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Various hydrofluoroether compounds are described in, for example, U.S. Published Application 2007/0051916, U.S. Published Application 2007/0054186, and in Jean'ne M. Shreeve, et. al., Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., 621 (1995) 1865-1874.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool holder which is detachably attached to a spindle of a machine tool, and particularly to a tool holder composed of a main sleeve to be attached to the spindle, and a subholder which is detachably attached to the main sleeve.
2. Description of Related Art
A main spindle of a machine tool such as a machining center is provided at its forward end with a tapered bore for receiving a tool holder. Conventionally, a taper of 7/24, i.e., a taper angle slightly larger than 16.degree. has been widely used as an international standard for the tapered bore. Accordingly, the shank portion of each tool holder is designed to have a taper of 7/24 to conform to the taper of the tapered bore.
A tool holder composed of a main sleeve and a subholder has been used. The main sleeve of the tool holder has a tapered shank which is inserted into a tapered bore of a spindle, and a tapered hole which is provided at the forward end of the tapered shank to receive the subholder. The tapered shank of the main sleeve has the same steep taper as the tapered bore of the spindle (i.e., a taper of 7/24), while the tapered hole of the main sleeve has a gentle taper of 1/10, i.e., a taper angle slightly larger than 5.degree.. The subholder has a hollow tapered shank which has the same taper angle as the tapered hole of the main sleeve. The tapered shank of the subholder is removably inserted into the tapered hole of the main sleeve to fix the subholder to the main sleeve.
The tool holder composed of the main sleeve and the subholder can be attached to a tapered bore which is widely used for spindles of machine tools. Also, since the tapered shank of the subholder is hollow, the tapered shank can be closely fitted into the tapered hole of the main sleeve by utilizing elastic deformation of the tapered shank. This increases the concentricity between the main sleeve and the subholder which are coupled with each other via the gentle taper of 1/10. However, the hollow tapered shank of the subholder tends to elastically deform due to a cutting force in a radial direction so that distortion and bending are produced in the tool holder. Also, it is difficult to obtain a well balanced rotation. Accordingly, the conventional tool holder has the drawback that a workpiece made of metal cannot be machined at high speed using a cutting tool attached to the subholder.
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To control congestion in a more refined and intelligent manner and even fundamentally avoid a network congestion phenomenon, a router node in a network needs to participate in congestion control. A router detects congestion, examines impact of each flow on the congestion, and manages a queue length in order to control the congestion.
Current queue management mechanisms may be classified into two main types, a passive queue management (PQM) and an active queue management (AQM). In the PQM, a maximum value is set for a data packet queue in a router (by packet), then a packet is allowed to enter the queue till a queue length reaches the maximum value, and a packet that arrives subsequently is dropped, that is, the PQM is a conventional “drop tail” algorithm. In this case, multiple Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) routers detect that a packet loss phenomenon exists in a network, the network is considered to be congested, and then the routers decrease sending rates. Consequently, a slow start is performed on all the TCP routers. In the AQM, congestion is probed by monitoring an average queue length of a router using a random early detection (RED) algorithm. When an average queue length of a router falls within a defined specific threshold range, it indicates that the congestion is imminent. In this case, a source node is selected according to a specific probability to drop a packet to adjust a congestion control window. A packet is actively dropped before a data packet queue of the router is full such that all routers transmit data packets according to a size of the adjusted congestion control window.
It can be learned from the foregoing that in both the PQM and the AQM, a queue status of an individual router is managed to control data packet transmission of routers in an entire network such that congestion is controlled. However, because sending rates of routers in an existing network are different, when an existing congestion control method is used, some network resources that could have been used by the routers may be unavailable to the routers because a slow start is performed on the routers. Consequently, unnecessary network bandwidth waste is caused, and network utilization is reduced.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to failure detection systems for hydraulic pumps which are widely in use as a source of power for operating hydraulic excavators, hydraulic cranes and other hydraulic equipment and machinery, and more particularly it is concerned with a failure detection system for a hydraulic pump of the type described which is equipped with a displacement volume varying device and connected to at least one hydraulic actuator to constitute a hydraulic circuit for driving the hydraulic actuator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A hydraulic pump which is used with a hydraulic excavator, a hydraulic crane and other hydraulic equipment and machinery constitutes the most important means for producing hydraulic energy, and a reduction in its performance due to failure or changes with time poses a serious obstacle to the operation of equipment and machine relying on the hydraulic pump for a supply of power. It is thus imperative that the operation of a hydraulic pump be checked to see if it is properly functioning. A failure detection system of the prior art conventionally used to check on the hydraulic pump to see if the pump shows any sign of failure or deterioration in performance (hereinafter inclusively referred to as failure) will be described.
Such failure detection system of the prior art comprises a hydraulic pressure tester connected to a discharge line of a variable displacement type hydraulic pump equipped with a displacement volume varying device (typical of which is a swash plate to which reference will hereinafter be made), and a regulator for actuating the swash plate in accordance with the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pressure tester comprises a pressure gauge for measuring the hydraulic pressure, a flow meter for measuring the flow rate of a hydraulic fluid, and a manually operable variable restrictor for throttling the discharge of the pump to raise the discharge pressure. The variable displacement type hydraulic pump has connected thereto a revolution counter for measuring the number of revolutions thereof.
The operation of the failure detection system of the aforesaid construction will be described. A hydraulic fluid line which is connected to the discharge port of a variable displacement type hydraulic pump to be checked and constitutes part of a hydraulic circuit in which the pump is connected to at least one hydraulic actuator is cut off in a position close to the pump, and the hydraulic pressure tester is connected to the cut end of the line. Then, the pump is driven by an engine or other prime mover, and the number of revolutions N of the pump is measured by the revolution counter. While the pump is thus being driven, the variable restrictor of the tester is actuated to throttle the flow through the line until the hydraulic pressure indicated by the pressure gauge (the discharge pressure of the pump) becomes equal to a set pressure value P.sub.ref. At this time, the flow rate of the discharged hydraulic fluid Q from the pump is measured by the flow meter. The flow rate of the discharged hydraulic fluid Q should vary depending on the magnitude of a shifting or tilting of the swash plate which is controlled by the regulator in accordance with the discharge pressure. Thereafter, a theoretical flow rate of the discharged hydraulic fluid Q.sub.ref from the pump is calculated based on the number of revolutions N and the set pressure value P.sub.ref. Finally, the theoretical flow rate of the discharged hydraulic fluid Q.sub.ref is compared with the flow rate of the discharged hydraulic fluid Q measured previously, and the pump is diagnosed to be out of order when the result of the comparison exceeds an allowable value.
Some disadvantages are associated with the failure detection system of the prior art of the aforesaid construction and operation. For one thing, when a pump is checked, the hydraulic pressure tester must be connected to a portion of a hydraulic fluid line by cutting it off the rest of the line. This operation is time-consuming and has the risk of dust and other foreign matter being incorporated in the hydraulic fluid flowing through the line. For another thing, checking consists in actuating the variable restrictor and reading the pressure gauge and flow meter. This operation is also time-consuming and troublesome. Hydraulic machines and apparatus of a large size, such as a hydraulic excavator, are equipped with a multiplicity of hydraulic pumps. Thus, when the failure detection system of the aforesaid construction is used for checking the hydraulic pumps, difficulties have been experienced in quickly locating the failed pump.
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Wear-resistant, polycrystalline diamond compacts (“PDCs”) are utilized in a variety of mechanical applications. For example, PDCs are used in drilling tools (e.g., cutting elements, gage trimmers, etc.), machining equipment, bearing apparatuses, wire-drawing machinery, and in other mechanical apparatuses.
PDCs have found particular utility as superabrasive cutting elements in rotary drill bits, such as roller-cone drill bits and fixed-cutter drill bits. A PDC cutting element typically includes a superabrasive diamond layer commonly known as a diamond table. The diamond table is formed and bonded to a substrate using a high-pressure/high-temperature (“HPHT”) process. The PDC cutting element may also be brazed directly into a preformed pocket, socket, or other receptacle formed in a bit body. The substrate may often be brazed or otherwise joined to an attachment member, such as a cylindrical backing. A rotary drill bit typically includes a number of PDC cutting elements affixed to the bit body. It is also known that a stud carrying the PDC may be used as a PDC cutting element when mounted to a bit body of a rotary drill bit by press-fitting, brazing, or otherwise securing the stud into a receptacle formed in the bit body.
Conventional PDCs are normally fabricated by placing a cemented carbide substrate into a container or cartridge with a volume of diamond particles positioned on a surface of the cemented carbide substrate. A number of such cartridges may be loaded into an HPHT press. The substrate(s) and volume of diamond particles are then processed under HPHT conditions in the presence of a catalyst material that causes the diamond particles to bond to one another to form a matrix of bonded diamond grains defining a polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) table. The catalyst material is often a metal-solvent catalyst (e.g., cobalt, nickel, iron, or alloys thereof) that is used for promoting intergrowth of the diamond particles.
In one conventional approach, a constituent of the cemented carbide substrate, such as cobalt from a cobalt-cemented tungsten carbide substrate, liquefies and sweeps from a region adjacent to the volume of diamond particles into interstitial regions between the diamond particles during the HPHT process. The cobalt acts as a metal-solvent catalyst to promote intergrowth between the diamond particles, which results in the formation of a matrix of bonded diamond grains having diamond-to-diamond bonding therebetween, with interstitial regions between the bonded diamond grains being occupied by the metal-solvent catalyst.
The presence of the metal-solvent catalyst in the PCD table is believed to reduce the thermal stability of the PCD table at elevated temperatures. For example, chipping or cracking of the PCD table during drilling or cutting operations is believed to be due to the presence of the metal-solvent catalyst, which consequently can degrade the mechanical properties of the PCD table or cause failure. Additionally, some of the diamond grains can undergo a chemical breakdown or back-conversion to graphite via interaction with the solvent catalyst. At elevated high temperatures, portions of diamond grains may transform to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, graphite, or combinations thereof, causing degradation of the mechanical properties of the PCD table.
Despite the availability of a number of different PDCs, manufacturers and users of PDCs continue to seek PDCs that exhibit improved toughness, wear resistance, and thermal stability.
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1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to gas turbine engines, and more particularly, to a valve assembly for modulating the flow of fuel to the combustor of a gas turbine engine for actively controlling the combustion process to maintain combustion stability and otherwise optimize engine performance.
2. Background of the Related Art
Combustion instability is a significant problem in the design of low-emission, high performing combustion chambers for gas turbines. Combustion instability is generally understood as high amplitude pressure oscillations that occur as a result of the turbulent nature of the combustion process and the large volumetric energy release within the combustion chamber. Combustion instability diminishes engine system performance, and the vibrations resulting from pressure oscillations can damage hardware components, including the combustion chamber itself. Moreover, when the combustion heat release becomes in phase with and reinforces acoustic pressure waves, a thermo-acoustic instability results.
In the past, passive control methods were employed to correct combustion instability, including, for example, modifying the fuel injection distribution pattern, or changing the shape or capacity of the combustion chamber. Passive controls are often costly and limit combustor performance. More recently, active control methods have been used to correct combustion instability by modifying the pressure within the system. One way this can be done is by sensing the amplitudes and frequencies of acoustic pressure waves, and then modulating fuel injection at frequencies out of phase with the instabilities.
Currently, fuel injector flow rates are controlled by changing the fuel pressure feeding a common fuel manifold, with no individual control to each of the fuel injectors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,071 discloses a combustion control system that includes a fuel pulsator communicating with a plurality of fuel injectors through a manifold. Fuel is pulsed to the injectors through the manifold at a frequency that promotes stable combustion.
Combustion stability could be achieved more effectively with active controls, if fuel flow could be modulated or pulsed at each fuel injector individually. Furthermore, if fuel flow could be pulsed to each fuel injector at high frequencies, the droplet size of fuel could be dramatically reduced, which would improve ignition and optimize engine performance.
It would be beneficial therefore, to provide a valve assembly for an active combustion control system for gas turbine engines, that is designed to modulate or otherwise command pulsed fuel flow to individual fuel injectors at relatively high frequencies on the order of 1000 Hz or more, so as to effectively stabilize combustion and otherwise optimize engine performance.
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This invention relates to a fire shielded doorlatch knob assembly for locksets, and more particularly, to a doorlatch knob assembly of somewhat conventional form which has added thereto a most important unique shield of fire resistant material which will protect the integrity of an associated lockset doorlatch mechanism for greater lengths of time and prevent flame penetration thereto for greater lengths of time, as well as to the opposite doorlatch knob assembly of the lockset, in the event of heat destruction of the assembly knob. In certain of its more specific embodiment forms, the unique shield may also be integrated into the doorlatch knob assembly so as to at least aid such assembly in the rotative driving and retainment of the associated spindle, thereby adding to the security of the lockset doorlatch mechanism under the described adverse conditions. Furthermore, the unique fire shielding shield, whether of its more general or specific embodiment form, may be readily adapted for use with the usual plain knob assembly or turnbutton knob assembly forms.
In these more modern times, it is well known that people are becoming much more cognizant of the ever present dangers to human life occasioned by structure fires. Although the danger of fire is always present where any structure is concerned, one prominent area of concern is in residential structures, particularly where multiple residence units are contained within a single structure. As a result of this concern, therefore, a relatively large amount of development work has been expended toward improving the human fire protection in these multiple residence unit structures.
With the multiple residence unit structures, it is apparent that a fire developing in one residence unit will, under normal conditions, readily affect the adjacent units and ultimately will spread to affect those of lesser proximity. Although many improvements have been made in various building materials to retard the advance of flame destruction of walls and other structure components, thereby not only retarding the advance of fire within a given residence unit, but also from one unit to the next, a still further important improvement can be made which to this point in time has not been fully recongnized. That deals with a recommendation by experts in fire protection that improvement efforts must be made for minimizing the dangers to human life from fires in these multiple residence unit structures by confining for as long as possible a fire within one residence unit as to both flames and smoke to that particular unit, thereby providing a greater period of time, even though still possibly relatively short, for the occupants of the other units to be alerted and escape. Furthermore, confining the fire to a single unit for as long as possible will give a greater period of time for the arrival of fire fighting units prior to the entire structure being involved.
It is, therefore, an important goal to confine the flames and smoke within a given single multiple residence unit and one of the major solutions to this goal is to provide fire resistant entry doors for each individual unit. This, however, is still not the entire answer since a fire resistant entry door for an individual unit cannot serve its smoke and flame confinement purposes to that particular unit unless the fire resistant door remains closed. An entry door, of course, is retained closed by the lockset installed therein and such lockset must not only be constructed for retaining the entry door closed under normal conditions and against surreptitious manipulation and entry by intruders, but must also maintain these entry door retainment strengths under the heat and flame conditions which can involve even fire resistant door warpage if the before discussed increased fire protection is to be provided.
Past experience has shown that even though an entry door lockset is not only of sufficient strength to reasonably protect against intruders, but is also of sufficient strength to retain the entry door closed under relatively severe door warpage resulting from a contained heat caused by fire, such has only been true where the integrity of the lockset within the door and its bolt connection to the door frame can be maintained. In many prior instances, such integrity with standard entry door locksets has not been possible of maintainment. The internal residence unit flames and heat quickly attack the lockset inside knob assembly many times releasing the lockset bolt and permitting the door warpage to force or "pop" the door open. Even though the bolt mechanism internally of the door is such that the bolt will be retained engaged with the door frame even with a destruction of the lockset internal knob and its immediate mounting components, if there is a direct path exposed for flames to directly contact the bolt mechanism, this mechanism will also be quickly destroyed by the flames and heat so as to release the bolt and permit the entry door to open.
Again, without other considerations, a most obvious answer to the problem of such lockset heat and flame destruction would be to form the entire lockset assembly of fire resistant material such as fire resistant steel. However, to form the lockset of fire resistant steel would involve extremely high material and other production costs making the resultant lockset marketable at such a high selling price so as to be usable in only a few instances and not by the general consumer. For instance, in locksets presently used by the general consumer, the knob assemblies include hollow knobs formed of brass since brass is relatively easily formed into many aesthetically pleasing decorative shapes and surface finishes, but a hollow brass knob will not withstand any great amount of flame and heat so as to be subject to quick destruction. To form these same lockset knobs of fire resistant steel would be cost prohibitive as stated.
Still another factor involved with the locksets used by the general consumer is that for economic production and assembly, standard lockset assemblies have permanently open entry paths from internally of the hollow knobs, through the knob assembly and into the internal confines of the door upon which the lockset is mounted. This means that there is an open entry path from internally of the knob directly into the bolt mechanism within the door, as well as to the lockset exterior doorlatch knob assembly of the door, so that destruction of the knob by heat and flames gives a direct flame path to the bolt mechanism and other lockset exterior components subjecting them to immediate severe heating which can result in partial or complete destruction. Any such severe damage to the lockset presents imminent danger of door release destroying the effect of a fire resistant door as hereinbefore discussed.
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With the introduction of compact disks, digital wireless telephone networks, and audio delivery over the Internet, digital audio has become commonplace. Engineers use a variety of techniques to process digital audio efficiently while still maintaining the quality of the digital audio. To understand these techniques, it helps to understand how audio information is represented and processed in a computer.
I. Representation of Audio Information in a Computer
A computer processes audio information as a series of numbers representing the audio information. For example, a single number can represent an audio sample, which is an amplitude value (i.e., loudness) at a particular time. Several factors affect the quality of the audio information, including sample depth, sampling rate, and channel mode.
Sample depth (or precision) indicates the range of numbers used to represent a sample. The more values possible for the sample, the higher the quality because the number can capture more subtle variations in amplitude. For example, an 8-bit sample has 256 possible values, while a 16-bit sample has 65,536 possible values. A 24-bit sample can capture normal loudness variations very finely, and can also capture unusually high loudness.
The sampling rate (usually measured as the number of samples per second) also affects quality. The higher the sampling rate, the higher the quality because more frequencies of sound can be represented. Some common sampling rates are 8,000, 11,025, 22,050, 32,000, 44,100, 48,000, and 96,000 samples/second.
Mono and stereo are two common channel modes for audio. In mono mode, audio information is present in one channel. In stereo mode, audio information is present in two channels usually labeled the left and right channels. Other modes with more channels such as 5.1 channel, 7.1 channel, or 9.1 channel surround sound (the “1” indicates a sub-woofer or low-frequency effects channel) are also possible. Table 1 shows several formats of audio with different quality levels, along with corresponding raw bitrate costs.
TABLE 1Bitrates for different quality audio informationSample DepthSampling RateRaw BitrateQuality(bits/sample)(samples/second)Mode(bits/second)Internet8 8,000mono 64,000telephonyTelephone811,025mono 88,200CD audio1644,100stereo1,411,200
Surround sound audio typically has even higher raw bitrate. As Table 1 shows, the cost of high quality audio information is high bitrate. High quality audio information consumes large amounts of computer storage and transmission capacity. Companies and consumers increasingly depend on computers, however, to create, distribute, and play back high quality multi-channel audio content.
II. Processing Audio Information in a Computer
Many computers and computer networks lack the resources to process raw digital audio. Compression (also called encoding or coding) decreases the cost of storing and transmitting audio information by converting the information into a lower bitrate form. Compression can be lossless (in which quality does not suffer) or lossy (in which quality suffers but bitrate reduction from subsequent lossless compression is more dramatic). Decompression (also called decoding) extracts a reconstructed version of the original information from the compressed form.
A. Standard Perceptual Audio Encoders and Decoders
Generally, the goal of audio compression is to digitally represent audio signals to provide maximum signal quality with the least possible amount of bits. A conventional audio encoder/decoder [“codec”] system uses subband/transform coding, quantization, rate control, and variable length coding to achieve its compression. The quantization and other lossy compression techniques introduce potentially audible noise into an audio signal. The audibility of the noise depends on how much noise there is and how much of the noise the listener perceives. The first factor relates mainly to objective quality, while the second factor depends on human perception of sound.
FIG. 1 shows a generalized diagram of a transform-based, perceptual audio encoder (100) according to the prior art. FIG. 2 shows a generalized diagram of a corresponding audio decoder (200) according to the prior art. Though the codec system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is generalized, it has characteristics found in several real world codec systems, including versions of Microsoft Corporation's Windows Media Audio [“WMA”] encoder and decoder. Other codec systems are provided or specified by the Motion Picture Experts Group, Audio Layer 3 [“MP3”] standard, the Motion Picture Experts Group 2, Advanced Audio Coding [“AAC”] standard, and Dolby AC3. For additional information about the codec systems, see the respective standards or technical publications.
1. Perceptual Audio Encoder
Overall, the encoder (100) receives a time series of input audio samples (105), compresses the audio samples (105), and multiplexes information produced by the various modules of the encoder (100) to output a bitstream (195). The encoder (100) includes a frequency transformer (110), a multi-channel transformer (120), a perception modeler (130), a weighter (140), a quantizer (150), an entropy encoder (160), a controller (170), and a bitstream multiplexer [“MUX”] (180).
The frequency transformer (110) receives the audio samples (105) and converts them into data in the frequency domain. For example, the frequency transformer (110) splits the audio samples (105) into blocks, which can have variable size to allow variable temporal resolution. Small blocks allow for greater preservation of time detail at short but active transition segments in the input audio samples (105), but sacrifice some frequency resolution. In contrast, large blocks have better frequency resolution and worse time resolution, and usually allow for greater compression efficiency at longer and less active segments. Blocks can overlap to reduce perceptible discontinuities between blocks that could otherwise be introduced by later quantization. For multi-channel audio, the frequency transformer (110) uses the same pattern of windows for each channel in a particular frame. The frequency transformer (110) outputs blocks of frequency coefficient data to the multi-channel transformer (120) and outputs side information such as block sizes to the MUX (180).
For multi-channel audio data, the multiple channels of frequency coefficient data produced by the frequency transformer (110) often correlate. To exploit this correlation, the multi-channel transformer (120) can convert the multiple original, independently coded channels into jointly coded channels. For example, if the input is stereo mode, the multi-channel transformer (120) can convert the left and right channels into sum and difference channels:
X Sum [ k ] = X Left [ k ] + X Right [ k ] 2 , ( 1 ) X Diff [ k ] = X Left [ k ] - X Right [ k ] 2 . ( 2 ) Or, the multi-channel transformer (120) can pass the left and right channels through as independently coded channels. The decision to use independently or jointly coded channels is predetermined or made adaptively during encoding. For example, the encoder (100) determines whether to code stereo channels jointly or independently with an open loop selection decision that considers the (a) energy separation between coding channels with and without the multi-channel transform and (b) the disparity in excitation patterns between the left and right input channels. Such a decision can be made on a window-by-window basis or only once per frame to simplify the decision. The multi-channel transformer (120) produces side information to the MUX (180) indicating the channel mode used.
The encoder (100) can apply multi-channel rematrixing to a block of audio data after a multi-channel transform. For low bitrate, multi-channel audio data in jointly coded channels, the encoder (100) selectively suppresses information in certain channels (e.g., the difference channel) to improve the quality of the remaining channel(s) (e.g., the sum channel). For example, the encoder (100) scales the difference channel by a scaling factor ρ:{tilde over (X)}Diff[k]=ρ·XDiff[k] (3),where the value of ρ is based on: (a) current average levels of a perceptual audio quality measure such as Noise to Excitation Ratio [“NER”], (b) current fullness of a virtual buffer, (c) bitrate and sampling rate settings of the encoder (100), and (d) the channel separation in the left and right input channels.
The perception modeler (130) processes audio data according to a model of the human auditory system to improve the perceived quality of the reconstructed audio signal for a given bitrate. For example, an auditory model typically considers the range of human hearing and critical bands. The human nervous system integrates sub-ranges of frequencies. For this reason, an auditory model may organize and process audio information by critical bands. Different auditory models use a different number of critical bands (e.g., 25, 32, 55, or 109) and/or different cut-off frequencies for the critical bands. Bark bands are a well-known example of critical bands. Aside from range and critical bands, interactions between audio signals can dramatically affect perception. An audio signal that is clearly audible if presented alone can be completely inaudible in the presence of another audio signal, called the masker or the masking signal. The human ear is relatively insensitive to distortion or other loss in fidelity (i.e., noise) in the masked signal, so the masked signal can include more distortion without degrading perceived audio quality. In addition, an auditory model can consider a variety of other factors relating to physical or neural aspects of human perception of sound.
The perception modeler (130) outputs information that the weighter (140) uses to shape noise in the audio data to reduce the audibility of the noise. For example, using any of various techniques, the weighter (140) generates weighting factors (sometimes called scaling factors) for quantization matrices (sometimes called masks) based upon the received information. The weighting factors in a quantization matrix include a weight for each of multiple quantization bands in the audio data, where the quantization bands are frequency ranges of frequency coefficients. The number of quantization bands can be the same as or less than the number of critical bands. Thus, the weighting factors indicate proportions at which noise is spread across the quantization bands, with the goal of minimizing the audibility of the noise by putting more noise in bands where it is less audible, and vice versa. The weighting factors can vary in amplitudes and number of quantization bands from block to block. The weighter (140) then applies the weighting factors to the data received from the multi-channel transformer (120).
In one implementation, the weighter (140) generates a set of weighting factors for each window of each channel of multi-channel audio, or shares a single set of weighting factors for parallel windows of jointly coded channels. The weighter (140) outputs weighted blocks of coefficient data to the quantizer (150) and outputs side information such as the sets of weighting factors to the MUX (180).
A set of weighting factors can be compressed for more efficient representation using direct compression. In the direct compression technique, the encoder (100) uniformly quantizes each element of a quantization matrix. The encoder then differentially codes the quantized elements relative to preceding elements in the matrix, and Huffman codes the differentially coded elements. In some cases (e.g., when all of the coefficients of particular quantization bands have been quantized or truncated to a value of 0), the decoder (200) does not require weighting factors for all quantization bands. In such cases, the encoder (100) gives values to one or more unneeded weighting factors that are identical to the value of the next needed weighting factor in a series, which makes differential coding of elements of the quantization matrix more efficient.
Or, for low bitrate applications, the encoder (100) can parametrically compress a quantization matrix to represent the quantization matrix as a set of parameters, for example, using Linear Predictive Coding [“LPC”] of pseudo-autocorrelation parameters computed from the quantization matrix.
The quantizer (150) quantizes the output of the weighter (140), producing quantized coefficient data to the entropy encoder (160) and side information including quantization step size to the MUX (180). Quantization maps ranges of input values to single values, introducing irreversible loss of information, but also allowing the encoder (100) to regulate the quality and bitrate of the output bitstream (195) in conjunction with the controller (170). In FIG. 1, the quantizer (150) is an adaptive, uniform, scalar quantizer. The quantizer (150) applies the same quantization step size to each frequency coefficient, but the quantization step size itself can change from one iteration of a quantization loop to the next to affect the bitrate of the entropy encoder (160) output. Other kinds of quantization are non-uniform, vector quantization, and/or non-adaptive quantization.
The entropy encoder (160) losslessly compresses quantized coefficient data received from the quantizer (150). The entropy encoder (160) can compute the number of bits spent encoding audio information and pass this information to the rate/quality controller (170).
The controller (170) works with the quantizer (150) to regulate the bitrate and/or quality of the output of the encoder (100). The controller (170) receives information from other modules of the encoder (100) and processes the received information to determine a desired quantization step size given current conditions. The controller (170) outputs the quantization step size to the quantizer (150) with the goal of satisfying bitrate and quality constraints.
The encoder (100) can apply noise substitution and/or band truncation to a block of audio data. At low and mid-bitrates, the audio encoder (100) can use noise substitution to convey information in certain bands. In band truncation, if the measured quality for a block indicates poor quality, the encoder (100) can completely eliminate the coefficients in certain (usually higher frequency) bands to improve the overall quality in the remaining bands.
The MUX (180) multiplexes the side information received from the other modules of the audio encoder (100) along with the entropy encoded data received from the entropy encoder (160). The MUX (180) outputs the information in a format that an audio decoder recognizes. The MUX (180) includes a virtual buffer that stores the bitstream (195) to be output by the encoder (100) in order to smooth over short-term fluctuations in bitrate due to complexity changes in the audio.
2. Perceptual Audio Decoder
Overall, the decoder (200) receives a bitstream (205) of compressed audio information including entropy encoded data as well as side information, from which the decoder (200) reconstructs audio samples (295). The audio decoder (200) includes a bitstream demultiplexer [“DEMUX”] (210), an entropy decoder (220), an inverse quantizer (230), a noise generator (240), an inverse weighter (250), an inverse multi-channel transformer (260), and an inverse frequency transformer (270).
The DEMUX (210) parses information in the bitstream (205) and sends information to the modules of the decoder (200). The DEMUX (210) includes one or more buffers to compensate for short-term variations in bitrate due to fluctuations in complexity of the audio, network jitter, and/or other factors.
The entropy decoder (220) losslessly decompresses entropy codes received from the DEMUX (210), producing quantized frequency coefficient data. The entropy decoder (220) typically applies the inverse of the entropy encoding technique used in the encoder.
The inverse quantizer (230) receives a quantization step size from the DEMUX (210) and receives quantized frequency coefficient data from the entropy decoder (220). The inverse quantizer (230) applies the quantization step size to the quantized frequency coefficient data to partially reconstruct the frequency coefficient data.
From the DEMUX (210), the noise generator (240) receives information indicating which bands in a block of data are noise substituted as well as any parameters for the form of the noise. The noise generator (240) generates the patterns for the indicated bands, and passes the information to the inverse weighter (250).
The inverse weighter (250) receives the weighting factors from the DEMUX (210), patterns for any noise-substituted bands from the noise generator (240), and the partially reconstructed frequency coefficient data from the inverse quantizer (230). As necessary, the inverse weighter (250) decompresses the weighting factors, for example, entropy decoding, inverse differentially coding, and inverse quantizing the elements of the quantization matrix. The inverse weighter (250) applies the weighting factors to the partially reconstructed frequency coefficient data for bands that have not been noise substituted. The inverse weighter (250) then adds in the noise patterns received from the noise generator (240) for the noise-substituted bands.
The inverse multi-channel transformer (260) receives the reconstructed frequency coefficient data from the inverse weighter (250) and channel mode information from the DEMUX (210). If multi-channel audio is in independently coded channels, the inverse multi-channel transformer (260) passes the channels through. If multi-channel data is in jointly coded channels, the inverse multi-channel transformer (260) converts the data into independently coded channels.
The inverse frequency transformer (270) receives the frequency coefficient data output by the multi-channel transformer (260) as well as side information such as block sizes from the DEMUX (210). The inverse frequency transformer (270) applies the inverse of the frequency transform used in the encoder and outputs blocks of reconstructed audio samples (295).
B. Disadvantages of Standard Perceptual Audio Encoders and Decoders
Although perceptual encoders and decoders as described above have good overall performance for many applications, they have several drawbacks, especially for compression and decompression of multi-channel audio. The drawbacks limit the quality of reconstructed multi-channel audio in some cases, for example, when the available bitrate is small relative to the number of input audio channels.
1. Inflexibility in Frame Partitioning for Multi-Channel Audio
In various respects, the frame partitioning performed by the encoder (100) of FIG. 1 is inflexible.
As previously noted, the frequency transformer (110) breaks a frame of input audio samples (105) into one or more overlapping windows for frequency transformation, where larger windows provide better frequency resolution and redundancy removal, and smaller windows provide better time resolution. The better time resolution helps control audible pre-echo artifacts introduced when the signal transitions from low energy to high energy, but using smaller windows reduces compressibility, so the encoder must balance these considerations when selecting window sizes. For multi-channel audio, the frequency transformer (110) partitions the channels of a frame identically (i.e., identical window configurations in the channels), which can be inefficient in some cases, as illustrated in FIGS. 3a-3c.
FIG. 3a shows the waveforms (300) of an example stereo audio signal. The signal in channel 0 includes transient activity, whereas the signal in channel 1 is relatively stationary. The encoder (100) detects the signal transition in channel 0 and, to reduce pre-echo, divides the frame into smaller overlapping, modulated windows (301) as shown in FIG. 3b. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 3c shows the overlapped window configuration (302) in boxes, with dotted lines delimiting frame boundaries. Later figures also follow this convention.
A drawback of forcing all channels to have an identical window configuration is that a stationary signal in one or more channels (e.g., channel 1 in FIGS. 3a- 3c) may be broken into smaller windows, lowering coding gains. Alternatively, the encoder (100) might force all channels to use larger windows, introducing pre-echo into one or more channels that have transients. This problem is exacerbated when more than two channels are to be coded.
AAC allows pair-wise grouping of channels for multi-channel transforms. Among left, right, center, back left, and back right channels, for example, the left and right channels might be grouped for stereo coding, and the back left and back right channels might be grouped for stereo coding. Different groups can have different window configurations, but both channels of a particular group have the same window configuration if stereo coding is used. This limits the flexibility of partitioning for multi-channel transforms in the AAC system, as does the use of only pair-wise groupings.
2. Inflexibility in Multi-Channel Transforms
The encoder (100) of FIG. 1 exploits some inter-channel redundancy, but is inflexible in various respects in terms of multi-channel transforms. The encoder (100) allows two kinds of transforms: (a) an identity transform (which is equivalent to no transform at all) or (b) sum-difference coding of stereo pairs. These limitations constrain multi-channel coding of more than two channels. Even in AAC, which can work with more than two channels, a multi-channel transform is limited to only a pair of channels at a time.
Several groups have experimented with multi-channel transformations for surround sound channels. For example, see Yang et al., “An Inter-Channel Redundancy Removal Approach for High-Quality Multichannel Audio Compression,” AES 109th Convention, Los Angeles, September 2000 [“Yang”], and Wang et al., “A Multichannel Audio Coding Algorithm for Inter-Channel Redundancy Removal,” AES 110th Convention, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2001 [“Wang”]. The Yang system uses a Karhunen-Loeve Transform [“KLT”] across channels to decorrelate the channels for good compression factors. The Wang system uses an integer-to-integer Discrete Cosine Transform [“DCT”]. Both systems give some good results, but still have several limitations.
First, using a KLT on audio samples (whether across the time domain or frequency domain as in the Yang system) does not control the distortion introduced in reconstruction. The KLT in the Yang system is not used successfully for perceptual audio coding of multi-channel audio. The Yang system does not control the amount of leakage from one (e.g., heavily quantized) coded channel across to multiple reconstructed channels in the inverse multi-channel transform. This shortcoming is pointed out in Kuo et al, “A Study of Why Cross Channel Prediction Is Not Applicable to Perceptual Audio Coding,” IEEE Signal Proc. Letters, vol. 8, no. 9, September 2001. In other words, quantization that is “inaudible” in one coded channel may become audible when spread in multiple reconstructed channels, since inverse weighting is performed before the inverse multi-channel transform. The Wang system overcomes this problem by placing the multi-channel transform after weighting and quantization in the encoder (and placing the inverse multi-channel transform before inverse quantization and inverse weighting in the decoder). The Wang system, however, has various other shortcomings. Performing the quantization prior to multi-channel transformation means that the multi-channel transformation must be integer-to-integer, limiting the number of transformations possible and limiting redundancy removal across channels.
Second, the Yang system is limited to KLT transforms. While KLT transforms adapt to the audio data being compressed, the flexibility of the Yang system to use different kinds of transforms is limited. Similarly, the Wang system uses integer-to-integer DCT for multi-channel transforms, which is not as good as conventional DCTs in terms of energy compaction, and the flexibility of the Wang system to use different kinds of transforms is limited.
Third, in the Yang and Wang systems, there is no mechanism to control which channels get transformed together, nor is there a mechanism to selectively group different channels at different times for multi-channel transformation. Such control helps limit the leakage of content across totally incompatible channels. Moreover, even channels that are compatible overall may be incompatible over some periods.
Fourth, in the Yang system, the multi-channel transformer lacks control over whether to apply the multi-channel transform at the frequency band level. Even among channels that are compatible overall, the channels might not be compatible at some frequencies or in some frequency bands. Similarly, the multi-channel transform of the encoder (100) of FIG. 1 lacks control at the sub-channel level; it does not control which bands of frequency coefficient data are multi-channel transformed, which ignores the inefficiencies that may result when less than all frequency bands of the input channels correlate.
Fifth, even when source channels are compatible, there is often a need to control the number of channels transformed together, so as to limit data overflow and reduce memory accesses while implementing the transform. In particular, the KLT of the Yang system is computationally complex. On the other hand, reducing the transform size also potentially reduces the coding gain compared to bigger transforms. Sixth, sending information specifying multi-channel transformations can be costly in terms of bitrate. This is particularly true for the KLT of the Yang system, as the transform coefficients for the covariance matrix sent are real numbers.
Seventh, for low bitrate multi-channel audio, the quality of the reconstructed channels is very limited. Aside from the requirements of coding for low bitrate, this is in part due to the inability of the system to selectively and gracefully cut down the number of channels for which information is actually encoded.
3. Inefficiencies in Quantization and Weighting
In the encoder (100) of FIG. 1, the weighter (140) shapes distortion across bands in audio data and the quantizer (150) sets quantization step sizes to change the amplitude of the distortion for a frame and thereby balance quality versus bitrate. While the encoder (100) achieves a good balance of quality and bitrate in most applications, the encoder (100) still has several drawbacks.
First, the encoder (100) lacks direct control over quality at the channel level. The weighting factors shape overall distortion across quantization bands for an individual channel. The uniform, scalar quantization step size affects the amplitude of the distortion across all frequency bands and channels for a frame. Short of imposing very high or very low quality on all channels, the encoder (100) lacks direct control over setting equal or at least comparable quality in the reconstructed output for all channels.
Second, when weighting factors are lossy compressed, the encoder (100) lacks control over the resolution of quantization of the weighting factors. For direct compression of a quantization matrix, the encoder (100) uniformly quantizes elements of the quantization matrix, then uses differential coding and Huffman coding. The uniform quantization of mask elements does not adapt to changes in available bitrate or signal complexity. As a result, in some cases quantization matrices are encoded with more resolution than is needed given the overall low quality of the reconstructed audio, and in other cases quantization matrices are encoded with less resolution than should be used given the high quality of the reconstructed audio.
Third, the direct compression of quantization matrices in the encoder (100) fails to exploit temporal redundancies in the quantization matrices. The direct compression removes redundancy within a particular quantization matrix, but ignores temporal redundancy in a series of quantization matrices.
C. Down-Mixing Audio Channels
Aside from multi-channel audio encoding and decoding, Dolby Pro-Logic and several other systems perform down-mixing of multi-channel audio to facilitate compatibility with speaker configurations with different numbers of speakers. In the Dolby Pro-Logic down-mixing, for example, four channels are mixed down to two channels, with each of the two channels having some combination of the audio data in the original four channels. The two channels can be output on stereo-channel equipment, or the four channels can be reconstructed from the two-channels for output on four-channel equipment.
While down-mixing of this nature solves some compatibility problems, it is limited to certain set configurations, for example, four to two channel down-mixing. Moreover, the mixing formulas are pre-determined and do not allow changes over time to adapt to the signal.
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The present invention relates generally to sex toys. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sex toy that may be easily moved in a lateral sliding action with minimal rotation or lateral movement of the grips.
Throughout history, humans have sought sexual gratification by artificial means. Such artificial means have included orifices to simulate male organs. Other artificial means have included phallic devices to facilitate vaginal or anal stimulation. The present device is directed to the latter.
Typical phallic devices or dildos are hand-held and require that a user either have a partner or contort their body in unusual positions to achieve proper and repeated insertion. Many have attempted to design an improved sex toy, both manual and mechanical, that facilitates insertion of a dildo. Such mechanical devices can become large and cumbersome which could interfere with a person's desire to be discrete or private when using such a device. Further, manual devices can likewise become large and awkward to use.
Accordingly, there is a need for a sex toy that is compact in size and easy to manipulate. In addition, there is a need for a sex toy that can be easily moved with minimal strain on the hands, wrists and forearms. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
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The field of art to which this invention pertains is staple fibers. The invention further is directed to a process for making such fibers.
