Kaolin is a naturally occurring, relatively fine, white clay which may be generally described as a hydrated aluminum silicate. Kaolin clay is widely used as a filler and pigment in various materials, such as rubber and resins, and in various coatings, such as paints and coatings for paper.
Slurries of kaolin clay are generally made by mixing a quantity of kaolin clay with water and other optional additives. However, chemicals added during beneficiation to achieve various desired results in these slurries, such as dispersants, colloidal thickeners, ammonia and leaching chemicals, also may provide usable energy sources for aerobic and anaerobic microbial growth. Because of these additives, most commercial kaolin slurries are susceptible to microbial spoilage and, therefore, require high levels of microbiocides to control aerobic and anaerobic microbial growth. Examples of such microorganisms include algae, bacteria, mold, spores, etc. The growth of microorganisms and their by-products tends to adversely affect the properties of a kaolin clay slurry by altering the color, odor and viscosity of the slurry. In many instances, the altered slurry may have little or no commercial value.
The problem of such microbial contamination in kaolin clay slurries is similar to problems in other industries, such as the pulp and paper industry or the petroleum industry, which have aqueous sources that encourage microbial growth. Microbial contamination can also significantly affect the efficiency of industrial structures or processes such as cooling towers or lubricating systems. Because of these problems, microbiocidal agents (i.e., microbiocides) are conventionally used, often at very high dosages, to eliminate or reduce the growth of microorganisms.
Microbiocides are well-known agents for the control of microbial growth in aqueous systems, such as kaolin clay slurries. However, the use of such agents raises environmental concerns which influence the choice of a microbiocide. Many of the early microbiocides were chlorinated or mercurial compounds which left harmful by-products in the environment. Some of the formerly used compounds, such as formaldehyde, are no longer environmentally acceptable because these compounds were found to be carcinogenic or teratogenic. These problems, therefore, limit the number of microbiocides available for use to those microbiocides which are less effective and more expensive.
There are a variety of problems associated with the use of microbiocides in the kaolin clay industry. These problems include the environmental impact associated with many microbiocides, the high cost of microbiocides and the large amounts of microbiocides that may be necessary to reach the desired microbial control level in a specific situation.
Microbiocides which are commonly used in kaolin clay slurries include 1,5-pentanediol; tetrahydro-3-5-dimethyl-2H-1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione; 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one; and 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one/2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one. The disadvantages to the use of these microbiocides include the high cost of their use at the necessary higher dosages, their ineffectiveness in certain slurries and their environmental impact.
As previously indicated, slurries of kaolin clay differ widely in their susceptibility to microbial contamination. Process additives are key factors but other factors, such as the degree of mechanical or chemical processing, variations in crude clay sources, differences in crude clay particle size distributions and crude clay impurities, may also create additional problems.
A method to solve some of the problems associated with microbial contamination is disclosed in Friedman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,109, which provides for using a combination of chemicals to act in a synergistic fashion to kill microorganisms. However, this patent requires the addition of an oxidizing agent, a microbiocide, a surfactant and an anti-corrosive material.
For various reasons, the prior art fails to provide an acceptable process that will control the level of microbial activity in a variety of kaolin clay slurries without the cost related to high dosages of the combinations of chemicals. Therefore, a need exists in the kaolin clay industry for an effective and broadly applicable process to reduce microbial growth and, therefore, provide commercially useful kaolin clay slurries having greater utility (i.e., a longer shelf life).


The invention is based on a method and an apparatus as generally set forth hereinafter. Means for controlling the spring stiffness, for instance of a motor vehicle, are known (German patent No. 16 30 058); in this known apparatus, two work chambers of a shock absorber or telescoping spring are connected via external lines to an apparatus comprising a pump and two reservoirs. Only one-way check valves are disposed in the connecting lines to the telescoping spring. However, with this type of apparatus, the damper stiffness of this kind of shock absorber cannot be varied, because to do so energy must be supplied from outside--via the pump--which takes a relatively long time and means that there is a certain energy demand. Controlling the damper stiffness in a shock absorber is also known from German Offenglegungsschrift No. 33 04 815. Suspension systems of present-day vehicle types, in particular passenger vehicles, are typically optimized to an average operational case in terms of the spring stiffness and damper stiffness, with parameters being structurally fixed and remaining unchanged, except for effects associated with aging, during driving. Since in extreme operational cases, such as an empty or fully loaded vehicle, or with varying vehicle movement parameters (rapid cornering, braking, acceleration, smooth highway driving, and the like), optimal suspension or damping of the suspension system is not attained in all such operating situations, it is also already known to switch over among a plurality of damper settings or spring stiffnesses. This prevents long-term adaptation of the suspension system (and possibly the damper system, which is either arbitrarily integrated into the suspension system itself or is a component thereof), and especially it is impossible to make an automatic, finely-tuned adjustment to various road conditions or various kinds of driving, because a switchover in the characteristic curves of the suspension and/or damping system can be made only in stages, typically between only two operating states.
It is also known (U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,678), in a suspension system involving two masses, one of which may be one or more wheels of a vehicle and the other the vehicle body, to dispose a standard, passive compression spring between the two masses, which is called a passive isolating element and has a so-called active damper switched parallel to it. This damper, in which a piston slides in a cylinder and divides it into two work chambers, is considered to be active because an intervention is made into the damping properties, that is, into the positive volume displacements of the pressure medium in the various working halves of the damper by control means, in a so-called active manner. To this end, the two working chambers are connected crosswise and parallel to each other via opposed valves allowing a flow of pressure medium in only one direction; the amount of pressure medium then allowed to pass through these valves then also becomes "active" by appropriate control of the valves by means of suitably prepared sensor signals. Because in this known suspension system, the spring itself is entirely passive, but the damper is conceived of as being active in terms of its properties, the overall system in this patent is called a semiactive system. However, this term is not semantically related to the dampers of the present invention, which without reference to suspension systems not taken into account are themselves designated as so-called semiactive dampers, for reasons to be explained hereinafter.
It is also known, in wheel suspensions in vehicles, to provide so-called active damping means (see the article, "Active Damping in Road Vehicle Suspension Systems", published in the periodical, Vehicle System Dynamics, 12 (1983), pages 291-316). This publication is referred to also because it includes basic concepts, in theoretically detailed form, applicable in particular to active damping properties.


The present invention relates to a microfabrication technique which may be advantageously used, for example, for the manufacture of magnetic bubble memory devices, semiconductor devices, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for forming a pattern of metal elements arranged with very small gaps therebetween on a substrate of a device.
In well-known field access types of magnetic bubble memory devices, a permalloy pattern for the propagation of magnetic bubbles (permalloy propagation pattern) is formed on the bubble-supporting magnetic layer of a substrate. The permalloy propagation pattern is constituted by a plurality of pattern elements made of thin films of permalloy. These permalloy pattern elements are chevron-shaped or half disc-shaped, for example, and are arranged with very small gaps therebetween. In a magnetic bubble memory device using 2 .mu.m diameter bubbles, the size of the gap is approximately 1 .mu.m.
The pattern of metal elements such as the permalloy propagation pattern described above is conventionally formed by using photolithographic techniques. That is, first, a pattern forming layer of metal is formed on a substrate of a device. Next, the pattern forming layer is coated with a layer of photosensitive resist material (photoresist). An optical exposure process is used to form a resist pattern corresponding to the pattern of metal elements to be formed from the layer of photoresist. Thereafter, an etching process is used to form the pattern of metal elements from the pattern forming layer.
However, the smallest size of the resist pattern which can be formed on the pattern forming layer by using the photolithographic technique is approximately 1 .mu.m. Therefore, according to the conventional method, it is impossible to form a pattern of metal elements with gaps of a size smaller than 1 .mu.m.
In recent years, there have been a number of proposals for realization of a high density magnetic bubble memory device using 1 .mu.m diameter bubbles. Such a device requires a permalloy propagation pattern with gaps of a size less than 0.5 .mu.m. In order to satisfy this requirement, the electron-beam lithographic technique or X-ray lithographic technique is used. However, electron-beam systems and X-ray systems are large in size and high priced, thereby increasing the overall cost of the equipment.


In general terms, the present invention relates to a self-propelled drawing device or a tracing device which can be for example an output peripheral for a desk top computer. The drawing device can be referred to as an "X-Y plotter". During the drawing, it should be able to access substantially all of the drawing medium. The drawing device draws a desired trajectory or locus or suitable approximation thereto as defined by computing or calculating means. The data to be plotted is held as a series of vectors in computer memory. Each vector is converted to the necessary movements required to reproduce the data on the drawing medium. The conversion calculations from vectors to movements may be carried out in the desk top computer, or in the drawing device or in a secondary device which interfaces between the two. The tracing device works in reverse in that it is made to follow a line by manual propulsion, and signal the trajectory or locus of the line or a suitable approximation thereto to computing or storage means. Both the drawing device and the tracing device act as a drafting peripheral in the form of a locus-tracking device in that the drawing device tracks a locus in order to draw a line and the tracing devices tracks a locus on a planar medium.


