guardrail, in which the cable anchor bracket includes a flat plate having an aperture formed therein and a plurality of protrusions extending from a plane containing the aperture. The protrusions are configured to releasably engage the guardrail.

Guardrail systems are widely used along heavily traveled roadways to enhance the safety of the roadway and adjacent roadside. For example, end terminals are utilized at the upstream end of guardrail systems to dissipate impact energy from head-on collisions of vehicles with the upstream end to prevent intense deceleration of the vehicles. In addition, guardrail systems are designed to contain and redirect vehicles that impact the guardrails predominantly from the side.
One element that is utilized in guardrail systems to address impacts along the side of the guardrail downstream from the end terminal is a tension cable that connects between the end terminal support post and the guardrail. The tension cable is designed to provide tension strength during side impacts and to breakaway during head-on impacts to avoid counteracting the benefits of the impact absorbing end terminal.


A removable tray device is disclosed that offers a simple and easy way to eat or drink when sitting outside. The removable tray device comprises a tray component secured to a folding chair via a pinned hinge that allows the tray component to rotate vertically and a swivel component that allows the tray component to swivel horizontally. The tray component further comprises a catch or lock bracket on a leg of the chair which corresponds with a mating lock pin secured to a back edge of the tray component. Specifically, the lock pin of the tray component mates to and is secured within the catch or lock bracket to further secure the tray component to the folding chair when the tray component is in front of the folding chair or is to the side of the folding chair.

It can be difficult for individuals to eat or drink when sitting outside or away from a table or other stable generally horizontal surface. People typically have to balance a full plate of food on their lap while clutching their drink in one hand and their eating utensils in the other hand. Further, with any sudden movement, individuals can bobble their plate or beverage and spill it all over their lap. This can be a messy, frustrating, embarrassing and extremely inconvenient experience. An effective solution is necessary.
The present invention provides a flat tray surface for eating, drinking, or other activities when sitting outside or when a table or other surface is not readily available to place one's plate or cup on, and rotates down against the side of the chair when not in use for convenient storage. The removable tray device prevents users from spilling food or beverages on their lap and making a mess, and eliminates the hassle of transporting and setting up an outdoor table and chairs, The tray device benefits everyone, including campers, sports fans, and anyone enjoying the outdoors.


The invention is directed to a method for forming a flexible electro-optic film. The method comprises steps of providing a first substrate having a conductive layer formed thereon and then forming a first locating structure over the conductive layer, wherein the locating structure includes target regions and periphery regions. The surface tension of the target regions is difference from that of the periphery regions. Thereafter, an electro-optic medium placing process for forming an electro-optic droplet on each of the target regions is performed. A solidifying process for forming a capsule wall covering the electro-optic droplet on each of the target regions is performed. The first substrate is laminated with a second substrate.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device and a method for manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flexible electro-optic film and a method for forming thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there are several ways which have been proposed for manufacturing a flexible display using roll-to-roll processes. Among currently developed technology for manufacturing the flexible display, the polymer dispersed liquid crystal display (PDLC) process, the polymer stabilized liquid crystal display (PSLC) process, the microcapsule approach and the microcup approach are widely applied in the industry.
As for the PDLC process and the PSLC process, the distribution of polymer phase and the liquid crystal phase cannot be efficiently controlled so that the display formed by using the PDLC process or the PSLC process has the drawbacks such as low contrast ratio and high driving voltages.
As for the microcapsule approach, it is hard to generate a uniform capsule spheres so that the driving voltage of the display formed by using the microcapsule approach is relatively high. It is also difficult to produce a color display by using this approach.
As for the microcup approach, a dielectric layer is located on the bottom of each cell while the display is formed by using this approach so that additional potential drop generates and the driving voltage of the display is relatively high.
None of the PDLC process, the PSLC process, the microcapsule approach and the microcup approach possesses the surface alignment ability so that only a few type of liquid crystal can be applied. In addition, none of the PDLC process, the PSLC process, the microcapsule approach and the microcup approach can create a direct contact of electro-optic media with conductive electrode. Therefore, the displays formed by using the approaches mentioned above are the potential driven devices.

Industrial Technology Research Institute