More specifically, the process includes a crimping step which imparts a uniform crimp frequency in the range of 3 to 6 crimps per centimeter to a blended tow which includes difficult-to-crimp, undrawn spun-oriented sheath-core filaments having an electrically conductive carbon black core. This process enables these filaments to be crimped effectively in a manner whereby conductivity is maintained at a high level. The co-crimped tow can then be cut into suitable fibers or cutter blended with another crimped tow to form the staple fibers.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ball bearing rails, and particularly to a ball bearing rail assembly having simple retention devices for ball bearings.
2. Related Art
Rails have been widely used in many fields. For example, servers are slidably mounted to server racks using rail assemblies. Also, drawers are slidably attached to cabinets using rail assemblies.
Among a variety of widely used rail assemblies, ball bearing rails have been found to be durable and reliable. TW patent publication No. 499905 discloses a ball bearing drawer rail assembly. The drawer rail assembly comprises a first slide member attached to a cabinet, a second slide member attached to a drawer, and two ball retention modules disposed between the first and second slide members. Each ball retention module comprises a flat retention frame, and a plurality of ball bearings movably held in the retention frame. The first and second slide members both slidably engage with the ball bearings, such that the drawer can be slid into and out of the cabinet.
In the above-described drawer rail assembly, the ball retention module is separate from the slide members. A separate mold for the ball retention module is required. Therefore, associated design and manufacturing costs are inflated. In addition, the separate ball retention module makes the structure of the drawer rail assembly unduly complicated.
Thus an improved ball bearing rail assembly which overcomes the above-mentioned problems is desired.
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This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-010721, filed Jan. 19, 2000; and No. 2000-252564, filed Aug. 23, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to an optical pickup apparatus for executing at least one of data recording and reproduction by applying a laser beam to a data recording medium.
A magneto-optical pickup apparatus is known as an apparatus capable of repeatedly recording and reproducing data. The most important demand for this apparatus is downsizing. To satisfy the demand, various means are being proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 10-143934 discloses an all-in-one type magneto-optical pickup apparatus as shown in FIG. 14.
This optical pickup apparatus comprises a silicon substrate 32, a hologram element 38 provided on the silicon substrate 32, a Wollaston prism 40 and a polarizing prism 39 provided on the hologram element 38. The hologram element 38 has a beam branching function. The Wollaston prism 40 and the polarizing prism 39 are formed integral as one body. The polarizing prism 39 has a polarization beam separating film 39a and an inclined surface 39b. The polarization beam separating film 39a has a transmittance of substantially 70% and a reflectance of substantially 30% for P-polarized light, and has a reflectance of substantially 100% for S-polarized light. The inclined surface 39b reflects light reflected by the polarization beam separating film 39a, thereby branching the light.
In the above-described optical pickup apparatus, a laser diode 33 emits a P-polarized light beam. The laser beam emitted from the laser diode 33 passes through the hologram element 38 and enters the polarizing prism 39. Part of the laser beam entering the prism 39 passes through the polarization beam separating film 39a, and is then converged by an objective 42 onto a magneto-optical disk 43. When the converged laser beam is reflected from the magneto-optical disk 43, the direction of polarization of the laser beam is rotated through substantially about 0.5xc2x0 by a magnetic signal recorded in the magneto-optical disk 43. As a result, the laser beam reflected from the magneto-optical disk 43 has a small amount of S-polarized light component that serves as a magneto-optical signal. This reflected light again enters the polarizing prism 39 via the objective 42.
Almost all the light having the S-polarized light component, which is contained in the light entering the polarizing prism 39, is reflected from the polarization beam separating film 39a of the prism 39, and then reflected from the inclined surface 39b of the prism 39. The thus-branched light enters the Wollaston prism 40. The light entering the Wollaston prism 40 branches into two polarized light beams. The polarizations of these two beams are perpendicular to each other. These two beams enter respective sections 36a and 36b of a photodiode 36 for data signal detection. Data detection is executed by detecting the difference between two signals output from the sections 36a and 36b.
On the other hand, part of the light, which has the P-polarized light component and enters the polarizing prism 39, passes through the polarization beam separating film 39a and then enters the hologram element 38. At this time, xe2x80x9c+xe2x80x9d first-order diffracted light and xe2x80x9cxe2x88x92xe2x80x9d first-order diffracted light are generated. Thus, the light entering the hologram element 38 branches into two light beams. The xe2x80x9c+xe2x80x9d first-order diffracted light and xe2x80x9cxe2x88x92xe2x80x9d first-order diffracted light enter photodiodes 34 and 35 for error signal detection, respectively. At this time, the xe2x80x9c+xe2x80x9d first-order diffracted light is converged in a position between the hologram element 38 and the photodiode 34 by the lens effect of the hologram element 38. On the other hand, the xe2x80x9cxe2x88x92xe2x80x9d first-order diffracted light is converged in a position beyond the photodiode 35. Using this phenomenon, a focus error is detected by detecting the spot sizes of the light beams on the photodiodes 34 and 35. Further, an error in tracking is detected by detecting the positions of light spots on the photodiodes 34 and 35.
Since, in general, light emitted from a laser is divergent light, the magneto-optical pickup apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 10-143934 can use only the central part of a laser beam, and cannot use the peripheral part of the beam. Accordingly, the efficiency of use of light is low. This means that the disclosed apparatus cannot be used as a magneto-optical pickup apparatus that requires a high laser output, such as a rewritable magneto-optical pickup apparatus, or as a magneto-optical pickup apparatus in which the rotational speed of the disk is increased to increase the transfer rate.
Moreover, when using even the peripheral part of a laser beam, the disclosed apparatus requires a large polarizing prism that can receive a wide range of light. This makes it difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus.
In other words, the all-in-one type pickup apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 10-143934 can not satisfy the requirements of increasing the efficiency of use of light, that is, increasing the power of the light applied to the data recording medium as well as of downsizing the pickup apparatus.
It is the object of the invention to provide a compact optical pickup apparatus which has higher efficiency of use of light.
To attain the object, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an optical pickup apparatus for executing at least one of data recording and reproduction by applying a laser beam to a data recording medium, comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a main surface; a light source for emitting a laser beam in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main surface of the semiconductor substrate; an NA converter for receiving the laser beam emitted from the light source and for outputting the laser beam so that a divergent angle of the outputted laser beam smaller than a divergent angle of the received laser beam; an objective opposed to the data recording medium; a first beam branching unit for permitting one of transmission therethrough and reflection therefrom of the laser beam outputted from the NA converter to thereby guide the laser beam to the data recording medium via the objective so that the laser beam reflects from the data recording medium, the first beam branching unit also transmits therethrough and reflects therefrom a part of and another part of the laser beam reflecting from the data recording medium and then passing through the objective, respectively, thereby branching the laser beam in two directions; and a first light receiving element provided at the semiconductor substrate, for receiving the laser beam branched by the first beam branching unit.
According to the other aspect of the invention, there is provided an optical pickup apparatus for executing at least one of data recording and reproduction by applying a laser beam to a data recording medium, comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a main surface; a light source for emitting a laser beam in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main surface of the semiconductor substrate; a means for receiving the laser beam emitted from the light source, converting the received laser beam and for outputting the laser beam so that a divergent angle of the outputted laser beam smaller than a divergent angle of the received laser beam; an objective opposed to the data recording medium; a means for permitting one of transmission therethrough and reflection therefrom of the laser beam outputted from the divergent angle converting means to thereby guide the laser beam to the data recording medium via the objective so that the laser beam reflects from the data recording medium, and for transmitting therethrough and reflecting therefrom a part of and another part of the laser beam reflecting from the data recording medium and then passing through the objective, respectively, thereby branching the laser beam in two directions; and a means provided at the semiconductor substrate, for receiving the laser beam branched by the beam branching means.
The NA converter or the divergent angle converting means can pick up even a peripheral portion of a laser beam emitted from the light source. This enhances the efficiency of use of light. Further, since the NA converter or the divergent angle converting means reduces the divergent angle and the diameter of the laser beam emitted from the light source, a large optical component is not necessary even when picking up a peripheral portion of the laser beam emitted from the light source. Accordingly, a compact optical pickup apparatus can be produced.
Preferably, the NA converter has a numerical aperture of 0.15 or more at a side thereof close to the light source.
This NA converter can pick up a laser beam with a relatively large divergent angle emitted from the light source. Accordingly, the laser beam emitted from the light source can be used efficiently.
More preferably, the first beam branching unit transmits therethrough the laser beam outputted from the NA converter to thereby guide the laser beam to the data recording medium via the objective.
Between transmitted light and reflected light, the first beam branching unit shows different variations in skipping depending for incident angle. Specifically, in the first beam branching unit, the aberration of transmitted light is smaller than that of reflected light, and hence the spot size of the light transmitting the first beam branching unit and converged by the objective can be reduced to a value close to the diffraction limit. As a result, the spot size of the laser beam on the data recording medium can be reduced to substantially the same value as obtained in the case of no aberration. This enables accurate and high-density recording and/or reproduction of data.
Also preferably, the optical pickup apparatus further comprises a second beam branching unit provided between the light source and the first beam branching unit, for transmitting therethrough, in one direction, a part of the laser beam reflecting from the data recording medium and passing through the objective, and branching therefrom, in another direction, another part of the laser beam reflecting from the data recording medium and passing through the objective; and a second light receiving element for receiving the laser beam branched by the second beam branching unit.
The second beam branching unit and the second light receiving element constitute an error signal detection system, which enables the production of a more compact and high-density optical pickup apparatus.
Yet preferably, the second beam branching unit is provided between the light source and the NA converter.
Since no optical component is provided between the second beam branching unit and the light source, the optical positions of the light source and the second light receiving element are secured with high accuracy. Accordingly, the data recording medium and the second light receiving element can be easily made to have substantially a conjugate positional relationship. This being so, error detection such as detection of the size or the position of a light spot on the second light receiving element can be executed reliably at all times.
Further preferably, the NA converter is provided between the second beam branching unit and the light source.
Since the distance between the NA converter and the light source can be reduced, a laser beam emitted from the light source enters the NA converter before it diverges. Accordingly, the beam diameter of the laser beam passing through the NA converter is reduced, which means that the optical pickup apparatus can be made more compact.
Preferably, the NA converter is provided between the second beam branching unit and the second light receiving element, so that the laser beam branched by the second beam branching unit passes through the NA converter and reaches the second light receiving element.
Since both the beam branched by the second beam branching unit and reaching the second light receiving element, and the beam emitted from light source and reaching the second beam branching unit pass through the NA converter, it is easy to adjust the optical distance of the former light and the optical distance of the latter simultaneously. As a result, the data recording medium and the second light receiving element can be easily made to have substantially a conjugate positional relationship. This being so, error detection such as detection of the size or the position of a light spot on the second light receiving element can be executed reliably at all times.
Preferably, the NA converter is provided between the second beam branching unit and the second light receiving element, so that the laser beam branched by the second beam branching unit reaches the second light receiving element without passing through the NA converter.
Light branched by the second beam branching unit and reaching the second light receiving element does not pass through the NA converter, while light emitted from the light source and reaching the second beam branching unit passes through the NA converter. Accordingly, the distance between the light source and the second beam branching unit can be made shorter than the distance between the second light receiving element and the second beam branching unit. This increases the number of manners that can be used to mount the semiconductor laser.
Preferably, the second light receiving element is provided at the semiconductor substrate.
Since the first and second light receiving elements are formed in surface portions of a single semiconductor substrate, the number of their component parts is reduced, and hence the cost of the light receiving elements can be reduced.
Further preferably, the second beam branching unit includes a hologram element.
Since the angle between light beams branched by the hologram element is smaller than the angle between light beams branched using reflection of, for example, a prism, the optical pickup apparatus can be made more compact.
Yet preferably, at least, the semiconductor substrate, the light source, the first beam branching unit, the second beam branching unit and the NA converter are integrated as one body.
Since these component parts are formed integral as one body, the optical pickup apparatus can be made more compact.
Also preferably, the NA converter is integral with at least one of the first beam branching unit and the second beam branching unit.
Forming the NA converter integral with an optical branching element enables reduction of the number of the component parts of the optical pickup apparatus, and hence reduction of its cost.
It is desirable that the optical pickup apparatus further comprises a collimator lens provided between the first beam branching unit and the objective, so that the collimator lens converts the laser beam outputted from first beam branching unit into substantially a parallel laser beam.
Since this optical system is an infinite optical system in which parallel light is created using the collimator lens and converged using the objective, there is no change in the output power of the objective even when the objective is shifted along the optical axis for the purpose of focusing control. Therefore, high output power can be obtained reliably. Moreover, since in this optical system, a separating optical system, in which only the objective is incorporated in a movable section, can be achieved, power saving or high-speed operation can be realized.
Preferably, the collimator lens corrects spherical aberration that occurs in the NA converter, the first beam branching unit and the second beam branching unit.
Correction of aberration using the collimator lens enables reduction of the spot size of light converged on the data recording medium by the objective to a value close to the diffraction limit objective. As a result, high-density recording and/or reproduction and increase of the capacity of a single sheet of data recoding medium can be realized.
It is also preferable that the optical pickup apparatus further comprises a polarization beam separating unit for separating, into a plurality of polarized laser beams, the laser beam reflecting from the data recording medium, passing through the objective and branched by the first beam branching unit, the polarized laser beams being received by the first light receiving element.
Since the polarization beam separating unit and the first light receiving element can constitute a system for detecting a magneto-optical signal, a more compact optical pickup apparatus of a higher density can be made.
Preferably, the polarized laser beams are focused on a surface of the first light receiving element.
Since the beams are focused on the first light receiving element, the area of this element can be reduced. As a result, the frequency bandwidth of the first light receiving element can be widened, and hence the optical pickup apparatus can be operated at high speed. It is possible that there are advantages similar to that occurs when the beams are focused on the first light receiving element.
Further, the first beam branching unit may be formed of a polarization beam splitter having a transmittance and a reflectance that vary in accordance with a polarization of light entering the polarization beam splitter.
Since the polarization beam splitter enables efficient transmission/reflection of light using polarization characteristics, the efficiency of use of light and the quality of a signal can be enhanced.
Furthermore, the NA converter may be formed of a convex lens having two opposite surfaces, one of the two opposite surfaces including a convex surface, and the other including a flat surface.
Forming only one surface of the NA converting lens as a convex surface can reduce the cost of the lens. Moreover, since the other surface of the lens is a flat surface, mounting of the lens in the apparatus or attachment of the lens to an optical element for branching light can be executed easily.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
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A variety of disclosures exist in the art in regard to how to form a supported metal carbide catalyst, including the following:
The impregnation of a support with a water soluble source of the metal alone, followed by calcination to the metal oxide, with subsequent exposure of the oxide to carburizing gases, such as methane/hydrogen (See S. T. Oyama et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 27, 1639 (1988)) or carbon monoxide (See P. N. Ross, Jr. et al., J. of Catalysis., 48, 42 (1977)) are two ways in which such supported catalysts might be formed. Both carburization reactions necessitate the use of high temperatures on the order of about 900.degree. C. L. Leclercq et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,708, discusses several supported carbide systems, including work by Mitchell and co-workers in supporting molybdenum on active carbon and other work relating to Group VI metals on alumina (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,325,843 and 4,326,992). U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,842 to L. H. Slaugh et al. describes the preparation of supported molybdenum carbide compositions which are formed on a variety of supports, including charcoal and graphite, by impregnating the support with a solution of hexamolybdenum dodecachloride, followed by drying, and then carburization in a carbiding atmosphere at elevated temperature.
Pending U.S. Ser. No. 156,670, filed Nov. 23, 1993 teaches that catalytic metal carbide compositions can be formed by the calcination of a guanidine compound, derivative or adduct with a transition metal salt containing the desired metal component of the carbide.
An improvement of the technology described in this pending application is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,557 in which a water soluble precursor is calcined to form the desired metal carbide catalyst on a support which is an oxidic support, preferably coated with a protective ceramic passivation layer as described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,716.
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The present invention generally relates to techniques for processing information. More particularly, the invention provides a method and apparatus for converting CELP frames from one CELP based standard to another CELP based standard, and/or within a single standard but a different mode. Further details of the present invention are provided throughout the present specification and more particularly below.
Coding is the process of converting a raw signal (voice, image, video, etc) into a format amenable for transmission or storage. The coding usually results in a large amount of compression, but generally involves significant signal processing to achieve. The outcome of the coding is a bitstream (sequence of frames) of encoded parameters according to a given compression format. The compression is achieved by removing statistically and perceptually redundant information using various techniques for modeling the signal. Hence the encoded format is referred to as a “compression format” or “parameter space”. The decoder takes the compressed bitstream and regenerates the original signal. In the case of speech coding, compression typically leads to information loss.
The process of converting between different compression formats and/or reducing the bit rate of a previously encoded signal is known as transcoding. This may be done to conserve bandwidth, or connect incompatible clients and/or server devices. Transcoding differs from the direct compression process in that a transcoder only has access to the compressed signal and does not have access to the original signal.
Transcoding can be done using brute force techniques such as “tandem” which has a decompression process followed by a re-compression process. Since large amount of processing is often required and delays may be incurred to decompress and then re-compress a signal, one can consider transcoding in the compression space or parameter space. Such transcoding aims at mapping between compression formats while remaining in the parameter space wherever possible. This is where the sophisticated algorithms of “smart” transcoding come into play. Although there has been advances in transcoding, it is desirable to further improve transcoding techniques. Further details of limitations of conventional techniques will be described more fully throughout the present specification and more particularly below.
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The present invention relates generally to isolated and purified lipoxygenase proteins and nucleic acids. More particularly, the present invention relates to an isolated and purified second type of human 15S-lipoxygenase and an isolated and purified nucleic acid encoding the same, and to an isolated and purified nucleic acid encoding a mouse 8S-lipoxygenase.
The lipoxygenases are a structurally related family of non-heme iron dioxygenases that function in the production of fatty acid hydroperoxides. Three lipoxygenases have been identified and cloned in humans. Funk, C. D. (1993) Prog. Nuc. Acid Res. Mol. Biol. 45:67-98; Matsumoto et al. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85: 26-30; Dixon et al. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85: 416-420; Funk et al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87: 5638-5642; Izumi et al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:7477-7481; Yoshimoto et al. (1990) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 172:1230-1235; Sigal et al. (1988) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 157:457-464). They oxygenate arachidonic acid in different positions along the carbon chain and form the corresponding 5S-, 12S- or 15S-hydroperoxides (hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acids, HPETEs). The three enzymes are known mainly from the blood cell types in which they are strongly expressedxe2x80x94the 5S-lipoxygenase of leukocytes, the 12S-lipoxygenase of platelets, and the 15S-lipoxygenase of reticulocytes, eosinophils and macrophages. While these are the most widely recognized cellular sources, selective expression is well documented in other tissues. For example, both the 12S- and 15S-lipoxygenases are detected in skin. Nugteren et al. (1987) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 921:135-141; Henneicke-von Zepelin et al. (1991) J. Invest. Dermatol. 97:291-297; Takahashi et al. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268:16443-16448;Hussain et al. (1994) Amer. J. Physiol. 266:C243-C253.
Potentially, the three cloned lipoxygenases could account for all enzymatic synthesis of arachidonate hydroperoxides in humans, but there are reasons to consider that other lipoxygenases may exist. For example, in the mouse there are five known lipoxygenases, three that correspond to the known human enzymes, Chen et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269:13979-13987; Chen et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270:17993-17999 and two others, Furstenberger et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266:15738-15745; Funk et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271:23338-23344.
Three of the five distinct mouse lipoxygenase enzymes are best known for their occurrence in different types of blood cells. In common with other mammals, a 5S-lipoxygenase is present in leukocytes and is responsible for synthesis of the pro-inflammatory mediators, the leukotrienes. Chen et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270:17993-17999; Chen et al. (1994) Nature 372:179-182. A 12S-lipoxygenase is found in platelets and several other tissues including skin. Nugteren et al. (1987) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 921:135-141; Chen et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269:13979-13987; Sun et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271:24055-24062.
A second type of 12S-lipoxygenase which is closely related in sequence to the human and rabbit xe2x80x9creticulocyte-typexe2x80x9d of 15S-lipoxygenases occurs in certain macrophages. Sun et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 24055-24062. The fourth mouse lipoxygenase to be characterized is another enzyme to have 12S-lipoxygenase activity; it was cloned recently from mouse skin and has been classified as an epidermal 12S-lipoxygenase. van Dijk et al. (1995) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1259:4-8; Funk et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271:23338-23344. All four of these murine lipoxygenases enzymes have been characterized at the cDNA and genomic levels.
The fifth known mouse lipoxygenase was described originally in 1986 by Furstenberger, Marks and colleagues as an enzyme in skin forming 8-HETE and inducible by phorbol ester treatment. Gschwendt et al. (1986) Carcinogenesis 7:449-455. It was shown subsequently that this enzyme forms the 8S enantiomer (Hughes et al. (1991) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1081:347-354) and isolation of the corresponding hydroperoxide confirmed identification of the enzyme as a lipoxygenase. Fxc3xcrstenberger et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266:15738-15745. Mouse skin is the only reported site of synthesis of 8S-HETE in animal tissues, and there is no indication from the literature pointing to a potential homologue of the mouse 8S-lipoxygenase in other mammals. Additionally, no nucleic acid, particularly a cDNA, which encodes this lipoxygenase has been characterized.
Despite the description in the art of the enzymes presented above, along with the catalytic activities covered by these enzymes, there remains an open question whether a lipoxygenase rather than a cytochrome P450 might account for the synthesis of 12R-hydroxy arachidonic acid (12R-HETE), Hammarstrxc3x6m et al. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72:5130-5134; Woollard, P. M. (1986) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 136(1):169-175; Baer et al. (1991) J. Lipid Research 32:341-347; Holtzman et al. (1989) J. Clin. Invest. 84:1446-1453; Brash et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271:20549-20557, a prominent arachidonate metabolite in the skin disease of psoriasis and other proliferative dermatoses (Hammarstrxc3x6m et al. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72:5130-5134; Baer et al. (1991) J. Lipid Research 32:341-347; Baer et al. (1995) J. Invest. Dermatol. 104:251-255).
Therefore, what is needed, then, is further characterization of lipoxygenase enzymes in vertebrates, particularly in mammals, and more particularly in humans. A novel isolated and purified lipoxygenase and a nucleic acid encoding the same would have broad utility to due its role in arachidonic acid metabolism, a critical metabolic pathway.
A key aspect of this invention pertains to the discovery of a novel 15S-lipoxygenase (15-Lox-2) protein and nucleic acid encoding the 15-Lox-2 protein. Preferred nucleic acid and amino acid sequences for 15-Lox-2 are described in SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:2.
It is another aspect of this invention that the novel 15-Lox-2 protein acts in the metabolism of arachidonic acid to 15S-Hydro(pero)xyeicosatetraenoic acid.
Another key aspect of this invention is isolation and purification of a nucleic acid encoding mouse 8S-lipoxygenase (8-Lox) A preferred embodiment of this nucleic acid is described in SEQ ID NO:3.
Thus, in one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated and purified polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide wherein the lipoxygenase polypeptide includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. In a preferred embodiment, a polynucleotide of the present invention is a DNA molecule from a vertebrate species. A preferred vertebrate is a mammal. A preferred mammal is a human. More preferably, a polynucleotide of the present invention encodes polypeptides designated 15-Lox-2 and 8-Lox. Even more preferred, a polynucleotide of the present invention encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid residue sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4. Most preferably, an isolated and purified polynucleotide of the invention comprises the nucleotide base sequences of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3 or their homologues from other vertebrate species.
Yet another aspect of the present invention contemplates an isolated and purified polynucleotide comprising a base sequence that is identical or complementary to a segment of at least 10 contiguous bases of SEQ ID NO:1 wherein the polynucleotide hybridizes to a polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide wherein the lipoxygenase polypeptide includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. Preferably, the isolated and purified polynucleotide comprises a base sequence that is identical or complementary to a segment of at least 25 to 70 contiguous bases of SEQ ID NO:1. For example, a polynucleotide of the invention can comprise a segment of bases identical or complementary to 40 or 55 contiguous bases of the disclosed nucleotide sequences.
In another embodiment, the present invention contemplates an isolated and purified lipoxygenase polypeptide wherein the lipoxygenase polypeptide includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. More preferably, a polypeptide of the invention is a recombinant polypeptide. Even more preferably, a polypeptide of the present invention is 15-Lox-2. Even more preferably, a polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid residue sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.
In an alternative embodiment, the present invention provides an expression vector comprising a polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide that includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. Also preferably, an expression vector of the present invention comprises a polynucleotide that encodes 15-Lox-2 or 8-Lox. More preferably, an expression vector of the present invention comprises a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid residue sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4. More preferably, an expression vector of the present invention comprises a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide base sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3. Even more preferably, an expression vector of the invention comprises a polynucleotide operatively linked to an enhancer-promoter. More preferably still, an expression vector of the invention comprises a polynucleotide operatively linked to a prokaryotic promoter. Alternatively, an expression vector of the present invention comprises a polynucleotide operatively linked to an enhancer-promoter that is a eukaryotic promoter, and the expression vector further comprises a polyadenylation signal that is positioned 3xe2x80x2 of the carboxy-terminal amino acid and within a transcriptional unit of the encoded polypeptide.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a recombinant host cell transfected with a polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO: 2 SEQ ID NO:3; and SEQ ID NO: 4 set forth nucleotide and amino acid sequences from the exemplary vertebrates human and mouse. Also contemplated by the present invention are homologous or biologically equivalent polynucleotides and lipoxygenase polypeptides found in other vertebrates. Preferably, a recombinant host cell of the present invention is transfected with the polynucleotide that encodes 15-Lox-2 or 8-Lox. More preferably, a recombinant host cell of the present invention is transfected with the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3. Even more preferably, a host cell of the invention is a eukaryotic host cell. Still more preferably, a recombinant host cell of the present invention is a vertebrate cell. Preferably, a recombinant host cell of the invention is a mammalian cell.
In another aspect, a recombinant host cell of the present invention is a prokaryotic host cell. Preferably, a recombinant host cell of the invention is a bacterial cell, preferably a strain of Escherichia coli. More preferably, a recombinant host cell comprises a polynucleotide under the transcriptional control of regulatory signals functional in the recombinant host cell, wherein the regulatory signals appropriately control expression of a lipoxygenase polypeptide that metabolizes arachidonic acid in a manner to enable all necessary transcriptional and post-transcriptional modification.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention contemplates a process of preparing a lipoxygenase polypeptide comprising transfecting a cell with polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine, to produce a transformed host cell; and maintaining the transformed host cell under biological conditions sufficient for expression of the polypeptide. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide that is produced reacts with arachidonic acid. More preferably, the transformed host cell is a eukaryotic cell. More preferably still, the eukaryotic cell is a vertebrate cell. Alternatively, the host cell is a prokaryotic cell. More preferably, the prokaryotic cell is a bacterial cell of the DH5xcex1 strain of Escherichia coli. Even more preferably, a polynucleotide transfected into the transformed cell comprises the nucleotide base sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3. SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:2; SEQ ID NO:3; and SEQ ID NO:4 set forth nucleotide and amino acid sequences for the exemplary vertebrates human and mouse. Also contemplated by the present invention are homologues or biologically equivalent lipoxygenase polynucleotides and polypeptides found in other vertebrates.
In still another embodiment, the present invention provides an antibody immunoreactive with a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:2; SEQ ID NO:3; and SEQ ID NO:4 set forth nucleotide and amino acid sequences from the exemplary vertebrates human and mouse. Also contemplated by the present invention are antibodies immunoreactive with homologues or biologically equivalent lipoxygenase polynucleotides and polypeptides found in other vertebrates. Preferably, an antibody of the invention is a monoclonal antibody. More preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide comprises 15-Lox-2 or 8-Lox. Even more preferably, a polypeptide comprises the amino acid residue sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4.
In another aspect, the present invention contemplates a process of producing an antibody immunoreactive with a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine, the process comprising the steps of (a) transfecting a recombinant host cell with a polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine; (b) culturing the host cell under conditions sufficient for expression of the polypeptide; (c) recovering the polypeptide; and (d) preparing the antibody to the polypeptide. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide reacts with arachidonic acid. SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:2; SEQ ID NO:3; and SEQ ID NO:4 set forth nucleotide and amino acid sequences from the exemplary vertebrates mouse and human. Preferably, the host cell is transfected with the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3. Even more preferably, the present invention provides an antibody prepared according to the process described above. Also contemplated by the present invention is the use of homologues or biologically equivalent polynucleotides and polypeptides found in other vertebrates to produce antibodies.
Alternatively, the present invention provides a process of detecting a lipoxygenase polypeptide that metabolizes arachidonic acid, wherein the process comprises immunoreacting the polypeptide with an antibody prepared according to the process described above to form an antibody-polypeptide conjugate, and detecting the conjugate.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention contemplates a process of detecting a messenger RNA transcript that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine, wherein the process comprises hybridizing the messenger RNA transcript with a polynucleotide sequence that encodes that polypeptide to form a duplex; and detecting the duplex. Alternatively, the present invention provides a process of detecting a DNA molecule that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide, wherein the process comprises hybridizing DNA molecules with a polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine to form a duplex; and detecting the duplex. For both such processes, it is preferred that the detected lipoxygenase polypeptide is capable of reacting with arachidonic acid.
In another aspect, the present invention contemplates a diagnostic assay kit for detecting the presence of a lipoxygenase polypeptide in a biological sample, where the kit comprises a first container containing a first antibody capable of immunoreacting with a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine, with the first antibody present in an amount sufficient to perform at least one assay. Preferably, an assay kit of the invention further comprises a second container containing a second antibody that immunoreacts with the first antibody. More preferably, the antibodies used in an assay kit of the present invention are monoclonal antibodies. Even more preferably, the first antibody is affixed to a solid support. More preferably still, the first and second antibodies comprise an indicator, and, preferably, the indicator is a radioactive label or an enzyme.
In an alternative aspect, the present invention provides a diagnostic assay kit for detecting the presence, in biological samples, of a lipoxygenase polypeptide, the kits comprising a first container that contains a second polynucleotide identical or complementary to a segment of at least 10 contiguous nucleotide bases of a polynucleotide that encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine. Preferably, the polynucleotide encodes a lipoxygenase polypeptide capable of reacting with arachidonic acid. More preferably, the polynucleotide encodes 15-Lox-2 or 8-Lox.
In another embodiment, the present invention contemplates a diagnostic assay kit for detecting the presence, in a biological sample, of an antibody immunoreactive with a lipoxygenase polypeptide, the kit comprising a first container containing a lipoxygenase polypeptide which includes an iron ligand comprising a serine that immunoreacts with the antibody, with the polypeptide present in an amount sufficient to perform at least one assay. Preferably, the lipoxygenase polypeptide is capable of reacting with arachidonic acid. More preferably, the polypeptide comprises 15-Lox-2 or 8-Lox.
The foregoing aspects and embodiments have broad utility given the biological significance of the arachidonic acid pathway, as is known in the art. By way of example, the foregoing aspects and embodiments are useful in the preparation of screening assays and assay kits that are used to identify compounds that affect arachidonic acid metabolism, or that are used to detect the presence of the proteins and nucleic acids of this invention in biological samples. Additionally, it is well known that isolated and purified polypeptides have utility as feed additives for livestock and further polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides are thus useful in producing the polypeptides.
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9canxe2x80x9d mean xe2x80x9cone or morexe2x80x9d when used in this application, including the claims.
Some of the aspects and objects of the invention having been stated hereinabove, other aspects and objects will become evident as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings as best described hereinbelow.
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German Unexamined Application DE 101 54 843 discloses a method and an apparatus for labeling specimen slides for microtomed tissue samples. The data applied onto the histological cassettes are sensed upon insertion into the microtome. Associated with the microtome is a printer to which the data read in the microtome are transferred. Only those specimen slides that correspond to the tissue sample clamped in the microtome are then printed.
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1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a container for warming of infusion liquid and transfusion liquid and to an apparatus provided with such a container in order to warm physiological fluids.
2. Description of The Prior Art
Different embodiments of instruments and blood warmers are known. These embodiments are described in the essay "A Review of Blood Warmers for Massive Transfusion" by W. J. Russell, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Vol. II, No. 2, May 1974.
Essentially these embodiments can be divided into four groups.
1. Warming of the whole contents of a bag or of a bottle in a bucket of water of 37.degree. C. or in a microwave oven, warming the liquid to a suitable temperature by means of high frequency electromagnetic oscillation. The warming before infusion has drawbacks, namely that
it needs a relatively long time period to warm a bottle of blood; PA1 the liquid will be partly cooled down during infusion; PA1 an unmovable and much space-using apparatus has to be provided in the operating theatre when using a microwave oven; PA1 a monitoring of temperature of the warmed liquid is not possible; and PA1 a determination of the temperature by means of empirical data is difficult. PA1 a source of heating air to admit said container with heating air, PA1 a temperature measuring device with which the sections of the container are contactable to measure the temperature in said container, and PA1 a control device to control the source of heating air in response to the measured temperature.
2. Warming during infusion or transfusion wherein the liquid, for example blood, flows through a hose section conducted through water. This warming during infusion is commonly used. A hose up to 10 meters is somehow wound up, conducted through a bath of water and warms therefore the liquid up to the necessary 37.degree. C.
It is a drawback that the inevitably open bath of water warmed up to 37.degree. C. develops strong bacterial cultures and beside the sterility also the relative unmovableness, that is, the overflow of the water during hectic transport of the patient is a problem. Additionally it is not advantageous to handle wet and dripping instruments in the vicinity of the area of operation.
3. A hose to be wound around a warmed cylinder of aluminium or to be threaded in grooves. The drawbacks of this embodiment are a low effectiveness due to the commonly poor contact to hoses having a major thickness, a relatively long time period for warming due to said thickness, and a very long hose is necessary in order to avoid a thermodynamical shock in the patient by hypothermia.
4. A thin-walled bag having instruments connected thereto is disposed between a pair of heating plates for warming of the liquid flowing therethrough. This embodiment has the drawbacks that a bag with instruments is very expensive and that a high volume of liquid is necessary. This system will be very bulky due to the large surface necessary for an effective warming, as lack of space exists in the space for the nursing care of patients.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor-driven hydraulic pump (hereinafter referred to as "motor-driven pump") and a driving coupler used therein to transmit a driving force from an input shaft to an output shaft, wherein the pump generates hydraulic pressure for operating hydraulic assist devices such as a steer-assisting hydraulic cylinder and an automatic transmission.
2. Description of Related Art
Motor vehicles, especially road vehicles, are commonly equipped with hydraulic assist devices such as a steer-assisting hydraulic cylinder and an automatic transmission so as to maintain an optimum engine speed and a comfortable road running. These hydraulic assist devices are operated by pumps such as vane pumps and gear pumps, which are driven by the engine of the vehicle. In operating the steer-assisting hydraulic cylinder, the pump is operated at varying speeds by reference to the road speeds of the vehicle. For example, it will be operated at high speed when the vehicle runs at low speed or is brought to a stop where a large steer-assisting force is required, and it will be operated at low speed when the vehicle runs at high speed where little steer-assisting force is required. However, the engine of the vehicle is difficult to cope with such frequent changes in the operating speeds of the pump. In order to meet these demands, an extra electric motor whose outputs are readily adjusted is used for the hydraulic pump independently of the engine of the vehicle. This solution is proposed and disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (allowed) No. 3-15592. It will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 12:
The illustrated motor-driven pump is provided with an electric motor (M) and a pump housing (B) including a support portion (C) which is provided with an oil outlet path (E) through which a working oil is forced out. The electric motor (M) includes a motor shaft (input shaft) (m). The pump housing (B) includes a pump shaft (output shaft) (a) coupled to the motor shaft (m), and also houses a intake chamber (not shown) in which a driving gear (A) driven by the motor shaft (m) and a follower gear (not shown) are mutually in mesh, and deliver a working oil to an outlet chamber (not shown) communicating with the oil outlet path (E).
In recent years, electric vehicles (EV) are developed so as to avoid environmental contamination due to exhaust gases. Electric vehicles are driven by an electric motor instead of an oil engine. They are also equipped with a steer-assisting hydraulic devices operated by a motor-driven pump.
In either case where an electric motor is used to operate the pump, the problem is the limited accommodation space in the vehicle. To solve this problem, the pump and the electric motor are compactly combined or unified as shown in the Japanese Publication No. 3-15592 referred to above where a conventional mortise-tenon connection is used to couple the motor shaft and the pump shaft as shown in FIG. 13.
Referring to FIG. 13, an input shaft (motor shaft) (m) and an output shaft (pump shaft) (a) are coupled to each other by means of a driving coupler (hereinafter referred to as "coupler") (J). The coupler (J) includes a first mortise J1 and a second mortise J2 on opposite ends. The input shaft (m) includes a tenon m1, and the output shaft 4 includes a tenon al. The tenons m1 and al are inserted in the mortises J1 and J2, respectively, thereby coupling the motor shaft (m) to the pump shaft (a) such that a torque is transmitted through this mortise-tenon connection. As shown in FIG. 13, the rectangular mortises J1 and J2 are formed like a cross such that a torque is effectively transmitted from the motor shaft (m) to the pump shaft (a) through the coupler (J).
The mortise-tenon connection advantageously ensures the coaxial alignment of the input shaft (m) and output shaft (a). An alternative embodiment is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Specification No. 5-58882, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference; briefly, the tenons ml and al are provided in the coupler J, and the mortises J1 and J2 are provided in the motor shaft (m) and the pump shaft (a).
The known motor-driven pump described above has an oil reservoir defined by a space between the teeth of the driving gears (A) and the follower gears and the inside wall of the pump housing (B). The oil is intermittently delivered every time each oil reservoir is opened to the outlet chamber in the pump housing (B). The problem of this system is the pulsation occurring in the flow of oil which causes the driven shaft (pump shaft) (a) to vibrate.
The coupler (J) is normally made of metal but a metal coupler is likely to cause noise in transmitting a torque from the input shaft (m) to the output shaft (a). Sometimes the noise is so harsh that the driver misunderstands that anything is wrong with his or her car.
Researches have found out that the noise is caused by the pump shaft (a) vibrating in accordance with pulsation occurring in the oil flow within the pump housing (B), and rattling against the coupler (J). To avoid this noise problem plastics-made couplers are proposed instead of metal-made couplers. A plastics-made coupler (J) can effectively absorb vibration but is too fragile to transmit a large torque and is liable to fracture under a large load. To withstand large loads, the plastics-made coupler requires a large size of sufficient thickness. Such large and thick couplers may present other disadvantages.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a two directional pressure relief assembly for use in a fluid transportation system, and in particular to a method and apparatus for providing a safety pressure relief device in either of two directions wherein means for alternatively weakening and strengthening are applied to a rupture disc. The pressure relief assembly includes means for mounting the rupture disc in such manner that the strengthening element of the disc is rendered additional support. The pressure relief assembly provides for resistance against bursting from very high fluid pressure in a first direction, while facilitating bursting from a much lower fluid pressure in a second direction.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a two directional pressure relief assembly for use in some fluid pressure environments. For example, a two directional pressure relief assembly may be used in a fluid reactor system, such as a chemical reactor system or the like. In such a situation, it is usually necessary to provide a safety device coupled to the reactor vessel to prevent a critical condition from occurring in the reactor vessel. The critical condition usually encountered in such an environment is an abnormal overpressure within the reactor vessel, with the safety device operable to relieve the overpressure to prevent catastrophic failure.
In the circumstances above described, it has been common practice to use a conventional single rupture disc designed to burst at a predetermined pressure. It was appreciated, however, that in many reactor systems it is necessary not only to provide emergency relief to prevent an overpressure from occurring, but also to prevent an underpressure from occurring. The initial solution to the problem presented by an environment presenting both overpressures and underpressures was to provide two conventional single rupture disc assemblies, one such assembly operable in each pressure situation. From this evolved a single assembly having two rupture discs mounted in the relief passageway connected to the reactor vessel.