The present invention relates to systems and methods for improving target aiming accuracy and/or target acquisition speed of participants during interactive video games.
Interactive action video gaming systems have evolved and improved rapidly over the past twenty years. Many interactive video games on the Gen4 gaming systems, such as the Sony PlayStation4, are capable of providing players with an almost real-time interactivity. Many of these video games are action-based games involving the acquisition and shooting of target(s) while each player's avatar is on the move, and most of these video games present an aiming point proximate to a physical center of the gaming system's display screen.
In many of these video games, the aiming point disappears or changes shape when an avatar is on the move, and then reappears or reverts shape when the avatar is stationary. The absence or mutation of the aiming point during the avatar's movements substantially increases target acquisition and/or reacquisition time, and potentially also reduces the accuracy of the avatar. Further, crosshairs provided by the video games are often dim and hard to visualize.
Prior feeble attempts at providing a more permanent aiming point on the display device include attaching a sticker or attaching an LED using a suction cup at the center of the screen. Both of these methods are deficient. A sticker does not work well in “darker” scenes, such as inside dimly lighted rooms. Disadvantages of attaching an LED with a suction cup include obscuring the area covered by the cup and also the area covered by the power supply leads for the LED. The physical size of the LED is another disadvantage.
It is therefore apparent that an urgent need exists for improved aiming capability for players of video games. This improved aiming capability will enable video gamers to quickly and accurately accomplish target acquisition while on the move.


Hair transplant procedures have been carried out for decades. Initially, a punch was used to remove a circular area of hairy skin containing ten or more follicular units (of 1-4 hairs each). The area of hairy skin replaced a like area of bald skin removed from the patient. Several of such “plugs,” were placed into areas in the bald part of the head.
The circular punch tool was later replaced by a hollow powered drill and the space left in the donor area was left to heal naturally. Both of these prior art procedures allowed wounds to stay open for weeks at a time exposing a patient to the discomfort from large wounds measuring 3-5 millimeters in diameter.
Today there are two standard procedures for harvesting hair, the first involves a linear incision which permits the removal of a strip of hairy skin down into the fatty level of one quarter inch and measuring a number of square inches. The resulting wound is sutured closed and the strip is dissected into grafts (under a microscope), cooled in an ice bath or refrigerator and then transplanted into a bald area in needle size holes. Forceps grasp each graft and places them into holes in the bald area. In one form for dissection the hair from the strip of scalp uses blind harvesting of grafts from the strip of hairy skin which can result in significant damage to the hair. The damage occurs because the strip of hair in the hairy skin is forced through a cutting grid in order to make grafts of a predetermined size. The cutting blades of the grid are positioned at the most ideal distance between follicles. Unfortunately, the distance between follicles varies randomly. The result is that a significant number of the hair follicles can be damaged and die.
The second harvesting technique involves the use of a microscope to dissect the hair from the excised scalp.
A third harvesting technique uses a punch which cores out from the scalp, the basic anatomical unit of hair, the follicular unit, which contains between one and four hairs each. The problems with this technique is that there can be considerable damage to the follicular unit as they are cored out from the scalp, one at a time because the skills to accomplish this are difficult to learn and master and the use of a sharp or dull punch to accomplish this runs into problems produced by the body's collagen which take on different consistencies with different people.


In many cases it is advantageous that equipment is modular so that the equipment comprises a body device and plug-in units installed in the body device. The equipment can be, for example but not necessarily, telecommunication equipment such as an internet protocol “IP” router, an Ethernet switch, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode “ATM” switch, and/or a MultiProtocol Label Switching “MPLS” switch. A commonly used construction is such that the telecommunication equipment comprises a frame and plug-in units which are installed in plug-in unit slots of the frame. In this case, the frame represents a body device for receiving the plug-in units. Electrical connectors in a plug-in unit make galvanic contacts with corresponding electrical connectors in the frame when the plug-in unit is inserted in the plug-in unit slot of the frame. The frame may have wirings such that plug-in units installed in the frame form a full mesh network or such that plug-in units installed in the frame are connected to a central element which may comprise one or more plug-in units installed in the frame or which may be a functional component integrally built in the frame.
Care is needed in the installation of a plug-in unit in a body device because galvanic contacts between the electrical connectors of the plug-in unit and corresponding electrical connectors of the body device may be poor, or even non-existent, if the plug-in unit is not properly installed in its place. In one prior-art solution, pins of some poles in the electrical connectors between the plug-in unit and the body device are shorter than pins of other poles in these electrical connectors. These shorter pins are part of a test circuit for detecting whether the plug-in unit is installed in such a way that the shorter pins make galvanic contacts in the electrical connectors. If the shorter pins make the galvanic contacts, there is a good certainty that also the longer pins in the electrical connectors make adequate galvanic contacts. The above-described prior-art solution for indicating correct installation of a plug-in unit is suitable in cases where some poles of an electrical connector can be made such that galvanic contacts between these poles constitutes a sufficient guarantee of correct galvanic contacts between other poles of the electrical connector. In conjunction with some electrical connector structures this may be, however, challenging. Therefore, there is a need for other technical solutions for indicating correct installation of a plug-in unit.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for classifying and counting white blood cells, erythroblasts, and bacteria in body fluids by means of an automated hematology analyzer. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for simultaneously differentiating and counting white blood cell populations, erythroblasts, and bacteria in body fluids by means of multi-angle light scatter, fluorescence, and triple triggering circuitry in a three-dimensional space.
2. Discussion of the Art
Examination of various body fluids is critical for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis, bacterial pneumonia or lung abscess, infection of the peritoneal cavity, and septic arthritis. The conventional method of analyzing body fluids in order to determine the presence of a bacterial infection, which involves dilution of biological samples, counting cells by means of a hemocytometer, preparing cell cultures, Gram staining, and microscopic examination, is tedious, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, and some clinical cases, such as bacterial meningitis, require immediate treatment because an untreated case can be lethal. Thus, the ability to analyze body fluids on a rapid hematology analyzer would be extremely useful.
Analysis of most body fluids drawn from hospitalized patients must be carried out in the hospital as soon as possible because such body fluids are not very stable and can be expected to deteriorate within approximately two hours. Cerebrospinal fluid can be expected to deteriorate within one hour. See, for example, Body Fluids: Laboratory examination of amniotic, cerebrospinal, seminal, serous, & synovial fluids: a text book atlas/C. Kjeldsberg and J. Knight, eds. 3rd ed. ASCP Press, 1993, incorporated herein by reference. Thus, analyzing body fluids rapidly on an automated hematology analyzer would be desirable in hospital laboratories.
A number of manufacturers of hematology analyzers have systems that use the analysis of body fluids for cell counting. The Beckman-Coulter LH 750 hematology analyzer uses VCS technology (Volume by impedance, Complexity by radio-frequency, and laser light Scatter) for analysis of white blood cell differential. However, VCS technology cannot discriminate signals generated by bacterial cells from signals generated by other cell debris. The Bayer ADVIA® 2120 hematology analyzer uses myelo-peroxidase staining and light scatter to differentiate white blood cells. In the basophil channel, also known as the Lobularity/Nuclear density channel, a hypotonic surfactant solution is used to strip the cytoplasmic membrane from all leukocytes, except basophils. Neither the myeloperoxidase channel nor the basophil channel of the ADVIA® 2120 hematology analyzer is capable of distinguishing the signals generated by bacteria from signals generated by erythroblast nuclei or other cell debris.
The Sysmex XE-2100 hematology analyzer uses forward light scatter and side light scatter for counting white blood cells and nuclear staining, and side light scatter and fluorescence for differential analysis. However, the analyzer cannot distinguish the small noise signals generated by cell debris from those generated by bacteria. U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,168 describes a method and apparatus for analyzing cells in urine using both light scatter for determining size and fluorescence for determining differential DNA-staining intensity. This patent does not disclose how signals generated by small bacteria can be distinguished from noise signals generated by cell debris or from erythroblast nuclei. The cytograms of light scatter vs. fluorescence, i.e., FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C of U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,168, show no noticeable separation of noise signals from small bacterial signals.
To resolve the problems stated above, a rapid analysis of body fluids by means of an automated hematology analyzer, available in most clinical laboratories, is highly desirable to save the lives of infected patients by the rapid diagnosis of the medical condition of the patients and the subsequent treatment of the patients.


In current cellular or wireless technologies, the system controls are dominated by downlink (DL) measurements (UE measure and report). For example, the clustering or grouping of transmission points (TPs) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions is typically established based on user equipment (UE) measurements from DL reference signals, e.g., from each cell. This requires each cell to provide dedicated DL reference signals, which leads to complicated DL reference signal design and significant signaling overhead, and other issues for current or future wireless network technologies, such as in heterogeneous network (HetNet) where Pico cells may not provide reference signals. Further, using DL-based measurement, UL coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission may experience timing advance (the length of time a signal takes to reach TPs from a UE) issues within serving TPs. Another issue is that a dynamic (e.g., upon demand) TP optimization scheme requires frequent UE measurement and feedback, which is challenging for DL pilot design with more antennas. Moreover, the current UL sounding reference signal (SRS) is coupled with cell/TP identity and set up after TP clustering has been completed. Thus, mobile users have to change sounding signal configurations when switching cells. There is a need for a scheme to resolve or handle the issues above.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention is based on a gear pump, in particular for pumping fuel from a fuel tank to a high-pressure fuel pump.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One such gear pump is known from German Patent Disclosure DE 101 34 622 A1. This gear pump has a housing, in which a pump chamber is formed in which a pair of gear wheels meshing with each other on their outer circumference is disposed. The gear wheels pump the medium to be pumped along pumping conduits, formed between their outer circumference and adjacent circumferential walls of the pump chamber, from a suction chamber into a pressure chamber. In operation of the gear pump, a tooth gap of one gear wheel reaches the pressure chamber, and a tooth gap of the other gear wheel reaches the pressure chamber after it, in chronological succession. The angle of rotation of the gear wheels corresponding to this spacing amounts here to 360°/2z in each case, where z is the number of teeth of the gear wheels.
Upon the entry of a tooth gap into the pressure chamber, the volume of the pressure chamber is increased, causing the pressure in the pressure chamber to drop. In operation of the gear pump, pressure pulsations thus occur in the pressure chamber, which have a period corresponding to half the tooth pitch angle of the gear wheels. For a number of teeth z=10, the period is thus 18°, relative to the respective axes of rotation of the gear wheels. In other words, after 18° of an angle of rotation of each of the gear wheels, one tooth gap enters the pressure chamber, and the pressure chamber volume is increased. The pressure pulsations lead to high mechanical stress on the gear pump, which must be taken into account by means of an expensive construction of the gear pump that has the requisite strength. Moreover, the pressure pulsations reduce the pumping capacity of the gear pump. To reduce these pulsations, it has been proposed in DE 101 34 622 A1 that grooves be provided, by which the radial spacing between the outer circumference of the gear wheels and the circumferential walls is increased. By means of this provision, it has already been possible to achieve a significant reduction in the amplitudes of the pressure pulsations.


A variety of biological fluid collection devices and systems have been developed to assist with or otherwise aid in the production and collection of biological fluids. Included are systems and devices that aid in the stimulation and therefore production of seminal fluid such as masturbation sleeves and other such systems. Examples of such devices are disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,818, issued Jul. 21, 1998, titled “Device for Discreet Sperm Collection”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,523, issued Sep. 15, 1998, titled “Prophylactic and Prosthetic Device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,360, issued Sep. 15, 1998, titled “Device for Discreet Sperm Collection”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,235, issued Nov. 14, 1995, titled “Female Functional Mannequin”; all to Steven A. Shubin, Sr. and all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The collection of seminal fluid, whether in humans or animals, can be problematic and difficult. Whether, as is the case with human males collection can be an embarrassing and awkward experience, or as can be the case with male animals, collection can be problematic when attempting to obtain the sample. Further, and in the cases of large animals such as horses and the like, the collection can be dangerous due to the size, unpredictability, and un-cooperation of the animal.
With respect to humans, the procedure is still quite archaic and comprises the individual masturbating into a specimen receptacle, which can lead to discomfort. That is, the erect male penis is generally upwardly oriented, while the collection device must be held or situated lower or downwardly thereto. As such, the donor must force the erect penis downwardly in order for the ejaculate to be received in the specimen container. Forcing the erect penis downwardly not only can be difficult and uncomfortable, but in some cases can also be painful. Further, conflict between the position of the specimen container with respect to the erect penis can then lead to loss of ejaculate and/or inadvertent loss of more sperm rich ejaculate due to improper timing of the onset and/or ejaculation of the male. Whether due to discomfort that may occur during use or the difficulty in the simultaneous angulation and alignment of the specimen container and the penis, improvements are desired.
Yet further, the specimen containers that are used in today's facilities are designed for utilitarian purposes rather than comfort. For example, the specimen container itself functions strictly as a receptacle and offers nothing in the way of comfort, ease of use, or other assistance to and/or for the donor. Still further, the size, shape, rough edges and screw threads of today's specimen containers can actually cause the donor discomfort and even pain if contact with the genitalia is made.
Yet further, the collection of seminal fluid in animals is also problematic and difficult. For these specimens, collection can pose physical dangers to personnel engaged in the collection. As such, devices, systems, and methods that reduce the unpredictability and increase the cooperation of the animal are desired. Further, as the acquired semen specimens are not only used in the diagnoses and treatment of the animal, but may also be sold to breeders and the like, such specimens can be profitable and thus, the owners of these animals seek to have the specimen fully captured with the least amount of waste.
Moreover, doctors say prostate health may benefit from the stimulation of the production of seminal fluid and thus systems that facilitate the process while mitigating the disadvantages previously described are desired. Recent studies have found that prostate health in human males may be related to frequency of ejaculation. In particular, infrequent ejaculation can lead to swelling of the prostate, known as congestive prostatitis, and may also increase the cancer risk in human males. Some medical sources suggest an ejaculation frequency of three to four times per week to ensure good prostate health. One study found a 14% lower lifetime prostate cancer rate for men who ejaculate between 13 and 20 times per month, and a upwards of 33% lower lifetime prostate cancer risk for men who ejaculate 21 times or more each month. Devices for stimulation and collection of seminal fluids may aid achieving higher ejaculations rates among men, particularly the unmarried and long-married.
Beyond assisting with respect to prostate health effects of ejaculation, devices for stimulation and collection of seminal fluids through ejaculation may also assist in reversing desensitization issues. That is, repeated masturbatory stimulation of the penis using the hand or rough cloth can lead to desensitization of the penis, particularly in the absence of lubrication in some form. Desensitization can then result in erectile dysfunction during copulation. Use of properly lubricated devices designed specifically for the stimulation and collection of seminal fluid may help reverse the desensitization issues, and thus reduce the occurrence of erective dysfunction related to the desensitization issue.


In the past few years the electronics industry has increased the use and manufactured quantity, as well as demand for higher quality, of high purity alumina substrate chips for circuitry substrates used in component parts of computers and other devices such as switches and calculators. These chips need to be produced from a very pure alpha alumina, utilized as a substrate for the deposition of the various electronic pathways. Impurities in this alumina would cause leakage of the electric current through the substrate and cause dielectric losses which make such chips unreliable. One method for producing alpha alumina consisted of the production of a sol-gel of alumina followed by drying and subsequent calcination to the alpha form. As existing, this method produces impure material with a very hard structure resulting in large expenditures of energy to reduce the particulate to the proper size.