Existing bidirectional relief systems as described above operate within a fairly narrow range of overpressures and underpressures. In fluid transportation systems, however, there has been a need for a bidirectional relief system capable of operating in a much wider range of pressures. In fluid transportation environments, such as may be utilized to transport a slurry of water and some particulate matter, such as coal or other ore, the concern to be addressed is the situation presented by the failure of one high pressure pump in a series of such pumps. It is common to provide a pressure relief circuit in connection with each pump in a fluid transportation system, such as will allow continuous forward flowing of the fluid being transported around the failed pump. These relief circuits are preferably designed so that there is one relief passageway upstream of each pump connected to a second relief passageway downstream of each pump, with a rupture disc disposed across the bore of each relief passageway. Each such rupture disc must be capable of withstanding the high backpressure normally present in the fluid transportation system while all pumps are operating. Should a pump fail, however, the upstream rupture disc is naturally designed to burst at a predetermined backpressure above the normal magnitude, so as to allow the fluid to enter the safety circuit, thus preventing damage to upstream pumps that continue to function. It is of course desirable that the rupture disc at the relief passageway downstream of the failed pump be designed to rupture at a much lower forward pressure, so that there is no delay in routing the fluid material back into the main fluid passageway after the upstream rupture disc has given way. Thus, the need has existed for a bidirectional relief system capable of withstanding very high backpressure, but also capable of rupturing at a significantly lower forward pressure.
As noted above, existing bidirectional relief systems operate in a relatively narrow range of overpressure and underpressure in fluid reactor systems. In a fluid transportation system as above described, however, the normal backpressure may be as much as 2200 psi. Nevertheless, in such an application, it is very desirable that the downstream disc in a safety by-pass loop be adapted to burst at a much lower forward pressure, on the order of 1000 psi. The purpose of this, of course, is to allow the fluid to flow freely as quickly as possible before damage occurs to upstream pumps.
Presently existing bidirectional pressure relief assemblies have further disadvantages. Such assemblies normally utilize two rupture discs with a sealing membrane disposed therebetween. This configuration is expensive to design and manufacture, particularly when considered in comparison to costs associated with an assembly having only a single rupture disc, such as is provided by the present invention.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of corn breeding. In particular, the invention relates to corn seed and plants of the variety designated CV107099, and derivatives and tissue cultures thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
The goal of field crop breeding is to combine various desirable traits in a single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits include greater yield, better stalks, better roots, resistance to insecticides, herbicides, pests, and disease, tolerance to heat and drought, reduced time to crop maturity, better agronomic quality, higher nutritional value, and uniformity in germination times, stand establishment, growth rate, maturity, and fruit size.
Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination. There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant. A plant cross-pollinates if pollen comes to it from a flower on a different plant.
Corn plants (Zea mays L.) can be bred by both self-pollination and cross-pollination. Both types of pollination involve the corn plant's flowers. Corn has separate male and female flowers on the same plant, located on the tassel and the ear, respectively. Natural pollination occurs in corn when wind blows pollen from the tassels to the silks that protrude from the tops of the ear shoot.
Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over many generations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A cross between two such homozygous plants produces a uniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many gene loci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of loci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and are not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performance unpredictable.
The development of uniform corn plant hybrids requires the development of homozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection are examples of breeding methods used to develop inbred plants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine the genetic backgrounds from two or more inbred plants or various other broad-based sources into breeding pools from which new inbred plants are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new inbreds are crossed with other inbred plants and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluated to determine which of those have commercial potential.
North American farmers plant tens of millions of acres of corn at the present time and there are extensive national and international commercial corn breeding programs. A continuing goal of these corn breeding programs is to develop corn hybrids that are based on stable inbred plants and have one or more desirable characteristics. To accomplish this goal, the corn breeder must select and develop superior inbred parental plants.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cosmetics brush, and more particularly, to a cosmetics brush to which cosmetics liquid is discharged using air pressure generated by pressing an inner body. The lower part of the inner body whose upper part is thread coupled by a coupler and that includes a sealing ring in the inside thereof is pressed so that the cosmetics liquid stored in the inner body is discharged to the brush through liquid guiding passages and a discharge hole formed in a discharger and a liquid transporting tube due to the air pressure generated while the inner body ascends and descends to let a user apply make-up. The inner body thread coupled by the coupler can be separated when cosmetics liquid is exhausted so that the inner body is refilled. Therefore, it is possible to easily refill the inner body with cosmetics liquid and to easily assemble the inner body.
The number of parts that constitute the cosmetics brush is small so that it is possible to easily assemble the cosmetics brush. The inner body is assembled in package units of two parts to be supplied to a company before filling the inner body with cosmetics liquid so that it is possible to easily fill the inner body with cosmetics liquid and to easily assemble a container.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A cosmetics liquid filled cosmetics brush in which cosmetics liquid and cosmetics goods used for applying the cosmetics liquid are integrated with each other is know.
However, since the conventional cosmetics brush is composed of independent parts that are connected to each other, the number of parts that constitute the cosmetics brush is large so that manufacturing expenses increase. In particular, when the independent parts are connected to each other, it is difficult to keep the parts tightly sealed up so that it is difficult to reduce a defective proportion to no more than a predetermined level.
Also, since the number of parts that constitute the cosmetics brush is so large that assembling and manufacturing processes are complicated and that the parts assembled in minimum package units are assembled in package units of no less than four parts to be supplied to a company before filling cosmetics liquid, the number of parts to be assembled after filling the cosmetics liquid is large so that assembling processes are complicated.
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The invention relates to a thermal head for use in thermal printers, and more particularly, to a thermal head capable of preventing degradation in print quality, caused by adherence of dirt or the like.
Generally, a thermal head as a recording head mounted on a thermal printer or the like comprises a plurality of heating elements composed of a heating resistor and aligned in a row on a substrate, and the heating elements are selectively energized according to printing information to generate heat, thereby melting ink on an ink ribbon to heat transfer the same to regular paper, paper for OHP (overhead projector), or the like, or to cause a thermal recording paper to take color, so that printing on recording media of various kinds is performed.
With such conventional thermal head, it is general as shown in FIG. 3 that a heat reserving layer 12 is formed on an upper surface of a radiating substrate 11 and a projection 12b is formed on an upper surface of the heat reserving layer 12 and near one end 11a, which constitutes a right side end of the substrate 11, to project a predetermined height.
Also, a heating resistor 13 is laminatingly formed on the upper surface of the heat reserving layer 12, and a common electrode 14 and an individual electrode 15 are formed on the left and right of the heating register 13 to supply electric power energy to the heating resistor 13.
A plurality of heating elements 13a are aligned in a dot-shaped manner and formed in a location between the common electrode 14 and the individual electrode 15 of the heating resistor 13.
Also, protective layers (not shown) are laminatingly formed on upper surfaces of the heating elements 13a, the common electrode 14 and the individual electrode 15 to prevent oxidation and abrasion of the heating elements 13a, and the respective electrodes 14, 15.
Also, as shown in FIG. 4, a driver IC 16 is arranged on a left side of the projection 12b in the figure and near the other end 11b of the substrate 11 to be connected to the common electrode 14 and the individual electrode 15.
Also, a terminal portion 17 formed from a FPC (flexible substrate) or the like is taken out from the other end 11b of the substrate 11.
With such conventional thermal head, the substrate 11 is mounted on a head mount (not shown) to be mounted on a thermal printer for printing, at which the head mount is turned to bring the thermal head into pressure contact with a platen (not shown), whereby the heating elements 13a can be brought into pressure contact with, for example, an ink ribbon 18.
In the case where a printer mounting thereon the conventional thermal head described above is a thermal transfer printer, the thermal head 11 is lowered to bring the heating elements 13a into pressure contact with the ink ribbon 18 and to move the thermal head 11 in a direction indicated by an arrow A.
Then, the heating elements 13a is caused on the basis of printing information to selectively generate heat to heat the ink ribbon 18, whereby ink on the ink ribbon 18 is transferred to a recording sheet 19 to afford printing characters, images or the like on the recording sheet 19.
Also, with a thermal transfer printer of line type, printing on the recording sheet 19 can be performed while moving the ink ribbon 18 and the recording sheet 19 in a direction indicated by an arrow B without moving the thermal head.
With conventional thermal heads, however, recesses 12c, 12d are produced on the surface of the heat reserving layer 12 and on right and left feet of the projection 12b of a predetermined height in the figure.
Therefore, when ink in the ink ribbon 18 is transferred to the recording sheet 19 placed on a platen (not shown) for printing while the thermal head 11 with its head lowered is moved in the direction of the arrow A, it is feared that foreign matters, such as fine dirt or the like, attaching to the ink ribbon 18 accumulate in the recess 12c on a left side of the heating elements 13a in the figure and upstream of the projection 12b in the direction of movement indicated by the arrow A.
When foreign matters such as dirt or the like accumulate in the recess 12c on the left side of the heating elements 13a in the figure as described above, it is feared that striped white lines or the like are generated on a picture image printed on the recording sheet 19 under the influence of dirt or the like to cause degradation in quality of printing.
Also, in the case where printing is performed while the ink ribbon 18 and the recording sheet 19 are moved in the direction of the arrow B and without moving the thermal head 11, it is feared that foreign matters such as dirt or the like accumulate in the recess 12c on the left side of the heating elements 13a in the figure.
The invention has been thought of in view of the above problem, and has its object to provide a thermal head capable of performing printing of high quality by preventing foreign matters such as dirt or the like at the time of printing to accumulate in a location where a heat reserving layer is formed.
The invention provides, as first solving measures for solving the above problem, a thermal head comprising a heat reserving layer formed on a surface of a substrate, a plurality of heating elements formed on an upper surface of the heat reserving layer, an individual electrode and a common electrode for supplying electricity to the heating elements, and a protective layer covering at least upper surfaces of the heating elements, the individual electrode and the common electrode, and wherein the heat reserving layer comprise a projection formed by partially projecting a surface of the layer, the heating elements being provided on a surface of the projection, and the projection is shaped in cross section in a direction perpendicular to a direction of arrangement of the heating elements to form an inclined surface on one surface side thereof, the other surface side thereof being formed to be flat in substantially the same height as that of a top of the projection.
Also, as second solving measures for solving the above problem, a height of the projection from the one surface side is 5 to 50 xcexcm.
Also, as third solving measures for solving the above problem, the common electrode is formed on the one surface side and the individual electrode is formed on the other surface side.
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Sauna systems throughout history have employed various methods of heating a space to provide the therapeutic and cleansing effects of heat. As is well known, heat causes the human body to perspire and can also provide soothing and therapeutic effects to muscles and joints. Known systems for heating a sauna have included using open fires, enclosed stoves, and steam generators among others. While these systems have had varying degrees of effectiveness, each has further been found to present drawbacks. For example, systems using open fires, while providing direct open-flame heating, have been found to result in smoke-filled sauna rooms. Additionally, the heat created from such open fires is often short lived. On the other hand, wood stoves have been found to enable a more controlled heat over a greater period of time, but also shield the heat due to the enclosed nature of the stoves.
Electrically energized heaters, including electrically-resistive heaters and energized radiant heaters, have also been developed and have gained popularity for their use in saunas. Some radiant heat systems are known to employ infrared heating panels to generate electromagnetic radiation within the infrared spectrum. When absorbed by the body of a sauna user, the infrared radiation excites the molecules within the body to generate warming. Whereas steam or warm air generally only heat the skin and tissue directly beneath by conduction, infrared radiation more deeply penetrates the body (e.g., to about 1.5 inches) to more effectively and comfortably warm the body to a sweating temperature without the use of a conductive medium.
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This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Network living broadcasting is a technique on basis of Internet communications for playing streaming media programs (e.g. television programs, radio programs, films and so on) to users in real time. As network transmission techniques and streaming media techniques grow more and more mature, living broadcasting steaming media services provided through high-speed Internet become more and more popular, and large amount of network living broadcasting systems appear, e.g., PPLive, MySee and PPStream, etc. Three parties, i.e., streaming media content providers, network living broadcasting operators and network living broadcasting clients, form the main part of a network broadcasting system.
Before playing a program, a network living broadcasting client needs to retrieve streaming media data from the Internet. After the amount of streaming media data received reaches a pre-determined quantity, the network living broadcasting client triggers to play the program and displays the program to a user. The time from the network living broadcasting client begins to retrieving the streaming media data till the network living broadcasting client triggers to play the program is called buffering time. All the network living broadcasting clients need the buffering time before playing the program. The only different is that the buffering time may be longer or shorter. The buffering time is used for accumulating the streaming media data to ensure the continuity of the program in case of network fluctuation. In the related art, the buffering time is processed in different manners. Hereinafter, the different processing are respectively described.
At present, most network living broadcasting systems do nothing during the buffering time. Specifically, a living broadcast displaying area of the network living broadcasting client is blank during the buffering time. Under the living broadcasting displaying area, prompt information is displayed such as “connecting”, percentage of the buffering process, “receiving data”, “playing soon”, etc. After the buffering process, the blank screen will be replaced with a program screen. This manner has the following disadvantages: since the user is eager to watch the program, he/she may focus on the living broadcasting displaying area and the prompt information during the buffering time. The blank screen may make the user upset, and the precious time when the user is focusing on the screen is wasted.
Still some other network living broadcasting systems at present displays pre-configured materials during the buffering time. The pre-configured materials, such as pictures, cartoons, etc., are installed when the network living broadcasting client is installed. The living broadcasting displaying area of the network living broadcasting client displays the pre-configured materials during the buffering time. This manner can distract the user's attention while the user is waiting and alleviate unhappy feelings. But since the materials were installed when the network living broadcasting client was installed and the materials displayed by the network living broadcasting client are the same each time, the user will still become tired of the materials. Furthermore, the materials displayed in the precious time do not provide any useful information to the user. Thus the buffering time is also not fully used.
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The present invention is directed to dynamic fixation assemblies for use in bone surgery, particularly spinal surgery, and in particular to longitudinal connecting members for such assemblies, the connecting members being attached to at least two bone fasteners.
Historically, it has been common to fuse adjacent vertebrae that are placed in fixed relation by the installation therealong of bone screws or other bone anchors and cooperating longitudinal connecting members or other elongate members. Fusion results in the permanent immobilization of one or more of the intervertebral joints. Because the anchoring of bone screws, hooks and other types of anchors directly to a vertebra can result in significant forces being placed on the vertebra, and such forces may ultimately result in the loosening of the bone screw or other anchor from the vertebra, fusion allows for the growth and development of a bone counterpart to the longitudinal connecting member that can maintain the spine in the desired position even if the implants ultimately fail or are removed. Because fusion has been a desired component of spinal stabilization procedures, longitudinal connecting members have been designed that are of a material, size and shape to largely resist flexure, extension, torsion, distraction and compression, and thus substantially immobilize the portion of the spine that is to be fused. Thus, longitudinal connecting members are typically uniform along an entire length thereof, and usually made from a single or integral piece of material having a uniform diameter or width of a size to provide substantially rigid support in all planes.
An alternative to fusion, which immobilizes at least a portion of the spine, and the use of more rigid longitudinal connecting members or other rigid structure has been a “soft” or “dynamic” stabilization approach in which a flexible loop-, S-, C- or U-shaped member or a coil-like and/or a spring-like member is utilized as an elastic longitudinal connecting member fixed between a pair of pedicle screws in an attempt to create, as much as possible, a normal loading pattern between the vertebrae in flexion, extension, distraction, compression, side bending and torsion. Another type of soft or dynamic system known in the art includes bone anchors connected by flexible cords or strands, typically made from a plastic material. Such a cord or strand may be threaded through cannulated spacers that are disposed between adjacent bone anchors when such a cord or strand is implanted, tensioned and attached to the bone anchors. The spacers typically span the distance between bone anchors, providing limits on the bending movement of the cord or strand and thus strengthening and supporting the overall system. Such cord or strand-type systems require specialized bone anchors and tooling for tensioning and holding the cord or strand in the bone anchors. Although flexible, the cords or strands utilized in such systems do not allow for elastic distraction of the system once implanted because the cord or strand must be stretched or pulled to maximum tension in order to provide a stable, supportive system.
The complex dynamic conditions associated with spinal movement create challenges for the design of elongate elastic longitudinal connecting members that exhibit an adequate fatigue strength to provide stabilization and protected motion of the spine, without fusion, and that allow for some natural movement of the portion of the spine being reinforced and supported by the elongate elastic or flexible connecting member. A further challenge are situations in which a portion or length of the spine requires a more rigid stabilization, possibly including fusion, while another portion or length may be better supported by a more dynamic system that allows for protective movement.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rolling bearing holding a main spindle of a machine tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
A main spindle of a machine tool is required to rotate with high precision and small increase in temperature for maintaining high working accuracy. High precision and a small increase in temperature during rotation are also required for a bearing supporting the main spindle. To meet these requirements, a small amount of grease and a slight amount of oil (oil mist or air oil) are employed in bearings for lubrication.
A small temperature rise in bearings for use in the main spindle of the machine tool must be maintained to prevent a degradation in working accuracy caused by the thermal deformation of the main spindle. Thus such bearings are used in the demanding condition of high-speed rotation with a small amount of lubricant oil. Under such a harsh condition, roughness and wear on the raceway caused by a slight shortage of oil film, damage such as peeling and smearing, and a shortened lifetime caused by seizing may be problems. A shortage of oil film thickness can be caused by, for example, an entry into the bearing of cutting oil or chippings of the workpiece, an increase in the working load, and heat generation in the motor. Roughness and wear in the raceway may cause noise during use and degradation in the rotation accuracy of the main spindle. As the rotation speed of the main spindle is expected to further rise in the future, it is very important to prevent the damage described above.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a bearing that has an excellent durability and an excellent surface damage resistance when used in the main spindle of a machine tool.
In the bearing for use in a main spindle of a machine tool according to a first aspect of the present invention, at least its raceway is made of steel containing by mass, C (carbon): no less than 0.6% and not more than 1.3%; Si (silicon): no less than 0.3% and not more than 3.0%; Mn (manganese): no less than 0.2% and not more than 1.5%; P: at or less than 0.03%; S (sulfur): at or less than 0.03%; Cr (chrome): no less than 0.3% and not more than 5.0%; Ni (nickel): no less than 0.1% and not more than 3.0%; Al (aluminum): at or less than 0.050%; Ti (titanium): at or less than 0.003%; O (oxygen): at or less than 0.0015%; N (nitrogen): at or less than 0.015%; and the rest is composed of Fe (iron) and unavoidable impurities. The raceway is tempered after either quenching or carbonitriding and its surface hardness presents at least HRC (Hardness of Rockwell C-scale) 58 after tempering.
The steel of the above composition, if it is quenched and tempered, has an excellent rolling fatigue resistance even with no carbonitriding. Thus it is possible to omit the carbonitriding process and thereby reduce the manufacturing cost thereof. Although it is preferable to omit carbonitriding process in terms of a reduction in the manufacturing cost, an excellent rolling fatigue resistance can be attained by applying carbonitriding instead of quenching.
Besides, the steel of the above composition is cheaper than precipitation hardening bearing steel such as M50.
A correlation is recognized between the surface hardness of bearing components made of the steel of the above composition and rolling fatigue life: higher surface hardness is likely to provide longer rolling fatigue life. Thus the rolling fatigue life is extended in the invention by making the surface hardness HRC 58 or higher. If the surface hardness is less than HRC 58, the rolling fatigue life tends to become significantly shorter, and fluctuations in useful life increase.
The improvements disclosed in this invention provide an inexpensive and highly rolling fatigue-resistant bearing for use in the main spindle of a machine tool. The bearing for use in the main spindle of a machine tool may be an angular contact ball bearing or a cylindrical roller bearing.
The following is an explanation of the preferable range of each component contained in the steel according to the present invention. The term xe2x80x9c%xe2x80x9d as used herein means percentage by mass, unless indicated otherwise.
C: 0.6 to 1.3%
Carbon is a component essential for ensuring a strength high enough for roller bearings. In this invention, the percentage of carbon content is at least 0.6% in order to attain a predetermined hardness after heat treatment. Carbides play an important role in extending rolling fatigue life; however, it has been found that large particles of carbide are generated and then shorten the rolling fatigue life if the percentage of carbon content exceeds 1.3%. The upper limit of carbon content is, therefore, determined as 1.3%.
Si: 0.3 to 3.0%
It is preferable to add silicon because Si prevents softening at high temperatures and improves the heat resistance of bearings. The lower limit of the percentage of silicon content is determined as 0.3% because such effects do not appear if Si content is less than 0.3%. The heat-resistance of bearings is increased as Si content increases; however, if the Si content exceeds 3.0%, the effect of silicon addition reaches a maximum and workability at high temperatures and machinability decreases. Therefore, the upper limit of the silicon content is determined as 3.0%.
Mn: 0.2 to 1.5%
Manganese is an element used for deoxidation of steel and the improvement of quenching properties. Since at least 0.2% of Mn addition is required to attain such effects, the lower limit of the Mn content is determined as 0.2%. On the other hand, if more than 1.5% of Mn is contained in steel, its machinability decreases significantly. Thus the upper limit of Mn content is determined as 1.5%.
P: 0.03% or less
Phosphorus segregates in an austenite grain boundary and thereby decreases the toughness and rolling fatigue life of steel. Therefore, its content is limited to 0.03%.
S: 0.03% or less
Sulfur harms the hot working ability of steel, and decreases the toughness and rolling fatigue life of steel, forming non-metallic inclusions. Its upper limit is, therefore, determined as 0.03%. It is preferable to make the S content as low as possible since sulfur exerts such negative effects on steel. However, since sulfur has the effect of improving machinability, sulfur may be included at up to 0.05%.
Cr: 0.3 to 5.0%
Chrome is an element which plays an important part in the present invention. This element is added to steel to improve its quenching properties, increase hardness by forming carbides and extend useful life. Since steel has to contain Cr at a level of at least 0.3% to provide a predetermined amount of carbide, the lower limit of Cr content is determined at 0.3%. On the other hand, if its content exceeds 5.0%, large carbides are generated and then rolling fatigue life is shortened. The upper limit of Cr content is, therefore, limited to 5.0%.
Ni: 0.1 to 3.0%
Nickel is also an important element in this invention, preventing the change in texture during rolling fatigue at high temperatures and the decrease in hardness at high temperatures, thereby extending the rolling fatigue life of the bearing. In addition, the addition of Ni leads to higher toughness and longer life under the existence of foreign substances as well as an improvement in the corrosion-resistance. Since steel has to contain Ni at a level of at least 0.1% to attain these effects, the lower limit of Ni content is determined as 0.1%. However, if the Ni content exceeds 3.0%, a large amount of austenite remains in the steel after quenching and the predetermined hardness cannot be attained. Besides, the cost of steel rises with the addition of Ni. Thus the upper limit of Ni content is determined as 3.0%.
Al: 0.050% or less
Aluminum is used as a deoxidizer during steel manufacturing. Since Al forms oxide inclusions with a high hardness and shortens the rolling fatigue life, Al content should be reduced as much as possible. Also if Al content exceeds 0.050%, the rolling fatigue life of the bearing is significantly shortened. Therefore, the upper limit of the Al content is determined as 0.050%. When trying to reduce the Al content to less than 0.005%, the steel manufacturing cost increases. Thus the lower limit of the Al content should be 0.005%.
Ti: 0.003% or less
O: 0.0015% or less
N: 0.015% or less
Titanium, oxygen and nitrogen form oxides and nitrides in steel. Because such oxides and nitrides become non-metallic inclusions in steel working as initiation points of fatigue destruction and thereby shorten rolling fatigue life, their upper limits are determined as 0.03% for Ti, 0.0015% for O and 0.015% for N.
As a result of the effects of the addition of these alloying elements, the softening of the surface of the steel is prevented even during a localized significant temperature rise due to sliding, for example. Then the surface damage resistance of the steel is improved and its rolling fatigue life is extended.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the steel further contains at least either 0.05 to less than 0.25% by mass of Mo or 0.05-1.0% by mass of V. Then the rolling fatigue resistance and surface damage resistance can be further enhanced.
Now the preferred levels of Mo and V contents will be described below.
Mo: 0.05 to less than 0.25%
Molybdenum improves the quenching properties of steel and prevents softening during tempering by forming a solid solution of carbides. Molybdenum is added to steel particularly because it extends the rolling fatigue life of steel at high temperatures. However, if the Mo content becomes 0.25% or higher, the steel cost rises and its machinability is significantly reduced because the hardness of steel does not decrease when a softening treatment is conducted for easy machining. Mo content is, therefore, limited to less than 0.25%. On the other hand, since a Mo addition of less than 0.05% has no effect on the carbide formation, the lower limit of Mo content is determined as 0.05%.
V: 0.05 to 1.0%
Vanadium produces fine particles of carbide, combining with carbon, and thereby contributes to the formation of fine crystals that lead to a higher strength and toughness of steel. At the same time, vanadium improves the heat resistance of steel, prevents softening after high-temperature tempering, extends rolling fatigue life and reduces the fluctuations in life. Since these effects are obtained when the V content is 0.05% or higher, the lower limit of the V content is determined as 0.05%. However, if the V content exceeds 1.0%, the machinability and hot working ability of steel decrease. Therefore, the upper limit of the V content is determined as 1.0%.
Even if a high-temperature tempering is conducted on the bearing, assuming that the bearing is heated up to high temperatures, its surface hardness becomes HRC 58 or higher as a result of the addition of these elements. Then surface damage such as peeling and smearing can be successfully prevented.
In the roller bearing according to a third aspect of the present invention, wherein the raceway has a carbonitrided surface layer containing at least 10% by volume of residual austenite. The steel of the above composition provides a surface hardness of HRC 58 or higher even if the steel is tempered at high temperatures, for example 350xc2x0 C. Such high-temperature tempering reduces the amount of residual austenite and thus provides excellent dimensional stability at high temperatures, while providing a hardness at least HRC 58. As a result, the rolling fatigue life and wear-resistance of the steel at high temperatures can be improved.
It is also possible to further improve the peeling resistance and durability by forming a carbonitrided layer which contains residual austenite at a level of at least 10% by volume on the surface of the bearing components made of the steel of the above composition. This is because such a treatment provides a high degree of surface toughness and thereby prevents the occurrence of cracks and their evolution. Namely, when the N content in the surface layer is raised by carbonitriding, an Ms point (initiation temperature of martensite transformation) of the surface layer is lowered. Then a large amount of austenite remains in the surface layer not transformed into martensite during quenching. Residual austenite has a high toughness and hardens by working, contributing to the prevention of crack generation and its evolution. In a surface layer having a low Ms point, the martensite transformation starts later than in the inside and the amount of martensite transformation becomes larger than in the inside. Then a compressive residual stress exits in the surface layer and the fatigue resistance of the surface layer is improved. As a result, peeling resistance is raised and the roller life is extended. In order to attain such effects, at least 10% by volume of residual austenite is needed in the surface carbonitrided layer. Addition of nitrogen by carbonitriding is also effective for providing a higher heat resistance and smearing resistance.
Temper toughness is referred to below. Bearings used at high temperatures are typically given the tempering treatment at a temperature higher than the temperature during operation in order to stabilize their dimensions during use. A detailed investigation into the relationship between rolling fatigue life at an operation temperature of 200xc2x0 C. and tempering hardness indicates that the rolling fatigue life of steel is likely to extend as tempering hardness is raised. Particularly, even if tempering hardness is the same, steel that has been tempered at a higher temperature has a longer life. Bearings having greater hardness after tempering at a high temperature have longer lives. Also found is that if the post-tempering hardness becomes less than HRC 58, roller life is significantly shortened and fluctuations in life increase. In order to extend the life at high temperatures and reduce fluctuations in life, it is necessary to maintain hardness at HRC 58 or higher and at the same time it is preferable to raise the tempering temperature as high as possible. For example, the tempering temperature may preferably be at least 180xc2x0 C. and not more than 350xc2x0 C. Since rolling bearings are typically used at temperatures around 100xc2x0 C. the tempering temperature should be at least 180xc2x0 C.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sleep warning apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, for example, JP-A-S56-2227, JP-A-H6-197888 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,641), and JP-A-H11-189066 describes a falling-asleep-at-the-wheel warning apparatus for preventing a driver from falling asleep at the wheel. The falling-asleep-at-the-wheel warning apparatus described in JP-A-S56-2227 generates a pre-warning when a monotonous drive is detected. If the driver performs an operation of pressing a reset switch in response to the pre-warning, a warning (main warning) is not generated. However, if the above response operation is not performed, the main warning is generated.
The sleepiness of the driver depends on an individual difference, a body condition, and a psychological state, and therefore, the estimation result of the sleepiness does not always match with subjectivity of the driver. As a result, in a case, where the warning is generated based on the above estimation result, the warning may be generated when the sleepiness progresses to a certain extent to a certain driver, and thereby timing for providing the warning may be too late. In other case, the warning may be annoying the driver when the warning is given to the driver while the driver is aware. Therefore, as described in JP-A-S56-2227, the pre-warning is generated before the main warning is generated such that the main warning is not generated if the driver performs the response operation to the pre-warning. As a result, an unnecessary main warning is limited from being generated.
However, because the pre-warning may be generated while the driver is awake similarly to the main warning, a pre-warning that is not annoying to the driver is needed. Also, in the above JP-A-S56-2227, because the response operation needs to be performed every time the monotonous drive is detected, the driver may feel troublesome in performing the response operation.
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Since time immemorial, certain materials (e.g., paint, ink, and/or the like) have been used to memorialize scenes and/or objects into semi-permanent to permanent mediums. Such memorialization includes efforts in photography to create photos. Computer technologies allow for digitization and detections of these photos into images and have introduced image processing as a technical field. Edge detection constitutes at least one aspect of image processing and has applications in a number of cases.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present improvements have been needed.
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The present invention relates to a circuit board for a camera.
A camera has several optical systems that comprise optical elements such as lenses, mirrors, prisms, and filters. When the camera has been used for a long time, dust may likely enter inside the camera, and adhere to optical elements. In such a case, quality of an image formed by the optical system may be deteriorated. Thus, if dust adheres to the optical elements, the optical elements must be taken out of the camera and cleaned. When the optical elements are damaged and to be replaced, they must also be taken out of the camera.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional camera of which the body cover (not shown) is removed. It should be noted that a camera includes an internal body 11 and a body cover. The body cover covers an internal body 11 on which a printed circuit board is provided.
As shown in FIG. 4, upper and the side surfaces of the internal body 11 is covered with a circuit board 12. On the circuit board 12, electronic circuits are formed (printed) to control various systems such as the shutter, the aperture, the focusing mechanism, and the like. As components of the circuits, button-type switches 21, a semiconductor chip 101, and the like are provided on the circuit board 12.
In the conventional camera, when an optical element provided inside the internal body 11 is to be replaced, the circuit board 12 must be removed from the internal body 11. If an optical element is to be taken out from an upper surface of the internal body 11, at least a portion of the circuit board 12 covering the upper surface should be completely removed. In addition, to remove the circuit board 12, the wires between the circuit board 12 and the internal body 11 may be disconnected. Further, after the optical element is taken out and cleaned, or a new optical element is placed inside the internal body 11, the wires once disconnected must be restored to their original status. Thus, work required to take out the optical element from the internal body 11 is very bothersome. Furthermore, if the camera is constructed such that the circuit board 12 is fixed to the internal body 11 with screws, when the circuit board 12 is removed, unfastened screws may be lost.
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FPGAs may be used to implement large systems that include millions of gates and megabits of embedded memory. Of the tasks required in managing and optimizing a design, placement of components on the FPGAs and routing connections between components on the FPGA utilizing available resources can be the most challenging and time consuming. In order to satisfy placement and timing specifications, several iterations are often required to determine how components are to be placed on the target device and which routing resources to allocate to the components. The complexity of large systems often requires the use of EDA tools to manage and optimize their design onto physical target devices. Automated placement and routing algorithms in EDA tools perform the time consuming task of placement and routing of components onto physical devices.
The design of a system is often impacted by the connection delays routed along the programmable interconnect of the target device. The interconnect provides the ability to implement arbitrary connections, however, it includes both highly capacitive and resistive elements. The delay experienced by a connection is affected by the number of routing elements used to route the connection. Traditional approaches for reducing the delay were targeted at improving the automated placement and routing algorithms in the EDA tools. Although some reductions in delay were achieved with these approaches, the approaches were not able to perform further improvements to the system after the placement and routing phases. It is often only after the placement phase and/or routing phase of the FPGA computer automated design (CAD) flow when connection delays power dissipation on the interconnect are fully known.
In addition, traditional approaches of functional decomposition used for improving the synthesis procedure in the CAD flow utilized data structures such as truth tables that were exponential in the number of variables present in a function being decomposed. This required EDA tools to utilize a large amount of memory and to implement algorithms that were slow in nature.
Thus, what is needed is an efficient and effective method and apparatus for performing layout-driven optimizations on FPGAs after the placement phase of the FPGA CAD flow.
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Conventionally, this kind of component feeding head apparatus has been known to have various structures (see, e.g., Japanese unexamined patent publication No. H11-102936 A). For example, there is a component feeding head apparatus 501 shown in FIG. 12.
As shown in FIG. 12, the component feeding head apparatus 501 has a holding nozzle 502 for holding a component at its top end, and includes a head unit 503 for supporting the holding nozzle 502 so as to allow rotation (so called θ-rotation) of the holding nozzle 502 around its center of axis, a θ-rotating unit 510 for θ-rotation of the holding nozzle 502 around the center of axis, a head inverting unit 520 for rotating the head unit 503 so as to invert it in vertical direction, and a lifting unit 530 for moving the head unit 503 up and down along the center of axis.
As shown in FIG. 12, the head unit 503 includes a ball screw shaft 504 with the holding nozzle 502 fixed to its top end, and a nut 505 fitted to the ball screw shaft 504. Moreover, the θ-rotating unit 510 can transmit a rotational motion of a drive motor to the nut 505 as a reciprocating motion in the vertical direction with use of a cam and cam follower. With the vertical reciprocating motion of the nut 505, the ball screw shaft 504 is rotated around the center of axis, thereby allowing θ-rotation of the holding nozzle 502.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 12, the θ-rotating unit 510 and the head inverting unit 520 are both supported by a head frame 540, and the head unit 503 is also supported by the head frame 540 in a way that allows inversion. Further, the head lifting unit 530 can move the head unit 503 up and down by moving the head frame 540 up and down.
Moreover, although unshown in FIG. 12, the component feeding head apparatus 501 includes a moving device (unshown) for moving the head unit 503 between a position at which components are picked up by the head unit 503 from a component arrangement unit in the component feeding apparatus having respective components arranged so as to be picked up to a component transfer position at which the picked up components are transferred to a mounting head for mounting the components on a substrate in the component mounting apparatus. The moving device performs the moving operation by moving the head unit 503, the θ-rotating unit 510, the head inverting unit 520, the head frame 540 and the head lifting unit 530 in an integrated manner.
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Data storage devices utilize heads to read data from and/or write data to a data storage media. Reliability of the heads to read and/or write data depends upon control of the spacing between the transducer elements and the media. Read and write transducer elements are fabricated at a trailing edge of the head or slider. Reliability of the read signal from the read transducer element depends upon spacing between the read element and the media. Likewise the reliability of the write signal depends on the spacing between the write pole and the media. The present application relates to operation of the read and/or write elements and active spacing control between the read and/or write elements and the media.
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A wealth of epidemiological evidence indicates that ovarian hormones play a crucial role in the etiology of breast cancer (Kelsey et al., Epidemiol. Rev. 15:36-47 (1993)). Specifically, the observations that early menarche, late menopause and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy are each associated with increased breast cancer risk, whereas early oophorectomy is associated with decreased breast cancer risk, have led to the hypothesis that breast cancer risk is proportional to cumulative estradiol and progesterone exposure (Henderson et al., Cancer Res. 48:246-253 (1988); Pike et al., Epidemiol. Rev. 15:17-35 (1993)). As such, elucidating the mechanisms by which hormones contribute to mammary carcinogenesis is a central goal of breast cancer research.
In addition to their roles in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, estradiol and progesterone are the principal steroid hormones responsible for regulating the development of the mammary gland during puberty, pregnancy and lactation (Topper et al., Physiol. Rev. 60:1049-1106 (1980)). For example, estradiol action is required for epithelial proliferation and ductal morphogenesis during puberty, whereas progesterone action is required for ductal arborization and alveolar differentiation during pregnancy (Bocchinfuso et al., J. Mamm. Gland Biol. Neoplasia, 2:323-334 (1997); Humphreys et al., J. Mamm. Gland Biol. Neoplasia, 2:343-354 (1997); Topper et al., 1980). The effects of estradiol and progesterone in a given tissue are ultimately determined by the activation and repression of their respective target genes.
Protein kinases represent the largest class of genes known to regulate differentiation, development, and carcinogenesis in eukaryotes. Many protein kinases function as intermediates in signal transduction pathways that control complex processes such as differentiation, development, and carcinogenesis (Birchmeier et al., BioEssays, 15:185-190 (1993); Bolen, Oncogene, 8:2025-2031 (1993); Rawlings et al., Immunol. Rev., 138:105-119 (1994)). Accordingly, studies of protein kinases in a wide range of biological systems have led to a more comprehensive understanding of the regulation of cell growth and differentiation (Bolen, 1993; Fantl et al., Annu. Rev. Biochem., 62:453-481(1993); Hardie, Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol., 44:241-255 (1990)).
Not surprisingly, aberrant expression or mutations in several members of the protein kinase family have been reportedly involved in the pathogenesis of cancer both in humans and in rodent model systems (Cardiff et al., Cancer Surv., 16:97-113 (1993); Cooper, Oncogenes, Publ., Jones & Bartlett, Boston, Mass., (1990); DiFiore et al., Cell, 51:1063-1070 (1987); Muller et al., Cell, 54:105-115 (1988)). Protein kinases function as molecular switches in signal transduction pathways that regulate cellular processes, such as proliferation and differentiation. In addition, some protein kinases are expressed in a lineage-specific manner, and are therefore useful markers for defining cellular subtypes (Dymecki et al., Science, 247:332-336 (1990); Mischak et al., J. Immunol., 147:3981-3987 (1991); Rawlings et al., 1994; Schnurch et al., Development, 119:957-968 (1993); Siliciano et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89:11194-11198 (1992); Valenzuela et al., Neuron, 15:573-584 (1995)).
A key role played by serine/threonine kinases in regulating diverse cellular processes is exemplified by studies of SNF1-related kinases. The SNF1 family of protein kinases is composed of at least two subfamilies. The first subfamily includes SNF1 and its plant homologues including NPK5, AKin10, BKIN12, and Rkin1, as well as the mammalian SNF1 functional homologue, AMPK (Alderson et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:8602-8605 (1991); Carling et al., J. Biol. Chem., 269:11442-11448 (1994); LeGuen et al., Gene, 120:249-254 (1992); Muranaka et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 14:2958-2965 (1994)). More recently, additional mammalian SNF1-related kinases have been identified that define a second subfamily. These include C-TAK1/p78 (involved in cell cycle control), MARK1, MARK2/Emk, SNRK (involved in adipocyte differentiation), and Msk (involved in murine cardiac development), as well as the C. elegans kinase, PAR-1 (Becker et al., Eur. J. Biochem., 235:736-743 (1996); Drewes et al., Cell, 89:297-308 (1997); Peng et al., Science, 277:1501-1505 (1997); Peng et al., Cell Growth Differ., 9:197-208 (1998); Ruiz et al., Mech. Dev., 48:153-164 (1994)). Less closely related to either subfamily are Wpk4, Melk, and KIN1, SNF1-related kinases found in wheat, mice, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, respectively (Heyer et al., Mol. Reprod. Dev., 47:148-156 (1997); Levin et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87:8272-8276 (1990); Sano et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 91:2582-2586 (1994)).
SNF1 is composed of a heterotrimeric complex that is activated by glucose starvation and is required for the expression of genes in response to nutritional stress (Carlson et al., Genetics, 98:25-40 (1981); Celenza et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 9:5045-5054 (1989); Ciriacy, Mol. Gen. Genet., 154:213-220 (1977); Fields et al., Nature, 340:245-246 (1989); Wilson et al., Curr. Biol., 6:1426-1434 (1996); Yang et al., Science, 257:680-682 (1992); Yang et al., EMBO J., 13:5878-5886 (1994); Zimmermann et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 154:95-103 (1977); Hardie et al., Semin. Cell Biol., 5: 409-416 (1994)). In fact, SNF-1 itself has been found to mediate cell cycle arrest in response to starvation (Thompson-Jaeger et al., Genetics, 129:697-706 (1991)).