White LED lighting, known as the fourth generation of lighting source, has the advantages of solidified, small size, low heat, low power consumption, long life, fast responding speed and environmental, and is expected to be widely applied in the fields of general lighting and backlight sources in the future. In particular, white LED lighting, since it satisfies the requirements of energy saving and environmental protection of the green lighting projects, it is expected to be widely used in the future. However, the light principle of semiconductor LEDs determines that the emitted light can only be monochromatic light, while visible sunlight is a colorful spectrum composed of the colors of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and purple. It is obvious that a semiconductor LED light source only having a monochromatic light is not suitable for the field of general lighting. If the semiconductor LED light source is required to use for the field of general lighting, the defect of monochrome light emitting must be overcome through the application of other technologies. White LED technology is a typical representative of the transformation of LED monochrome light; the purpose thereof is to make the LED light source close to the natural sunlight color, thereby making it useful in the field of general lighting.
Presently, in the manufacture of white LEDs at home and abroad, fluorescent material is a very important technology. White light is generated almost completely by using yellow phosphor combined with blue light. The property and preparation process of the fluorescent material directly affects the luminous efficiency, conversion efficiency, color coordination, color temperature and color-rendering property of the white LED. In actual application, the fluorescent material of the current white LED uses the amorphous phosphor as the main body. Generating a white light by the combination of single chip and phosphor is still the mainstream of the development of the general white light LED product. However, there are still several technical problems to be solved in the process of producing LEDs by using phosphor technology at the present stage of white LED: 1) the excitation efficiency and light conversion efficiency of phosphor are low; 2) the phosphor particles and dispersal uniformity issues are difficult to be effectively and completely solved; 3) phosphor lacks the red light-emitting component, it is difficult to produce a white LED with low color temperature and high color-rendering index; 4) the high light attenuation of phosphor leads to a shortened white LED life; and 5) phosphor has a poor physicochemical property that is unsuitable for the development requirement of the high-power LED. Under the influence of these problems of the properties of phosphor, the solving of the problems of white LED such as luminous efficiency, color-rendering property, life, high-power application and the like have encountered technical bottlenecks. This situation shows that the bottleneck of LED development increasingly highlighted that phosphor cannot meet the requirements of existing white LED and adapt to the future development trend of LED fluorescent lamp.
In the existing mixed LED white light technology, the white light is generated by a mixed light made by two or three complementary two-color LED light-emitting diodes or three primary color light-emitting diodes (LEDs). This technology generally uses only a simple mixing structure to obtain the mixed light, its color-rendering property is poor, and it is difficult to meet the practical requirements.
Meanwhile, with the acceleration of the speed of white LED lights coming to the market and the expansion of the application field, it exposed a major application problem of “visual defect” that still existed in the current white LED lights. This defect bears the brunt of the harm and influence to the human eye, attracting the attention and research of the customer and all sectors of the society.
In view of the above problems, the present invention is aimed to design a solar spectrum-like LED structure. A solar spectrum can be simulated by gathering and mixing LED light of different colors. The solar spectrum-like LED structure of the present invention overcomes the technical defect that the traditional white LED technology needs to use phosphor and can simulate a solar spectrum, while, at the same time, has good color-rendering property and visual effect, and can be widely applied in the fields of general lighting, agriculture, animal husbandry and new biological energy sources.


During vascular surgery or endovascular treatment of vessels including thrombectomy, atherectomy, balloon angioplasty, and/or stent deployment, debris such as plaque and blood clots can move from the treatment site through a vein or artery and compromise the flow of blood at a location removed from the treatment site. In particular, various protection systems have been developed to prevent such debris from embolizing in the vessel. Distal protection devices include filters and occlusive devices (e.g., balloons) placed distally of the treatment site. Proximal protection devices include filters and occlusive devices placed proximally of the treatment site. In the case of filters, emboli collect within or on the filter. The filter with captured emboli is typically collapsed into a recovery catheter and the catheter withdrawn from the patient's body.
The size or number of emboli that must be retained by the filter in order to prevent clinically undesirable sequaelae is unknown. This uncertainty adds to the complexity of designing a filter with the appropriate characteristics. Small particles might pass through the filter pores and lodge downstream in tissues where they may cause tissue ischemia or tissue necrosis. In the heart, blood can be drawn and measurements can be made to track enzyme levels and determine myocardial damage. However, in the brain there is no easy and inexpensive method to evaluate the effect of a shower of emboli. Within the downstream tissue bed, there is a statistical component to the consequences of an embolus. For example, a 100 micron particle may lodge in a part of the brain where few adverse consequences are detected clinically, or it can lodge in a retinal artery, resulting in blindness in one eye. Therefore, it may be necessary to adjust the filter characteristics to suit the region of emboli filtration. A smaller pore size filter may be needed if protecting the brain than protecting the heart or kidney.
Embolic protection filters permit the passage of blood while retaining emboli that are larger than the pore size of the filter. Filter meshes are commonly made by incorporating holes in a polymer film, by interweaving filaments, or by producing interconnected porosity in a sheet of material (e.g., foam). It is difficult to make an embolic protection filter with the appropriate combination of pore size, pore area, embolic capacity, patency, mechanical strength, low collapsed or retracted profile, and recovery characteristics. Embolic filters made from polymer films commonly have a narrow range of pore sizes but suffer from a low percent open area because there is a limit to how closely the holes can be placed. Too little spacing between holes can result in a weak film that tears upon filter recovery. Foams tend to be bulky, thereby compromising the collapsed profile, and they have low strength.
Interwoven meshes such as braids have the advantage of a pore area which is a high percentage of the total mesh area, excellent strength, and good flexibility, but tend to be made and used in ways that result in a wide range of pore sizes. A wide range of pore sizes is undesirable for a number of reasons. Patency is influenced by pore size. Theoretically, blood can be sheared as it flows through the pore, particularly at the edges of the pore opening. Shearing of blood can activate platelets and initiate a cascade of events that cause blood clotting. When filters are used in the bloodstream, it is common for thrombus to form in the vicinity of the smallest pores and no thrombus to form in the vicinity of the largest pores. Flow through the filter is thereby reduced because part of the filter becomes occluded. In addition, while some filters have a reasonable average pore size, a wide range of pore sizes in these filters may allow large particles to pass through the large pores during either the capture or recovery phase.
A need in the art remains for an embolic protection filter having pores which are both small in size and which do not vary in size beyond an acceptable range.


Increasingly, wireless communications devices such as wireless telephones are becoming adapted for use with the Internet. It is estimated that, by the year 2003, half of all Internet traffic will come from wireless devices. Many present-day wireless telephones have at least some capability not only to capture and render audio information, but also to allow users to interact with data using a visual display and some form of data input device. Many wireless carriers are marketing access to the so-called “wireless web” as part of wireless telephone service.
While wireless data access is clearly a boon to electronic device users, there is a notable deficiency in the current wireless data access technology: a user must generally choose to interact with the data either using the voice components of the wireless device (i.e., microphone and speaker), or using the visual components (i.e., screen and keypad), but cannot use both at the same time. Some aspects of communication work best with a visual interface, and others work best with a voice interface. For example, suppose that an application provides directions to a specified location—e.g., for use while driving. It is convenient to speak the name of the desired location as input to the application, but it is cumbersome to receive the directions themselves in the form of speech. A visual map combined with written directions such as “turn right on Elm” is a very convenient format in which to receive the directions, but it is may be less convenient to input the desired location using a keypad or stylus than it is merely to speak the location into a microphone. Thus, the ideal interface for certain applications is, in many cases, not visual or voice alone, but rather a combination of visual and voice. Present wireless application often allow one or the other but not both.
One problem that impedes the integrated and combined use of voice and visual interfaces to data is that each mode of communication generally requires its own browser. Typically, a particular piece of content (e.g., a web page) may be represented in both a visual markup language (such as Wireless Markup Language or “WML”), and in a voice markup language (such as Voice eXtensible Markup Language or “VXML”). A visual browser permits the user to navigate through the WML content using the screen and keypad. Similarly, a voice browser, which is generally a software component separate from the visual browser, permits the user to navigate through the VXML content using the microphone and speaker. Not only are the visual and voice browsers separate software components; they often execute on separate, and distantly located, devices. A visual browser typically executes on a wireless handset (such as a wireless-web-enabled telephone). However, the handset is generally “dumb” with respect to voice—i.e., it can capture and render audio signals, but does not have the means to browse and navigate content based on the content of the received audio, or to generate audio signals based on VXML data. Thus, a voice browser typically executes on a voice server and communicates with the user through the microphone and speaker of the wireless device by transmitting and receiving digital signals to the device through an ordinary voice circuit within a wireless network.
Because the voice and visual browsers are separate, it is difficult to switch seamlessly back and forth between a visual and voice modes of interacting with wireless data, because the voice browser may be unaware of what the visual browser is doing and vice versa. That is, the voice and visual browsers are not normally “synchronized,” in the sense that neither knows the other's state with respect to the underlying content that the voice and visual browsers are manipulating. For example, suppose that a wireless handset user uses a visual browser to navigate through a series of web pages, eventually ending up at a particular URL. If the user then decides to switch to the voice interface, the voice browser does not know where the user has navigated to because it is unaware of what the visual browser has been doing. Upon switching to a voice interface, the voice browser can simply re-start the user at a “home” URL, but this is inconvenient for the user because the user loses the benefit of all of the navigation that has already been performed. Similarly, within the page located at a particular URL, the user may have navigated through several cards, and may have positioned the cursor at a particular field on a particular card using the visual browser, but the voice browser will be unaware of all of this activity. The problem, in this example, is that the voice and visual browsers are not “synchronized.”
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a browser synchronization technique that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that can manage a peripheral device, a peripheral device control method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
A peripheral device control system enables a user of an information processing apparatus to access a peripheral device via an appropriate interface, such as Universal Serial Bus (which may be referred to as USB in the following description), Ethernet®, or wireless LAN. This kind of control systems can be effectively used for various users in their houses and offices. An example of the peripheral apparatus is, for example, a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner, a digital camera, or a multifunction peripheral.
Further, Windows®7 (hereinafter, referred to as W7), which is provided by Microsoft Corporation, includes newly introduced functions to manage peripheral apparatuses connected to a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as PC) or comparable information processing apparatus.
In W7, Device Stage® can be thought of as a home page for peripheral hardware such that when a new peripheral device is connected to a PC (device running W7), a menu of tasks for the newly connected peripheral is shown in one place. Device Stage includes a “Devices and Printers folder” serving as a window that displays a peripheral device connected to the PC. Further, Device Stage® can display a link to a unique application or service provided by each peripheral device. Hereinafter, the “Devices and Printers folder” is referred to as “DP folder.”
Thus, it becomes feasible to provide a task (button) on a Device Stage screen as a link to a function for displaying an electronic manual (EM) dedicated to each peripheral device. In this case, the Device Stage screen enables users to launch (execute) a manual viewer application to display an EM for an intended peripheral device.
An example of the peripheral device is a multi function peripheral (MFP) device, such as a printer with capability to scan, fax and email documents. Further, an example of the application is the manual viewer application. The manual viewer application can be used to display an EM for each peripheral device. In general, the above-described application can support a plurality of peripheral devices and a plurality of languages.
The application can display a user interface that includes a peripheral device selection field and a language selection field to enable users to select a peripheral device or select a language. Thus, each user can use a preferred language to display and execute functions of a target peripheral device.
The electronic manuals, which can be displayed by the manual viewer application, are prepared for each peripheral device using a plurality of languages with reference to a plurality of destinations thereof. A setup program determines a language of the EM for each peripheral device, when the EM is installed, with reference to a view language of the Operating System (which may be referred to as OS in the following description). Further, users may be allowed to select a preferred version (language) of the EM for each peripheral device.
If an application does not have any function for selecting a peripheral device or a language, the application constantly uses the peripheral device and the language that have been selected or designated in an installation process.
Further, if an application has a function for selecting a peripheral device or a language, the application preliminarily sets a peripheral device and a language as initial values selected or designated in an installation process. In this case, after the installation is completed, users are allowed to change the setting in a selectable range so as to designate an intended peripheral device or a preferred language.
Further, the information processing apparatus capable of performing the above-described processing is, for example, discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-85132.
As described above, a static text file having an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format cannot include any executable script. Therefore, performing file generation, file editing (especially, writing), generation of registry information storing setting information, and editing (especially, writing) of the registry information is difficult.
Accordingly, when a user executes a function (presses a button) on the Device Stage (peripheral device management screen), it is difficult to designate an appropriate language set by the user and execute (display) the function.


Managing large document databases may be a daunting task. While a user may wish to browse the whole database, a user also may wish that documents are sorted with respect to visual similarity and/or layout features. Simply presenting documents in a random order, however, is less than ideal.


Exhaust gas recirculation is a technique commonly used for controlling the generation of undesirable pollutant gases and particulate matter in the operation of internal combustion engines. This technique has proven particularly useful in internal combustion engines used in motor vehicles such as passenger cars, light duty trucks, and other on-road motor equipment. The exhaust gas recirculation technique primarily involves the recirculation of exhaust gas by-products into the intake air supply of the internal combustion engine. This exhaust gas thus reintroduced to the engine cylinder reduces the concentration of oxygen therein, which in turn lowers the maximum combustion temperature within the cylinder and slows the chemical reaction of the combustion process, decreasing the formation of nitrous oxide. Furthermore, the exhaust gases typically contain a portion of unburned hydrocarbon which is burned on its reintroduction into the engine cylinder, which further reduces the emission of exhaust gas by-products which would be emitted as undesirable pollutants from the internal combustion engine.
Another technique useful in the control and reduction of undesirable emissions from internal combustion engines is the use of pressure-charged intake air. This permits the use of relatively smaller cubic displacement and lighter weight internal combustion engines in mobile equipment, reducing in turn the specific fuel consumption of the vehicle and overall mass of the vehicle necessary to perform a given function. In addition to the benefits of reduced size and mass, the typical pressure-charging device may be controlled to provide improved emissions characteristics. Pressure-charging machines suitable for such applications include the exhaust gas driven turbocharger which is comprised typically of an exhaust gas driven turbine linked to a turbine disposed in the intake air stream to provide compression of the intake air. The typical turbocharger is controlled by providing a gate which controls exhaust gas flow and gates exhaust gas to bypass the exhaust gas turbine and control the charging rate of the turbocharger so that the maximum pressure limits of the associated internal combustion engine are not exceeded.
Still another technique for controlling emissions used by many engine manufactures is the use of aftercooling the intake air thereby reducing the intake manifold temperature. Some of the related art techniques have also considered intercooling the EGR gases by routing the recirculated exhaust gases through an aftercooler. It is well known that lower intake manifold temperatures tends to reduce the formation of nitrous oxides found in the exhaust.
When utilizing EGR in a turbocharged diesel engine, the exhaust gas to be recirculated is preferably removed upstream of the exhaust gas driven turbine associated with the turbocharger. In many EGR applications, the exhaust gas is diverted directly from the exhaust manifold. Likewise, the recirculated exhaust gas is preferably re-introduced to the intake air stream downstream of the compressor and air-to-air aftercooler. For example, in many EGR applications the recirculated exhaust gas is reintroduced to the intake manifold.
Reintroducing the exhaust gas downstream of the compressor and air-to-air aftercooler is preferred due to the reliability and maintainability concerns that arise should the exhaust gas is passed through the compressor and aftercooler. However at some engine operating conditions, there is a pressure differential between the intake manifold and the exhaust manifold which essentially prevents many conventional EGR systems from being utilized. For example, at high speed, high load conditions in a turbocharged engine, the exhaust gas does not readily flow from the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold. What is needed, therefore, is a simple and inexpensive technique for recirculating exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold at all engine operating conditions.
Another problem associated with many conventional EGR systems is that the turbocharger efficiency is sacrificed when exhaust gas is diverted from the exhaust manifold. Removing the exhaust gas to be recirculated from the exhaust manifold or elsewhere upstream of the exhaust gas driven turbine depletes the mass flow and heat energy passing through the turbine which, in turn, lowers the boost levels created by the compressor. Most diesel engine turbochargers are fixed geometry turbochargers, in that they are specifically designed to operate efficiently when matched to the engine exhaust flow output. The reduction in mass flow and pressure due to the EGR creates a mismatch between the exhaust flow to the turbocharger and the turbine specifications during EGR operation. The mismatch results in a turbocharger output that is reduced in percentage more than the percentage reduction in exhaust flow to the turbocharger thereby creating significant losses in airflow and boost pressure. The reduction in airflow and boost pressure decreases the air to fuel ratio down to a point where particulates as well as the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increase. Disadvantageously, the reduction in airflow and boost pressure also results in a noticeable difference in engine performance to the operator depending on whether EGR is on or off.


The present invention relates generally to theft prevention devices and, more particularly, to a security device that is specifically adapted to secure a laptop computer to a stationary or portable support or stand such as a technology workstand for securing the laptop computer in the open position so as to effectively prevent theft of the laptop computer.
Computers and computer-related devices have undergone tremendous advancement in recent years. Evidence of this rapid technological growth can be seen in the increasing power of computers in concert with increasing miniaturization of computers and peripherals. For example, computer peripherals such as display monitors are commercially available with increasing amounts of features but in greatly reduced size as evidenced by thin, flat panel monitors that are replacing traditional display monitors.
Although such improvements in computer technology are invaluable in terms of their operational capabilities, certain deficiencies present issues which detract from the overall utility of such devices. In particular, the ultimate reduction in size of computers and computer peripherals has made these items easier to carry and/or conceal. Obviously, such reduction in size has drastically increased susceptibility to theft.
Due to the relatively high expense of computers and peripherals, financial losses due to theft is of special concern for entities such as corporations, government agencies and educational institutions since such entities typically purchase large quantities of these items. As such, it is of primary importance for such entities to address how theft can be reduced prior to making computers and associated devices available to their employees, students and others who may use these computers in public and semi-public areas where theft is of great concern.
In order to reduce losses from theft, various types of anti-theft computer locks are currently available from manufacturers of security products. Although such currently known anti-theft locks may achieve their primary objective of computer protection, they possess certain deficiencies which fail to optimally protect the new generation of computers and computer-related devices.
Perhaps the greatest deficiency associated with conventional anti-theft computer locks is their inability to secure a variety of laptops or other similar devices. For example, certain computer locks must engage and secure a specifically shaped micro-security slot that may be provided by certain computer manufacturers. This limitation has characterized many anti-theft computer locks of the prior art. In this regard, the technological innovation in the field of computer locks has been minimal compared to overall advances in computer technology.
A further deficiency associated with existing computer locks relates to the cables used in certain anti-theft computer locks. Generally, these cables are fixedly attached to and extend from the computer lock at portions which are opposite from their slot engaging portions. Due to the fixed attachment of the cables to the computer locks, the cable portions near such attachment point may become locally strained if secured to a stationary object that is placed in angular orientation to the computer lock. The lock also requires the cable to loop around a stationary object to prevent theft of the laptop computer. Thus, transporting the laptop computer from one room to another room requires unlocking the computer lock to remove the cable from the stationary object in one room, and then re-locking the computer lock after looping the cable around a stationary object in another room.
In view of the above-described shortcomings of conventional anti-theft computer locks, there exists a need in the art for a security device for securing a laptop computer to a fixed surface in an effective manner. More specifically, there exists a need in the art for a security device that can effectively secure a laptop computer to a support panel and which further provides the capability of protecting the device against theft when the laptop computer is oriented in an open position wherein the display monitor is pivoted relative to the laptop keyboard.