Like SNF1, the mammalian SNF1-related kinase, AMPK, is involved in the cellular response to environmental stresses, particularly those that elevate cellular AMP:ATP ratios. Once activated, AMPK functions to decrease energy-requiring anabolic pathways, such as sterol and fatty acid synthesis while up-regulating energy-producing catabolic pathways such as fatty acid oxidation (Moore et al., Eur. J. Biochem., 199:691-697 (1991); Ponticos et al., EMBO J., 17:1688-1699 (1998)). AMPK complements the snf1 mutation in yeast and phosphorylates some of the same targets as SNF1 (Hardie, Biochem. Soc. Symp., 64:13-27 (1999); Hardie et al., Biochem. Soc. Trans., 25:1229-1231 (1997); Hardie et al., Biochem. J., 338:717-722 (1999); Woods et al., J. Biol. Chem., 271:10282-10290 (1996)). Like SNF1, AMPK is a heterotrimer composed of a, b, and g subunits that are homologous to the subunits of SNF1 (Hardie, 1999). Thus, AMPK and SNF1 are closely related both functionally and structurally, demonstrating that the regulatory pathways in which they operate have been highly conserved during evolution.
For instance, C-TAK1/p78 appears to be involved in cell cycle regulation based on its ability to phosphorylate and inactivate Cdc25c (Peng et al., 1997; Peng et al., 1998). Since Cdc25c controls entry into mitosis by activating cdc2, inactivation of Cdc25c by C-TAK1 would be predicted to regulate proliferation negatively. Consistent with this model, C-TAK1/p78 is down-regulated in adenocarcinomas of the pancreas (Parsa, Cancer Res. 48: 2265-2272 (1988)).
Perhaps the most compelling evidence that SNF1 kinases are involved in development is the observation that mutations in the C. elegans SNF1-related kinase, PAR-1, result in an inability to establish polarity in the developing embryo (Guo et al., Cell, 81:611-620 (1995)). Specifically, par-1 mutations disrupt P granule localization, asymmetric cell divisions, blastomere fates, and mitotic spindle orientation during early embryogenesis.
In an analogous manner, the mammalian PAR-1 homologue, MARK2/Emk, is asymmetrically localized in epithelial cells in vertebrates, and expression of a dominant negative form of MARK2 disrupts both cell polarity and epithelial cell-cell contacts (Bohm et al., Curr. Biol., 7:603-606 (1997)). In addition, overexpression of either MARK2 or its close family member MARK1 results in hyperphosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins, disruption of the microtubule array, and cell death (Drewes et al 1997). Thus, members of the SNF1 kinase family have been demonstrated to regulate a variety of important cellular processes.
In light of these findings, it is clear that prior to the present invention, there was a need to identify and study the role of protein kinases in mammary development and carcinogenesis, as well as provide insight into the regulation of pregnancy-induced changes in the mammary tissue that occur in response to estrogen and progesterone.
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An epithelial tissue, which is a cell layer covering the inside and outside surface of an animal body, such as an epidermis, a corneal epithelium, an alveolar epithelium, a mucosal epithelium of digestive system, renal glomerular epithelium, and hepatic parenchymal cells, prevents the invasion of an exogenous material (microorganism, allergen, chemical substance, etc.) from the external world. The outer interface of epithelial cells that constitutes said epithelial tissue is called apical surface, and the inside undersurface is called basal surface. Just beneath said basal surface, there is a thin film structure of 50-100 nm thickness called a basement membrane comprised of extracellular matrices (ECM) such as proteins, and proteoglycans, which does not include cells. A basement membrane is considered to be an essential structure for immature epithelial cells to proliferate, to differentiate into mature cells, and to express its intrinsic morphology and function. In other words, without a basement membrane, an epithelial tissue cannot maintain itself or achieve its intrinsic performance. Although an epithelial cell layer of multilayer or monolayer prevents the invasion of an exogenous material from the external world as a barrier, a basement membrane itself also acts as a physical barrier. Thus, epithelial cells constituting an epithelial tissue collaborate with a basement membrane to form a solid barrier and to protect the internal vital activity.
A basement membrane, which is a specific membranous structure of extracellular matrices formed on the interface between parenchymal cells, such as epithelial cells, endothelial cells, muscle cells, adipocytes, Schwann cells, and connective tissues, is universally found in respective tissue/organ of a living body, however, some kinds of basement membranes are highly specialized such as a renal glomerular capillary loop, a nervous synapse membrane. Thus, it is disclosed that the basement membrane has not only a function to allow cells to adhere to interstitium, but also a function of selective permeability about substance/cell, and to induce the differentiation of cells. In renal glomerulus, negative electric charges of a basement membrane are considered to be responsible for the filtration function of kidney, and said negative electric charges are traditionally known to be due to heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) which is currently called perlecan. HSPG is widely distributed not only to the renal glomerular basement membrane but also to various kinds of basement membranes as a basic component of basement membrane, just like type IV collagen, laminin, entactin (nidogen), etc.
An extracellular matrix, especially a basement membrane, is now gradually known to be deeply involved not only in the physiological phenomena such as generation and differentiation of an individual as described above, but also in the formation of pathology such as proliferative metastasis of cancer and inflammation. Therefore, clarification of the function of its constituent protein has been an important task. For example, laminin, which is a main glycoprotein of basement membrane, is a complex comprised of three subunits α, β, and γ, fifteen types of its isoforms are known, and they are expressed tissue-specifically, or specifically at each step of development. Laminin is a complicated macromolecule of 900,000 molecular weight having various bioactivities. As laminin receptors, integrin molecule such as α6β1, α-dystroglycan (α-DG), heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) of syndecan-1 to -4 are reported.
The interaction between a component of basement membrane, which is a thin extracellular matrix layer to which cells can adhere, and epithelial cells influences the cell function such as migration, proliferation, and differentiation (Crouch et al., Basement membrane. In The Lung (ed. R. G. Crystal and J. B. West), pp 53.1-53.23. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven. 1996). As for the main components of basement membrane, laminin, type IV collagen, heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), and entactin (nidogen) are known as described above (Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 6, 674-681, 1994), and mesenchymal cells are considered to play an important role for the synthesis of basement membrane components including isoforms of laminin and type IV collagen (Matrix Biol. 14, 209-211, 1994; J. Biol. Chem. 268, 26033-26036, 1993), however, the role of epithelial cells is also important. HSPG has been believed to be derived from epithelial cells, however, laminin, type IV collagen, and entactin (nidogen) are synthesized in vivo by both of epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells (Development, 120, 2003-2014, 1994; Gastroenterology 102, 1835-1845, 1992). Many attempts have been made to construct an epithelial tissue model in vitro showing a continuous lamina densa. Tissue models of intestine (J. Cell Biol. 133, 417-430, 1996) and skin (J. Invest. Dermatol., 105, 597-601, 1995; J. Invest. Dermatol., 109, 527-533, 1997; Dev. Dynam., 197,255-267, 1993) and the like have been studied, and some of basement membrane components derived from mesenchymal cells have been found to play an important role in the formation of basement membrane.
Several methods to constitute a basement membrane by culturing epithelial cells, and to constitute epithelial tissues wherein a basement membrane structure is present just beneath the basal surface have been reported. For example, the present inventor has reported that a basement membrane can be formed in vitro by coculturing alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary fibroblasts (Cell Struc. Func., 22:603-614, 1997). It has been reported that when pulmonary fibroblasts are embedded in type I collagen gel and cultured, the collagen gel is contracted and becomes more solid by pulmonary fibroblasts. Extracellular matrices secreted from pulmonary fibroblasts attach to collagen fibrils around the cells and are deposited; the resultant formation is called a pseudointerstitium since it is similar to an interstitium in vivo. Basement membrane components such as laminin, type IV collagen, perlecan, entactin (nidogen) are also secreted from pulmonary fibroblasts to the culture medium. When alveolar type II epithelial cell line (SV40-T2) was cultured on such pseudointerstitial type I collagen fibrils for approximately 14 days (T2-Fgel), basement membrane components secreted from pulmonary fibroblasts diffuse and reach the basal surface of the alveolar type II epithelial cell line described above, and are used as materials for the constitution of basement membrane, and as a result, a basement membrane structure is formed.
It is also reported that a basement membrane is formed just like the case of coculture of the above alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary fibroblasts by the following process: the diluted neutral collagen solution was incubated at 37° C. in 5% CO2, and collagen fibrils were formed, then the air-dried fibrillar collagen matrix (fib) that was air-dried in aseptic condition was used as an alternative to the pseudointerstitium described above (Eur. J. Cell Biol., 78:867-875, 1999; J. Cell Sci., 113:859-868, 2000). In this process, if the concentration of the collagen solution is high, there will be less or no space formed among fibrillar collagen, and if epithelial cells are cultured for a long term (10 days-2 weeks) for the purpose of basement membrane formation, the cells are exfoliated and floated (e.g. Becton Dickinson, Fibrillar collagen coat culture insert), therefore, the concentration of the collagen solution is considered to be optimum at 0.3-0.5 mg/ml (Eur. J. Cell. Biol., 78:867-875, 1999; J. Cell Sci., 113:859-868, 2000).
Alveolar type II epithelial cell line (SV40-T2) was cultured on a fibrillar collagen matrix coexistent with Matrigel (the registered trademark of Becton Dickinson), instead of using a collagen matrix wherein fibroblasts were embedded. In this case, Matrigel functioned as an exogenous resource of basement membrane components. Matrigel is a basement membrane preparation extracted from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor matrix (J. Exp. Med. 145, 204-220, 1977), and contains laminin-1, entactin (nidogen), type IV collagen, and perlecan, as well as various kinds of cytokines that possibly influence the synthesis of ECM (Exp. Cell Res. 202, 1-8, 1992). In order to trace the incorporation of Matrigel-derived components into a basement membrane, Matrigel was labeled with biotin. Among the labeled basement membrane components, laminin-1 and entactin (nidogen) mostly diffused into the culture medium, and were incorporated in the basement membrane formed by pulmonary epithelial cells. In addition, when basement membrane components were stained immunofluorescently and observed with a (fluorescent) microscope, the acceleration of basement membrane formation depending on the amount of Matrigel, and the process wherein basement membrane matrix components are secreted, deposited in a punctiform manner, expanded in a sheet form, and then developed into a basement membrane were observed. Based on these results, it has been found that exogenous laminin-1 and entactin (nidogen) provided from a lower part below the basal surface of alveolar epithelial cells are largely involved in the in vitro formation of a complete basement membrane by the epithelial cells described above (J. Cell Sci., 113:859-868, 2000).
Further, as a method for culturing cells comprising the attachment of cells in vitro, a method wherein an end-group activated polymer (EGAP) conjugated with a biomolecule via disulfide bond is adsorbed to the surface of hydrophobic tissue culture, and cells are seeded on the surface of the biomolecule-conjugated EGAP coating and proliferated is disclosed (Published Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication No. 2001-512565; WO98/31734).
When cultured cells adhere to a substrate, receptor molecules, such as integrin, present on the cell surface are generally used for the adhesion. Therefore, in order to induce the cell adhesion to a substrate by using specific receptors, extracellular matrices, etc. that have cell adhesion activities are used as a linker. As for representative extracellular matrices, cell adhesion proteins such as fibronectin (FN), collagen (Col), laminin (LN) and vitronectin (VN) are known. These cell adhesion proteins are used as a substrate for cell culture. In the culturing process, these cell adhesion proteins are directly adsorbed by noncovalent binding by making use of hydrophobic binding to plastic wells, and epithelial cells, vascular endothelial cells, fibroblasts, etc., are seeded thereon. However, these cell adhesion proteins are expensive and, what is more, they are susceptible to denaturation and degradation, which are general properties of proteins, and have problems with its price, stability, shelf life, etc.
In addition, a peptide in the region relating to the cell adhesion in the amino acid sequence of a cell adhesion protein can be directly adsorbed to plastic wells in the manner similar to that described above and used as a substrate for cell culture. In comparison with a method using these cell adhesion proteins, a method using peptides which can be easily chemosynthesized as cell adhesion peptides has advantages when it is used for a cell culture substrate because such peptides are easily mass-produced and these structure are relatively stable. However, because such peptides have a low molecular weight, their adsorptive efficiency is extremely lower than that of proteins, and only a few percent of them are adsorbed. Further, it is difficult for the peptides as well to bind to receptors on the cell side when they are adsorbed to plastics and deprived of the freedom of movement. In addition, even if peptides once adsorbed to the plastics the peptides will be gradually detached from there subsequently. Therefore, the reproducibility of cell adhesion using peptides is not excellent, and it (the wells where peptides are directly coated) is not highly valuable as industrial goods.
The present inventor has found a method for coating the hydrophobic surface of a well with a cell adhesion ligand (a molecule of an extracellular matrix to which a receptor binds) to induce the adhesion of cultured cells to a substrate, instead of a hydrophilically treated plastic well used for cell culture, and completed the present invention. This method makes use of noncovalent bonding (hydrophobic binding) between a ligand, a receiver of cell adhesion, and a well on which the ligand is immobilized.
In other words, the present invention is to provide: a cell culture substrate which adsorbs to cell culture substrates such as wells, and is excellent in the reproducibility of cell adhesion, and whose surface is coated with a hydrophobic binding-adsorptive polymer; the immobilized preparation of cell adhesion proteins or peptides which binds to cell culture substrates efficiently, and is excellent in the reproducibility of cell adhesion; and further, an artificial tissue prepared by seeding cells onto the immobilized preparation of cell adhesion peptides and culturing the cells.
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Handheld flashlights with selectably actuable brightness levels are known in the prior art, as are flashlights with multiple light emitters including incandescent light bulbs and light emitting diodes. Such flashlights permit a user to perform tasks under portable light conditions selected for the particular task. Nevertheless, the need exists for improvements in such flashlights for increasing their adaptability to varied environments and purposes.
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Using current agricultural techniques, cherries are no longer hand picked but are removed from the trees when at the correct stage of ripeness by shaking the tree, causing the cherries to fall into a gathering mechanism placed beneath the tree. Thus, the care which could be exercised by an individual doing the picking to remove only the cherries and not their stems has been eliminated. Thus, if the cherries are separated from the tree at the base of the stem rather than by separation of the fruit itself from the stem, the cherries will retain their stems after picking. This is true of a significant proportion of the cherries shaken from the trees. Thus, later in the processing of the cherries, whether for consumption fresh or for canning, these stems must be removed because they are not a desirable, edible part of the fruit. Furthermore, they are definitely undesirable if they end up in a cherry pie or the like. Further, the fruit, as it is received at a processing facility, is a mixture of cherries with stems and cherries without stems and there is no practical mechanism for separating one from the other. Therefore, it is necessary to have equipment which will destem those of the cherries which have retained their stems and allow the already unstemmed cherries to pass through. Further, as a matter of economics, this must be done automatically by mechanical equipment because the use of hand labor for this purpose is far too costly to be acceptable.
One of the problems in using mechanical destemming is the necessity of making the cherries place their stems in a position where mechanical equipment can remove them. To do this, the cherries are passed over a surface where they are subjected to constant and vigorous shaking which causes the cherries to rotate and, as a result, be turned to a position in which the stem is erected above the bed of cherries so that it is in a position to be mechanically detached and removed. This has been done by equipment which shakes a bed on which there is spread a single layer of cherries. This shaking process, however, is very undesirable in existing equipment because the motion is transmitted to the surrounding equipment and building and is, therefore, noisy and becomes the source of excessive vibration which is tiring to personnel, resulting in fatigue. It is also damaging to other equipment and to the building and its floors. It is the object of this invention to provide a solution to this problem.
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Traditional methodologies for protein detection and quantification include 2-D gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and antibody binding. Each methodology has been used to quantify protein levels from relatively large amounts of tissue, yet each suffers from a lack of sensitivity.
Improvement of the ability to monitor proteins, lipids, sugars and metabolite levels and their modifications is needed for cell biology and medicine. A variety of technologies have been employed to improve the sensitivity of detecting these molecules. Recent examples of detection methods include immuno-PCR, RCA and immuno-aRNA.
Immuno-PCR (U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,539) combines the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology with conventional detection methods to increase the sensitivity to detect protein. However, a major limitation of immuno-PCR lies in the non-linear amplification ability of PCR reaction, which limits this technique as a quantitative detection method. Thus, this method provides no direct correlation between the amount of signal and the amount of protein present.
A relatively isothermal rolling circle DNA amplification technique (RCA; Schwietzer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 10113, 2000)) provides an improvement over immuno-PCR as this technique overcomes some of the quantitation problems associated with immuno-PCR.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,553 discloses a method for quantifying levels of a selected protein via a technique referred to as immuno-aRNA. In this method, a first antibody targeted to a selected protein is immobilized to a solid support. The support is then contacted with the selected protein so that the selected protein is immobilized to the first antibody. The solid support is then contacted with a RNA promoter-driven cDNA sequence covalently coupled to a second antibody targeted to the selected protein so that the second antibody binds to the bound selected protein. The amount of selected protein is determined by quantifying levels of the promoter driven cDNA sequence covalently coupled to the bound second antibody via an amplified RNA technique. In a preferred embodiment, a T7 promoter driven cDNA sequence is covalently coupled to the second antibody.
It has now been found that single chain fragments as well as exocyclic peptide based complementarity determining region (CDR) subunits can be used in this immuno-aRNA technique. Further, it has been found that PCR, as well as amplified RNA techniques, can be used to quantify the promoter driven cDNA sequence covalently coupled to the bound single chain fragment or CDR subunit. The use of smaller antibody binding units and fragments coupled with the already existing large single chain or cyclic peptide libraries and the use of robotic assistance renders this method widely useful for both medicinal and research purposes. Furthermore, a single third detector species can be coupled with double-stranded DNA and bound to either the single chain Fv or the CDRs, rendering detection uniform and simple.
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The majority of “controlled-release” drug delivery systems known in the prior art (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,410 to Sears which describes drug release from capsules which are enzymatically labile) are incapable of releasing drugs at intervals and concentrations which are in direct proportion to the amount of a molecular indicator (e.g., a metabolite) present in the human body. The delivery or release of drug in these prior art systems is thus not literally “controlled,” but simply a slow release which is independent of external or internal factors.
The treatment of diabetes mellitus with injectable insulin is a well-known and studied example where uncontrolled, slow release of insulin is undesirable. In fact, it is apparent that the simple replacement of the hormone is not sufficient to prevent the pathological sequelae associated with this disease. The development of these sequelae is believed to reflect an inability to provide exogenous insulin proportional to varying blood glucose concentrations experienced by the patient. To solve this problem several biological and bioengineering approaches to develop a more physiological insulin delivery system have been suggested (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,387 to Brownlee et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,830,506, 5,902,603, and 6,410,053 to Taylor et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004-0202719 to Zion et al.).
In certain embodiments of the Zion system multivalent glucose-binding molecules are combined with a glycosylated polymer-insulin conjugate. The glycosylated polymer contains multiple saccharide binding groups and forms insoluble hydrogels or particles in the presence of the glucose-binding molecule. The gel releases the glycosylated polymer-insulin conjugate in response to increases in glucose concentration. The Zion system has been demonstrated using the lectin concanavalin A (Con A) as an exemplary multivalent glucose-binding molecule. Unfortunately, Con A and many of the other readily available lectins have the potential to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation. By binding to carbohydrate receptors on the surfaces of certain types of lymphocytes, these so-called “mitogenic” lectins can potentially induce the mitosis of lymphocytes and thereby cause them to proliferate. Most mitogenic lectins including Con A are selective T-cell mitogens. A few lectins are less selective and stimulate both T-cells and B-cells. Local or systemic in viveo exposure to mitogenic lectins can result in inflammation, cytotoxicity, macrophage digestion, and allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. In addition, plant lectins are known to be particularly immunogenic, giving rise to the production of high titers of anti-lectin specific antibodies. It will be appreciated that mitogenic lectins cannot therefore be used in their native form for in vivo methods and devices unless great care is taken to prevent their release. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,506, Taylor highlights the toxic risks that are involved in using Con A and emphasizes the importance and difficulty of containing Con A within a drug delivery device that also requires glucose and insulin molecules to diffuse freely in and out of the device.
The risks and difficulties that are involved with these and other in vivo uses of lectins could be avoided if a method existed for reducing the mitogenicity of lectins without interfering with their ability to function as cross-linking agents within a Zion system which responds to useful concentrations of glucose.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wheelbarrows, and in particular to a wheelbarrow which may be collapsed, for storage or transport purposes, and which may be opened out for use in carrying goods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has over the years been a great number of different designs for wheelbarrows, most of which are in the form of rigid structures the volume of which cannot be reduced, for example if the wheelbarrow is to be transported from one place to another, when empty. Some designs permit at least partial dis-assembly, primarily with the intention of assisting the storage and transportation of a number of such wheelbarrows, prior to their sale to end users: when however such a wheelbarrow has been assembled for the first time, it would not ordinarily be dismantled again for any purpose.
A complete wheelbarrow, though relatively light, nevertheless is a relatively bulky object and so the storage of a considerable number of wheelbarrows is inconvenient for example by the original manufacturer, a wholesaler or a retailer. Transportation of a number of such wheelbarrows is not particularly economic, and for the end user, may at best be inconvenient, if at all possible.
A further disadvantage of a conventional wheelbarrow is that most frequently it is left outside in all weathers, in view of the space required to store it when not in use for instance in a garage or garden shed. Inevitably, this leads to more rapid deterioration of the wheelbarrow than would be the case were it stored indoors, when not in use.
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In deployments of wireless mobile networks, and in particular in 3GPP's Long Term Evolution (LTE), a set of base stations or eNB's can make use of the same radio resources in the time and frequency domain, creating interference to terminals (UE's) located in the border coverage areas between them. This situation is particularly severe in the case of the so called heterogeneous networks, where a layer of high power macro eNB's is overlaid with layers of lower power eNB's that are deployed in the same area. Such deployments can achieve significantly improved overall capacity, although cell-edge performance can be degraded due to intra-carrier interference. Interference reduction in these scenarios is the object of techniques known as Inter Cell Interference Coordination (ICIC).
A procedure for interference reduction in wireless communications where the same radio resources are used in two different base stations is the so called Time Domain Multiplexing ICIC. In this approach the transmissions from an aggressor eNB inflicting interference onto other are periodically muted for entire subframes, so that the victim eNB have a chance to serve their UE's in these subframes. This muting is not complete, as certain signals like common reference symbols, synchronization signals or a broadcast channel have to be transmitted even in the muted subframes. Subframes that are muted are called almost blank subframes (ABS).
ABS muting patterns are configured semi-statically and signalled between eNB's through the X2 interface. Signalling is done by means of bit maps of length 40 or 70, representing the ABS pattern over four frames for FDD mode, and two to seven frames for TDD. The ABS pattern can be configured by the network in a static way, or it is possible to apply self-optimizing networks (SON) function for optimizing the muting pattern according to some target criterion like load balancing and taking into account the traffic in both the aggressor eNB and the victim eNB's.
ABS muting pattern is communicated from the aggressor eNB to the victim eNB by means of an “ABS Information” Information Element (ABS Information IE), as it is described in [1]. The ABS Information IE includes the “ABS Pattern Info”, which is a 40 bit string. This 40 bit string represents 40 subframes in 4 consecutive frames, the first bit representing the first subframe of the 40 subframes, and the last bit the last subframe of the 40 subframes. In this 40 bit string, a bit equal to 1 represents an ABS subframe, and a bit equal to 0 an ordinary non-ABS subframe. The ABS pattern starts in the System Frame Number 0, and is repeated continuously every 4 frames (40 ms). The System Frame Number is increased every 10 ms (every frame) and runs from System Frame Number 0 to System Frame Number 1023, therefore an ABS pattern remains active for at least 1024 frames, or 10.24 s. The aggressor eNB can send a new ABS Information IE to the victim eNB with a new ABS Pattern Info, which will come into effect when the System Frame Number is again 0. FIG. 1 shows an ABS pattern and its representation as a 40 bit string.
The ABS Information IE is part of the Load Information message, which is sent through the X2 interface, as it is described in [2][2]. The purpose of the Load Information message is to transfer load and interference co-ordination information between eNB's controlling intra-frequency neighbouring cells.
TABLE 1Load Information messageIE typeandIE/Group NamereferenceSemantics descriptionMessage TypeCell Information >Cell Information Item >>Cell IDIdentification of thesource cell >>UL Interference Overload Indication >>UL High Interference Information >>>Target Cell ID >>>UL High Interference Indication >>Relative Narrowband Tx Power (RNTP) >>ABS InformationInformation Element that containsthe ABS pattern information >>Invoke Indication
If the ABS Information IE is included in the Load Information message, the ABS Pattern Info IE indicates the subframes designated as almost blank subframes by the sending (aggressor) eNB for the purpose of interference coordination. The receiving (victim) eNB may take such information into consideration when scheduling UE's. The structure of the ABS Information IE is as follows.
TABLE 2ABS Information IEIE type andIE/Group NamereferenceSemantics descriptionABS Information——>FDD—— >>ABS PatternBIT STRINGEach position in the bitmap represents a DL subframe, for which Info(SIZE(40))value “1” indicates ‘ABS’ and value “0” indicates ‘non ABS’.The first position of the ABS pattern corresponds to subframe 0 in aradio frame where SFN = 0. The ABS pattern is continuouslyrepeated in all radio frames.The maximum number of subframes is 40. >>Number OfENUMERATEDP (number of antenna ports for cell-specific reference signals) Cell-specific(1, 2, 4, . . . )defined in TS 36.211 [10] Antenna Ports >>MeasurementBIT STRINGIndicates a subset of the ABS Pattern Info above, and is used to Subset(SIZE(40))configure specific measurements towards the UE.>TDD—— >>ABS PatternBIT STRINGEach position in the bitmap represents a DL subframe for which Info(1 . . . 70, . . . )value “1” indicates ‘ABS’ and value “0” indicates ‘non ABS’.The maximum number of subframes depends on UL/DL subframeconfiguration.The maximum number of subframes is 20 for UL/DL subframeconfiguration 1~5; 60 for UL/DL subframe configuration 6; 70 forUL/DL subframe configuration 0.UL/DL subframe configuration defined in [3]The first position of the ABS pattern corresponds to subframe 0 in aradio frame where SFN = 0. The ABS pattern is continuouslyrepeated in all radio frames, and restarted each time SFN = 0. >>Number OfENUMERATEDP (number of antenna ports for cell-specific reference signals) Cell-specific(1, 2, 4, . . . )defined in TS 36.211 [10] Antenna Ports >>MeasurementBIT STRINGIndicates a subset of the ABS Pattern Info above, and is used to Subset(1 . . . 70, . . . )configure specific measurements towards the UE>ABS InactiveNULLIndicates that interference coordination by means of almost blanksub frames is not active
If the Invoke Indication IE is included in the Load Information message, it indicates which type of information the sending eNB would like the receiving eNB to send back. If the sending eNB is the victim eNB, the victim eNB can make use of the Invoke Indication IE to request the activation of ABS subframes in the aggressor eNB. In this case the Invoke Indication IE is set to “ABS Information”, and it indicates that the sending (victim) eNB would like the receiving (aggressor) eNB to initiate the Load Indication message, with the Load Information message containing the ABS Information IE indicating the ABS pattern.
On the other hand, the aggressor eNB can request to the victim eNB to report the status of the ABS subframes usage at the victim eNB by means of a Resource Status Request message on the X2 interface. The victim eNB will report back by means of the Resource Status Update message [4], which includes the ABS Status IE. The ABS Status IE is used to aid the aggressor eNB which is creating the ABS pattern to evaluate the need for modification of the ABS pattern. The ABS Status IE is defined in [5] and indicates a percentage of used ABS resources in the victim eNB.
The standard procedure for reporting the status of radio resources usage between eNB's through the X2 interface is as follows. The process starts by means of a Resource Status Request message [6], which is sent by an eNB to a neighbouring eNB to initiate the requested measurement according to the parameters given in the message, and the neighbouring eNB answers with a Resource Status Response message, which is sent to indicate that the requested measurement, for all or for a subset of the measurement objects included in the measurement is successfully initiated. Then, the neighbouring eNB will send Resource Status Update messages to report the results of the requested measurements [4][4].
The contents of the Resource Status Request message, where eNB1 is the sending eNB and eNB2 the neighbouring eNB, as is showed in table 3.
TABLE 3Resource Status Request messageIE type andIE/Group NamereferenceSemantics descriptionMessage TypeeNB1INTEGERAllocated by eNB1Measurement ID(1 . . . 4095, . . . )eNB2INTEGERAllocated by eNB2Measurement ID(1 . . . 4095, . . . )RegistrationENUMERATED(start,A value set to “stop”, indicates a request to stop all cellsRequeststop, . . . )measurements.ReportBITSTRINGEach position in the bitmap indicates measurement objectCharacteristics(SIZE(32))the eNB2 is requested to report.First Bit = PRB Periodic,Second Bit = TNL load Ind Periodic,Third Bit = HW Load Ind Periodic,Fourth Bit = Composite Available Capacity Periodic,Fifth Bit = ABS Status Periodic.Other bits shall be ignored by the eNB2Cell To ReportCell ID list for which measurement is needed >Cell To Report Item >>Cell IDECGIReportingENUMERATED(1000 ms,Periodicity2000 ms,5000 ms, 10000 ms, . . . )Partial SuccessENUMERATED(partialIncluded if partial success is allowed.Indicatorsuccess allowed, . . . )
Regarding the contents of the Resource Status Response message, it is showed in Table 4.
TABLE 4Resource Status Response messageIE type andSemanticsIE/Group NamereferencedescriptionMessage TypeeNB1 Measurement IDINTEGERAllocated by eNB1(1 . . . 4095, . . . )eNB2 Measurement IDINTEGERAllocated by eNB2(1 . . . 4095, . . . )Cell Measurement Result >Cell Measurement Result Item >>Cell IDECGI >>Hardware Load Indicator >>S1 TNL Load Indicator >>Radio Resource Status >>Composite Available Capacity Group >>ABS Status
A problem with the existing solutions is that in the current ABS implementation, the aggressor eNB commits to not using the ABS subframes that it has reported in the ABS Information IE as ABS subframes until a new ABS Information IE is sent and a new ABS pattern starts at System Frame Number o. Therefore, a given amount of radio resources at the aggressor eNB are reserved for ABS subframes for a period of 10.24 seconds and the aggressor eNB will not use them although it could require serving traffic higher than expected. The result of the current ABS implementation is that an aggressor eNB could require serving a peak traffic demand and not having any radio resources available, although some of the subframes labelled as ABS subframe perhaps are not used by the victim eNB, thus making an inefficient use of the radio interface.
Another related disadvantage of the current ABS solution is that it limits the flexibility of the ABS subframes to distribute the traffic load between the aggressor eNB and the victim eNB, because if the aggressor eNB seeks to implement a high traffic load diversion to the victim eNB, by means of reserving many subframes to the ABS pattern, it runs the risk of not being able to support unexpected data traffic demands in the aggressor eNB. FIG. 2 represents the situation where some ABS subframes remain unused by both the aggressor eNB and the victim eNB.
On the other hand, the ABS Status IE only reports a percentage of the ABS subframes used by a victim eNB in the past, but does not include an indication of the expected ABS subframes to be used in the future and its related probability.
Another problem of the current ABS implementation is that it is not efficient when two or more victim eNB's are interfered by the aggressor eNB. The aggressor eNB will define a single ABS pattern, and every victim eNB will make use of the ABS subframes without coordination of the ABS subframes selected by the other victim eNB's. As a result, two neighbouring victim eNB's can select the same ABS subframes for serving their own UE's, causing interfering to each other. FIG. 3 represents the situation where some ABS subframes are used by two neighbouring victim eNB's and thus potentially producing interference to each other.
On the other hand, two non-neighbouring victim eNB's can select different ABS subframes, when they could select the same ABS subframes without interfering each other and thus leaving more possibly unused ABS subframes for the aggressor eNB usage, as it is represented in FIG. 4.
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The assignee of the present invention manufactures and deploys spacecraft for, inter alia, communications and broadcast services. Market demands for such spacecraft have imposed increasingly stringent requirements on spacecraft payloads in response to which large unfurlable reflectors and narrow RF beams are desirable. In such spacecraft, antenna pointing errors less than 0.03° are desirable.
RF autotracking (RFAT) is a technique for reducing antenna pointing errors by steering antenna reflectors mounted to a spacecraft platform to compensate for payload pointing disturbances. U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,034, entitled “Dual RF Autotrack Control”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,535, entitled “Single-Receiver Multiple-Antenna RF Autotrack Control”, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,179,313, entitled “Antenna Tracking Profile Estimation” assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference into the present disclosure in their entireties, relate to RFAT techniques.
In the absence of the presently disclosed techniques, nominal pointing accuracy for a large unfurlable reflector may be within about 0.035° in the absence of transients induced by thruster firing (for stationkeeping purposes, for example) and within about 0.065° during thruster induced transients.
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Many computer users are faced with having to “sign-on” to multiple computer services. Each such service may require the entry by the user of credentials such as a username and password so that the user can be authenticated to the service. As the number of services grows to which a user may desire access, the inconvenience of repeatedly entering the user's credentials also grows.
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The present invention relates in general to a hard copy printing device suitable for use in conjunction with word processing machines and, more particularly, to an integrated printer and tray paper feeding apparatus which will continuously feed individual sheets of paper and envelopes from an internal supply thereof along a feed path past an integrated printing device to effect printing thereon. The paper is arranged in a stack within a paper tray having means which facilitate the insertion and removal of the paper tray from within the apparatus.
Tremendous advances have been made in the last few years in automating office procedures. Conventional typewriters have grown into mini-computers performing word processing, storage and other functions. The speed at which these machines produce words on paper is increasing at a rapid rate. As added speed and sophistication are developed into such machines, the actual putting of words onto paper becomes auxiliary to the main function of collecting and organizing the information into a format to be printed. In order to have flexibility and speed, many systems have been developed where an operator manipulates words on a cathode ray tube or other word processing equipment until the final copy is in the format desired. With all of these advances, it has developed that today one of the major bottlenecks in terms of time, and therefore usefulness of this equipment, is the rate at which paper can be brought to and moved past a printing head to produce the final hard copy.
Of course, it is possible to use continuous sheets of perforated paper, as is commonly done in computer applications, having sprocket holes along the sides thereof to continuously feed and move the paper through an impact printer. This, however, requires special paper which is not suitable to the many requirements for which normal typewriting is employed.
Many machines exist, both copying machines and printing machines, which automatically feed paper past a printing or reproducing station. These machines are normally run synchronously such that prior to the time that paper is fed, the information to be imparted to the paper is already organized and the paper is moved past the printing head in a continuous fashion. This is not generally suitable for impact printing devices since impact printing is accomplished with the paper stationary rather than moving, and further the adaption of normal typewriting type printing requires the moving of paper not only on an intermittent basis, but also in the forward and reverse direction in accordance with the information to be typed. Still further, with such existing equipment, it is generally not possible to manually feed separate sheets of paper, which may be of a different size or thickness, such as, for example, envelopes, without disconnecting the equipment from the printing apparatus.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,815, which patent is assigned to the same assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed a paper feeding apparatus including a removable paper tray which is capable of being retrofitted with respect to existing printing devices, i.e., distributed as an aftermarket product, as well as being capable of being sold and distributed with the printing device. The retrofit characteristic of this paper feeding apparatus lends itself to conform to the requirements of existing impact printing devices rather than requiring the radical modification thereof so as to conform with the needs of high-speed paper feeding. However, although such paper feeding apparatus has been commercially successful, the retrofit nature of the paper feeding apparatus requires separate installation procedures, separate maintenance to both the paper feeding apparatus and the paper printing device, additional office space to accommodate the retrofitted paper feeding apparatus and, often requires a separate and special sound-proofing enclosure to reduce the noise level resulting from the operation of both the paper feeding and paper printing device. Further, the paper tray of the retrofit apparatus requires the manipulation of a lever before the paper tray can be withdrawn from the apparatus. Unless the lever is manipulated, any attempt to withdraw the paper tray could result in damage to the apparatus. There is therefore a further need for a paper tray which can be inserted and withdrawn from an integrated printer and paper feeding apparatus which will prevent any inadvertent damage thereto.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silicone rubber based pressure sensitive adhesive sheet which has slight pressure sensitive-adhesiveness, and is excellent in removability and which has high holding power.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Accompanying the development and advancement of information industries and electronic technology in recent years, display units such as CRT displays, liquid crystal displays, plasma displays and the like have come to be widely employed, including not only TV sets and personal computers but also copying machinery, facsimiles, watches/clocks, telephones.
It is a general practice to stick on a display screen in any of these display units, a protective film for the purpose of protecting the surfaces of the screen from breakage and/or scratch on impact; or a functional film for the purpose of imparting such functions as anti-reflection, antistatic property, antifoulancy, antiglare and the like.
There is formed on any of the above-mentioned various films, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer composed of a pressure sensitive adhesive such as an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive. The pressure sensitive adhesive layer composed of an ordinary used pressure sensitive adhesive involves the problem of difficulty in exhibiting sufficient holding power at the time of repetitive sticking, since upon peeling off, the shape of an adherend remains un-removed on the surface of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and thus the surface fails to restore to the original flat state, or considerable period of time is required in restoring to the flat state.
On the contrary, a silicone rubber based pressure sensitive adhesive sheet wherein a silicone rubber layer is formed on the surface of a transparent substrate film is used as a protective sheet alone or in combination with anyone of a variety of functional films, because the silicone rubber layer is imparted with an excellent cushioning property.
The silicone rubber layer of the silicone rubber based pressure sensitive adhesive sheet is composed of silicone rubber which is usually blended with polysiloxane, a catalyst, a cross-linking agent and in addition an additive such as an adhesion improving agent or the like used for the purpose of improving adhesiveness to a substrate film (for instance, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56694/2000 (Heisei 12)).
However, since the blending of such an additive increases the adhesiveness of the silicone rubber, it has been necessary from a practical aspect to use a releasing film which is subjected to a releasing treatment with an expensive fluorine base material.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a computer-readable storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been developed image forming apparatuses that print an image using a transparent developer besides four color toners of CMYK. Using a transparent developer makes it possible to provide a visual effect and a tactual effect (referred to as a surface effect) on a surface of a recording medium. Furthermore, forming an image with a transparent developer makes it possible to form a transparent image used for prevention of falsification and forgery, for example. For such image forming apparatuses, there has been developed a technology for displaying an image obtained by estimating a printing result before printing, that is, a technology for performing so-called preview display. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-145784, for example, discloses a technology for displaying an image portion to be printed with transparent toner as a preview.
In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-145784, however, the whole area to which the transparent toner is to be applied is collectively switched between being displayed or hidden. As a result, if an area to which a surface effect is to be applied using the transparent toner and a transparent image to be printed using the transparent toner both exist, the area to which the surface effect is to be applied and the transparent image cannot be switched to be displayed as a preview.
Therefore, there is a need for a display processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a computer-readable storage medium that can switch between an area to which a surface effect is to be applied and a transparent image as preview display.
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Zinc peroxide is used as a cross-linker of a carboxyl group in production of a nitrile rubber, a deodorant, a bactericide, a bleaching agent, a curing agent, a photocatalyst and the like. Zinc peroxide may be added to fireworks etc. as an oxidant. Further, zinc peroxide turns to zinc oxide when calcinated, and therefore can also be used as an intermediate material for production of zinc oxide. As a method for production of such zinc peroxide particles, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a precipitate of zinc hydroxide obtained by adding a basic solution to a solution containing a zinc salt is dispersed in hydrogen peroxide water, and the dispersion is subjected to a heating treatment to obtain a fine particle dispersion sol of zinc oxide.