Starch is an industrial and food raw material of major importance. Starch for food use is commonly extracted from starchy plant constituents (cereal grains, seeds, tubers) using procedures that involve reducing the plant material to fine particles, washing the starch from the insoluble plant material as a suspension in water, then removing the starch from the suspension, usually by a process involving filtering or centrifugation in some form. To obtain starch of high purity, it is important that the non-starch plant materials have, or can be made to have, differences in solubility or density, compared to the starch.
The process of separating starch from insoluble and soluble components of plants is an important step for obtaining purified starch, but it is also important for the isolation of other plant components that may be valuable, where removal of the starch is a required step.
Industrial extraction of starch using procedures based on the above principle is applied in various forms. For example, starch is isolated from potatoes and cassava by rasping the raw material to open the plant cells, reducing the solubility of proteins by reaction with sulphur dioxide or sodium bisulphate, then washing and extracting the starch. Starch is isolated from maize (zea mays) by steeping then wet milling the corn to remove the germ and husk, fine grinding, then applying centrifugal separation and filtering techniques to separate the starch from the proteins. Starch is isolated from wheat by mixing milled wheat flour with water to a dough then washing the starch from the insoluble wheat gluten.
Starch may also be isolated from plant materials by non-aqueous extractions. For example, in a review of procedures for obtaining starch from barley, McDonald and Stark (1) identified several procedures, but considered none food safe or industrially applicable.
The aqueous separation processes described above are applicable to a limited number of plants, and thus most industrial starch is made from only four sources: potatoes, cassava, maize and wheat. Rice starch can be isolated from rice using a process involving steeping in alkaline solution, but with low efficiency. The main barrier to extraction of starch from other plant sources is the difficulty in reducing the solubility of large non-starch plant polymers sufficiently to allow separation from the starch.


The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant, botanically known as Hydrangea macrophylla and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Hokomarevo’.
The new Hydrangea plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Xian’, not patented. The new Hydrangea plant was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Man’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Boskoop, The Netherlands in July, 2007.
Asexual reproduction of the new Hydrangea plant by vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Boskoop, The Netherlands since August, 2007, has shown that the unique features of this new Hydrangea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


In a high-speed transmission and reception module for optical communication, for the connection between an optical device and a circuit substrate, a flexible substrate manufactured using a transmission line has heretofore been used for correcting a displacement between the optical device and the circuit substrate.
However, the above-described high-speed transmission and reception module for optical communication is hard to realize sufficient high-frequency characteristics at a communication speed more than 10 Gbps. To cope with the above-described problem, in the high-speed transmission and reception module for optical communication having a communication speed more than 10 Gbps, a relay substrate made of ceramic has been connected between the flexible substrate and the circuit substrate as a substrate for relay.
Proposed is a connector element for high frequency transmission in which parts having surfaces facing to each other are provided on conductors for constituting a ground line and signal line of the connector element and covered with dielectric materials (see, e.g., Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 06-215819).
However, the above-described relay substrate made of ceramic is expensive. Further, precision is necessary for the connection between the relay substrate and any one of the flexible substrate and the circuit substrate, and also the time for assembly is necessary. Therefore, when the high-speed transmission and reception module for optical communication is manufactured, the assembly causes an increase in cost.
In the above-described connector element for high-frequency transmission, the connection shape to the substrate of a signal line and ground line constituting the transmission line is not sufficiently taken into consideration. Therefore, even if high-frequency transmission characteristics of the connector element are preferable, loss of high-speed signal may be caused by the connection to the substrate.


Noroviruses are non-cultivatable human Caliciviruses that have emerged as the single most important cause of epidemic outbreaks of nonbacterial gastroenteritis (Glass et al., 2000; Hardy et al., 1999). The clinical significance of Noroviruses was under-appreciated prior to the development of sensitive molecular diagnostic assays. The cloning of the prototype genogroup I Norwalk virus (NV) genome and the production of virus-like particles (VLPs) from a recombinant Baculovirus expression system led to the development of assays that revealed widespread Norovirus infections (Jiang et al. 1990; 1992).
Noroviruses are single-stranded, positive sense RNA viruses that contain a non-segmented RNA genome. The viral genome encodes three open reading frames, of which the latter two specify the production of the major capsid protein and a minor structural protein, respectively (Glass et al. 2000). When expressed at high levels in eukaryotic expression systems, the capsid protein of NV, and certain other Noroviruses, self-assembles into VLPs that structurally mimic native Norovirus virions. When viewed by transmission electron microscopy, the VLPs are morphologically indistinguishable from infectious virions isolated from human stool samples.
Immune responses to Noroviruses are complex, and the correlates of protection are just now being elucidated. Human volunteer studies performed with native virus demonstrated that mucosally-derived memory immune responses provided short-term protection from infection and suggested that vaccine-mediated protection is feasible (Lindesmith et al. 2003; Parrino et al. 1997; Wyatt et al., 1974).
Although Norovirus cannot be cultivated in vitro, due to the availability of VLPs and their ability to be produced in large quantities, considerable progress has been made in defining the antigenic and structural topography of the Norovirus capsid. VLPs preserve the authentic confirmation of the viral capsid protein while lacking the infectious genetic material. Consequently, VLPs mimic the functional interactions of the virus with cellular receptors, thereby eliciting an appropriate host immune response while lacking the ability to reproduce or cause infection. In conjunction with the NIH, Baylor College of Medicine studied the humoral, mucosal and cellular immune responses to NV VLPs in human volunteers in an academic, investigator-sponsored Phase I clinical trial. Orally administered VLPs were safe and immunogenic in healthy adults (Ball et al. 1999; Tacket et al. 2003). At other academic centers, preclinical experiments in animal models have demonstrated enhancement of immune responses to VLPs when administered intranasally with bacterial exotoxin adjuvants (Guerrero et al. 2001; Nicollier-Jamot et al. 2004; Periwal et al. 2003). Collectively, these data suggest that a vaccine consisting of properly formulated VLPs represents a viable strategy to immunize against Norovirus infection.


High energy feed supplements are currently extensively employed in the raising of cattle, sheep, and other domestic animals. These feed supplements include such materials as molasses, fat, and urea, and these materials are usually sold separately and mixed by the animal feeder with such feeds as grains or mixed feeds.
For more convenient handling and distribution, various high energy feed supplement materials have heretofore been combined in two distinctive composite forms, namely, in the form of a liquid feed supplement, and in the form of a block type of feed supplement. However, both of these prior art types of composite feed supplement preparations have involved serious problems in production, handling and usage, and have been undesirably limited in the amounts of certain feed supplement substances which could be contained therein.
Thus, prior art liquid feed supplements have been available which contain a large percentage of molasses for high energy content, and which also contain a substantial amount of urea as a source of nitrogen for protein equivalent. However, the amount of fat content which could be provided in such prior art liquid feed supplements is severely limited, and is much less than is desirable for an optimum feed supplement composition. The biggest difficulties in connection with prior art liquid feed supplements have been in the handling and ultimate use thereof. Thus, special tanks are required for storage of liquid feed supplements, and tank trucks are required for primary distribution thereof. Additionally, putting such liquid feed supplements out for consumption by cattle or other domestic animals presents a very serious problem, as open troughs of the sweet, sticky liquids attract flies and other undesirable insects. Accordingly, special closed liquid feed dispensing containers have been required which meter the liquid feed supplement material out through mechanical devices. Even when thus dispensed, cattle tend to get the sweet, sticky feed supplement liquid all over their faces, which draws flies and is accordingly unsanitary.
Block types of animal feed supplements have heretofore been produced by combining chopped alfalfa, straw, or grains, and proteins, with from about 10% to about 30% molasses in a mixer, and then pressure forming the combination under extremely high pressure, as for example about 100 tons per square inch. This prior art method of forming block feed supplements involves the use of very costly machinery, and labor is also quite costly as it is principally a hand operation. In such prior art feed supplement blocks the maximum percentage of molasses which can be satisfactorily combined in the mixture is only about 3:%, as combinations with larger percentages of molasses are too much of a gooey mess for satisfactory pressure forming. Similarly, the amounts of fat which could be contained in such pressure formed feed supplements were inadequate.
In general, it is desirable in a feed supplement for animals to include a relatively large percentage of molasses, because of the high content of inverted sugars therein (over 50%), because of the good mineral content, and in particular because of the large amount of energy available cheaply. A substantial amount of fat has also been found to be desirable in such feed supplements. While prior art liquid feed supplements were able to obtain an adequate amount of molasses, they were generally deficient in the desirable amount of fat, and were difficult to handle and use. On the other hand, while prior art block type feed supplements were much more convenient to use, they were deficient in both the amount of molasses they could contain and the amount of fats they could contain, and they have the further disadvantage of undesirably high production cost and investment in machinery.
Prior to the method of the present invention wherein the molasses is first heated at substantially ambient pressure to remove a major portion of the water content thereof and then without further heating subjected to a vacuum to further reduce the water content without foaming, there has been no method in the art capable of producing dense, hard, vitreous molasses feed blocks, and particularly such blocks wherein substantial quantities of other important animal feed ingredients are integrally combined in such blocks with the molasses solids serving as a supporting matrix.
Molasses has heretofore been dried by vacuum methods for animal feed purposes. However, prior art methods of this type were directed to the drying of the molasses for later mixing with other feed ingredients, and did not produce a dense, hard, vitreous molasses feed block; nor were they capable of producing such a block. Examples of such prior art vacuum drying methods were the methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,983,434, issued Dec. 4, 1934 to Black et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,089,062 issued Aug. 3, 1937 to Hougland.
In the Black et al patent, prior to the removal of any water from the molasses, it was passed into a high speed vacuum evaporator at low temperature (150.degree. to 160.degree. F.), in which most of the water was removed, and then it was heated to between 200.degree. F. and 238.degree.F. and spray dried. The purpose of the Black et al method was to avoid having to mix the molasses and other feed ingredients while the molasses was in its liquid form, because the stickiness of the molasses made mixing so difficult.
In the Hougland patent, a thin film of molasses was applied to a heated surface in an evacuated drum, so that the vacuum was applied to the molasses prior to and during the heating thereof, and hence before the removal of any of the water from the molasses. The purpose of the Hougland method was to dry the molasses so that when it was later mixed with other feeds it would not be subject to fermentation.
The application of vacuum for drying before the removal by heating of any water from the molasses in the Black et al and Hougland methods precluded the formation of dense, hard, vitreous feed blocks by such methods; and also precluded the inclusion of other feed materials with the molasses when it was being treated, and hence precluded the integral inclusion of other feed materials within a matrix of hard molasses.
Such prior art methods also were rather severely limited in production rate because of the tendency of the molasses to swell and foam when thus subjected to the vacuum with initial water content, making animal feed production by such methods generally costly and inefficient.


The present invention relates to a magnet device for animals, in particular cattle, and particularly to a magnet device adapted to be arranged in the stomach of cattle and to collect scrap iron pieces taken down in the stomach so that the scrap iron pieces are prevented from entering into the intestines.
Cattle grazing in meadows sometimes swallow grass nails, wires or the like falling on the ground. These scrap iron pieces remaining in the stomach are slightly dangerous for cattle, but when they enter into the intestines from the stomach, it causes a great danger which can be fatal to the cattle.
In order to prevent such a danger, there has been proposed a device which consists of a magnet formed in a bar or cylinder at a size to not enter into the intestines from the stomach and which is adapted to remain in the stomach of cattle thereby collecting scrap iron or the like invading into the stomach.
However, since such a device of a bar or cylinder magnet has magnetic pole portions limited to both end portions thereof, portion for performing a magnetizing function which collects the scrap irons is also limited to only both the end portions and its collecting effect has been insufficient.
In short, since the magnet device of this kind must remain in the stomach of cattle after the cattle has once swallowed it, without removing it out of the body of the cattle during its life, it was necessary to have the wide portion to magnetize scrap irons and to have a strong magnetizing force to magnetize the scrap irons.
The present invention is developed in the light of the above circumstances and in order to eliminate the above defects of the prior device, and contemplates to provide a magnet device which has the magnetizing portion not only at both ends but at peripheral wall portion and which has a magnetizing force intensified by concentrating flux of magnetic pole.
According to the present invention, a magnetic device is constituted by a plurality of magnets in a short cylinder shape having magnetic poles of polarity differing from each other at both end surfaces and piled in a longitudinal direction through the intermediary of at least a magnetic plate between each magnet, magnetic poles of the magnet opposing through the intermediary of the magnetic plate being the same polarity whereby the flux concentrates at the magnetic plate (yoke) portion and the magnetizing force increases.
Further, according to the invention, a magnet device is constituted by a plurality of magnets in a short cylinder shape having those outer diameter which are similar to or smaller than the outer diameter of magnetic plate, in order to decrease leakage flux and to effectively utilize the flux.
Other objects and features of the invention will appear in the following description taken with reference to the accompanying drawing.


Aerobic exercise is a popular form of exercise that improves one's cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure and providing other benefits to the human body. Aerobic exercise generally involves low intensity physical exertion over a long duration of time. Generally, the human body can adequately supply enough oxygen to meet the body's demands at the intensity levels involved with aerobic exercise. Popular forms of aerobic exercise include running, jogging, swimming, and cycling among others activities. In contrast, anaerobic exercise often involves high intensity exercises over a short duration of time. Popular forms of anaerobic exercise include strength training and short distance running.
Many choose to perform aerobic exercises indoors, such as in a gym or their home. Often, a user will use an aerobic exercise machine to have an aerobic workout indoors. One such type of aerobic exercise machine is stepping machine, which often includes foot supports that move along generally vertical arcuate paths when moved by the feet of a user. Other popular exercise machines that allow a user to perform aerobic exercises indoors include treadmills, rowing machines, elliptical trainers, and stationary bikes to name a few.
One type of stepping machine is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0274575 issued to Rasmey Yim, et al., (hereinafter “the '575 Publication”). In this reference, embodiments of stationary exercise machines are described as having reciprocating foot and/or hand members, such as foot pedals that move in a closed loop path. The '575 Publication, abstract. Some embodiments can include reciprocating foot pedals that cause a user's feet to move along a closed loop path that is substantially inclined, such that the foot motion simulates a climbing motion more than a flat walking or running motion. Id. Some embodiments are described as including reciprocating handles that are configured to move in coordination with the foot via a linkage to a crank wheel also coupled to the foot pedals. Id. Variable resistance can be provided via a rotating air-resistance based mechanism, via a magnetism based mechanism, and/or via other mechanisms, one or more of which can be rapidly adjustable while the user is using the machine. Id. According to this reference, traditional stationary exercise machines include stair climber-type machines and elliptical running-type machines. The '575 Publication, para. [0003]. Each of these types of machines typically offers a different type of workout, with stair climber-type machines providing for a lower frequency vertical climbing simulation, and with elliptical machines providing for a higher frequency horizontal running simulation. Id. Other types of exercise machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,343 to Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,956 to Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,637 to Rodgers; U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,480 to Rodgers; U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,333 to Rodgers; U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,567 to Rodgers; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,086 to Maresh. These references are incorporated herein by reference for all that they disclose.