In the production method, however, fine zinc peroxide particles having a high specific surface area are produced, and round-shaped zinc peroxide particles having an average particle diameter of 0.04 μm or more cannot be obtained. Fine zinc peroxide particles having a small particle diameter have the problem that it is difficult to form zinc oxide particles while maintaining the shape/size of zinc peroxide particles because finer particles have a stronger cohesive force, so that fusion of particles more easily proceeds when zinc oxide particles are formed by thermal decomposition. For rectifying the above-mentioned problem, zinc peroxide particles having a larger particle diameter are desired. However, such zinc peroxide particles having a large particle diameter and a method for production thereof are unknown. For arbitrarily controlling the reactivity of zinc peroxide, such as oxidizing power and photocatalytic activity, for example, a method is conceivable in which by controlling the particle diameter, the surface area of particles is controlled to control the reactivity of zinc peroxide. However, a method for controlling the particle diameter of zinc peroxide particles with high accuracy in a particle diameter region of 0.04 μm or more is unknown.
Further, zinc oxide particles are used in many applications such as ultraviolet blocking agents in cosmetics and heat releasing fillers. In these applications, fine zinc oxide particles having a particle diameter of 0.1 μm or less (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3), and zinc oxide particles having a particle diameter of more than 1.0 μm are largely examined, but round-shaped zinc oxide particles having a particle diameter of about 0.04 to 1.0 μm are not so much examined, and a method for production thereof is not fully established. Recently, however, zinc oxide particles having the above-mentioned particle diameters have been becoming required for applications such as cosmetics and heat releasing fillers from the viewpoint of improvement of ultraviolet blocking performance, improvement of visible light transparency, use in heat releasing fillers of particles having such an intermediate size as to increase the filling rate when the particles are used in combination with a heat releasing filler having a large particle diameter, and so on.
These rounded zinc oxide particles having a particle diameter of 0.04 to 1.0 μm have a small aspect ratio and a shape close to a spherical shape, and therefore when they are used as a heat releasing filler in combination with particles having a large particle diameter for the purpose of enhancing thermal conduction, thermal conduction can be enhanced more efficiently than when zinc oxide particles, which have a similar particle size but do not have a rounded shape, are compounded.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process of carbonylation of olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbons to a mixture of esters or acids with a high ratio of iso:normal ester or acid of at least about 3:1, said process being carried out in the presence of a palladium salt complexed with an arsine or stibine ligand as catalyst. More particularly, it relates to a process of carbonylation of olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbons by reaction with carbon monoxide and a hydroxylic compound, e.g., alcohols, phenols or water, without the addition of external hydrogen or oxygen, in the presence of the above-disclosed catalyst to yield a mixture of esters or acids with a high ratio of iso:normal ester or acid. This invention also relates to a process wherein 2-10 moles of arsine or stibine ligand per mole of catalyst are utilized to stabilize said catalyst. The specific amount so utilized varies with reaction conditions.
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The present invention relates generally to fluid handling, and more particularly, to methods and systems for removing bubbles from fluids.
Semiconductor manufacturing processes includes many processes where the semiconductor is immersed in a liquid. By way of example, a liquid etching process, a cleaning process, a rinsing process, a photolithographic process, or an electroplating process. The size of the features and devices are continually getting ever smaller. If the bubbles that occur in the liquid are larger than the features and devices being processed by the liquid, then the bubbles can adversely impact the performance of the liquid process. By way of example, if a bubble has a 10 micron diameter and is formed on a surface of the semiconductor and the semiconductor has 0.25 micron or smaller devices and features formed thereon, then the bubble may encompass several 0.25 micron or smaller devices and features. The bubble may prevent the process from being applied to the devices and features that are encompassed by the bubble.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a system and method of applying a substantially bubble free liquid for semiconductor processing.
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1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of ion implantation of semiconductor structures. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plasma flood gun having an immersed RF coil and offset multicusp aperture for generating and directing a low energy plasma into contact with an ion beam.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Ion implantation is a process used to dope impurity ions into a substrate such as, for example, a semiconductor wafer. Generally, an ion beam is directed from an ion source chamber toward a substrate. Different feed gases are supplied to the ion source chamber to obtain plasma used to form ion beams having particular dopant characteristics. For example, from the feed gasses PH3, BF3, or AsH3, various atomic and molecular ions are created within the ion source, and subsequently accelerated and mass selected. The depth of implantation of the generated ions into the substrate is based on the ion implant energy and the mass of the ions. One or more types of ion species may be implanted in the target wafer or substrate in different doses and at different energy levels to obtain desired device characteristics. A precise doping profile in the substrate is critical to proper device operation.
During the implantation process, bombardment of positively charged ions on the target substrate may result in the build-up of a positive charge on insulated portions of the wafer surface and lead to positive potentials thereon. The energetic ions can also contribute to further wafer charging through secondary electron emission from the wafer. The resulting positive potentials can create strong electric fields in some miniature structures, causing permanent damage. A plasma flood gun (PFG) can be used to alleviate this charge buildup. In particular, a PFG may typically be located near the platen close to the incoming ion beam just before it makes its impact on a wafer or target substrate. The PFG often comprises a plasma chamber wherein a plasma is generated through ionization of atoms of an inert gas such as argon (Ar), xenon (Xe) or krypton (Kr). Low-energy electrons from the plasma are introduced into the ion beam and drawn towards the target wafer to neutralize the excessively positively charged wafer.
Existing PFGs suffer from a number of drawbacks. One significant drawback is that of metal contamination. In particular, certain conventional PFGs use a hot tungsten filament for plasma generation. During operation, the tungsten filament is gradually consumed and tungsten atoms may contaminate the ion implantation system as well as the process wafers. Another common source of metal contaminants is the PFG plasma chamber itself. The inner surface of the plasma chamber often contains one or more metals or metal compounds. Constant exposure of the inner surface to plasma discharge may free metal atoms into the ion implantation system. Metal electrodes or other metal components placed inside the plasma chamber may cause similar contaminations.
Although the contamination problem might be alleviated by constructing a plasma chamber completely out of a dielectric material, such a solution may not be desirable because the nonconductive inner surface increases plasma potential and consequently affects the energy of the emitted electrons. For charge neutralization in an ion implantation system, a relatively low electron energy is generally preferred. Low energy electrons can readily be trapped within the positive electric potential of the ion beam and then travel within the beam towards a positively charged wafer. In comparison, excessively energetic electrons can escape from the beam and not arrive at the wafer. Also, excessively energetic electrons, if they arrive at the wafer, can lead to net negative charging on the wafer surface. This can result in the build-up of excess negative charge on the wafer surface where the degree to which such a negative electrostatic charge can accumulate on the wafer surface is related to the energy of the electrons arriving at the wafer.
A further challenge in designing a PFG is to make it compact enough to fit into a predefined space reserved for an existing PFG without requiring substantial modifications to existing ion implantation systems. It is often economically unfeasible to modify a mature ion implantation system just to accommodate a new PFG. Thus, upgrading a PFG for an otherwise operable ion implanter requires a PFG design that can easily be retrofitted into current systems. Thus, there is a need to provide a PFG which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings.
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of guest reception systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to the automated process of receiving guests and providing notification of the arrival of the guest.
2. The Relevant Technology
Many businesses include a separate lobby in which to receive guests or visitors. Typically, the guest would enter the lobby and be greeted by a receptionist that is able to determine what the guest needs. For example, a receptionist is able to effectively bring together the guest and the person with whom the guest is visiting.
In a large business, the receptionist would be kept busy greeting a steady flow of guests coming into the lobby. For extremely busy lobbies, more than one receptionist would be employed. As such, the receptionist is dedicated to the task of greeting and assisting guests that come into the lobby. In addition, other tasks may be assigned to the receptionist, depending on the frequency of the incoming guests. For example, the receptionist may be tasked to take incoming calls, or to perform other minor administrative duties that would enable the receptionist to remain in the lobby in order to still greet guests.
On the other hand, smaller businesses may not have the guest traffic needed to employ a full-time receptionist to monitor the lobby. That is, most of the time, the receptionist is waiting for a guest to arrive within the lobby. To fill in the time, the receptionist typically performs minor tasks that could tolerate interruption and that would also enable the receptionist to remain in the lobby. However, the receptionist is limited in what tasks he or she could accomplish. The receptionist probably could not take on more complicated tasks since this may require desk space holding multiple documents or the handling of sensitive documents, both of which are unnecessary for an incoming guest to view.
As an alternative, some small businesses leave the lobby unattended and hope that the guest is able to actively seek out assistance. For example, the guest would enter the unattended lobby, determine the proper procedures for notifying the business of their arrival, or even find their way through the lobby and into an adjacent area where secretaries or other employees might notice or greet them. While this allows the business to eliminate a receptionist, it requires that the guest perform some action in order to receive assistance. In addition, the incoming guest may feel unwelcome in an unattended lobby as he or she is trying to determine first if the business is open, and second just what is the proper process is for obtaining assistance. While the majority of guests eventually will gain assistance, arguably some good will of the business is lost while the guest is left wondering what to do.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coating head and a coating apparatus and, more particularly, to a coating head and a coating apparatus suitable for forming a coating film such as a magnetic recording layer on a flexible supporting member traveling while being supported by travel guide devices such as guide rollers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional methods for forming a coating film on a flexible supporting member traveling continuously while being supported by travel guide devices such as guide rollers include application-type methods such as roller coating, dip coating and fountain coating, and measuring-type methods such as air-knife coating, blade coating and bar coating. As methods using a combination of an application-type method and a measuring-type method in one place, extrusion coating, slide bead coating, curtain coating and so on have been used.
Extrusion coating among such methods is suitable for forming a thin film, a multilayer film or the like and has been introduced for manufacture of magnetic recording mediums, particularly magnetic tapes because the productivity (coating speed) when extrusion coating is used is high. The applicant of the present invention has made various improvements and propositions relating to this kind of coating in documents including those shown below and has achieved certain effects.
Japanese Examined Application Publication No. 5-8065 relates to a method of extrusion coating of one layer and an improvement in the shape of a coating head, Japanese Examined Application Publication No. 6-77712 relates to a method of extrusion coating of a plurality of layers and an improvement in the shape of a coating head, particularly a specified end radius of curvature, Patent Publication No. 2942938 relates to a method of extrusion coating of a plurality of layers in which two-layer coating is performed with a coating head after precoating, and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-343019 relates to an extrusion application method in which the surface roughness of a coating head is improved to improve a coating condition.
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The present invention relates to a fastening device. More specifically, the present invention teaches and discloses a shower curtain connector that has, at its first end, a fastener to receive an aperture of a sheet material, preferably a shower curtain and, at its second end, a coupling means such as a curved hook that can hang on a shower curtain rod. The fastening device can be sized and colored as desired and can be made from any material that is flexible, springy yet sturdy and afford a degree of rigidity. Thus, it can be made from any plastic, resin, metal, synthetic or natural material, and/or part plastic and part metal. Therefore, it can withstand repeated use by a user using it on a daily basis without breaking or cracking and at the same time it is sturdy enough that it is capable of holding up a sheet material such as shower curtain and to block water from spilling outside of a bathtub. More particularly, the fastening device of the present invention has two ends, a coupling means and an attachment means. The first end is an attachment means that has a bridge connecting two elongated members, one member has an extending member from its interior surface, wherein the second elongated member has a corresponding recess disposed on its interior surface, whereby when the attachment means is in use, the extending member is matingly fitted with the recess. The bridge is further comprised of a recess to receive a second end of a coupling means. The coupling means defines a receiving surface at a first portion thereof, and an extended second portion thereof. The receiving surface of the coupling means slidably couples to a substantially fixed object. The coupling means can be in any shape made from any material in any color and it can optionally have bearings and/or beads in any shape made from any material to facilitate the sliding motion on a substantially fixed object, namely a rod. The extended second portion of the coupling means is matingly fitted with the recess disposed on the bridge connecting two elongated members to form the fastening device as claimed and disclosed. The attachment means of the shower curtain connector can be rotatable or optionally stationary. Consequently, when a user is hanging up a shower curtain, he or she no longer has to hover over the bathtub and struggle for a secure non-slippery surface in the bathtub for a strong foothold to try to secure the shower curtain rings first to the shower curtain rod and then try to connect the shower curtain to the shower curtain rings. A user can now leisurely connect the fastening device to a sheet of material, i.e., a shower curtain, then walk over to the bathtub and hang up the shower curtain as if hanging a hanger on a rod without risking standing on a small slippery surface. In addition, the fastening device of the present invention is safely secured to and rests on the shower curtain rod since the coupling means preferably has a U-shaped hook and thus, would not and cannot be easily removed from the rod. In addition, since the shower curtain is secured between the extending member that is matingly fitted with a recess, it is not likely that the shower curtain will become separated and/or loose from the fastening device after repeated use.
The fastening device may also have coupling means in various shapes and forms. For example, the coupling means can be in the shape of a circular ring, or an oval ring having a locking mechanism or in an xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d shape to facilitate easy assembling. The coupling means can also optionally have at least one bearing and/or beads in the shape of a circle and/or a rectangle opposite the receiving surface in order to facilitate movement of the fastening device on the rod.
Accordingly, the present invention can relate to a coupling device, connecting a sheet material to a substantially fixed object such as a rod, and it can be made from any material that is flexible yet sturdy with a degree of rigidity. Optionally, it can have bearings and/or beads to facilitate movement of the coupling means on the rod. The coupling means can be any color and can optionally have at least one decorative ornamentation in order to match the decor of its environment.
Various documents may be mentioned in this text; and, each herein mentioned document and each document cited or referenced in each herein mentioned document, is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Shower curtain rings have been in existence for a long time and they come in all shapes and sizes and are made from all different kinds of material. Ultimately, all of these shower curtain rings serve the same purpose of causing the shower curtain to remain in an upright and vertical position while in use, thus keeping water confined to the interior of the bathtub and providing a vertical wall between a bathtub and the rest of the bathroom environment. Over the years, various shower curtain rings having different shapes and made from different materials have been introduced into the market, but no matter what the new design is, the xe2x80x9cnewly-developedxe2x80x9d shower curtain rings always require a user to assemble the shower curtain by either standing within the bathtub or on the edge of the bathtub, hovering over the edge of the bathtub to first line up the apertures in the shower curtain, then threading the shower curtain rings through the apertures, and then securing the shower curtain rings holding the shower curtain to the shower curtain rod. In short, whenever a user is setting up a shower curtain over a bathtub, he or she inevitably, through conventional shower curtain rings, must complete hanging the shower curtain by attaching the assembly of the shower curtain rings first to the shower curtain then to the rod. Contrary to the known conventional shower curtain rings, the fastening device of the present invention can be utilized anywhere without requiring the user to stand over the bathtub when installing a shower curtain. Thus, a user can leisurely attach each individual fastening device first to a sheet material, such as a shower curtain, by placing each of the apertures of the shower curtain between the extending member and the recess of the attachment means and locking the sheet material in place by forcing the extending member into the recess. This is repeated until all the apertures of the shower curtain are connected to the fastening device of the present invention. Once the fastening devices are secured to the shower curtain, a user can assemble the shower curtain by hanging each of the fastening devices to a rod. Furthermore, the attachment means of the present invention is optionally rotatable, thus, during shipping the coupling means parallel the attachment means, and when in use the coupling means are perpendicular to the attachment means. Moreover, the coupling means end of the fastening device is capable of independent movement from the attachment means.
With respect to shower curtain rings, reference is made to the following:
Cheng, U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,597 B1 issued Feb. 20, 2001, relates to a hanger ring assembly for a curtain. More specifically, it relates to a curtain with a hanger ring assembly for mounting onto a supporting rod which includes a sheet material and a plurality of hanger units. The sheet material has a plurality of hanger openings formed along a top edge, and a plurality of edge gap each extending from the top edge to an upper portion of the respective hanger opening. Each of the opening portions defines a section of connecting tab adjacent to the respective edge gap. Each of the hanger units includes a hanger ring which has a ring slit separating two ends thereof and defines a section of ring tab adjacent to the ring slit. Each of the hanger rings is attached to one side of the respective opening portion and coaxially extended around the respective hanger opening with the ring slit of the respective hanger ring staggering with the edge gap of the respective opening portion. The connecting tabs of the opening portions of the sheet material are detachably overlapped with the ring tabs of the hanger rings respectively. Each of the hanger units further includes a connecting device for selectively connecting each of the ring tabs with the respective connecting tabs. Thus, the hanger ring assembly according to Cheng attached a curtain directly to a supporting rod without any connectors.
Klotz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,672 issued May 30, 2000, relates to a shower curtain closure assembly for semi-permanent securement of an edge of a curtain to a wall of a shower enclosure. The closure assembly includes a clamping structure which comprises a mounting bar for permanent securement to a wall of a shower enclosure. The mounting bar includes a wall attachment surface for attachment to a wall of a shower enclosure and a first clamping surface. The mounting bar further includes a plurality of first fastener receiving holes. Supported on the mounting bar is an adjustable clamp including a second clamping surface which is disposed adjacent to the first clamping surface. The adjustable clamp includes a plurality of second fastener receiving holes. The first fastener receiving holes of the mounting bar are aligned with the second fastener receiving holes of the adjustable clamp. A plurality of threaded fasteners are disposed such that a threaded fastener engages each of the aligned first and second holes for securing the adjustable clamp to the mounting bar. A first curtain edge is disposed between the first and second clamping surfaces. The fasteners may be selectively tightened from a first position where the adjustable clamp is loosely secured to the first clamping surface such that the first curtain edge may be easily disposed between the first and second clamping surfaces, to a second waterproof position where the fastener is under tension and applies a compressive clamping force on the first and second clamping surfaces as well as the intervening first curtain edge. The compressive clamping applied to the first curtain edge by the fastener in the second position exceeds the shear strength of the curtain such that a force which exceeds the shear strength of the curtain applied to the curtain first edge will result in the tearing of the curtain before the release of the edge of the curtain from the position between the first and second clamping surfaces.
Eberhardt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,642 issued Apr. 20, 1999, relates to a hook and loop hanger for a shower curtain and a liner. More specifically, it relates to a flexible elongated combination shower curtain and liner hanger device with reinforced apertures in an upper region for hanging the hanger element from a shower rod by hooks. The lower region of the hanger device has loop strips in both sides for fastening of the shower curtain and the shower liner to a horizontal rod by hook strips on their upper edges. The hanger device can be clear or colored to match the color of the shower curtain and shower liner.
Herrera, U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,954 issued Aug. 4, 1998, relates to a shower curtain ring whereby each ring includes a body member that encircles the shower curtain rod, the body member having a first end and a second end; a first end locking member which is attached to the first end of the body member and includes a male locking protrusion, where the male locking protrusion comprises a central body portion and a horizontal bar having an enlarged outer tip, the horizontal bar being attached to the central body portion; and a second end locking member which is attached to the second end of the body member and includes a female locking receptacle, the female locking receptacle being adapted to receive and hold the male locking protrusion. The upper edge of the shower curtain is held between the male locking protrusion and the female locking receptacle of each shower curtain ring, whereby the curtain is deformed and held between the male locking protrusion and the female locking receptacle without any part of the shower curtain ring passing through the shower curtain.
Steiner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,504 issued Jun. 3, 1998, relates to a shower curtain rib apparatus for use with a conventional bathtub shower curtain which prevents the curtain from being drawn into the shower enclosure when the shower is in use. The apparatus has a plurality of semi-rigid ribs which are vertically oriented and connected to the shower curtain rod. The lower end of the ribs are secured to the tub and the outer surface of the curtain is secured to the ribs, thus preventing the curtain from moving inward. By securing the ribs so that they bow outward, the shower enclosure can be enlarged.
Perez, U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,407 issued Jul. 29, 1997, relates to a shower curtain loop that is permanently attached to the shower curtain on one side, preferably by stitching. The other end of the loop fastens to the curtain with hook and loop fasteners, which facilitate the removal of the curtain and loops from a shower curtain rod. The loop is reinforced with a rigid, flexible member which runs along the length of the loop. This member, which is preferably made of plastic, provides rigidity to the loop so that the loop can easily traverse a curtain rod when the curtain is opened or closed.
Bindman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,742 issued Nov. 29, 1994, relates to a click-lock ring for use in hanging shower curtains designed in the form of a split ring wherein one end of the split ring contains a stepped anchoring recess formed from two cooperating lateral openings for receiving a locking head formed at the other end of the split ring. The ring is produced by injection molding a flexible plastic material in a cam-free mold.
Schechter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,551 issued Oct. 18, 1994, relates to a scent-releasing shower curtain ring. More specifically, it relates to a curtain ring having a fragrance-releasing material mounted on its inner diameter. The material is selected so that the fragrance will only be released when the consumer opens or closes the curtain, that is, only when the material is rubbed against the curtain rod.
Angerman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,884 issued Aug. 23, 1994, relates to a shower curtain ring which has a flexible body adapted to encircle a curtain rod and close by frictionally interengaging end members. One of the end members includes an elongated part which is received through an opening along the top edge of the curtain. A flange on the end of the elongated part retains the curtain even when the end members are not engaged.
Bindman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,052 issued May 10, 1994, relates to a shower curtain ring package. More specifically, it relates to a unitary totally transparent package of shower curtain rings comprising a stack of ring-like articles, each of which articles has at least one predetermined discontinuity therein, said discontinuities being aligned one with the other in a manner whereby each of the articles in the stack is congruently aligned with the other; a cylindrical transparent PVC cap element disposed tightly over the uppermost ring-like article in intimate contact therewith; an elongated tubular transparent polyvinyl chloride plastic sleeve enveloping the stack of rings from top to bottom and being shrunken into intimate contract with the outer surfaces of each of said rings and said cap to provide a package having a corrugated appearance and providing visual access to the inner and outer portions of said entire stack of rings.
Irizarry, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,422 issued Sep. 11, 1990, relates to a shower curtain operating mechanism for opening and closing a shower curtain without grabbing on the curtain material. A pull cord system is incorporated into a conventional shower curtain assembly so that the curtain can be opened or closed with minimum stress on the curtain material.
Each of these patents provides a method of attaching a shower curtain to a rod or securing the shower curtain to the bathtub or inner wall of the bathtub. However, none of these patents claims or discloses, teaches or suggests an apparatus capable of attaching the shower curtain to a rod without having the user have to assemble the connection between the shower curtain and the shower curtain ring and then the shower curtain ring to the shower curtain rod all in one setting while standing on the edge of the bathtub.
Thus, it is believed that heretofore the present invention has not been taught or suggested.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novel fastening device.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a fastening device which is suitable to connect to a sheet material and couple the sheet material to a substantially fixed object.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for coupling to an object, comprising coupling means for slidably coupling the apparatus to a substantially fixed object.
It is still yet another object of the invention to provide a connector that can fasten a sheet material at one end and slidably couple to a substantially fixed object.
It is still further yet an object of the invention to provide a fastening device that can be used to first attach itself to a sheet material, then simultaneously couple to a shower curtain rod so, a user can assemble the sheet material, preferably a shower curtain, to a shower curtain rod without standing on the edge of the bathtub when connecting the shower curtain to the rod through a shower curtain ring.
Thus, the present invention provides a fastening device comprised of an attachment means to attach itself to a sheet material and a coupling means for slidably coupling itself and the sheet material to a fixed object. The fastening device can be made from any material such as plastic, or resin from blow-molding or injection molding; alternatively, it can be made by any metal or a combination of plastic, or resin with metal or any synthetic or any artificial material. The fastening device is comprised of two parts. The first part is comprised of an attachment means having a bridge connecting between two elongated members, the first elongated member has an extending member and the second elongated member has a correspondingly recess that, when the attachment means of the fastening device is in use, the extending member is matingly engaged with the recess. The second part of the fastening device is comprised of a coupling means to slidably couple to a substantially fixed object. The coupling means can be shaped as a half-oval so as to securely attach itself to a substantially fixed object. It can be S-shaped. Alternatively, the coupling means can be shaped as a circle or an oval ring made from two halves connected at one end by a hinge, and at the other end by a locking mechanism that is generally comprised of two engaging parts, one has a protrusion and the other, a corresponding recess to receive the protrusion. In addition, the circular and/or the oval shape coupling means also have an extended second portion having a narrowed portion and a slightly enlarged bulbous head to matingly engage with the recess on the attachment means. Furthermore, the coupling means may optionally have at least one ball bearing and/or beads in any shape disposed on the outer surface of the coupling means preferably opposite the receiving surface of the coupling means to facilitate the movement of coupling means on the substantially fixed object. Furthermore, the coupling means may also have a different shape or form and be made from any material and in any color in order to match with the decor of the environment it is in.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling means will be shaped as half of an oval having its center of gravity positioned at the quarter point of the oval and the weight of the sheet material will force the coupling means to slidably couple to a substantially fixed object and maintain its balance.
In another embodiment, the coupling means is in an xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d shape and optionally having at least one bead disposed on the opposite surface of the receiving surface of the coupling means to facilitate smooth movement of the fastening device to the substantially fixed object.
In yet another embodiment, the coupling means is in a circular and/or an oval shape that is formed by connecting two half circles and/or two half ovals connected by a hinge on one side and a locking mechanism on another. The locking mechanism is generally comprised of two engaging surfaces, one having a protrusion and the other having a recess to receive the protrusion. The exterior surface of the receiving surface of the coupling means optionally has beads disposed on it in order to facilitate the sliding motion of the coupling means, hence the fastening device with a sheet material, preferably a shower curtain, to slide easily on a substantially fixed object, preferably a shower curtain rod.
In a preferred embodiment, the attachment means is attached to a coupling means through a recess disposed on the bridge of the attachment means and this enables the attachment means to be rotatably attached to the coupling means. Thus, in addition to connecting the sheet material, preferably a shower curtain, to a substantially fixed object, it can also minimize shelf space when packaged for sale by rotating the attachment means to be on the same plane with the coupling means.
In this text, the terms xe2x80x9ccomprisingxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccomprisexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9ccomprisesxe2x80x9d and the other forms of xe2x80x9ccomprisexe2x80x9d can have the meaning ascribed to these terms in U.S. Patent Law and can mean xe2x80x9cincludingxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cincludesxe2x80x9d and other forms of xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d.
These and other objects and embodiments of the invention are provided in, or are obvious from, the following detailed description of the invention.
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Wireless communication requires efficient and secure encryption, which is also known as ciphering. The demand for more efficient ciphering techniques (also known as ciphers) is expected to increase with new generations of wireless communication, e.g., in a 5G system, as the required data rates are expected to significantly increase.
In addition, services vital for society such as transport, e-health, smart-city management and environmental monitoring require security mechanisms providing high levels of assurance.
For encryption purposes, there are two types of ciphers, namely block ciphers and stream ciphers. Block ciphers have been studied for over 50 years. Collected knowledge about their functional definition and cryptanalysis led to an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which is widely accepted for strong resistance against various kinds of attacks. Block ciphers can be used in special modes that let them operate as stream ciphers, wherein the data rate of the block cipher is an upper bound to the data rate achievable by the stream cipher. 3G and 4G wireless communication systems use the dedicated stream cipher SNOW3G or stream ciphers based on block ciphers. However, with ciphering data rates below 1 Gbps, existing ciphers would pose a bottleneck in the most demanding LTE-Advanced and 5G applications targeting such data rates.
Though military applications have relied on stream ciphers for a long time, active public investigation of stream ciphers began only about 30 years ago, wherein the security of legacy stream ciphers has been queried. For example, the popular stream ciphers A5/1 and A5/2 used in the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) standard and the stream cipher EO used in Bluetooth have been found susceptible to a number of attacks described by E. Biham and O. Dunkelman in “Cryptanalysis of the A5/1 GSM stream cipher”, Progress in Cryptology, INDOCRYPT 2000, pp. 43-51, Springer, 2000. As a result, the stream cipher A5/1 was replaced by a stream cipher A5/3 that is based on a block cipher, and use of the stream cipher A5/2 was subsequently prohibited.
A further widespread stream cipher, RC4, used to secure wireless networks according to the original IEEE 802.11 standard was shown to be vulnerable, if the beginning of the output keystream is not discarded, if non-random or related keys are used, or if a single keystream is used twice, by E. Tews, R.-P. Weinmann and A. Pychkine in “Breaking 104-bit WEP in under a minute”, Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2007/120, 2007 (http://eprint.iacr.org/2007/120). As a consequence, the AES replaced the stream cipher RC4 in the IEEE 802.11i standard.
Despite past security problems mentioned above, the need for secure and efficient stream ciphers is expected to increase in future generations of wireless communication, since 5G wireless communication is envisioned to provide on the order of 1000 times higher traffic volume compared to current LTE deployments while improving Quality of Service (M. Olsson et al., 5GrEEn: “Towards green 5G mobile networks”, WiMob, pp. 212-216, 2013). Consumer data rates of hundreds of Mbps are expected to be available in general scenarios and multi-Gbps in specific scenarios. In addition, low latency of a few milliseconds or below needs to be supported in use cases for safety or control mechanisms in processing industry, for electrical-distribution grids or for traffic (Ericsson White Paper “5G radio access”, June 2013). It is likely that due to their efficiency, dedicated stream ciphers may play an important role in this development, if the necessary security requirements can be met.
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Early detection of disease and malignant tissue can lead to a better prognosis. The development of non-invasive methods for detection and characterization of tumors has an extreme importance in current medicine. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical test that can help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. MR imaging uses a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. The images can be examined on a computer monitor, printed or copied to compact disc.
By way of useful background information, according to Breast MRI: fundamentals and technical aspects, Hendrick, New York, N.Y.: Springer (2008), one effective breast MRI protocol for the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer has several essential elements: a non-fat-saturated T1-weighted pulse sequence, a fat-saturated T2-weighted pulse sequence, and a set of contrast-enhanced pulse sequences at different phases to obtain identically acquired pre-contrast and multiple post-contrast views.
From a workflow standpoint, a clinician typically views MR image datasets by loading and outputting them to a computer, for display on a computer monitor or series of computer monitors. In this manner, the physician can visually study and manipulate the various images or “softcopies” of the images. The clinician often pre-defines a hanging protocol, which refers to the clinician's preferred arrangement of images for optimal softcopy viewing. Different clinicians might prefer to review images in different manners, depending on their experience and personal preferences. Synthesizing the information across images can be a laborious process for the clinician, especially due to the large number of thin slice images provided in each MR image dataset and the amount of spatial information in one dataset that might need to be correlated with information from one or more other datasets.
Some researchers have developed fully automated multi-modal MRI fusion techniques. By way of useful background information, one such example is described in INTEGRATING STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL IMAGING FOR COMPUTER ASSISTED DETECTION OF PROSTATE CANCER ON MULTI-PROTOCOL IN VIVO 3 TESLA MRI, by Viswanath et al, Proc. SPIE 7260, 726031 (2009). Disadvantageously, prior art fusion methods such as those described in Viswanath, provide preset solutions (e.g., fusion parameters) that are applied to all datasets regardless of the clinician's individual needs and desires and fail to integrate certain parameters of use in forming fusion images that aid clinician's in differentiating tissue types. These approaches, thus, lack both intuitiveness for a clinician and flexibility in adapting to a clinician's specific protocol.
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The present invention relates to a double locking-type electrical connector, that is, an electrical connector includes an insulated housing which houses electrical contacts and a double-locking member which prevents the electrical contacts housed therein from coming out.
Double-locking electrical connectors are generally classified into two types, depending on how the housing and the double-locking member are fitted together: (1) the type which inserts the double-locking member from the back end of the housing (Japanese Publication No. 1-43986) and (2) the type which inserts the double-locking member from the front end of the housing (Laid-Open Japanese Publication No. 1-64872).
The type which inserts the double-locking member from the back end of the housing is advantageous in that the locking of the electrical contacts involves a double-locking action using a lance on the housing and a
locking action using a double-locking member so that (1) the retaining force of the electrical contacts is reinforced and (2) the double-locking member can be pressed in as soon as it is possible to determine if the electrical contacts are completely inserted. However, it has drawbacks in that it is difficult to waterproof.
On the other hand, the type which inserts the double-locking member from the front end of the housing is relatively easy to waterproof. However, it has drawbacks in that it does not involve a double-locking type in the strict sense of the word, it is ineffective in reinforcing the contact retaining force and it cannot effectively press in the contacts.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a double locking-type electrical connector which has both of the advantages of the two types mentioned above; it is also a type which inserts the double-locking member from the front end of the housing and at the same time can be locked securely.
The double locking-type electrical connector of the present invention has the following characteristics. In the double locking-type electrical connector which is made up of (1) an insulated housing which is equipped with multiple electrical contact housing chambers along which are formed lances which retain the electrical into contacts and (2) a double-locking member which is fitted the above-mentioned double-locking member can move in the direction where it intersects with the contact sections of the above-mentioned electrical contacts and is equipped with electrical contact locking parts which interlock with locking parts which are formed on the above-mentioned electrical contacts due to this movement.
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The invention relates to gun racks and, more particularly, to gun racks adapted to be mounted in vehicles, especially police cars.
Many gun racks have been designed for supporting a gun, usually a shotgun, in the front passenger compartment of a police car or other vehicle. Such gun racks that are known by the inventor either support a gun vertically so that a portion of the gun extends above the dashboard of the car, or semi-horizontally so that a portion of the gun extends above the front seat of the car. No known gun rack supports a gun in a substantially horizontal position along the floor of the car.
Many known gun racks do not prevent firing of a gun in a gun rack, i.e., they do not prevent access to the trigger of the gun. Also, many known gun racks do not prevent disassembly of a gun in the gun rack. It is often possible, in the case of commonly used police shotguns, to remove the magazine cap of the gun and thereby to disassemble the gun and remove the gun from the gun rack.
Attention is directed to the following U.S. Patents:
McCue U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,499, issued Dec. 21, 1982; PA1 Young U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,315, issued Jan. 2, 1979; PA1 Walters U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,071, issued Nov. 4, 1975; PA1 Sikes U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,094, issued Oct. 23, 1973; PA1 Howerton U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,811, issued Feb. 22, 1972; PA1 Sjostrand U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,077, issued Feb. 24, 1970; PA1 Porter U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,673, issued Oct. 21, 1969; PA1 Pinkerton et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,385, issued June 20, 1967; PA1 Caloiero et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,422, issued Nov. 1, 1960; PA1 Johnson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,351, issued Dec. 25, 1956; PA1 Levy U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,046, issued June 26, 1956; PA1 Vermillion U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,100, issued June 7, 1955; PA1 Winters et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,692,069, issued Oct. 19, 1955; PA1 Levy U.S. Pat. No. 2,623,639, issued Dec. 30, 1952; PA1 Levy U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,566, issued Nov. 4, 1952.
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Butyric acid (BA) is a natural product. It is supplied to mammals from two main sources: 1) the diet, mainly from dairy fat, and 2) from the bacterial fermentation of unabsorbed carbohydrates in the colon, where it reaches mM concentrations (Cummings, Gut 22:763-779, 1982; Leder et al., Cell 5:319-322, 1975).
BA has been known for nearly the last three decades to be a potent differentiating and antiproliferative agent in a wide spectrum of neoplastic cells in vitro (Prasad, Life Sci. 27:1351-1358, 1980). In cancer cells, BA has been reported to induce cellular and biochemical changes, e.g., in cell morphology, enzyme activity, receptor expression and cell-surface antigens (Nordenberg et al., Exp. Cell Res. 162:77-85, 1986; Nordenberg et al., Br. J. Cancer 56:493-497, 1987; and Fishman et al., J. Biol. Chem. 254:4342-4344, 1979).
Although BA or its sodium salt (sodium butyrate, SB) has been the subject of numerous studies, its mode of action is unclear. The most specific effect of butyric acid is inhibition of nuclear deacetylase(s), resulting in hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4 (Riggs, et al., Nature 263:462-464, 1977). Increased histone acetylation following treatment with BA has been correlated with changes in transcriptional activity and the differentiated state of cells (Thome et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 193:701-713, 1990). BA also exerts other nuclear actions, including modifications in the extent of phosphorylation (Boffa et al., J. Biol. Chem. 256:9612-9621, 1981) and methylation (Haan et al., Cancer Res. 46:713-716, 1986). Other cellular organelles, e.g., cytoskeleton and membrane composition and function, have been shown to be affected by BA (Bourgeade et al., J. Interferon Res. 1:323-332, 1981). Modulations in the expression of oncogenes and suppressor genes by BA were demonstrated in several cell types. Toscani et al., reported alterations in c-myc, p53 thymidine kinase, c-fos and AP2 in 3T3 fibroblasts (Oncogene Res. 3:223-238, 1988). A decrease in the expression of c-myc and H-ras oncogenes in B16 melanoma and in c-myc in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia was also reported (Prasad et al., Biochem. Cell Biol. 68:1250-1255, 1992; and Rabizadeh et al., FEBS Lett. 328:225-229, 1993).
BA has been reported to induce apoptosis, i.e., programmed cell death. SB has been shown to produce apoptosis in vitro in human colon carcinoma, leukemia and retinoblastoma cell lines (Bhatia et al., Cell Growth Diff. 6:937-944, 1995; Conway et al., Oncol. Res. 7:289-297, 1993; Hague et al.; Int J. Cancer 60:400-406, 1995). Apoptosis is the physiological mechanism for the elimination of cells in a controlled and timely manner. Organisms maintain a delicate balance between cell proliferation and cell death, which when disrupted can tip the balance between cancer, in the case of over accumulation of cells, and degenerative diseases, in the case of premature cell losses. Hence, inhibition of apoptosis can contribute to tumor growth and promote progression of neoplastic conditions.
The promising in vitro antitumor effects of BA and BA salts led to the initiation of clinical trials for the treatment of cancer patients with observed minimal or transient efficacy. [Novogrodsky et al., Cancer 51:9-14, 1983; Rephaeli et al., Intl. J. Oncol. 4:1387-1391, 1994; Miller et al., Eur. J. Cancer Clin. Oncol. 23:1283-1287, 1987].
Clinical trials have been conducted for the treatment of .beta.-globin disorders (e.g., .beta.-thalassemia and sickle-cell anemia) using BA salts. The BA salts elevated expression of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), normally repressed in adults, and favorably modified the disease symptoms in these patients (Stamatoyannopouos et al., Ann. Rev. Med. 43:497-521, 1992). In this regard, arginine butyrate (AB) has been used in clinical trials with moderate efficacy (Perrine et al, N. Eng. J. Med. 328:81-86, 1993; Sher et al, N. Eng. J. Med. 332:1606-1610, 1995). The reported side effects of AB included hypokalemia, headache, nausea and vomiting in .beta.-thalassemia and sickle-cell anemia patients.
Butyric acid derivatives with antitumor activity and immunomodulatory properties have been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,553 and by Nudelman et al, 1992, J. Med. Chem. 35:687-694. The most active butyric acid prodrug reported in these references was pivaloyloxymethyl butyrate (AN-9). None of the compounds disclosed in these references included carboxylic acid-containing oxyalkyl compounds of this invention.
BA and/or its analogues have also been reported to increase the expression of transfected DNA (Carstea et al., 1993, Biophys. Biohem. Res. Comm. 192:649; Cheng et al., 1995, Am. J. Physical 268:L615-L624) and to induce tumor-restricted gene expression by adenovirus vectors (Tang et al., 1994, Cancer Gene Therapy 1:15-20). Trbutyrn has been reported to enhance the expression of a reporter gene in primary and immortalized cell lines (Smith et al., 1995, Biotechniques 18:852-835).
Butyric acid derivatives with antitumor activity and immunomodulatory properties have been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,553 and by Nudelman et al., 1992, J. Med. Chem. 35:687-694. The most active buryric acid prodrug reported in these references was pivaloyloxymethyl butyrate (AN-9). Similar compounds are reported for treating hemoglobinopathies (U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,675).
BA and/or its analogues have also been reported to increase the expression of transfected DNA (Carstea et al., 1993, Biophys. Biochem. Res. Comm. 192:649; Cheng et al., 1995, Am. J. Physical 268:L615-L624) and to induce tumor-restricted gene expression by adenovirus vectors (Tang et al., 1994, Cancer Gene Therapy 1:15-20). Tributyrin has been reported to enhance the expression of a reporter gene in primary and immortalized cell lines (Smith et al., 1995, Biotechniques 18:852-835).
However, BA and its salts are normally metabolized rapidly and have very short half-lives in vivo, thus the achievement and maintenance of effective plasma concentrations are problems associated with BA and BA salts, particularly for in vivo uses. BA and BA salts have required large doses to achieve even minimal therapeutic effects. Because of the high dosage, fluid overload and mild alkalosis may occur. Patients receiving BA emanate an unpleasant odor that is socially unacceptable.
While BA salts have been shown to increase HbF expression, and appear to hold therapeutic promise with low toxicity in cancer patients, they nevertheless have shown low potency in in vitro assays and clinical trials. There also remains a need to identify compounds as effective or more effective than BA or BA salts as differentiating or anti-proliferating agents for the treatment of cancers. Such compounds need to have higher potency than BA without the problems associated with BA (such as bad odor). Consequently, there remains a need for therapeutic compounds that either deliver BA to cells in a longer acting form or which have similar activity as BA but a longer duration of effectiveness in vivo.
The compounds and compositions of this invention address these needs and are more potent than BA or BA salts for treating cancers and other proliferative diseases, for treating gastrointestinal disorders, for wound healing and for treating blood disorders such as thalassemia, sickle cell anemia and other anemias, for modulating an immune response, for enhancing recombinant gene expression, for treating insulin-dependent patients, for treating cystic fibrosis patients, for inhibiting telomerase activity, for detecting cancerous or malignant cells, for treating virus-associated tumors, especially EBV-associated tumors, for modulating gene expression and particularly for augmenting expression of a tumor suppressor gene, inducing tolerance to an antigen, treating, preventing or ameliorating parasitic infection and inhibiting histone deacetylase in cells. One of the advantages of the compounds of the invention is increased water solubility of the free carboxylic acids compounds of the invention and their salts, and easier administration, especially for intravenous administration.
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In some motor vehicles, an air outlet is located in the rear quarter of the body of the motor vehicle. However, in some instances, noise and vibrations may enter the cabin via the air outlet. Modern vehicles may also include modern electronic measures to aid the driver such as a blind spot indicator (“BSI”) sensor located in the rear quarter of the body of the motor vehicle. A cover is necessary to protect the BSI from false readings caused by dirt and snow interference. There is a need to provide an underbody cover assembly to protect the BSI that also prevents noise and vibrations from entering the cabin.
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With the development of the semiconductor industry, three-dimensional (3D) memory devices (e.g., 3D NAND memory devices) are widely used. However, floating channels existing in these devices risk boosting failure (e.g., boosting collapse) during a voltage boosting operation. For example, select gate (SG) snapback may occur under the influence of a high electric field imposed on the gate.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell, a fuel cell stack and a method of manufacturing the same, which are suitable for constructing a separator with a metal plate. In particular, the present invention is directed to a fuel cell stack and a method of manufacturing the same for a fuel cell mounted in a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A solid polymer type fuel cell includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane having proton conductivity. Such a fuel cell is configured to supply a fuel gas to an anode of a pair of electrodes, wherein the electrolyte membrane is interposed between such electrodes. The fuel cell is also configured to supply an oxidizer gas to a cathode and generates an electric power using an electrochemical reaction occurring on a surface of the electrolyte membrane.
A single cell includes an electrolyte membrane electrode assembly (MEA) formed by interposing the electrolyte membrane between a pair of electrode catalytic layers. The cell further includes a separator for defining a gas flow passage at both sides of the electrolyte membrane electrode assembly.
The separator defines a gas flow passage for distributing a fuel gas or an oxidizer gas. It also defines a temperature control medium flow passage for distributing a temperature control medium.
Further, the separator is made from a conductive material in order to serve as a conductive path and for extracting an output from the electrode catalytic layers of each cell.
In a related device, a carbon separator having both corrosion resistance and conductivity is generally used for a fuel cell. However, in another related device, a metallic separator has been provided in order to reduce the cost of the product while improving the power density by thinning the separator.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-127699 includes an example of a fuel cell with a metallic separator, which is configured as two separators welded together to defines a gas manifold that passes through the cell.
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Conventional SATCOM terminals utilize mechanical means for satellite tracking, such as gimbal scan or CONSCAN with a rotating subreflector. However, for COTM (Communication On The Move) applications, random perturbations such as those due to rapid vehicle movement over tough terrain will degrade the tracking accuracy to an unacceptable level.
Prior attempts for SATCOM electronic tracking include a dual-band tracking feed, using higher order modes to form azimuth and elevation difference patterns, a dual-band feed with electronic tracking capability using a TEM coaxial mode to receive a θ varying error signal, and a monopulse implemented using a single band horn with higher order modes. In general such systems utilize large mode couplers and cannot be applied to a multi-band aperture. These systems offer pseudo-monopulse tracking only for single band or dual-band.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for queuing data access requests (DAR) according to a priority system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In current storage systems, a storage controller manages data transfer operations between a direct access storage device (DASD), which may be a string of hard disk drives or other non-volatile storage device(s), and host systems and their application programs. To execute a read operation presented from a host system, i.e., a data access request (DAR), the storage controller must physically access the data stored in tracks in the DASD. A DAR is a set of contiguous data sets, such as tracks, records, fixed blocks, or any other grouping of data. The process of physically rotating the disk in the DASD to the requested track then physically moving the reading unit to the disk section to read data is often a time consuming process. For this reason, current systems stage data into a cache memory of the storage controller in advance of the host requests for such data.
A storage controller typically includes a large buffer managed as a cache to buffer data accessed from the attached DASD. In this way, data access requests (DARs) can be serviced at electronic speeds directly from the cache thereby avoiding the electromechanical delays associated with reading the data from the DASD. Prior to receiving the actual DAR, the storage controller receives information on a sequence of tracks in the DASD involved in the upcoming read operation or that data is being accessed sequentially. The storage controller will then proceed to stage the sequential tracks into the cache. The storage controller would then process DARs by accessing the staged data in the cache. In this way, the storage controller can return cached data to a read request at the data transfer speed in the storage controller channels as opposed to non-cached data which is transferred at the speed of the DASD device.
A "hit" is a DAR that can be serviced from cache, whereas a "miss" occurs when the requested data is not in cache and must be retrieved from DASD. With the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) 3990 Storage Controller, if a miss occurs, the storage controller disconnects from the channel and then accesses the DASD to retrieve the requested data. After retrieving the requested data from the DASD and storing the data in cache, the storage controller then reconnects to the channel and the requesting device, e.g., host, and returns the retrieved requested data. If there are multiple channel paths between a host and I/O device, then the storage controller can reconnect on any of the multiple channel paths to return the requested data to the I/O device. If retrieved data for multiple DARs are queued against a channel, then the storage controller typically uses a First-in-First-Out (FIFO) algorithm to determine which retrieved data request to return to the channel. Moreover, if there are multiple cache misses and multiple DARs are queued against a single I/O device or logical volume, then the storage controller typically uses a FIFO algorithm to execute queued DARs against the I/O device or logical volume. The servicing of DARs by a storage controller is described in IBM publication "Storage Subsystem Library: IBM 3990 Storage Control Reference (Models 1, 2, and 3)", IBM document no. GA32-0099-06, (IBM Copyright 1988, 1994), which publication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
There is a need in the art for an improved method for processing DARs and returning DARs to a channel.
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Automotive seatbelt systems are of vital importance in occupant protection to reduce the injury severity of the occupant in the crash accidents by restraining the occupants to the seat when accidents occur.
Conventional seatbelts have limitations in occupant protection in the two following aspects:
First, for comfort, there is always some slack in the seatbelt webbing, especially when the clothes are thick. When an accident occurs, the webbing slack delays the time that the seatbelt provides restraint to the occupant and thus reduces its protection or effectiveness.
Second, when the seatbelt is tightened in a severe crash, the seatbelt load applied to the occupant could go beyond the occupant's injury tolerance and thus hurt the occupant.
Because of the limitations mentioned above, pretensioner seatbelts and load limiter seatbelts are more and more widely applied in recent years. In the early stage of a crash, the pretensioner reduces the slack of the seatbelt and lets the occupant into the constriction state as soon as possible; in the process of the crash, the load limiter controls the force applied to the occupants by the seatbelt to an acceptable level.
For pretensioner seatbelt systems, when a crash accident is detected, the pretensioner device is activated. There are several types of pretensioner devices. A popular explosion type of pretensioner device includes a gas initiator, a gas generator, a piston, a tube, a wire and a drive wheel. The piston is installed in the tube. One end of the wire is connected to the piston and the other end is connected with the drive wheel. When the pretensioner is activated, the gas initiator ignites the gas generator, causing the gas expansion and forcing the piston to pull the wire, which rotates the drive wheel. The webbing wound on the retractor driven by the wheel is retracted. At the end of the pretension process, the retractor locks and the seatbelt system restrains the occupants from hitting on the front panel or the steering wheel, etc.
In the existing seatbelt pretensioner designs, the pretensioning stroke distance is equal to the reduction of slack length of the webbing. Studies have confirmed that in crash accidents, if pretensioners can retract more webbing as soon as possible, the seatbelt system can actuate earlier and provide better protection.
The operation procedure of the load limiter seatbelt systems is as follows: when the load applied by the webbing to the occupants exceeds a certain level, the retractor or buckle will release some webbing under a preset load level to prevent an overly high load on the occupants. The main types of the load limiter are compressed deformation of metals, webbing unfolding, tearing deformation of side plate metals and torque deformation, etc.
While the use of pretensioners and load limiters could enhance the crash performance of a seatbelt system in some crashes, the use of both devices in a seatbelt system has not always been a practical choice due to some issues such as high cost, complicated structure and large space for packaging requirement.
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Articles formed in a mold, from resins such as urethane, require a cure period within the mold. The cure period allows the material green strength to increase to a stage which retains article shape when the article is removed from the mold. Articles which do not have sufficient material green strength to retain their shape when they are removed from a mold can become distorted, lose their shape and be useable.
The length of the cure period required to attain sufficient material green strength depends upon a number of factors. These factors include the chemical properties of the resin used, the size and shape of the molded article, the temperature of the article and the rate of temperature change of the molded article. The length of the cure period changes mold cycle time. Mold cycle time, which is the total time required from the removal of one molded article from a mold cavity until a second molded article is ready to be removed from the same mold cavity, is very important because the cost of molded articles is directly related to mold cycle time.
A molded article with a uniform thickness would attain a sufficient material green strength throughout the article after a predetermined cure period. Molded articles which vary in thickness and shape from one area of the article to another area of the article can be referred to as complex articles. Complex articles attain sufficient material green strength in one area in less time than is required to attain sufficient material green strength in another area of the same article. To attain sufficient green strength, articles have been held in mold cavities until the area that takes the longest time to cure has attained sufficient green strength to maintain its shape outside the mold cavity.
Articles made from resins that are formed in a mold generally cure from the outer surface toward their center. The center is the last area of these articles to attain sufficient green strength and the center in the areas that are thick is the last part of the center to attain sufficient green strength. Removal of a molded article from a mold before all areas have attained sufficient green strength will result in the surface of the article being expanded outwardly by the exotherm pressure build-up in the areas with thick cross-sections. Outward expansion of the surfaces of a molded article changes the surface configuration and may distort portions of the article which have attained sufficient green strength. The areas of an article with the thickest cross-section generally act as reinforcing ribs. Distortion of reinforcing ribs will distort other areas of an article which are relatively thin.
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This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
According to the International Energy Outlook 2006, Report No. DOE/EIA-0484(2006) from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the world's total net electricity consumption is expected to more than double during the period 2003-2030. Much of the electricity is expected to be used to provide industrial, institutional, commercial, warehouse and residential lighting. Adoption of energy-efficient technologies can help to conserve electricity thereby slowing the growth in both the “base demand” and “peak demand” components of electricity demand. Base demand is the steady-state, or average, demand for electricity, while peak demand occurs when the demand for electricity is the greatest, for example, during a hot summer day when electricity use for air conditioning is very high. Reducing either type of demand is desirable, but a reduction in peak demand generally is more valuable because of the relatively high unit cost of the capacity required to provide the peak demand.
Many facilities (e.g. commercial, residential, industrial, institutional, warehouses, etc.) typically include (or are being modified to include) artificial lighting devices such as high intensity fluorescent (“HIF”) lighting fixtures that reduce the amount of electricity consumed in comparison to other less efficient types of artificial lighting such as high intensity discharge (“HID”) lighting. Although HIF lighting equipment reduces the consumption of electricity required for operation, it is desirable to further reduce the electricity consumed by HIF lighting equipment in a facility. Such lighting devices are often configured for control using relatively simplistic control schemes, such as “on” or “idle” during periods where the facility is regularly occupied, and “off” or “standby” when the facility is regularly unoccupied (typically referred to as the facility's “usage pattern”). It would be desirable to reduce consumption of energy by providing a system and method to permit a power provider to trim or shed certain predetermined loads in cooperation with a facility during peak demand periods. It would also be desirable to reduce consumption of energy during peak and off-peak demand periods by using sensing and control devices to intelligently monitor an environment within a facility to turn-off or reduce power to HIF lighting equipment in the facility, when operation of the equipment is unnecessary, particularly during regularly occupied periods which often correspond to peak demand times for the supplier of the electricity (e.g. utilities, etc.).
What is needed is a system and method for reducing peak and off-peak electricity usage in a facility by intelligently monitoring the need for operation of HIF lighting equipment in a facility, and turning-off the HIF lighting equipment during periods when operation of the HIF lighting equipment is determined to be unnecessary, or when peak demand electric capacity is limited and dictates a reduction in demand. What is also needed is a system and method to reduce electricity usage during peak demand periods by providing a signal from an electricity supplier to the HIF lighting equipment to turn-off certain equipment on an as-needed basis (e.g. during unplanned or unforeseen reductions in capacity, etc.) according to a pre-established plan with the facility to accomplish peak electric supply capacity objectives. What is further needed is a system and method to reduce electricity usage during peak demand periods by automatically providing a signal from an electricity supplier to the HIF lighting equipment to turn-off certain equipment, in accordance with a pre-established plan with the facility, in response to decreasing capacity margins during peak demand periods. What is further needed are suitable sensors operable to monitor the need for operation of the HIF lighting equipment during peak or off-peak demand periods at various locations within the facility. What is also needed is a control device operable to receive an indication of the need for operation of the HIF lighting equipment and to provide a demand-based control signal to turn-off such equipment during periods when operation of the HIF lighting equipment is unnecessary, or override the usage of such equipment when peak demand capacity limitations dictate a reduction in usage. What is further needed is a control device that logs (e.g. records, tracks, trends) the time, duration and amount of electricity that is “saved” by reducing the operation of such equipment, and provides output data to determine the cost savings provided by the intelligent monitoring, relative to the facility's typical usage pattern. What is further needed is a system that communicates with a power provider to permit a user, such as a power provider, to “trim” or “shed” certain loads during peak demand periods by overriding the demand-based control signals. What is further needed is a system that provides a data log of energy reduction (i.e. total reduction and reduction for individual devices) achieved by use of the system, both on a cumulative basis for a designated period of time, and on an instantaneous basis for confirmation by a power provider.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that permits an energy user and/or a power provider to actively manage and reduce the energy usage in a facility required by HIF lighting equipment, particularly during periods of peak and off-peak demand.
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Butterfly valves used for automatic control reduce pressure particularly at low flow, i.e., low disc openings. Such pressure reduction can only be accomplished by acceleration and subsequent deceleration of the passing medium, where the maximum velocity is a square root function of the pressure drop. Unfortunately, such high velocities along the leading edges of butterfly valves produce undesirable side effects. Such side effects are cavitation with liquid media, aerodynamic throttling noise with gases, and a high dynamic torque with either medium. Such dynamic torque, increasing rapidly towards the fully open position and reaching a peak near 70.degree. disc opening (see curve A in FIG. 4), greatly interferes with the stable valve operation particularly when pneumatic actuators are employed. This torque is a function of the suction effect (much like the "lift" of an airplane wing) produced by high velocity on the upper surface of that portion of the disc pointing in the downstream direction.
Past butterfly discs of improved designs have tried to overcome this dynamic torque problem, notably among them a disc whose terminating downstream periphery has the shape of a fishtail. Another design employs semi-circular cavities on opposing sides of a circular disc. While those designs show improvements in reduction of dynamic torque, neither of them meets the additional objectives of my invention, which are:
a. reduce hydrodynamic torque; PA1 b. provide tight shut-off; PA1 c. create a better control characteristic.
My invention produces substantially less dynamic torque than either of the present state of the art butterfly discs by providing two tiltingly offset semi-circular wall portions forming the basic disc.
With the vane sitting at a typical seat angle of between 15.degree.-20.degree. from an axis perpendicular to the cylindrical butterfly valve bore, I have the upper semi-circular disc portion approximately perpendicular to said bore and the lower semi-circular wall portion tilted at an approximate angle of 30.degree. in respect to the upper half.
As can be seen from FIG. 4 of my attached drawing, dynamic torque peaks at around 70.degree. of the angular displacement from the vertical axis for a flat vane. Above this angle, the torque is drastically reduced and reaches a negative value beyond 90.degree.. Two angularly offset vane halves accomplish that the upper, perpendicular half may experience a positive torque factor, being retarded in angular displacement from the lower half, while the latter at the same time crosses into a negative torque factor. The net result of the two divergent torque effects is a much lower net torque characteristic as shown in FIG. 4 curve C of my attached drawings.
My invention also provides means to combine tight shut-off with the other aforementioned advantages, in that its configuration (contrary to other "low torque" designs) allows an angular attachment, usually between 15.degree.-20.degree. to the vertical valve axis of the outer disc periphery to provide intimate contact and thereby greatly reduced valve leakage. The angle of contact is chosen depending on the type of material employed, that is, the tangent of the angle has to exceed the coefficient of static friction to avoid self-locking.
A further object of my invention is the ability to create a tight shut-off valve for so-called rubber lined butterfly valves. These valves consist usually of tubular steel or cast iron housings having either vulcanized or molded elastomeric inserts at their inner bores. It is customary to use cylindrical butterfly valve vanes for on-off purposes. Sealing is accomplished by squeezing an oversized vane into the rubber lined butterfly valve bore. This interference with, and displacement of, portions of the elastomeric insert provides the desired shut-off. However, one less desired by-product of this procedure is high static torque, also called "breakaway" torque. The other is wear of the liner material. While this breakaway torque is not considered too detrimental for hand operated valves, it nevertheless becomes highly objectionable for pneumatic operated modulating control valves. Any sudden forces changes, such as previously described, tend to cause dynamic instability and are very detrimental to the desired control function of such a valve.
My invention overcomes these difficulties by providing an angle seated vane wherein the elastomeric insert can be compressed with a relatively gentle force of the tilting vane periphery which avoids the squeezing action of a circular vane being pushed essentially in a direction parallel to the liner axis. As a result, the previously described breakaway torque is avoided and the operator torque required to provide shut-off cut in half.
Yet another objective of my invention is that the angular offset vane allows the hub portion to be sub-divided into two relatively short sections which eliminates the very expensive task of drilling a shaft bore through the complete diameter of the vane where the typical length of such bores is 12 times its diameter and requires the utilization of very special tools such as gun drills. My invention allows the use of conventional tooling since the bore distance can be kept to approximately two diameters.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and system for reducing noise and interference between electronic communication devices that utilize the same transmission media for communications. More particularly, the invention relates to performing adaptive power control (“APC”) to optimize the transmit power of each communication device in a networking system in order to reduce interference between the network devices and other communications services coupled to the same transmission media, such as interference between broadband services such as xDSL, voice band telephone service, and home networking systems all sharing the same customer premises telephone wiring.
2. Background of the Invention
In response to the increasing demand for communications services available to the home user, an increasing number of sophisticated and complex communication devices/systems are being coupled to customer premises telephone wiring. These devices include fax machines, telephones, computers, computer networks, xDSL devices, satellite movie ordering systems, etc. Yet, customer premises telephone wiring is relatively unsophisticated, typically comprising a simple twisted wire pair. As the number of communication devices attached to the same wire pair increases, the potential for cross-talk, noise or interference between the devices increases.
As one might expect, deployment of xDSL systems and home networking systems that utilize telephone wiring for communications are facing many challenges. One of the most significant challenges is the increasing potential for interference from one service to another since the services may exist on the same wire pairs in the same home or in the same local loop or telephone binder group. These services may have cross-talk interference from one service onto the other which may not only directly degrade performance of those services but may also impact the performance of the other services on the telephone wiring, for example the underlying POTS (plain old telephone service).
Coexistence of broadband services such as xDSL and home networking systems, along with other services utilizing telephone wiring, is essential to the success of these technologies in the marketplace. To assist in the coexistence of these technologies, the present invention is directed to a method and system to lower the potential interference caused by home networking systems.
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Antique automobiles are those which are relatively old and have been out of production for quite a long time. They are also sometimes known as classic cars. Such vehicles are relatively rare and are avidly collected. There are many different types and models of classic cars, e.g. Model T and A Fords of various vintages as well as many others.
A replacement parts industry has developed for supplying replacement parts for many of the popular classic cars. These parts are reproductions of the corresponding original equipment parts, though modern materials, such as fiberglass, are often used in their construction. In fact, it is now possible to build a replica of a classic car using only reproduction parts, albeit a car having a modern engine, suspension system, tires etc. The street rod industry has grown as a consequence allowing many popular street rods to be built based on classic car or truck designs.
The design of many classic cars, whether a true antique or a street rod, is considerably different than modern automobiles. In many classic cars, the axles basically extended out past the sides of the car so that the wheels were not enclosed within the basic body of the car, as would be true today. Separate front and rear fenders were attached to the sides of the car to enclose the wheels. A running board mounted on brackets extending out from the side of the car bridged the space between the fenders and served as a convenient step into the passenger compartment which was more elevated than in modern cars. Basically, the fenders and running boards were attachments or add-ons to the car body, rather than being integrated into the design of the rest of the car's body.
In addition, the fenders in many classic cars have certain portions which are relatively wide and flat, particularly the front fenders. While the front fenders typically have a rounded front portion surrounding the wheel, the rear half of these fenders is often quite long and wide tapering gradually downwardly to the beginning of the running board to which the rear of the fender is often attached for support. The same is often true to a lesser degree for the rear fender in these cars. The rear portion of the rear fender is less rounded than the front portion, tapering gradually downwardly to the rear bumper of the car.
As a consequence of this fender design, rocks and the like can be thrown up and strike the underside of the fender, particularly the rear and flatter portion of the fender, with some frequency as the car is driven. The impact from such objects is often sufficient to cause a cracking or "star" pattern to appear in the paint surface on the top of the fender. Needless to say, this is annoying to the owners of such vehicles, who often put relatively expensive paint jobs on these cars. When the car is primarily for show, i.e. exhibited at gatherings of classic cars or street rods, the appearance of even the slightest imperfection in the paint job, such as a starred fender, is the cause for a new, and expensive, paint job to be applied.
Various ways of protecting the underside of such fenders against starring have been tried. For example, a heavy coating of a conventional sound deadening material, i.e. a black, tar-like substance, has been applied to the underside of the fender. While this offers some protection from starring, it is very unsightly and difficult to clean. It is also relatively permanent in nature. Once applied, it is very difficult to remove.
Another approach which has been tried is to apply a sheet foam material to the underside of the fender. One side of this material is provided with a sticky adhesive to allow the material to be stuck in place. Again, while this material provides some protection, the adhesive backing no longer sticks once it is removed from the fender. Thus, it is good for only a single use. Since this type of material tends to droop over time as the adhesive backing degrades, or must be removed for show purposes or to thoroughly clean the underside of the fender, it is often necessary to periodically replace the foam material. This can become expensive and laborious since the remnants of the previously used adhesive have to be thoroughly cleaned off the underside of the fender before new sheets can be attached.
Accordingly, the prior known methods of protecting this type of fender from starring have disadvantages which render them impractical for most owners of these vehicles. Many such owners are simply deterred from using them due to their unsightly appearance and the difficulty imposed in cleaning the vehicle thoroughly when they are in place. Moreover, they can be removed once attached only with some difficulty. Accordingly, they do not address the need that has existed for a fender liner which is easy to attach, which has a clean appearance when in place and does not hang down beneath the fender, and which can be easily removed and reattached periodically for general cleaning, all while protecting the fender from starring or other damage from upwardly thrown objects striking the underside of the fender.
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This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming structural nets and more specifically to an improved method for hand tying nets through the use of an improved fixture resulting in a much improved net structure.
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Golf is a very popular sport but demanding in terms of the various skills that need to be applied by the individual golfer to play the sport at even the most basic level. A golfer's basic swing technique is governed by many variables including his (or her) coordination and strength, golf club selection, golf ball selection, and golf course conditions, to name just a few.
In view of these many variables, the golfer is required to develop and maintain a certain skill set to improve their overall ability to play golf at some consistent level. For example, with respect to the putting element of the golf game, the player is faced with and required to determine and control variables such as stroke, initial ball speed, aim with respect to the golf ball, and aim (including putter angle) with respect to the face of the putter. Interestingly, it has been reported that putting comprises a large percentage (e.g., 25-30 percent) of the overall number of strokes made during a standard round of golf, and a putt, in both professional golf tournaments and recreational play, can create some of the greatest drama during a round as reflected in the well-known golf adage “drive for show, putt for dough” that is often repeated by golf professionals, amateurs, spectators and broadcasters.
As those who are well-acquainted with golf will attest, the ability to accurately and consistently putt a golf ball is a very difficult skill to develop and maintain, and many golfers are on a continual search to find their best and repeatable putting stroke. Seizing on an opportunity, the golf industry is replete with a variety of putting training devices to assist players with their putting prowess. Some of these devices are directed to improving aiming capability, others for improving alignment, and others for perfecting the stroke itself. Some devices attached to the putter itself or require the player to secure himself to the device or training apparatus.
The information directed to, and useful for, putting in these types of aides varies widely in terms of assisting a golfer in training for a particular putting stroke or executing a real-time putt during a round of golf. So, while some existing golf aides may be useful in providing general information related to putting, the golfer is still challenged with digesting the general information and effectively utilizing that information to determine how to strike a particular golf putt in a real-time fashion. Important to that real-time determination is the precise location of the golf ball on the green, the precise location of the golf cup (or hole), the overall surface characteristics of the green (including its topography and so-called green speed), and the ideal putt defined in terms of aiming direction and initial ball speed.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved putting stroke apparatus and methodology that determines and simulates the proper putting stroke in terms of aiming direction and initial ball speed for successfully making a putt based on particular putting green characteristics and the location of the golf ball and golf hole on the putting green.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for automatic control of a straightening process for a material to be straightened, such as sheet metal, strips, sections, pipes and, in particular, for wire-like or multiwire-like objects to be straightened, in a straightening apparatus or a levelling machine having at least one straightening roller, adjustable with an actuator.
2. Description of Prior Art
In order to eliminate buckling of objects to be straightened, non-rotary roller straightening apparatus or levelling machines are employed. Due to the level-sefting of the straightening rollers in relation to one another, disposed in two rows in a mutually offset manner in at least one straightening plane, the objects to be straightened are subjected to alternating bends during their passage. The quantity and magnitude of the alternating bends should be selected so that entry curvatures of objects to be straightened are eliminated over an entire length of the objects to be straightened.
Predetermining a number of alternating bends, and a magnitude of the alternating bends, is set in practice more or less intuitively according to the experience of the person operating the straightening apparatus using level-seftings of the straightening rollers. Changing the set parameters of the individual straightening rollers is thus performed by visual contact with the exiting material to be straightened until satisfactory straightness is attained.
From Guedcke W., xe2x80x9cSimulation of the Wire Straightening Processxe2x80x9d Wire Industry, Volume 63, No. 752, Aug. 1, 1996, modelling and simulation of wire straightening processes is known. Such modelling aims to discover the most ideal conditions for a straightening process and discloses specifications for conducting a straightening process. However, a specialist is required for adapting the pre-set process cycle to the actual conditions with regard to the tolerances of the respective objects to be straightened, which is attempted by adjusting the straightening rollers and by taking measurements after interrupting the straightening process.
From German Patent Reference DE 195 03 850 C1 a non-rotary straightening apparatus for bending machines with an integrated measuring device is known. In the straightening apparatus, in a direction in which material is passing through, at least one material bending measuring device, in which there is at least one measuring path for a lengthwise predetermined material section, is disposed behind at least one straightening mechanism. Thus, along the measuring path, there is at least one mechanical and/or electronic and/or optical sensor, determining the extent of the bend and its orientation, in which context signals are generated by the sensor device, representing the measured bend of the material section, and the signals are used to adjust an adjusting gear accordingly.
The measuring device of the known straightening apparatus operates according to a principle of curvature detection in terms of a Three-Point-Method, supplying correct results only for objects to be straightened, which are cut into sections, or for immobile objects to be straightened, for example if the objects to be straightened are free from exterior forces and moments, neglecting gravity. If the curvature of the discharged objects to be straightened is not constant over a length of the measuring path, the measuring result is further influenced by the length of the measuring path.
The straightening process is interrupted due to the required immobilization of the objects to be straightened. The immobilization and renewed setting into motion affects the result of the curvature measurements and necessitates changes which have an effect on a quality of the straightening process. Checking the setting is thus only possible by renewed immobilization of the straightening apparatus, i.e. continuous monitoring and adjusting while the objects to be straightened are moving or during straightening, is not possible.
It is one object of this invention to provide a process which virtually permits an immediate, automatic adaptation of the setting to continuously measured data of respective objects to be straightened of at least one straightening roller of a straightening apparatus or a levelling machine, without interrupting the straightening process.
This object is attained by a process having the characteristics described in this specification and in the claims.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are based on the principle of modelling a straightening process, which is to be automated, in a preparatory phase, using mathematical-physical laws, setting up a simulation program and performing a calculus of parameters with the simulation program with varying product data, in particular the material characteristics and/or the dimensions of the objects to be straightened. This phase may be considered as xe2x80x9cofflinexe2x80x9d. Due to product and/or process data measured continuously during the straightening process, i.e. without immobilizing the objects to be straightened, the adjustment of the straightening apparatus or the levelling machine, required in order to attain the desired product quality, is performed very quickly xe2x80x9conlinexe2x80x9d, integrating the results of the calculus of parameters. The change of the setting is performed objectively and in a determined manner. The measured product and/or process data are also used in order to check the set up model as well as the simulation program and to change them, if necessary. Objectivity replaces subjective experience judgement by the eye of the person operating the straightening apparatus or levelling machine. This not only simplifies the process, performing it automatically, but it also enhances the quality.
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{
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Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a light emitting device and, more particularly, to a die emitting white light.
Background
A light emitting device may include one or more dies that emit light of various colors. In some configurations, a die may emit blue light. When blue light passes through a phosphor layer, the blue light may be converted to white light. Varying thicknesses of the phosphor layer may cause the blue light to be converted to varying shades of white light. In some applications, variations in the shade of the white light may be undesirable. To prevent variations in the shade of the white light, the phosphor layer should be uniform. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved white light emitting die having a uniform layer of phosphor surrounding the light emitting portions of the die.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to blinds and stands used by outdoor hunters and nature watchers, and in particular, to blinds for treestands used by hunters and nature watchers.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
When hunters hunt outdoors and when nature watchers observe wildlife and birds in the wild, so-called “treestands” are often used that provide a seat and/or standing platform for the hunter or nature watcher above the ground. Such treestands are typically secured to a tree and have a raised platform that is supported above the ground. Such a treestand raises the hunter or nature watcher so as to provide increased visibility, and also to keep the hunter or nature watcher off of wet ground. Well known such treestands are the Multi-Vision Climbing Stand Series treestands manufactured and sold by OL' MAN Treestands, 311 East Jennings St., Tallahassee, Fla. 32301. There are problems with the use of such exposed stands, namely, that they expose the hunter or nature watcher to the elements, such as wind, rain, and colder temperatures. This can detract from the outdoors experience and limit the time that the hunter or nature watcher can stay outdoors. Additionally, when a hunter or nature watcher is exposed, wildlife are deterred from approaching because they can easily see, smell, and hear the individual.
It is therefore desirable to have a blind for use with treestands by hunters or nature watchers. It is further desirable that such a blind be lightweight and portable, provide shelter for the hunter or nature watcher from the elements, hide the hunter or nature watcher from wildlife, and be easy to set up by a single person. It is further desirable to provide a portable blind that can be adapted for use with a variety of portable climbing deer stands, stationary ladder stands, and tree stands.
A preliminary patentability search produced the following patents and patent application publications, some of which may be relevant to the present invention: O'Hare, U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,192 (issued Aug. 13, 2002); Ransom et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,399 (issued Nov. 21, 2006); Jenkinson, U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,503 (issued Jun. 15, 2010); Stabler, U.S. Pat. No. 7,958,968 (issued Jun. 14, 2011); Valpredo, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0078988A1 (published Jun. 27, 2002); and Hanson, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0249640A1 (published Nov. 9, 2006).
Additionally, OL' MAN Outdoors, Multi-Vision Climbing Stand Series, (internet web page advertisement 2010), and The OL' MAN Treestands Multi-Vision Series Instruction Manual (May 2009), both published by OL' Man Treestands, 311 East Jennings St., Tallahassee, Fla. 32301, describe a treestand suitable for use with the present invention.
None of these references, either singly or in combination, discloses or suggests the present invention.
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This document relates to portable power generator. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a portable solar power generator.
Solar power offers a number of advantages. For example, solar power offers the promise of clean, renewable energy. In addition, solar power may be generated wherever solar radiation is available. Thus, solar power may facilitate a decentralized energy system by enabling electricity to be generated at or near the point of consumption. Moreover, solar power may be generated without the use of hydrocarbons, thereby reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
In Concentrated Photovoltaics (CPV), light from the sun is focused onto high-efficiency solar cells, which offer several additional advantages. High-efficiency solar cells require less silicon, and can achieve higher efficiencies than traditional solar panels. Thus, devices that utilize high-efficiency solar cells are generally more economical and require less space. However, to date, developments in concentrated solar power generation have failed to address certain needs of the end user, and do not take full advantage of solar energy's beneficial characteristics.
In particular, existing solar installations are generally permanent, while many possible uses of solar energy require temporary installations. As an example, in the agricultural sector, a farmer may want to harvest solar power during a certain period of time over which a field would otherwise go unused. The permanence of existing installations makes such a use unfeasible due to the lengthy and costly installation process. In addition, many of the current solar technologies cannot withstand harsh operating environments. The critical functional surfaces on solar generators (e.g., mirrors, lenses, glass coverings, solar panels and/or cells) that are frequently exposed to dust or chemicals, for example, may become damaged or coated by dust or other debris, thus reducing overall effectiveness. Moreover, existing installations are often very complex, typically requiring a large amount time to install by trained experts. What is needed is a portable or semi-portable solar power generation device, capable of rapid scaled deployment by an end user of the electricity or an independent electricity generator.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to data processing and in particular to diagnostic mechanisms for monitoring data processing operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of situations where it is desirable to keep track of the processing being performed by a processing circuit. For example, such information is useful during the development of data processing systems. An example of a tool that may be used to assist in such a process is a tracing tool.
Tracing the activity of a data processing system whereby a trace stream is generated that includes data representing the step-by-step activity within the system is a highly useful tool in system development. Such tracing tools use a variety of means for tracing the program flow including embedded trace macrocells (ETM, a trademark of ARM Limited, Cambridge) which are present on the chip whose processing is being monitored.
If the complete step by step activity of a processing system is monitored the amount of data that needs to be collected, transmitted and stored can be prohibitively large. Thus, various ways of reducing this amount of information have been devised. These include reducing the amount of trace data generated by only tracing some instructions such as branches and load/store instructions, all other “trace-inactive” instructions being inferred from the trace of these “trace-active” instructions and a knowledge of the instruction stream. Further reduction in the trace stream is possible by providing the ability to turn the trace on and off, so that for certain parts of the execution that are deemed trace-inactive no trace data is generated. This ability to only trace a subset of instructions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,707,394.
Most processor instruction set architectures include the ability to execute instructions speculatively in order to increase processing speed. Thus, for example, branch instructions that are conditional on the state of the data processing system at the point where the branch is processed, and will execute and branch to the destination if some condition is true, and not execute and continue to the next sequential instruction if the condition is false, may be predicted as executing in a certain way, so that the subsequent instructions can be executed before it is known whether the condition is true or false. If the prediction is wrong then the speculatively executed instructions will need to be cancelled and the processor restored to the state it had before the branch was taken.
It is not always straightforward when tracing speculatively executed instructions to keep the trace stream output consistent with the instructions that are actually committed.
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As is well known to those versed in the art, it has heretofore been relatively difficult to sense and respond to extremely small pressure changes under practical conditions of use. For example in safety door edges of elevators and public transit vehicles, in burglar detection floor switches and window and door tampering sensors, robotic finger pressure sensors, and the like, high sensitivity to small pressure change has heretofore been a difficult and expensive problem to solve. Also, in many such sensors the total closure or occlusion at one point along an elongate sensor may make the sensor totally insensitive and useless beyond the point of occlusion, so that further pressure change beyond this point is no longer sensed.
For example, in assembling an elongate pressure change sensing member or tube through a right angle or other sharp turn, there was heretofore a likelihood that the sensor would be assembled in a completely closed or occluded condition at the turn, as by a kink or crimp, and therefore assembled with total occlusion at the turn and insensitive to pressure changes beyond the turn.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel photoresist compositions for forming positive resist images on a surface and to circuit fabrication using such novel compositions. The instant composition contains polymers having pendant acid labile groups in the presence of acid generators capable of forming a catalytic amount of strong acid upon exposure to actinic radiation.
2. Background of the Invention
Modern high resolution photoresists require high photospeed for productivity, superior image integrity, and fully aqueous development and stripping. All aqueous processing is needed because the organic solvents that have been used in the past are being replaced because of increasingly demanding environmental restrictions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,778, novel photosolubilizable compositions are disclosed that comprise 1) a water-insoluble compound containing one or more acid-degradable groups, and 2), a photoinitiator comprising a photolyzable acid progenitor. The useful water-insoluble compounds can contain one or more acid-degradable linkage which can be formed by the nucleophilic reaction of phenols, N-alkyl arylsulfonamides, or certain secondary amines with alkyl vinyl ethers, e.g. methyl vinyl ether, ethyl vinyl ether or a dihydropyran.
A resist prepared according to this invention from the THP ether of a phenolic resin and a photoacid generator required a mixture of flammable organic alcohol, potassium hydroxide and water to develop away the exposed areas.
European Patent Application 0,264,908 discloses resists comprised of at least one polymer, copolymer, or terpolymer having recurrent acid labile groups pendant to the polymer backbone wherein the improvement comprises: selecting a substituent side chain on said acid labile groups which is capable of forming secondary carbonium ion intermediates and having an available proton adjacent to the carbonium ion formed during cleavage. The autodecomposition temperature of the polymer comprising the photoresist is increased, to a temperature greater than about 160.degree. C., by selecting substituent side chains on the acid labile group which exhibit a less stable intermediate carbonium ion than the t-butyl ion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,628, resists sensitive to UV, electron beam and x-ray radiation with positive or negative tone upon proper choice of a developer are formulated from a polymer having recurrent pendant groups such as tert-butyl ester or tert-butyl carbonate groups that undergo efficient acidolysis with concomitant changes in polarity (solubility) together with a photoinitiator which generates acid upon radiolysis. A sensitizer component that alters wavelength sensitivity of the composition may also be added. The preferred acid labile pendant groups are tert-butyl esters of carboxylic acids and tert-butyl carbonates of phenols but, it is understood that a wide range of acid labile groups are operative in the invention. These include trityl, benzyl, benzhydryl modifications as well as others well known in the art.
These resists require that the exposed image be heated to 100.degree. C. or more to catalytically decompose the acid labile esters in the exposed areas. This heating creates a risk of image distortion if the glass transition of the coating is less than 100.degree. C.
The production of Printed circuits using a variety of resists is described in "Printed Circuits Handbook" edited by Clyde F. Coombs, Second Edition, Published by McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1979. Chapter 6 of this publication describes the use of both negative-working and positive-working photoresists in the preparation of printed circuits. In particular, section 14 of this chapter discusses conventional positive-working liquid photoresists and section 16 discusses conventional coating methods for applying such photoresists to printed circuit substrates. Likewise, the production of printed circuits using photoresists is described in "Photoresist Materials and Processes" by W. S. DeForest published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1975. In particular, Chapter 5 of this publication discusses conventional positive resists and the processes of their use to manufacture printed circuits.
The positive acting thick film liquid resist compositions of the current invention are fully aqueous developable, have high photospeed, do not require the use of high temperature bakes to solubilize the exposed image, and give high resolution images of good line quality. Properly formulated, the resist image can withstand both acid and alkaline plating and etching processes used to modify the substrates to which the resists are adhered. The resist image can then be blank exposed and stripped in aqueous alkali or re-exposed imagewise and developed so that the substrate can be modified a second time without the need to apply a second resist.
The resist compositions of the instant invention contain thermally stable but acid labile .alpha.-alkoxyalkyl esters of carboxylic acids, e.g., tetrahydropyranyl esters.
J. E. Kearns et al., J. Macromol. Sci.-Chem. A8(4), pp. 673-685 (1974) describe the preparation and deesterification of a number of polymers and copolymers of unsaturated tetrahydropyrany) esters. The utility of dihydropyran as a protecting group in the preparation of polymers containing other groups susceptible to normal hydrolysis conditions is ascribed to the mild conditions required to remove the tetrahydropyranyl group from these esters.
None of the prior art of which we are aware shows the use of the polymers of the present invention in thick film liquid photoresist compositions. Moreover, none of the prior art of which we are aware discloses resist formulations usable in thick film liquid photoresists containing a polymer bearing recurring pendant acid labile groups that possess the structures disclosed in the present invention.
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The invention relates to a method of setting flat elements in relation to a reference device, in particular stamping dies or the like, and for aligning embossing printing blocks relative to an embossing original outside a stamping machine, by means of a camera and picture screen associated therewith. In addition the invention concerns a corresponding apparatus which can also be used for carrying out the method.
German laid-open application (DE-OS) No 39 17 919 discloses a table for positioning elements on a carrier in accordance with reference documents, comprising a plate on which the reference document lies and over which a first video camera carried by a carriage is displaceable in a parallel plane. The carriage is movable along a traverse member which in turn is movable laterally along the plate with the carriage. A second camera which is carried by an arm which is movable along a bridge can be displaced over a working plane in a parallel plane, wherein the arm and the bridge can each be moved by a respective electromechanical drive device. Control of the electromechanical drive devices for moving the bridge and the arm of the second camera is effected so that the latter is displaced relative to the movements of the first camera, which movements are controlled by a manipulator and are detected by first position detectors mounted on the carriage, the traverse member and the plate, the electronic control device monitoring the degree of accuracy of the movements of the second camera in order to permit same to perform complementary movements.
The previously known apparatus is technically complex as two separate systems are required and in addition it involves considerable costs.
The embossing original required is heated and distorts, which results in inaccuracies. Added to that are deviations as between the two systems due to inevitable geometry flaws in the two guide systems.
Cardboard or pasteboard boxes are stamped out with so-called steel strip cutting tools. Steel strip cutting tools are stamping or punching dies in which strip-shaped blades and fold lines, following the contours of the cardboard or pasteboard boxes, are arranged in slits in a plate (preferably a multi-layer plywood plate). For use in automatic stamping or punching machines, the steel strip cutting tools are clamped in holding frame structures.
Many higher-grade cardboard or pasteboard boxes are provided with embossings, on account of the pleasant appearance. Embossings may be on the one hand hot foil embossings in which colored, shiny and/or metallized foils are embossed on to the blanks under the effect of heat, while on the other hand it is also possible to refer to embossing when the material is deformed in a relief pattern by embossing blocks. Relief embossing can also be effected by using hot foils or on the sheet with or without printing thereon.
Whichever method is employed, because of the high requirement in terms of quality concerning positional accuracy of the embossing blocks relative to the sheet of material, it is necessary to reckon on extremely long setting times at the stamping machines.
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The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an audio/video interface for transmitting digital data from a wide variety of devices such as a set-top box, a CD/DVD disc player, a personal computer, or a video game console to a compatible audio device and/or a compatible video device. Because these devices do not all use the same digital signal format, designing an HDMI compatible interface controller is a difficult and complex task. What is needed is an architecture that simplifies the design of an HDMI compatible interface controller and that enables the interface controller to be configured for use with a wide variety of digital devices.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a dialysis system and more specifically to a method and apparatus for analyzing and altering the component structure of a complex reference fluid, such as blood, by use of a dialysis system. The present invention is also directed to a method and apparatus which enables the determination of the concentration of a low-molecular-weight compound in a complex fluid.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Several methods are known for determining the component structure of a complex fluid. For purposes of this invention a complex fluid is a fluid medium which contains a variety of components having different molecular weights. Non-limiting examples of complex fluids include blood, biological culture media such as fermentation liquids, and air. For purposes of explanation only, the present invention will be primarily directed to a blood dialysis system. However, it should be understood that the device of the present invention has far reaching potential beyond blood dialysis. Examples of other uses are specified elsewhere in this text.
One well known procedure for determining the component structure of, for example, blood is to withdraw the blood for analysis under a microscope or by other suitable means such as spectrophotometric analyzers, etc. This method is highly useful for a variety of blood tests. However, successfully withdrawing blood from a patient without insulting the integrity of the blood is a difficult procedure. For example, when exposed to the atmosphere, blood clots quickly which could alter test results. Further, any time blood is withdrawn by means of a pump system, the corpuscular components such as the red blood cells may be injured, which could alter the chemistry of the bloodstream. Further still, withdrawing blood from an infant whose blood system may total 30 to 40 milliliters (ml) blood could create a serious blood deficiency. Multiple blood withdrawals, even in minute amounts, could exsanguinate and thus traumatize the infant's system.
Separating microscopic components from fluids by dialysis is also well known to the art. Kirk-Othmer in Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Third Edition, Vol. 7, John Wiley & Sons, New York (1979) at page 564 defines dialysis as a membrane transport process in which solute molecules are exchanged between two liquid phases. The process proceeds in response to differences in chemical potentials between the liquids. There is usually little difference in pressure between the two phases. The membrane separating the liquids permits a diffusional exchange between at least some of the molecular species present while effectively preventing any convective exchange between, or comingling with, the solutions. Thus, in basic principle, the two solutions will come into equilibrium, i.e., a state of balance or equality, across a semi-permeable membrane. However, large molecular structures in the fluid generally will not traverse the semipermeable membrane and do not equilibrate across the membrane.
Dialysis has found many uses in the prior art ranging from biotechnological applications, such as blood dialysis in kidney machines, to industrial applications, i.e., fermentation fluid analysis, chemical separations and chemical analysis.
By far, the largest contemporary use of dialysis involves the treatment of blood, particularly associated with hemodialysis (Kirk-Othmer, supra at page 574). Much of the prior art involving analysis by dialysis is directed to blood analytical procedures. Examples of this procedure follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,864 to Sielaff et al is generally related to a diffusable tubular membrane in the form of a cathether which is introduced percutaneously into the bloodstream and serves as a conduit for carrier gas in blood gases. Equilibration is allowed to occur between the blood gases and the carrier gas through the membrane. The equilibrated gas is then removed from the diffusable membrane to another area for analysis by displaced volume or reduced pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,580 to Polanyl is directed to a continuous blood gas monitoring system. The object behind this invention is to analyze components in a fluid mixture by employing diffusion of the component to be determined to a membrane. The apparatus comprises a probe, a circulating test fluid, and a gas measuring device. The probe is preferably a tube or catheter dwelling in the fluid. A portion of the distal end of this tube is covered with a thin membrane of gas permeable and blood impermeable membrane. The membrane is wound around the outside of the probe tube in spiral fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,249 to Schindler et al is directed to an apparatus for the continuous chemical analysis of body fluids. The surface of the catheter is partially coated with a semi-permeable filter membrane. A plurality of channels are provided underneath the membrane which provide a fluid flow path for the material to be analyzed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,789 to Nylen et al discloses a method for measuring the content of a low-molecular weight compound in a complex fluid, such as blood, by placing a dialyzer in contact with a complex fluid. A fraction of the fluid is passed through a semi-permeable membrane of the dialysis, contacted with a dialysis fluid and measured. The dialyzer enters the reference fluid container, such as a blood vessel, at one point and exits at another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,567 to Clark et al is directed to a system for sampling and determining chemical substances in a fluid. A probe containing a liquid is inserted into a fluid matrix containing the diffusible chemical substances to be sampled and monitored. The probe is constructed of a permeable membrane. Within the probe is a tube constructed from materials such as stainless steel or glass. An opening in the tube connects the chambers of the tube and the probe. The probe containing the test fluid is placed in a fluid matrix and purportedly absorbs the chemical substances diffusing through the permeable membrane until equilibrium is reached. The equilibrated fluid is then passed through the opening in the tube and removed therefrom for analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,517 to Kadish et al is directed to a means and apparatus for continuously monitoring blood glucose concentrations. One embodiment (FIG. 7) discloses an intravenous dialyzing catheter wherein the blood component to be measured passes through the dialyzing membrane of the catheter and is directly mixed with the analytic reagent. The blood proteins and formed elements do not pass through the dialyzing membrane and purportedly are never removed from the patient. This embodiment permits the monitoring of blood chemistry without actually removing the whole blood from the body. The catheter includes an outer dialyzing membrane and an inner tubing. The material used for the membrane is suitable for dialyzing glucose and other dialyzable blood components from the whole blood, removing the blood proteins and formed elements, i.e., white cells, red cells and platelets from the blood. A specific example is polyethylenevinylpyrrolidone, sold under the trademark PERMION-300 by Radiation Application, Inc. The dialyzed component and an enzyme reagent (for preventing coagulation) are mixed within the catheter and removed for analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,315 to Cullen is directed to an apparatus for withdrawing gaseous constitutents from a liquid for analysis of the gaseous constitutents. More specifically, the invention includes a catheter which comprises a cannula having a gas permeable but liquid impervious membrane at the distal end and subatmospheric pressure means connectable with the opposite end for inducing gaseous flow from the blood stream through the cannula.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,269 to Delgado is directed to apparatus which is inserted in a living organism, such as the brain, which can pass fluids from or to the organism. Part of the apparatus includes a porous application bag for the displacement of fluids into or out of the system.
Thus, there are known several methods for determining components, specifically gas components, in the bloodstream. These methods employ reaching the equilibrium condition between a body fluid and an external fluid through a membrane followed by analytical determination of the concentration of the gas component in the external fluid. Such methods often involve the use of a hard probe-like apparatus which is often difficult to insert into the blood vessel and thus quite time consuming.
Methods for analyzing fluids by the use of dialysis in the industrial fields are also known to the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,023 to Frant et al is directed to measuring gases, such as sulfur dioxide, in the atmosphere by means of a chemically integrating dosimeter, composed in part of permeable membranes, which makes time integrated exposures to various gases in the atmosphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,912 to Stumpf et al is directed to an immersion dialyzer specifically for measuring the content of substrates in a sterile medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,106 to Gardner et al discloses a device for use in sampling components in liquids or gaseous materials by dialysis from the liquids. A primary purpose of this device is in fermentation-type reactions.
Even with the abundance of prior art literature directed to analysis by dialysis, it has long been desirable to provide a simple, safe and efficient manner for separating a low molecular weight compound out of a complex medium for analysis. The present invention provides such a method and apparatus.
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1. Field
The present disclosure is directed to compounds that are substantially active in the gastrointestinal tract to inhibit NHE-mediated antiport of sodium ions and hydrogen ions, and the use of such compounds in the treatment of disorders associated with fluid retention or salt overload and in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract disorders, including the treatment or reduction of pain associated with a gastrointestinal tract disorder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disorders Associated with Fluid Retention and Salt Overload
According to the American Heart Association, more than 5 million Americans have suffered from heart failure, and an estimated 550,000 cases of congestive heart failure (CHF) occur each year (Schocken, D. D. et al., Prevention of heart failure: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Councils on Epidemiology and Prevention, Clinical Cardiology, Cardiovascular Nursing, and High Blood Pressure Research; Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group; and Functional Genomics and Translational Biology Interdisciplinary Working Group Circulation, v. 117, no. 19, p. 2544-2565 (2008)). The clinical syndrome of congestive heart failure occurs when cardiac dysfunction prevents adequate perfusion of peripheral tissues. The most common form of heart failure leading to CHF is systolic heart failure, caused by contractile failure of the myocardium. A main cause of CHF is due to ischemic coronary artery disease, with or without infarction. Long standing hypertension, particularly when it is poorly controlled, may lead to CHF.
In patients with CHF, neurohumoral compensatory mechanisms (i.e., the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin system) are activated in an effort to maintain normal circulation. The renin-angiotensin system is activated in response to decreased cardiac output, causing increased levels of plasma renin, angiotensin II, and aldosterone. As blood volume increases in the heart, cardiac output increases proportionally, to a point where the heart is unable to dilate further. In the failing heart, contractility is reduced, so the heart operates at higher volumes and higher filling pressures to maintain output. Filling pressures may eventually increase to a level that causes transudation of fluid into the lungs and congestive symptoms (e.g., edema, shortness of breath). All of these symptoms are related to fluid volume and salt retention, and this chronic fluid and salt overload further contribute to disease progression.
Compliance with the medication regimen and with dietary sodium restrictions is a critical component of self-management for patients with heart failure and may lengthen life, reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life. Physicians often recommend keeping salt intake below 2.3 g per day and no more than 2 g per day for people with heart failure. Most people eat considerably more than this, so it is likely that a person with congestive heart failure will need to find ways to reduce dietary salt.
A number of drug therapies currently exist for patients suffering from CHF. For example, diuretics may be used or administered to relieve congestion by decreasing volume and, consequently, filling pressures to below those that cause pulmonary edema. By counteracting the volume increase, diuretics reduce cardiac output; however, fatigue and dizziness may replace CHF symptoms. Among the classes or types of diuretics currently being used is thiazides. Thiazides inhibit NaCl transport in the kidney, thereby preventing reabsorption of Na in the cortical diluting segment at the ending portion of the loop of Henle and the proximal portion of the distal convoluted tubule. However, these drugs are not effective when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is less than 30 ml/min. Additionally, thiazides, as well as other diuretics, may cause hypokalemia. Also among the classes or types of diuretics currently being used is loop diuretics (e.g., furosemide). These are the most potent diuretics and are particularly effective in treating pulmonary edema. Loop diuretics inhibit the NaKCl transport system, thus preventing reabsorption of Na in the loop of Henle.
Patients that have persistent edema despite receiving high doses of diuretics may be or become diuretic-resistant. Diuretic resistance may be caused by poor availability of the drug. In patients with renal failure, which has a high occurrence in the CHF population, endogenous acids compete with loop diuretics such as furosemide for the organic acid secretory pathway in the tubular lumen of the nephron. Higher doses, or continuous infusion, are therefore needed to achieve entrance of an adequate amount of drug into the nephron. However, recent meta-analysis have raised awareness about the long-term risk of chronic use of diuretics in the treatment of CHF. For instance, in a recent study (Ahmed et al., Int J Cardiol. 2008 Apr. 10; 125(2): 246-253) it was shown that chronic diuretic use was associated with significantly increased mortality and hospitalization in ambulatory older adults with heart failure receiving angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and diuretics.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (“ACE”) inhibitors are an example of another drug therapy that may be used to treat congestive heart failure. ACE inhibitors cause vasodilatation by blocking the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Abnormally low cardiac output may cause the renal system to respond by releasing renin, which then converts angiotensinogen into angiotensin I. ACE converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II. Angiotensin II stimulates the thirst centers in the hypothalamus and causes vasoconstriction, thus increasing blood pressure and venous return. Angiotensin II also causes aldosterone to be released, causing reabsorption of Na and concomitant passive reabsorption of fluid, which in turn causes the blood volume to increase. ACE inhibitors block this compensatory system and improve cardiac performance by decreasing systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance. ACE inhibitors have shown survival benefit and conventionally have been a treatment of choice for CHF. However, since ACE inhibitors lower aldosterone, the K-secreting hormone, one of the side-effects of their use is hyperkalemia. In addition, ACE inhibitors have been show to lead to acute renal failure in certain categories of CHF patients. (See, e.g., C. S. Cruz et al., “Incidence and Predictors of Development of Acute Renal Failure Related to the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure with ACE Inhibitors,” Nephron Clin. Pract., v. 105, no. 2, pp c77-c83 (2007)).
Patients with end stage renal disease (“ESRD”), i.e., stage 5 chronic kidney failure, must undergo hemodialysis three times per week. The quasi-absence of renal function and ability to eliminate salt and fluid results in large fluctuations in body weight as fluid and salt build up in the body (sodium/volume overload). The fluid overload is characterized as interdialytic weight gain. High fluid overload is also worsened by heart dysfunction, specifically CHF. Dialysis is used to remove uremic toxins and also adjust salt and fluid homeostasis. However, symptomatic intradialytic hypotension (SIH) may occur when patients are over-dialyzed. SIH is exhibited in about 15% to 25% of the ESRD population (Davenport, A., C. Cox, and R. Thuraisingham, Blood pressure control and symptomatic intradialytic hypotension in diabetic haemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional survey; Nephron Clin. Pract., v. 109, no. 2, p. c65-c71 (2008)). Like in hypertensive and CHF patients, dietary restrictions of salt and fluid are highly recommended but poorly followed because of the poor palatability of low-salt food.
The cause of primary or “essential” hypertension is elusive. However, several observations point to the kidney as a primary factor. The strongest data for excess salt intake and elevated blood pressure come from INTERSALT, a cross-sectional study of greater than 10,000 participants. For individuals, a significant, positive, independent linear relation between 24-hour sodium excretion and systolic blood pressure was found. Higher individual 24-hour urinary sodium excretions were found to be associated with higher systolic/diastolic blood pressure on average, by 6-3/3-0 mm Hg. Primary hypertension is a typical example of a complex, multifactorial, and polygenic trait. All these monogenic hypertensive syndromes are virtually confined to mutated genes involving gain of function of various components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, resulting in excessive renal sodium retention. In a broad sense, these syndromes are characterized by increased renal sodium reabsorption arising through either primary defects in sodium transport systems or stimulation of mineralocorticoid receptor activity (Altun, B., and M. Arici, 2006, Salt and blood pressure: time to challenge; Cardiology, v. 105, no. 1, p. 9-16 (2006)). A much larger number of controlled studies have been performed on hypertensive subjects during the last three decades to determine whether sodium reduction will reduce established high blood pressure. Meta-analyses of these studies have clearly shown a large decrease in blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
In end stage liver disease (ESLD), accumulation of fluid as ascites, edema or pleural effusion due to cirrhosis is common and results from a derangement in the extracellular fluid volume regulatory mechanisms. Fluid retention is the most frequent complication of ESLD and occurs in about 50% of patients within 10 years of the diagnosis of cirrhosis. This complication significantly impairs the quality of life of cirrhotic patients and is also associated with poor prognosis. The one-year and five-year survival rate is 85% and 56%, respectively (Kashani et al., Fluid retention in cirrhosis: pathophysiology and management; QJM, v. 101, no. 2, p. 71-85 (2008)). The most acceptable theories postulate that the initial event in ascites formation in the cirrhotic patient is sinusoidal hypertension. Portal hypertension due to an increase in sinusoidal pressure activates vasodilatory mechanisms. In advanced stages of cirrhosis, arteriolar vasodilation causes underfilling of systemic arterial vascular space. This event, through a decrease in effective blood volume, leads to a drop in arterial pressure. Consequently, baroreceptor-mediated activation of renin-angiotensin aldosterone system, sympathetic nervous system and nonosmotic release of antidiuretic hormone occur to restore the normal blood homeostasis. These events cause further retention of renal sodium and fluid. Splanchnic vasodilation increases splanchnic lymph production, exceeding the lymph transportation system capacity, and leads to lymph leakage into the peritoneal cavity. Persistent renal sodium and fluid retention, alongside increased splanchnic vascular permeability in addition to lymph leakage into the peritoneal cavity, play a major role in a sustained ascites formation.
Thiazolidinediones (TZD's), such as rosiglitazone, are peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma agonist agents used for the treatment of type-2 diabetes and are widely prescribed. Unfortunately, fluid retention has emerged as the most common and serious side-effect of TZD's and has become the most frequent cause of discontinuation of therapy. The incidence of TZD-induced fluid retention ranges from 7% in monotherapy and to as high as 15% when combined with insulin (Yan, T., Soodvilai, S., PPAR Research volume 2008, article ID 943614). The mechanisms for such side-effects are not fully understood but may be related in Na and fluid re-absorption in the kidney. However TZD-induced fluid retention is resistant to loop diuretics or thiazide diuretics, and combination of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha with PPAR gamma agonists, which were proposed to reduce such fluid overload, are associated with major adverse cardiovascular events.
In view of the foregoing, it is recognized that salt and fluid accumulation contribute to the morbidity and mortality of many diseases, including heart failure (in particular, congestive heart failure), chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, liver disease and the like. It is also accepted that salt and fluid accumulation are risk factors for hypertension. Accordingly, there is a clear need for a medicament that, when administered to a patient in need, would result in a reduction in sodium retention, fluid retention, or preferably both. Such a medicament would more preferably also not involve or otherwise impair renal mechanisms of fluid/Na homeostasis.
One option to consider for treating excessive fluid overload is to induce diarrhea. Diarrhea may be triggered by several agents including, for example, laxatives such as sorbitol, polyethyleneglycol, bisacodyl and phenolphthaleine. Sorbitol and polyethyleneglycol triggers osmotic diarrhea with low levels of secreted electrolytes; thus, their utility in removing sodium salt from the GI tract is limited. The mechanism of action of phenolphthalein is not clearly established, but is thought to be caused by inhibition of the Na/K ATPase and the Cl/HCO3 anion exchanger and stimulation of electrogenic anion secretion (see, e.g., Eherer, A. J., C. A. Santa Ana, J. Porter, and J. S. Fordtran, 1993, Gastroenterology, v. 104, no. 4, p. 1007-1012). However, some laxatives, such as phenolphthalein, are not viable options for the chronic treatment of fluid overload, due to the potential risk of carcinogenicity in humans. Furthermore, laxatives may not be used chronically, as they have been shown to be an irritant and cause mucosal damage. Accordingly, it should also be recognized that the induction of chronic diarrhea as part of an effort to control salt and fluid overload would be an undesired treatment modality for most patients. Any medicament utilizing the GI tract for this purpose would therefore need to control diarrhea in order to be of practical benefit.
One approach for the treatment of mild diarrhea is the administration of a fluid-absorbing polymer, such as the natural plant fiber psyllium. Polymeric materials, and more specifically hydrogel polymers, may also be used for the removal of fluid from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The use of such polymers is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,975 and No. 6,908,609, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all relevant and consistent purposes. However, for such polymers to effectively remove significant quantities of fluid, they must desirably resist the static and osmotic pressure range existing in the GI tract. Many mammals, including humans, make a soft feces with a water content of about 70%, and do so by transporting fluid against the high hydraulic resistance imposed by the fecal mass. Several studies show that the pressure required to dehydrate feces from about 80% to about 60% is between about 500 kPa and about 1000 kPa (i.e., about 5 to about 10 atm). (See, e.g., McKie, A. T., W. Powrie, and R. J. Naftalin, 1990, Am J Physiol, v. 258, no. 3 Pt 1, p. G391-G394; Bleakman, D., and R. J. Naftalin, 1990, Am J Physiol, v. 258, no. 3 Pt 1, p. G377-G390; Zammit, P. S., M. Mendizabal, and R. J. Naftalin, 1994, J Physiol, v. 477 (Pt 3), p. 539-548.) However, the static pressure measured intraluminally is usually between about 6 kPa and about 15 kPa. The rather high pressure needed to dehydrate feces is essentially due to an osmotic process and not a mechanical process produced by muscular forces. The osmotic pressure arises from the active transport of salt across the colonic mucosa that ultimately produces a hypertonic fluid absorption. The osmotic gradient produced drives fluid from the lumen to the serosal side of the mucosa. Fluid-absorbing polymers, such as those described in for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,470,975 and 6,908,609, may not be able to sustain such pressure. Such polymers may collapse in a normal colon where the salt absorption process is intact, hence removing a modest quantity of fluid and thereby salt.
Synthetic polymers that bind sodium have also been described. For example, ion-exchange polymeric resins, such as Dowex-type cation exchange resins, have been known since about the 1950's. However, with the exception of Kayexalate™ (or Kionex™), which is a polystyrene sulfonate salt approved for the treatment of hyperkalemia, cation exchange resins have very limited use as drugs, due at least in part to their limited capacity and poor cation binding selectivity. Additionally, during the ion-exchange process, the resins may release a stoichiometric amount of exogenous cations (e.g., H, K, Ca), which may in turn potentially cause acidosis (H), hyperkalemia (K) or contribute to vascular calcification (Ca). Such resins may also cause constipation.
Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders
Constipation is characterized by infrequent and difficult passage of stool and becomes chronic when a patient suffers specified symptoms for over 12 non-consecutive weeks within a 12-month period. Chronic constipation is idiopathic if it is not caused by other diseases or by use of medications. An evidence-based approach to the management of chronic constipation in North America (Brandt et al., 2005, Am. J. Gastroenterol. 100(Suppl.1):S5-S21) revealed that prevalence is approximately 15% of the general population. Constipation is reported more commonly in women, the elderly, non-whites, and individuals from lower socioeconomic groups.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common GI disorder associated with alterations in motility, secretion and visceral sensation. A range of clinical symptoms characterizes this disorder, including stool frequency and form, abdominal pain and bloating. The recognition of clinical symptoms of IBS are yet to be defined, but it is now common to refer to diarrhea-predominant IBS (D-IBS) and constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS), wherein D-IBS is defined as continuous passage of loose or watery stools and C-IBS as a group of functional disorders which present as difficult, infrequent or seemingly incomplete defecation. The pathophysiology of IBS is not fully understood, and a number of mechanisms have been suggested. Visceral hypersensitivity is often considered to play a major etiologic role and has been proposed to be a biological marker even useful to discriminate IBS from other causes of abdominal pain. In a recent clinical study (Posserud, I. et al, Gastroenterology, 2007; 133:1113-1123) IBS patients were submitted to a visceral sensitivity test (Balloon distention) and compared with healthy subjects. It revealed that 61% of the IBS patients had an altered visceral perception as measured by pain and discomfort threshold. Other reviews have documented the role of visceral hypersensitivity in abdominal pain symptomatic of various gastrointestinal tract disorders (Akbar, A, et al, Aliment. Pharmaco. Ther., 2009, 30, 423-435; Bueno et al., Neurogastroenterol Motility (2007) 19 (suppl.1), 89-119). Colonic and rectal distention have been widely used as a tool to assess visceral sensitivity in animal and human studies. The type of stress used to induce visceral sensitivity varies upon the models (see for instance Eutamen, H Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2009 Aug. 25. [Epub ahead of print]), however stress such as Partial restraint stress (PRS) is a relatively mild, non-ulcerogenic model that is considered more representative of the IBS setting.
Constipation is commonly found in the geriatric population, particularly patients with osteoporosis who have to take calcium supplements. Calcium supplements have shown to be beneficial in ostoporotic patients to restore bone density but compliance is poor because of calcium-induced constipation effects.
Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) (also referred to as opioid-induced bowel dysfunction or opioid bowel dysfunction (OBD)) is a common adverse effect associated with opioid therapy. OIC is commonly described as constipation; however, it is a constellation of adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects, which also includes abdominal cramping, bloating, and gastroesophageal reflux. Patients with cancer may have disease-related constipation, which is usually worsened by opioid therapy. However, OIC is not limited to cancer patients. A recent survey of patients taking opioid therapy for pain of non-cancer origin found that approximately 40% of patients experienced constipation related to opioid therapy (<3 complete bowel movements per week) compared with 7.6% in a control group. Of subjects who required laxative therapy, only 46% of opioid-treated patients (control subjects, 84%) reported achieving the desired treatment results >50% of the time (Pappagallo, 2001, Am. J. Surg. 182(5A Suppl.):11S-18S).
Some patients suffering from chronic idiopathic constipation can be successfully treated with lifestyle modification, dietary changes and increased fluid and fiber intake, and these treatments are generally tried first. For patients who fail to respond to these approaches, physicians typically recommend laxatives, most of which are available over-the-counter. Use of laxatives provided over-the-counter is judged inefficient by about half of the patients (Johanson and Kralstein, 2007, Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 25(5):599-608). Other therapeutic options currently prescribed or in clinical development for the treatment of IBS and chronic constipation including OIC are described in, for example: Chang et al., 2006, Curr. Teat. Options Gastroenterol. 9(4):314-323; Gershon and Tack, 2007, Gastroenterology 132(1):397-414; and, Hammerle and Surawicz, 2008, World J. Gastroenterol. 14(17):2639-2649. Such treatments include but are not limited to serotonin receptor ligands, chloride channel activators, opioid receptor antagonists, guanylate-cyclase receptor agonists and nucleotide P2Y(2) receptor agonists. Many of these treatment options are inadequate, as they may be habit forming, ineffective in some patients, may cause long term adverse effects, or otherwise are less than optimal.
Na+/H+ Exchanger (NHE) Inhibitors
A major function of the GI tract is to maintain water/Na homeostasis by absorbing virtually all water and Na to which the GI tract is exposed. The epithelial layer covering the apical surface of the mammalian colon is a typical electrolyte-transporting epithelium, which is able to move large quantities of salt and water in both directions across the mucosa. For example, each day the GI tract processes about 9 liters of fluid and about 800 meq of Na. (See, e.g., Zachos et al., Molecular physiology of intestinal Na+/H+ exchange; Annu. Rev. Physiol., v. 67, p. 411-443 (2005).) Only about 1.5 liters of this fluid and about 150 meq of this sodium originates from ingestion; rather, the majority of the fluid (e.g., about 7.5 liters) and sodium (about 650 meq) is secreted via the GI organs as part of digestion. The GI tract therefore represents a viable target for modulating systemic sodium and fluid levels.
Many reviews have been published on the physiology and secretory and/or absorption mechanisms of the GI tract (see, e.g., Kunzelmann et al., Electrolyte transport in the mammalian colon: mechanisms and implications for disease; Physiol. Rev., v. 82, no. 1, p. 245-289 (2002); Geibel, J. P.; Secretion and absorption by colonic crypts; Annu. Rev. Physiol, v. 67, p. 471-490 (2005); Zachos et al., supra; Kiela, P. R. et al., Apical NA+/H+ exchangers in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract; J. Physiol. Pharmacol., v. 57 Suppl. 7, p. 51-79 (2006)). The two main mechanisms of Na absorption are electroneutral and electrogenic transport. Electroneutral transport is essentially due to the Na+/H+ antiport NHE (e.g., NHE-3) and is responsible for the bulk of Na absorption. Electrogenic transport is provided by the epithelium sodium channel (“ENaC”). Electroneutral transport is located primarily in the ileal segment and proximal colon and electrogenic transport is located in the distal colon.
Plasma membrane NHEs contribute to maintenance of intracellular pH and volume, transcellular absorption of NaCl and NaHCO3, and fluid balance carried out by epithelial cells, especially in the kidney, intestine, gallbladder, and salivary glands, as well as regulation of systemic pH. There exists a body of literature devoted to the role and clinical intervention on systemic NHEs to treat disorders related to ischemia and reperfusion for cardioprotection or renal protection. Nine isoforms of NHEs have been identified (Kiela, P. R., et al.; Apical NA+/H+ exchangers in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract; J. Physiol. Pharmacol., v. 57 Suppl 7, p. 51-79 (2006)), of which NHE-2, NHE-3 and NHE-8 are expressed on the apical side of the GI tract, with NHE-3 providing a larger contribution to transport. Another, yet to be identified, Cl-dependant NHE has been identified in the crypt of rat cells. In addition, much research has been devoted to identifying inhibitors of NHEs. The primary targets of such research have been NHE-1 and NHE-3. Small molecule NHE inhibitors are, for example, described in: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,866,610; 6,399,824; 6,911,453; 6,703,405; 6,005,010; 6,736,705; 6,887,870; 6,737,423; 7,326,705; 5,824,691 (WO 94/026709); U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,824 (WO 02/024637); U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2004/0039001 (WO 02/020496); 2005/0020612 (WO 03/055490); 2004/0113396 (WO 03/051866); 2005/0020612; 2005/0054705; 2008/0194621; 2007/0225323; 2004/0039001; 2004/0224965; 2005/0113396; 2007/0135383; 2007/0135385; 2005/0244367; 2007/0270414; International Publication Nos. WO 01/072742; WO 01021582 (CA2387529); WO 97/024113 (CA02241531) and European Pat. No. EP0744397 (CA2177007); all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all relevant and consistent purposes. However, to-date, such research has failed to develop or recognize the value or importance of NHE inhibitors that are not absorbed (i.e., not systemic) and target the gastrointestinal tract. Such inhibitors could be utilized in the treatment of disorders associated with fluid retention and salt overload and in the treatment of GI tract disorders, including the treatment or reduction of pain associated with a gastrointestinal tract disorder. Such inhibitors would be particular advantageous because they could be delivered with reduced fear of systemic on-target or off-target effects (e.g., little or no risk of renal involvement or other systemic effects.
Accordingly, while progress has been made in the foregoing fields, there remains a need in the art for novel compounds for use in the disorders associated with fluid retention and salt overload and in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract disorders, including the treatment or reduction of pain associated with a gastrointestinal tract disorder. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages.
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The present invention relates to novel analogues of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) and corresponding potynucleotide sequences vectors. host cells and recombinant expressions particularly in E. coli.
MCP-1 is a member of the chemokine family of pro-inflammatory cytokines which mediate leukocyte chemotaxis and activation. MCP-1 is a Cxe2x80x94C chemokine which is one of the most potent and selective T-cell and monocyte chemoattractant and activating agents known. MCP-1 has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a large number of inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), glomerular nephritides, lung fibrosis, restenosis (International Patent Application WO 94/09128), alveolitis (Jones et al. 1992, J. Immunol. 49, 2147) and asthma. Other disease areas where MCP-1 is thought to play a part in their pathology are: atherosclerosis (e.g. Koch et al. 1992 J. Clin. Invest. 90, 772-779); psoriasis (Deleuran et al. 1996 J. Dermatological Science 13, 228-236), delayed -type hypersensitivity reactions of the skin; inflammatory bowel disease (Grimm et al. 1996 J. Leukocyte Biol. 59, 804-812), multiple sclerosis and; brain trauma (Berman et al. 1996 J. Immunol. 156, 3017-3023). An MCP-1 inhibitor may also be useful to treat stroke, reperfusion injury, ischemia, myocardial infarction and transplant rejection.
It is known that analogues of MCP-1 can be prepared which are antagonistic to its biological properties. Rollins in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,128 describes MCP-1 antagonists which include truncation at the N-terminus of the protein. Gong in J. Exp. Med. (1995) 181, 631, describes a particular MCP-1 antagonist of this type which is MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 30). Gong made MCP-1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 30) by direct chemical synthesis. Chemical synthesis is not a commercially attractive process for manufacture of MCP-1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 30). Lewis and Gong in Canadian patent application 2152141 describe chemically synthesised MCP-1 analogues which are truncated at the N-tenninus. Conservative amino acid substitutions for some amino acids (excluding valine) are also described therein (see page 7) but preferably only at regions beyond position 35 of MCP-1.
A recombinant method would be preferable for large scale commercial manufacture of MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 30) but to date there has been no specific experimental disclosure of any such recombinant methodology.
A preferred organism for recombinant manufacture is E. coli because of its ease of handling. However, Rollins U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,128 warns of problems with use of bacterial expression systems due to incorrect protein folding and states a preference for COS cell expression systems (see column 2, lines 49-51). However, COS cells are not desirable for large scale manufacture because they only provide a transient expression system. We have discovered in our experiments (which are presently unpublished) that secretory expression (i.e. using a leader sequence to direct expressed protein through the cytoplasmic membrane) of MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 30) in E. coli has the disadvantage of giving poor yields (see Comparative Example 2). Furthermore we have also discovered that when a polynucleotide encoding MCP1(9-76) is expressed intracellularly in E. coli the resulting product is undesirably heterogeneous due to the presence of an additional methionine residue at the N-terminus in a significant proportion (typically 50%) of the product. There thus exists a need for an improved way of making a MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 30) type protein, particularly in E. coli.
The present invention is based on the discovery that substitution of an alanine, glycine or threonine for the natural valine in position 9 of MCP1(9-76) gives a novel MCP-1 analogue (termed xe2x80x9c[V9A]MCP1(9-76)xe2x80x9d (SEQ ID NO: 9), xe2x80x9c[V9G]MCP1(9-76)xe2x80x9d (SEQ ID NO: 26) or xe2x80x9c[V9T]MCP1(9-76)xe2x80x9d (SEQ ID NO: 29) respectively herein) which can be recombinantly manufactured in E. coli to produce a substantially homogeneous product (at least substantially lacking unwanted methionine at the N-terminus) in good yield which retains the antagonistic effect of MCP1(9-76) as measured in the chemotaxis assay described herein.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a protein selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29). The protein sequences of [V9A]MCP1(9-76), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) and [V9T]MCP1(9-76) are set out in SEQ ID NO: 9, 26 and 29 respectively. Preferably the protein is selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9) or [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) and of these [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9) is especially preferred.
Note Lewis and Gong in Canadian patent application 2152141 describe conservative amino acid substitutions in truncated MCP-1 analogues but these are preferably beyond position 35 (of MCP-1) and furthermore that disclosure is completely silent on substitution of valine anywhere in the molecule. Preferably the [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29) is essentially free of methionine at its N-terminus. The term xe2x80x9cessentially freexe2x80x9d in this context means that methionine is present at a level of about 10% or less (when) analysed by any one of reverse phase HPLC, capillary zone electrophoresis, Edman degradation and electrospray mass spectrometry) at the N-terminus of [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29), preferably methionine is present at a level of less than 5% at the N-terminus of [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29), preferably methionine is present at a level of less than 3% at the N-terminus of [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29), more preferably methionine is present at a level of less than 1% at the N-terminus of [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29), more preferably methionine is present at a level of less than 0.3% at the N-terminus of [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29) and more preferably methionine is present at a level of less than 0.1% at the N-terminus of [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29). Preferably the [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26). [V9T]MCP1 (9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29) gives a single peak when analysed by reverse phase HPLC.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a polynucleotide sequence encoding a protein selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) OR [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29). The polynucleotides of the present invention may be in the form of RNA or in the form of DNA including synthetic DNA. The DNA may be double-stranded or single-stranded, and if single stranded may be the coding strand or non-coding (anti-sense) strand. The coding sequence which encodes the mature polypeptide may be identical to any coding sequence shown herein or may be a different coding sequence which coding sequence, as a result of the redundancy or degeneracy of the genetic code, encodes the same, mature polypeptides. The polynucleotides which encode the mature polypeptide may include: only the coding sequence for the mature polypeptide; the coding sequence for the mature polypeptide and additional coding sequence such as a leader sequence; and optionally non-coding sequence 5xe2x80x2 and/or 3xe2x80x2 of the coding sequence for the mature polypeptide. Thus, the term xe2x80x9cpolynucleotide sequence encoding a protein selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or 76) (SEQ ID NO: 29)xe2x80x9d encompasses a polynucleotide which includes only coding sequence for the polypeptide as well as a polynucleotide which includes additional coding and/or non-coding sequence. Examples of DNA sequences which encode [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) and [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29) are set out in SEQ ID NO: 8, 25 and 28 respectively.
In this specification amino acid analogues of specific amino acid sequences are contemplated which retain the relevant biological properties of a component of the invention but differ in sequence by one or more conservative amino acid substitutions, deletions or additions. However the specifically listed amino acid sequences are preferred and analogues should preferably be modified at corresponding positions after position 35 of MCP-1. Truncation at the C-terminus is also contemplated, preferably at corresponding positions after position 52 of MCP-1. Typical conservative amino acid substitutions are tabulated below.
In this specification nucleic acid variations (deletions, substitutions and additions) of specific nucleic acid sequences are contemplated which retain the ability to hybridise under stringent conditions to the specific sequence in question. Stringent conditions are defined as 6xc3x97SSC, 0.1% SDS at 60xc2x0 C. for 5 minutes. However specifically listed nucleic acid sequences are preferred. It is contemplated that peptide nucleic acid may be an acceptable equivalent of polynucleotide sequences, at least for purposes that do not require translation into protein (Wittung (1994) Nature 368, 561).
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a vector comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a protein selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29). Preferably the vector is an expression vector, more preferably the vector is for use in E. coli, especially designed for intracellular expression in E. coli. Intracellular expression in E. coli can be in soluble form and/or insoluble form. If expressed in insoluble form, for example as inclusion bodies, the protein can be solubilised/refolded by conventional techniques. Expression as inclusion bodies is especially preferred. An especially preferred vector is pZT7#3.3 comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding aprotein selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29).
Useful expression vectors for bacterial use are constructed by inserting a structural DNA sequence encoding a desired protein together with suitable translation, initiation and termination signals in operable reading phase with a functional promoter. The vector will comprise one or more phenotypic selectable markers and an origin of replication to ensure maintenance of the vector and to, if desirable, provide amplification within the host. Suitable prokaryotic hosts for transformation include E. coli. As a representative but nonlimiting example, useful expression vectors for bacterial use can comprise a selectable marker and bacterial origin of replication derived from commercially available plasmids comprising genetic elements of the well known cloning vector pBR322 (ATCC 37017). Such commercial vectors include, for example, pKK223-3 (Pharmacia Fine Chemicals, Uppsala, Sweden) and GEM1 (Promega Biotec, Madison, Wis., USA). These pBR322 xe2x80x9cbackbonexe2x80x9d sections are combined with an appropriate promoter and the structural sequence to be expressed. Following transformation of a suitable host strain and growth of the host strain to an appropriate cell density, the selected promoter is induced by appropriate means (e.g., temperature shift or chemical induction) and cells are cultured for an additional period. Cells are typically harvested by centrifugation, disrupted by physical or chemical means, and the resulting crude extract retained for further purification. Microbial cells employed in expression of proteins can be disrupted by any convenient method, including freeze-thaw cycling, sonication, mechanical disruption, or use of cell lysing agents, such methods are well known to those skilled in the art.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a host cell comprising a vector as described herein. Preferably the host is E. coli.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of making a protein selected from [V9A]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 9), [V9G]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 26) or [V9T]MCP1(9-76) (SEQ ID NO: 29) which comprises culture of a host as described herein in a culture medium under conditions for expression of the protein and optionally at least partially purifying the protein.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising a protein of the invention described herein in association with a pharmaceutically-acceptable diluent or carrier, optionally in a form suitable for intravenous administration.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a protein as described herein for use as a medicament.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided use of a protein as described herein for preparation of a medicament for treatment of inflammatory diseases.
It will be appreciated that the dose and dosage regimen will depend upon the particular effector moiety employed, the population of the target cell and the patient""s history. The dose of the protein administered will typically be in the range 0.1 to 10 mg/kg of patient weight.
The proteins of the present invention will normally be administered in the form of a pharmaceutical composition. Thus according to the present invention there is also provided a pharmaceutical compostion which comprises a protein (as defined herein) in association with a pharmaceutically-acceptable diluent or carrier. An example of such a formulation is given herein in Example 5.
Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be formulated in a variety of dosage forms. Generally, the proteins of the present invention will be administered parenterally, preferably intravenously. A particular parenteral pharmaceutical composition is one which is formulated in a unit dosage form which is suitable for administration by injection. A parenteral composition is preferably a solution in isotonic saline or isotonic dextrose, buffered if necessary to a pH of 5 to 9.
Alternatively, the parenteral composition may be one designed for slow release in which case the amount of protein per unit dose is in general greater than that required when a conventional injectable formulation is used. A preferred slow release formulation is a continuous release formulation, for example a fomulation of the type described in European Patent Specification No. 58481. A preferred slow release parenteral formulation contains from 20 to 150 mg of polypeptide per unit dose. Systemic delivery of peptides and proteins is described in Banga et al. (1988), Int. J. Therapeutics 48: 15-50.
Topical administration is also contemplated e.g. for treatment of psoriasis and also administration by inhalation e.g. for treatment of IPF or asthma.
Particularly suitable compositions comprise a solution, emulsion or suspension of the protein in association with a pharmaceutically acceptable parenteral carrier or diluent. Suitable carriers or diluents include aqueous vehicles, for example water or saline, and non-aqueous vehicles, for example fixed oils or liposoines. The compositions may include agents which enhance the stability of the protein in the composition. For example, the composition may include a buffer. The concentration of the protein will vary, but in general, the composition of the invention will normally be administered such that a daily parenteral dose, will be about 10-300 mg for a 70 kg human.
For further information on Formulation the reader is referred to Chapter 25.2 in Volume 5 of Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry (Corwin Hansch; Chairman of Editorial Board), Pergamon Press 1990. For further information on Routes of Administration and Dosage Regimes the reader is referred to Chapter 25.3 in Volume 5 of Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry (Corwin Hansch; Chairman of Editorial Board). Pergarnon Press 1990.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a protein of the invention for use as a medicament.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided use of a protein of the invention in preparation of a medicament for antagonising an MCP-1 mediated effect in a mammal, especially man. Particular MCP-1 mediated effects include inflammatory diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and atherosclerosis.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for antagonising an MCP-1 mediated effect in a mammal, such as man, in need of such treatment, which comprises administering to said mammal an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition of the invention.
Amino acid nomenclature is set out below.
Abbreviations used herein include:
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The present disclosure generally relates to an engine and more particularly to an engine having improved serviceability and emissions.
Multiple different engine types are known, for example, multiple fuel types are available, and multiple different sized engines are available, together with different numbers of cylinders. Engines may also be 2 or 4 stroke, and have cylinders positioned at multiple different orientations, for example the piston(s) may be oriented vertically, horizontally, in a V-configuration (V-twin) or at any other possible orientation. The engine may also be incorporated into a powertrain including an integrated transmission. The subject disclosure is applicable to all types of such engines.
Some engines are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,011,342 and 8,269,457; and in patent application Ser. No. 13/242,239 filed Sep. 23, 2011 (US Publication Number 20120073527); and Ser. No. 14/214,033 filed Mar. 14, 2014 (US Publication Number 20140261258); the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
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Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a putter-type club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a putter-type club head having a rearward center of gravity.
2. Description of the Related Art
The golf industry has been inventing putters that make the game of golf easier for the high handicap player. One such putter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,798 to David Pelz. The Pelz patent discloses a putter with an alignment means to assist a golfer in aiming a golf ball toward a hole during putting. The Pelz patent discloses using two or three golf ball shaped indicators as the alignment means. The golf ball shaped indicators may be circles, hemispheres, or complete spheres. The Pelz patent discloses positioning the indicators along a line extending rearward from the center of percussion.
Another patent that discloses an alignment means is U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,083 to Szczepanski. The Szczepanski patent discloses a group of lines that converge toward the center of the face of the putter.
Yet another patent that discloses an alignment means is Great Britain Patent Application Number GB 2 299 513 to Lilley. The Lilley patent also discloses a group of Lines that converge toward the center of the face of a putter.
Although these inventions have provided new and improved putters for making the game of golf more enjoyable for high handicap players, the prior art has not optimized a putter by making it more forgiving and assisting in alignment.
One aspect of the present invention is a putter-type club head having a central aperture with a rearward center of gravity. The putter-type club head has a body that is preferably composed of stainless steel. The body has a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion and an aft-mass portion. The face portion, the crown portion, the sole portion and the aft-mass portion define the central aperture. The crown portion extends rearward from the face portion over the aft-mass portion. The central aperture separates the crown portion from the sole portion and the face portion from the aft-mass portion. The crown portion has an alignment means thereon for aiming a golf ball during putting.
Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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The present invention relates to a small lightweight portable computer called a mobile terminal, and an information providing method and system in which an information server provides the mobile terminal with appropriate service information which the mobile terminal desires and which is related or strongly correlated to an area where the mobile terminal is present, depending on the position of the mobile terminal.
The invention which provides the user of a mobile terminal with very convenient meticulous services by using information on the position of the terminal is disclosed in JP-A-5-102906, entitled “Mobile Communication System”. In this invention, the user who is able to know his position, using a car navigation system, sends information on the user's position through a car telephone to a service center and downloads the newest information on a possible traffic jam and/or a map concerning his position from the service center. Another invention discloses that without receiving information on the user's position expressly from the user, an area in which the user is present is presumed on the basis of a position of a base station for car telephones, and service information on a possible traffic jam, etc., in that area is downloaded.
In the above conventional techniques, when the newest map data is to be obtained to know the newest route situation on route interruption due to road works and/or opening of a new route, the data transmission rate through the car telephone is low, for example 2.4 kbps whereas compressed map data still reaches several tens of kilobytes or more. Thus, the car travels about several kilometers during only the time taken for sending the retrieved map data and necessary information can not be obtained on a real time basis. Actually, radio transmission by the car telephone provides low quality data and a bit error is likely to occur. For ensuring purposes, re-transmission of data is required and hence it is difficult to receive necessary information on a real time basis.
In the above conventional inventions, for example, information on the occurrence of a traffic jam over a specified length of a specified road in a specified area in the vicinity of user's position is given to user in response to the user's inquiry. Thus, unless the user has a knowledge about a route in which a traffic jam is likely to occur, the user does not know the timing in which the user inquires about such information, would be involved in the traffic jam, and wishes to obtain information as to how many hours it would take from the occurrence of the traffic jam to its disappearance. However, the user should rather know which route the user should select to reach his destination in a minimum time when a traffic jam occurs on his selected route than he knows how much time it would take from the implication of the user into the traffic jam to the clearance of the jam.
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In a typical cellular radio system, wireless terminals (also referred to as user equipment unit nodes, UEs, and/or mobile stations) communicate via a radio access network (RAN) with one or more core networks. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, with each cell area being served by a radio base station (also referred to as a RAN node, a “NodeB”, and/or enhanced NodeB “eNodeB”). A cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the base station equipment at a base station site. The base stations communicate through radio communication channels with UEs within range of the base stations.
Moreover, a cell area for a base station may be divided into a plurality of sectors surrounding the base station. For example, a base station may service three 120 degree sectors surrounding the base station, and the base station may provide a respective directional transceiver and sector antenna array for each sector. Stated in other words, a base station may include three directional sector antenna arrays servicing respective 120 degree base station sectors surrounding the base station.
Multi-antenna techniques can significantly increase capacity, data rates, and/or reliability of a wireless communication system as discussed, for example, by Telatar in “Capacity Of Multi-Antenna Gaussian Channels” (European Transactions On Telecommunications, Vol. 10, pp. 585-595, November 1999). Performance may be improved if both the transmitter and the receiver for a base station sector are equipped with multiple antennas (e.g., an sector antenna array) to provide a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication channel(s) for the base station sector. Such systems and/or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO. The LTE standard is currently evolving with enhanced MIMO support and MIMO antenna deployments. A spatial multiplexing mode is provided for relatively high data rates in more favorable channel conditions, and a transmit diversity mode is provided for relatively high reliability (at lower data rates) in less favorable channel conditions.
In a downlink from a base station transmitting from a sector antenna array over a MIMO channel to a wireless terminal in the sector, for example, spatial multiplexing (or SM) may allow the simultaneous transmission of multiple symbol streams over the same frequency from the base station sector antenna array for the sector. Stated in other words, multiple symbol streams may be transmitted from the base station sector antenna array for the sector to the wireless terminal over the same downlink transmission time interval (TTI) or time/frequency resource element (TFRE) to provide an increased data rate. In a downlink from the same base station sector transmitting from the same sector antenna array to the same wireless terminal, transmit diversity (e.g., using space-time codes) may allow the simultaneous transmission of the same symbol stream over the same frequency from different antennas of the base station sector antenna array. Stated in other words, the same symbol stream may be transmitted from different antennas of the base station sector antenna array to the wireless terminal over the same transmission time interval (TTI) time/frequency resource element (TFRE) to provide increased reliability of reception at the wireless terminal due to transmit diversity gain.
Four layer MIMO transmission schemes are proposed for High-Speed-Downlink-Packet-Access (HSDPA) within Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardization. Accordingly, up to 4 channel encoded transport data blocks (sometimes referred to as transport blocks, transport data blocks, transport data block codewords, etc.) may be transmitted using a same TTI/TFRE when using 4-branch MIMO transmission. Because ACK/NACK signaling and/or channel encoding for each transport data block to be transmitted during a same TTI/TFRE may require wireless terminal feedback (e.g., as ACK/NACK and/or CQI or channel quality information), feedback to define ACK/NACK and/or channel encoding for 4 transport data blocks may be required when using 4-branch MIMO transmission. Feedback signaling when using 4-branch MIMO transmission may thus be undesirably high, for example, because different MIMO layers may be received at a wireless terminal during a same TTI/TFRE with different qualities, signal strengths, error rates, etc.
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Insulating thin films of silica are known for use as protective layers and as electrically insulating layers in electronic devices. The wet-coating of compositions comprising resin and solvent is generally and widely employed in this field. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,977 teaches a process for coating electronic devices with a silica thin film by applying a solvent solution of hydrogen silsesquioxane resin on a substrate, evaporating the solvent, and then heating at temperatures of 150.degree. C. to 1,000.degree. C. to effect conversion into ceramic-like silica.
Lower dielectric constants have been required from these insulating layers as devices have shrunk in size and become more highly integrated. For example, a dielectric constant of 2.7 has been reported for a thin film afforded by the cure of hydrogen silsesquioxane resin, 43rd Extended Abstracts of the Japan Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies, page 654, Abstract 26a-N-6. However, dielectric constants below 2.7 are required of the electrically insulating thin films in the next-generation highly integrated circuits with design rules narrower than 0.18 .mu.m. To date no process has been discovered for the stable and highly reproducible generation of such low dielectric constants in the electrically insulating thin films suitable for highly integrated circuits, for example, in silica films.
On the other hand, it is generally known that the dielectric constant of an insulating thin film can be reduced by executing the thin film as a porous structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,159 has reported the formation of an insulating thin film with a porous structure through the use of the baked product of hydrogen silsesquioxane resin as the dielectric layer in a highly integrated circuit. This patent, however, does not disclose a specific method for the formation of the porous structure. Thus, as outlined above, a composition and process capable of forming an electrically insulating thin film with a low dielectric constant, for example, with a dielectric constant materially below 2.7, have remained unknown to date.
It is an object of this invention is to provide a composition and process that can produce electrically insulating thin films with low dielectric constants.
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This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-80826, filed on Dec. 17, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a channel allocation method, and more particularly, to a channel allocation method of channels having different transmission speeds in a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plurality of methods have been used for a WDM system to prevent performance degradation due to a nonlinear effect. Examples of these methods include using a large dispersion fiber to reduce a walk-off length so as to reduce the interaction between channels, using a large effective core area fiber to reduce a nonlinear coefficient, and inducing the lowest optical power to a fiber to reduce a nonlinear effect due to optical power.
When a large number of channels over a wide band are used, a stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect among various nonlinear effects largely affects the transmission quality; however, the above-methods do not consider the effects of a Raman crosstalk according to the channel speed in the multirate WDM system.
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Lithium ion secondary batteries and the like having a large charge/discharge capacity are broadly used for portable devices using batteries including cell phones. Lithium ion secondary batteries having a large charge/discharge capacity and an excellent efficiency are demanded also in applications such as electric bicycles, electric cars, electric tools and electric power storage.
Various materials and techniques are proposed for improvements in characteristics, particularly improvements in charge/discharge cycle characteristics and storage characteristics over a long period, of lithium ion secondary batteries. As one of the techniques, a nonaqueous electrolyte solution secondary battery using an aprotic electrolyte solution containing a sulfonate ester having at least two sulfonyl groups is proposed.
Patent Literature 1 discloses that the fabrication of a secondary battery using an electrolyte solution containing a cyclic sulfonate ester having at least two sulfonyl groups as an aprotic solvent can improve the charge/discharge efficiency of the secondary battery and can improve the cycle characteristics of the secondary battery.
Patent Literature 2 discloses that the use of an electrolyte solution for a secondary battery containing a chain disulfonate ester as an aprotic solvent and the carrying out of the charge/discharge at a predetermined temperature can provide an excellent lithium ion secondary battery exhibiting excellent storage characteristics, good cycle characteristics, small voltage drop and small volume increase.
On the other hand, carbonaceous negative electrode active materials of lithium ion secondary batteries are roughly divided into two types: amorphous carbon having a low crystallinity and graphite having high crystallinity. Since graphite of these has a high initial reversible capacity, and the electrode density of a sheet electrode can be made high, the graphite is applied to applications requiring a high energy density.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to an electrical connector with an improved terminal base.
2. Description of Related Art
China Patent application No. 201120575876.0, published on Dec. 5, 2012, discloses a high transmission rate electrical connector, and the electrical connector has an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts and at least two conductive plastic blocks. The insulative housing defines at least a groove in it's tongue plate, and the contacts defines a first group of signal contacts, a second group of signal contacts and a third group of power contacts. Every group of contacts includes positive contacts and negative contacts, and every contact has a contact portion. The contact portions of the first group of signal contacts are retained above the groove, and a space is formed from the insulative housing and the contact portions. The conductive plastic blocks connect with the negative contacts of the first and the second group of signal contacts respectively. Therefore, the first group of signal contacts could improve the electrical properties by a better contact between the contact portion and the air, which could improve the transmission rate of the first group of signal contacts. And meanwhile the conductive plastic block shields the signal contacts which could reduce the interference between adjacent signal contacts, and it could improve the transmission rate of the first group of signal contacts higher. However it may be loosened when the conductive plastic blocks are assembled in the insulative housing.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying flat articles, and more particularly, to a drying apparatus which utilizes a vacuum-generating device for enhancing the speed of the drying operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a first category of known drying apparatus of the kind mentioned, the surface serving to support the flat articles to be dried is a heated plane surface, oriented to be in a horizontal or inclined position, and of relatively limited dimensions, so that the operators can lay thereon the articles to be dried. However, the minimum economically acceptable dimensions do not allow the operators to lay out readily all portions of the articles or pieces to be dried, so that some portions often cannot be handled as well as is required to produce good work, thus resulting in a loss in the useful area of the articles and in a substantial economic loss. Moreover, the limited dimensions of the plane support surface do not enable the drying of articles of large dimensions which must therefore be divided, thus becoming unsuitable for certain uses and of consequently reduced value.
Furthermore, the production provided with the aid of a single heated support surface is relatively small. A moderate industrial production necessitates a plurality of these apparatus. In the case of known plane support surfaces, this multiplication of the individual apparatus or a group of such apparatus is costly and the apparatus occupy a substantial space.
In another category of known apparatus, the flat articles to be dried are deposited on a heated cylindrical support surface partially surrounded by an endless flexible band rotating intermittently. Complete drying cannot be effected in practice in such apparatus because:
(a) if the flexible endless band is fluid-tight, it cannot allow any evaporation of liquid contained in the articles to be dried;
(b) if the flexible endless band is porous, it will allow a very slow evaporation of the liquid, but experience has shown that articles to be dried containing generally 60-100% by weight of liquid in relation to the dry material require a drying duration of about 30 minutes at a temperature of about 90.degree. C. which is not acceptable for good quality products. A temperature lower than 50.degree. C., as necessary to preserve the quality of the products, requires a drying duration of from one to three hours.
The resultant production of an apparatus of this kind is thus reduced to only several articles per day, which shows that this idea does not give rise to effective utilization. In fact, apparatus of this kind are used only for ironing or finishing of the articles and not for drying.
The present invention has primarily as its object to provide an apparatus for drying under vacuum flat articles or pieces of porous material, which avoids the disadvantages referred to hereinbefore and facilitates the work of the operators by allowing them to operate continuously at the same place, situated at a convenient height, and at a suitable small distance in front of them. Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the noted kind which is of relatively compact construction and does not require substantial manipulating space in order to open and to close the one or more cover means.
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Mobile communication devices, such as battery powered cellular telephones, can be equipped with multiple transceivers. In addition to communicating pursuant to traditional communication protocols such as CDMA and GSM, mobile communication devices can also communicate pursuant to non-cellular protocols. For example, mobile communication devices are often enabled with a Bluetooth transceiver. For communication pursuant to Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) or wireless local area network (WLAN) protocols, mobile communication devices can be equipped with a WIFI transceiver in addition to their CDMA and GSM transceivers.
Dual-mode communication devices can leverage the ubiquity of cellular networks (GSM and CDMA) with the high performance and low operational costs of local-area WIFI networks. The dual-mode roaming capability allows wireless handsets to utilize cellular or WIFI networks to place and receive calls, and to provide Internet access for email and Web surfing while the device is in an active mode (in call).
The various aspects, features and advantages of the disclosure will become more fully apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon careful consideration of the following Detailed Description thereof with the accompanying drawings described below. The drawings may have been simplified for clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale.
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This invention is directed to antibiotics and, more particularly, to a process for preparing an antibiotic known as cirramycin A.sub.1. Another aspect of the invention is a thermo-stable incubation substrate for the conversion of cirramycin B.sub.1 to cirramycin A.sub.1.
The antibiotic known as cirramycin and its preparation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,540. This antibiotic which comprises components identified as cirramycin A and cirramycin B can be prepared by fermentation with an organism designated Streptomyces cirratus (ATCC 14699). It has been found that the antibiotic cirramycin contains not only A and B components, but can also be separated into a series of components designated as B.sub.1, B.sub.2, B.sub.3, A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3, A.sub.4, and A.sub.5.
It is also known that mild acid hydrolysis, with 0.1 normal hydrochloric acid, of cirramycin B.sub.1 gives cirramycin A.sub.1. See T. Suzuki, "Bull. Chem. Soc.," Japan, 43, 292 (1970). Conversion by this method is not satisfactory, because it is characterized by significant loss of biological activity and very low yields.
However, it has now been discovered that high yields of high-activity cirramycin A.sub.1 can be obtained in good yields by incubating cirramycin B.sub.1 in a substrate comprising an aqueous solution of cane molasses. Good yields of cirramycin A.sub.1 can be achieved by this process which comprises admixing cirramycin A.sub.1 with a solution of cane molasses and incubating the admixture until a suitable degree of conversion is achieved. The conversion of B.sub.1 to A.sub.1 can be followed by periodically withdrawing and assaying samples.
Although the amount of cane molasses in the substrate is not narrowly critical, it is generally preferred to employ an aqueous solution of relatively low molasses concentration as a substrate for the incubation. For example, a concentration of about 2 percent cane molasses has been found to provide good yields of high activity cirramycin A.sub.1 when used as a substrate in connection with an incubation of cirramycin B.sub.1 at about 37.degree. C. It will be appreciated that variations in the concentration of cirramycin B.sub.1 being incubated may give rise to variations in the substrate concentration for optimum results.
In practice, the process of this invention comprises the steps of preparing cirramycin B.sub.1 by fermentation of a suitable strain of Streptomyces cirratus. It is preferred that a strain capable of producing high yields of cirramycin B.sub.1 be utilized in conjunction with standard fermentation techniques. The cirramycin B.sub.1 is then extracted from the fermentation broth by solvent separation procedures to provide an aqueous extract containing the cirramycin B.sub.1.
In practice, the cirramycin B.sub.1 can be further separated from the aqueous extract and used as a solid, or the cirramycin B.sub.1 -containing extract can be added directly to the cane molasses substrate and incubated. After completion of the conversion, cirramycin A.sub.1 can be recovered by solvent extraction. Minor components which are not converted to A.sub.1 are taken into an organic solvent phase, and cirramycin A.sub.1 is recovered from the aqueous phases and can be, if desired, further purified by countercurrent distribution.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a film assemblage comprising a film cassette or cartridge for storing a plurality of film units in stacked relationship for successive exposure in a photographic camera. The film assemblage includes a spring platen for resiliently supporting a plurality of film units stacked thereon for movement toward an exposure window in a forward wall of the cartridge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This invention deals with a photographic film assemblage comprising a film cartridge or cassette of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,542, for storing a plurality of film units in stacked relationship for successive exposure in a photographic camera. The cassette includes a casing having spaced walls including a forward wall having a film exposure opening, a leading end wall having a withdrawal opening therein through which the film units are sequentially withdrawn and a rear wall. A spring platen is disposed within the casing and is supported by the rear wall for urging film units stacked thereon toward the forward wall. The platen in the '542 patent includes feet extending downwardly into depressions in the rear wall. This type of supporting or fastening means between the platen and the rear wall holds the spring platen in place when film units are withdrawn. Variations in the force exerted by the spring platen on the successive film units occur because the spring platen bias decreases with each film unit withdrawal. Also, with this arrangement, assembly of the platen and the cassette is difficult because of possible separation of the platen from the bottom wall if the assembly is rotated into an inverted position during loading of a stack of the film units, that is, there is no positive lock between the spring platen and the bottom wall.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Component Object Model (COM) is a specification developed by Microsoft Corporation for building software components that can be assembled into programs or that add functionality to existing programs running on various software platforms. The COM specification defines a binary standard for component interoperability. That is, the COM specification does not require or depend on any particular programming language. COM also defines a component object as a piece of compiled code that provides some services to the rest of an operating system or application. By way of example, a component object may be a drag-and-drop component object that first provides a drag function responsive to an end user's selection of one or more icons moving across a display and a drop function responsive to identifying a destination on the display to handle the dragged icon(s).
Also, component objects may interact with other component objects in such a relationship as a server and a client. For example, a COM client refers to computer software that uses the services of other component objects. Consequently, a server component object refers to a component object that provides services to a COM client. In addition, there are known types of execution environments for server component objects, such as in-process, out-of-process or remote. For example, from a server component object's point of view, a server component object may execute either in-process or out-of-process in relation to a client application. An in-process component object requires the operating system to provide a pointer to communicate with the component object. For example, the operating system is required to provide resources, such as memory spaces, or the like, to execute the in-process component object. By way of example and not limitation, a server component object with dynamic-link library (DLL) capability may be considered as an in-process type of component object. On the other hand, an out-of-process type is an executable code that executes in a separate process space from that of a client application and does not share the same resources (e.g., memory space) as the client application. For example, an .EXE file may be considered an out-of-process component object. In addition, a server component object may indicate its execution environment as: in-process or out-of-process with or without preference, in-process only, or out-of-process only.
By way of illustration, a client application may be an application such as an Internet browser application that displays contents of a web page. Also, there may be a server component object that provides a function to display a multimedia file within a web page. When an end user uses the client application to visit a web page with a multimedia file, the client application requests the operating system to create a server component object to display the multimedia file in-process or out-of-process, according to the execution design and implementation of the server component object.
Unfortunately, some server component objects cannot be trusted or are unreliable. For example, non-trusted component objects (e.g., a malicious or a unreliable object) may include computer-executable instructions aimed at disrupting or interfering with the execution of the client application or operating system. Malicious computer-executable instructions or other non-trusted or unreliable component objects may require excess memory space or resources of the operating system, disable other services/functions of the operating system (e.g., spyware, adware, or the like), corrupt legitimate computer-executable instructions, or alter access privilege rights of users. The results of such interference may include causing the client application or an application to crash and/or suspending other operations of the operating system. In these situations, an end user is left with no recourse but to terminate the particular application or to reboot the computer.
In current COM implementations, the operating system generally allows the execution of a server component object in response to request from a client application. The operating system is unable to force a server component object to execute in an execution environment other than the execution environment in which the particular server component object has been designed to execute. This disadvantage exposes an operating system and client application to malicious computer-executable instructions or other non-trusted component objects. The operating system thus lacks the ability to prevent the malicious computer-executable instructions or non-trusted component objects from harming operation of an application or the operating system. That is, there is no mechanism to prevent malicious computer-executable instructions of a server component object from executing in-process relative to a client application.
Accordingly, improved out-of-process software components isolation for trustworthiness execution is desired to address at least one or more of these and other disadvantages by allowing the operating system and client application to decide whether a server component object should be executed in a requested execution environment.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention is a treatment for baldness. While numerous treatments for baldness have been attempted, each has associated problems that this method will resolve.
Initial attempts to treat baldness involved hairpieces. A hairpiece consists of a base mesh to which individual hairs are attached. A sufficient quantity of hair must be attached to the mesh to completely conceal the mesh itself. This frequently results in an unnatural fullness in the hairpiece. This is especially true for people middle-aged and older who would normally have naturally thinning hair. The primary problem with this treatment involves the attachment of the hairpiece to the scalp. When a large area of the scalp must be covered, the weight of the hairpiece exacerbates the attachment problem. The attachment process usually involves adhesives, such as double sided tape, which tend to loosen when mixed with oils and perspiration normally present on the scalp. In addition, most of these adhesives are arduous to remove during cleaning. To insure proper bonding with new adhesive, old adhesive must be thoroughly removed prior to each cleaning of the hairpiece. Depending upon the degree and type of activity, this cleaning process may be required several times each week.
Several attempts to remedy the attachment problem involved tying the hairpiece to growing hair on the head. Unfortunately, as the growing hair grows, the replacement hair becomes loose and must be periodically tightened. Because hair grows at an approximate rate of one-half inch per month, the tightening is normally required at frequent intervals.
Other attachment procedures utilized sutures implanted in the scalp with the replacement hair attached to the portion of the sutures exposed above the scalp. This relatively permanent attachment made cleaning difficult, especially in the area of the sutures, resulting in chronic infection. One attempt to resolve this problem utilized wefts, a single filament with hair attached, tied to rows of sutures, giving greater access to clean the suture area. However, high stress due to the relatively large number of hairs per suture caused many of the sutures to cut through the scalp, causing infection and requiring frequent replacement.
Other attempts to treat baldness involved the implantation of fibers directly into the scalp. Every attempt involved insertion of the hair into the scalp by a puncture performed with a needle-like tool. Initial attempts used single strands of hair. Subsequent attempts used multiple strands or single strands that were weaved in and out of the scalp and subsequently cut to create the appearance of single hairs emerging from the scalp. In each of these methods, the scalp relied upon to retain the hair. In most cases, normal grooming caused the hair to pull from the hole in the scalp. Numerous methods attempted to solved this problem through the use of various knots and loops, however, elasticity of the scalp resulted in failure of each of these attempts.
A surgical method that has met with limited success involves the use of transplanted hair. Small plugs of scalp containing hair follicles are removed from the back of the head and transplanted to the balding areas of the head. This procedure does not add any hair to the scalp, but simply relocates the existing hair. Therefore, it is limited to those with relatively minor hair loss. Large areas of the scalp cannot be covered sufficiently with this method, especially if the donor site is limited.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for eliminating endotoxins from raw cotton.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Endotoxins, characteristic components of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, have been found in cotton fiber and plant parts, as well as in the atmosphere of textile mills processing cotton fibers. These endotoxins have been implicated as a causative of byssinosis, a lung disease found in some cotton textile workers.
Water-washing under relatively severe processing conditions has been used to reduce endotoxin in cotton lint but this causes serious problems in the ultimate processing of the cotton to manufacture yarns and fabrics.
In medical practices, high temperatures are used to destroy endotoxins on glassware and medical equipment; however, at these temperatures, cotton lint readily degrades.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention generally relates to the field of computer data transfers and particularly to a protocol and controller suitable for managing multiple data transfer streams in a buffer for use in direct memory access (DMA).
Developments in computer technology have led to faster information handling systems capable of handling more data. Recent technological development have focused on the creation of hardware capable of handling more data in an increasingly efficient manner and on the creation of hardware protocols to increase the efficiency of the information handling system resources. Developments making more efficient use of the information handling system resources yield tremendous advantages over competing systems and result in superior information handling systems and increased cost savings.
Presently, when certain computing processes are carried out bottlenecks occur due to inefficient use of a particular resource. As a result, the inefficiently used resource becomes a limiting factor and the rate of the desired processes is then limited by the resource""s capability.
One such bottleneck occurs when data is streamed through a buffer for use in direct memory access (DMA) and media applications. Currently, data streams are typically transferred in tightly coupled flows through a buffer which are limited to the transfer of a single data stream. The effect of this type of operation is that buffer resources are then unable to be utilized for other streams of data. Thus, the transfer of data through the buffer limits the total amount of data transferred in DMA applications.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a protocol and hardware suitable for decoupling media and DMA transfers through a buffer resource for more efficient buffer resource utilization.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a buffer partitioning system and a method employing the system to dynamically partition buffer resources among multiple data streams. By including a buffer partitioning system, multiple data streams may be more efficiently transferred through buffer resources resulting in information handling systems with increased capabilities and cost savings. In a first aspect of the present invention, a buffer partitioning system includes a write pointer capable of virtually partitioning a buffer and directing streaming data to a segment of the buffer formed by the virtual partition, a status monitor suitable for reporting transfer status information, a byte counter suitable for determining the a total number of bytes in the data stream and a partitioning logic suitable for managing steaming data transfers through the buffer thus providing a dynamic partitioning buffer resources.
In a further embodiment of the present invention a buffer partitioning system may contain a read pointer communicatively linked to the write pointer. The read pointer may be capable of determining the segment of the buffer streaming data will be read. In addition, by linking the write pointer to the read pointer, the buffer partitioning system may derive additional information such as the number of bytes remaining to be read in the segment and the like.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to the field of video conferencing technology and specifically to a method for automatically determining the appropriate pan, tilt, and zoom parameters of a camera which correspond to desired views of participants in a video conference setting.
During a video conference it is necessary to know the appropriate camera parameters for each participant so that the view of the camera can change quickly from one participant to another. These parameters include the appropriate zoom, pan and tilt of the camera—and will collectively be referred to as the camera “parameters” with the values of these parameters associated with each participant being the “presets”. While the conference is occurring, users require the ability to be able to view different participants quickly; frequently changing from one participant to another in a small amount of time.
Prior art devices require a user to manually set the camera parameters for each participant involved in the video conference. Each camera being used is focused on a participant and a preset switch is actuated. For example, if there are three people in the conference, switch 1 is used to represent the appropriate camera parameters for participant 1; switch 2 for participant 2; and switch 3 for participant 3. When a user desires to switch the view between participant 1 and 2, he only needs to activate switch 2 and the camera is moved and focused accordingly. However, setting a camera for each participant is frequently a tedious process requiring a commitment of time by the camera operator or user. Additionally, every time a participant leaves or enters the room, the presets have to be readjusted accordingly. If a participant merely moves from his original location, the original camera presets will no longer apply. Clearly this is a problem if a participant moves from one location to another within the room. However, even if the participant moves within his own chair (i.e. forward, backward, leaning toward one side, etc.) the parameters may change and that participant may no longer be in focus, in the center of the camera's view, or of the desired size with respect to the camera's view.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,209, a user can point to an object or person it wishes to view and the system automatically stores the pan and tilt parameters of the camera relating to the center of that object. However, all of the objects or persons in the room have to be affirmatively selected and stored under control of a user which again is time consuming. There also is no provision for updating the parameters when a participant leaves or enters the room.
The ability to automatically determine preset positions is useful in a congress layout as well. Generally, in these types of rooms, the camera presets are based upon the microphone being used for each individual. When a participant turns on his microphone, the camera presets that relate to the position of that microphone are used. This is problematic because if the microphone does not work or if one particular microphone is used by another speaker, the appropriate correlation between speaker and camera view would not occur.
Therefore, there exists a need for a video conferencing system which automatically determines the appropriate camera parameters for all participants and which can also adjust itself as participants enter and leave the room. The goal of a video conference is effective communication and conversation. If a user continually has to readjust the system to initialize or update preset parameters, this goal is frustrated. The conversation dynamic between end users is different from that of a production (as in a television show). To facilitate this dynamic, it is desirable to automate as much of the system as is possible without resorting to a static zoomed out view which would yield less meaningful communication.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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|
Many methods for manufacturing ceramic electronic components have been known and a description is made here of a typical method of manufacturing multilayer ceramic capacitors.
First, a powder of such dielectric materials as barium titanate and the like is added with an organic binder, plasticizer, solvent and the like and the resulting mixture is kneaded and made into a slurry. Then, the slurry is coated using a doctor blade method or the like and dried to produce a ceramic green sheet. Next, a conductive paste mainly composed of a metal is printed on the ceramic green sheet by a screen printing method or the like and dried to form a conductive layer, thereby allowing an active layer sheet to be prepared. Aside from above, a cover layer sheet composed only of a ceramic green sheet, which has no conductive layer formed thereon, is prepared.
As FIG. 12 shows, according to a prior art process of stacking multilayer ceramic capacitors, adhesive layer 102 is disposed on supporting plate 101 and a plurality of cover layer sheets are stacked thereon. Further, on top of that, an active layer sheet is superimposed, thus putting together a ceramic green sheet and a conductive layer to form a stack structure. The step of superimposing an active layer sheet is repeated a predetermined number of times and further a plurality of cover layer sheets are again stacked on top of the plurality of active layer sheets to realize stack body 103. When the active layer sheets are stacked on top of each other, the stacking is performed in such a manner that a plurality of rectangular patterns of respective conductive layers, each acting as an internal electrode, are staggered alternately from layer to layer by a predetermined distance in the length direction of the rectangular pattern.
In the step of forming a high-density structure by pressing, a pressing force is applied to stack body 103 to have respective ceramic green sheets and conductive layers pressed against one another to form a one-piece structure. In the prior art step of forming a high-density structure by pressing, a uniaxial press with flat lower die 111 and flat upper die 112 arranged in parallel with each other is used. Stack body 103 as composed on supporting plate 101 via adhesive layer 102 is disposed on lower die 111 and a pressing force is applied via upper die 112 to form a high-density structure of stack body 103.
Next, the high-density structure of stack body 103 is cut into pieces, each having a desired configuration, and separated from adhesive layer 102 on supporting plate 101, to produce green chips. The green chips are sintered and external electrodes are provided on each respective chip to complete a multilayer ceramic capacitor.
The aforementioned step of forming a high-density structure by pressing is a very important step to prevent a failure due to structural defects such as delamination and the like from occurring. When the extent of adhesive joining between respective ceramic green sheets and conductive layers is insufficient, it is likely to cause a failure due to structural defects. Therefore, in order to establish the densifying condition to a sufficient extent, it is necessary for a pressing force to be uniformly and sufficiently applied to stack body 103, thereby allowing respective ceramic green sheets to be deformed in the thickness direction thereof and to be pressed against each other to realize an excellent density condition.
However, when a ceramic green sheet has a pressing force applied thereto or is exposed to a temperature and a pressure needed for densifying, the ceramic green sheet is deformed not only in the thickness direction thereof but also in the direction parallel to the surface thereof. This means that the periphery of stack body 103 tends to expand outwards, thereby causing a distortion in the shape of the conductive layer. As a result, when stack body 103 is cut into pieces, a failure due to disconnection and a failure due to poor characteristics are caused. These problems are likely to be multiplied as the step-wise difference in level due to missing of a conductive layer is increased because increasing numbers of the conductive layers are involved and/or the thickness of a ceramic green sheet is small, thereby making the ratio of the thickness of conductive layers occupying in the thickness of stack body 103 more significant.
Therefore, various proposals have been made with respect to a method for preventing the deformation of a stack body from occurring when a pressing force is applied thereto. For example, in the Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication Nos. H5-175072 and 2001-23844, disclosed methods include:
A) a method for forming a high-density structure by first applying a pressing force to the periphery on the surface of a stack body by means of a peripheral section die and then applying a pressing force to the inner part below the surface of the stack body by means of a central section die;
B) a method for applying a higher pressing force to a stack body by means of a peripheral section die than the pressing force applied to the stack body by means of a central section die; and
C) a method for applying a pressing force to a stack body placed in an elastic framework by means of a uniaxial rubber press.
Even according to the methods A and B, however, when the step-wise difference in level due to missing of a conductive layer is large, a plastic deformation of a ceramic green sheet takes place not only in the thickness direction but also in the direction parallel to the surface of the ceramic green sheet. As a result, the stack body expands at the outer periphery thereof to cause a distortion in the shape of the conductive layer.
Even according to the method C, it is necessary for the dimensions of the stack body to match the inner dimensions of the elastic framework with a high degree of precision and even a little difference in the dimensions allows the deformation of the stack body to occur.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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