Although fibers of the present invention are suitable for reinforcing various matrix materials, such as adhesives, asphalts, composites, plastics, rubbers, etc., and structures made from these, the fibers that will be described herein are especially suited for reinforcing hydratable cementitious compositions, such as ready-mix concrete, precast concrete, masonry concrete (mortar), shotcrete, bituminous concrete, gypsum compositions, gypsum- and/or Portland cement-based fireproofing compositions, and others.
A major purpose of the fibers of the present invention is to reinforce concrete, e.g., ready-mix, shotcrete, etc., and structures made from these. Such matrix materials pose numerous challenges for those who design reinforcing fibers.
Concrete is made using a hydratable cement binder, a fine aggregate (e.g., sand), and a coarse aggregate (e.g., small stones, gravel). A mortar is made using cement binder and fine aggregate. Concretes and mortars are hence brittle materials. If a mortar or concrete structure is subjected to stresses that exceed its maximum tensile strength, then cracks can be initiated and propagated therein. The ability of the cementitious structure to resist crack initiation and crack propagation can be understood with reference to the “strength” and “fracture toughness” of the material.
“Strength” relates to the ability of a cement or concrete structure to resist crack initiation. In other words, strength is proportional to the maximum load sustainable by the structure without cracking and is a measure of the minimum load or stress (e.g., the “critical stress intensity factor”) required to initiate cracking in that structure.
On the other hand, “fracture toughness” relates to the specific “fracture energy” of a cement or concrete structure. This concept refers to the ability of the structure to resist propagation—or widening—of an existing crack in the structure. This toughness property is proportional to the energy required to propagate or widen the crack (or cracks). This property can be determined by simultaneously measuring the load required to deform or “deflect” a fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) beam specimen at an opened crack and the amount or extent of deflection. The fracture toughness is therefore determined by dividing the area under a load deflection curve (generated from plotting the load against deflection of the FRC specimen) by its cross-sectional area.
In the cement and concrete arts, fibers have been designed to increase the strength and fracture toughness in reinforcing materials. Numerous fiber materials have been used for these purposes, such as steel, synthetic polymers (e.g., polyolefins), carbon, nylon, aramid, and glass. The use of steel fibers for reinforcing concrete structures remains popular due to the inherent strength of the metal. However, one of the concerns in steel fiber product design is to increase fiber “pull out” resistance because this increases the ability of the fiber to defeat crack propagation. In this connection, U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,953 of Marsden disclosed fibers having “J”-shaped ends for resisting pull-out from concrete. However, stiff fibers having physical deformities may cause entanglement problems that render the fibers difficult to handle and to disperse uniformly within a wet concrete mix. More recent designs, involving the use of “crimped” or “wave-like” polymer fibers, may have similar complications, depending on the stiffness of the fiber material employed.
Polyolefin materials, such as polypropylene and polyethylene, have been used for reinforcing concrete and offer an economic advantage due to relative lower cost of the material. However, these polyolefinic materials, being hydrophobic in nature, resist the aqueous environment of wet concrete. Moreover, the higher amount of polyolefin fibers needed in concrete to approximate the strength and fracture toughness of steel fiber-reinforced concrete often leads to fiber clumping or “balling” and increased mixing time at the job site. This tendency to form fiber balls means that the desired fiber dosage is not achieved. The correct concentration of fibers is often not attained because the fiber balls are removed (when seen at the concrete surface) by workers intent on achieving a finished concrete surface. It is sometimes the case that locations within the cementitious structure are devoid of the reinforcing fibers entirely. The desired homogeneous fiber dispersion, consequently, is not obtained.
Methods for facilitating dispersion of fibers in concrete are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,790 of Smith et al. disclosed the use of a water-soluble bag for introducing a large number of fibers into a wet mix. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,774 of Valle et al. disclosed the use of non-water-soluble packaging that mechanically disintegrated upon mixing to avoid clumping and to achieve uniform dispersal of fibers within the concrete mix.
The dispersal of reinforcing fibers could also be achieved through packaging of smaller discrete amounts of fibers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,458 of Sanders disclosed fibers that were bundled using a circumferential perimeter wrap. According to this patent, the continuity of the peripheral wrapping could be disrupted by agitation within the wet concrete mix, and the fibers could be released and dispersed in the mix.
On the other hand, World Patent Application No. WO 00/49211 of Leon (published Aug. 24, 2000) disclosed fibers “packeted” together but separable when mixed in concrete. A plurality of fibers were separably-bound together, such as by tape adhered to cut ends of the fibers, thereby forming a “packet.” Within a wet cementitious mix, the packets could be made to break and/or dissolve apart to permit separation and dispersal of individual fibers within the mix.
The dispersal of reinforcing fibers may also be achieved by altering fibers during mixing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,537 of Trottier et al. disclosed fibers that progressively fibrillated upon agitation of the wet concrete mix. The fibers presented a “low initial surface area” to facilitate introducing fibers into the wet mix, and, upon agitation and under the grinding effect of aggregates in the mix, underwent “fibrillation,” which is the separation of the initial low-surface-area fibrous material into smaller, individual fibrils. It was believed that homogeneous fiber distribution, at higher addition rates, could thereby be attained.
A novel approach was taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,423 of Rieder et al., which disclosed mechanically-flattened fibers. For improved keying within concrete, fibers were flattened between opposed rollers to attain variable width and/or thickness dimensions and stress-fractures perceivable through microscope as discontinuities and irregular and random displacements of polymer on the surface of the individual fibers. This microscopic stress fracturing was believed to improve bonding between cement and fibers, and, because the stress-fractures were noncontinuous in nature, the fibers were softened to the point at which fiber-to-fiber entanglement (and hence fiber balling) was minimized or avoided. The mechanical-flattening method of Rieder et al. was different from the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,071 of Vondran, wherein fibers were interground with cement clinker and retained cement particles embedded into the surface.
In this vein, the nature of the fiber surface has also been a frequent topic of research in fiber dispersion and bonding in concrete. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,368 of Hansen disclosed a list of wetting agents such as emulsifiers, detergents, and surfactants to render fiber surfaces more hydrophilic and thus more susceptible to mixing in wet concrete. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,368 of Berke et al. taught that the bonding between concrete and fibers could be enhanced by employing particular glycol ether coatings instead of conventional wetting agents that tended to introduce unwanted air at the fiber/concrete interface.
Of course, as mentioned in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,298,071 and 6,197,423 as discussed above, physical deformation of the fiber surface was also believed to improve the fiber-concrete bond. U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,414 of Matsumoto, as another example, taught the use of protrusions and ridges to enhance bond strength. Other surface treatments, such as the use of embossing wheels to impose patterns on the fiber, were also used for improving fiber-concrete bond. Fiber designers have even bent fibers into sinusoidal wave shapes to increase the ability of fibers to resist being pulled out from concrete. However, the present inventors realized that increased structural deformations in the fiber structure may actually enhance opportunities for unwanted fiber balling to occur.
Against this background, the present inventors see a need for novel polymeric synthetic reinforcing fibers having ease of dispersibility in concrete so as to avoid fiber balling and to achieve intended fiber dosage rates, while at the same time to provide strength and fracture toughness in matrix materials and particularly brittle materials such as concrete, mortar, shotcrete, gypsum fireproofing, and the like.


Disposable absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, incontinence pads, training pants, and catamenial napkins generally include an absorbent core for receiving and holding bodily exudates. The absorbent core typically includes a fibrous web, which can be a nonwoven, airlaid web of natural or synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. Fibrous webs used in such absorbent articles also often include certain absorbent gelling materials usually referred to as “hydrogels”, “superabsorbent” or “hydrocolloid” materials to store large quantities of the discharged bodily liquids. These materials absorb through capillary or osmotic forces, or a combination of both.
Many absorbent articles such as catamenial pads, adult incontinent products, and diapers are subject to leakage due to an inability to absorb second and subsequent discharges of liquid even if the first liquid discharge has been effectively absorbed. Leakage due to second and subsequent discharges is especially prevalent during the night, when users commonly experience multiple discharges before the absorbent article is changed. One reason for the inability of many absorbent articles to adequately handle multiple discharges of liquid is the inability of the absorbent core to transport discharged liquid away from the region of discharge once the absorbent capacity of that region has been reached. Thus, the overall performance of the absorbent article is limited by the inability to transport the liquid to the farthest reaches of the absorbent core.
An alternative absorbent material capable of providing capillary liquid transport is open-celled polymeric foam. Appropriately made open-celled polymeric foams provide features of capillary liquid acquisition, transport, and storage required for use in high performance absorbent cores for absorbent articles such as diapers. Shaped or contoured absorbent cores made from such open-celled foam materials having particularly desirable liquid transport characteristics are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,345 issued to Young et al. on Sep. 15, 1992. The Young et al. '345 absorbent core includes both a liquid acquisition/distribution member and a liquid storage/redistribution member. The liquid acquisition/distribution member is positioned within the absorbent article in such a way as to receive or contact aqueous bodily liquid which has been discharged into the absorbent article by the wearer of the article. The liquid storage/redistribution member, in turn, is positioned within the article to be in capillary liquid communication with the liquid acquisition/distribution member.
Absorbent cores providing the desirable absorbent characteristics of the Young et al. '345 patent in an exemplary multi-piece configuration are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,602 issued to Weber et al. on 25 May 1999, which describes shaped absorbent cores having a front panel and a back panel in capillary liquid communication with a center section. The center section includes material generally suitable for liquid acquisition/distribution, while the front and back panels include material generally suitable for liquid storage/redistribution.
Despite the advances in absorbent articles and in liquid handling absorbent core materials, absorbent articles having multiple absorbent core components as well as those having unitary absorbent cores are generally designed for single use wear. Once the storage/redistribution member is saturated with bodily discharges, such as urine, the entire absorbent article is generally discarded and replaced. Often parts of the absorbent article are still usable, and except for being unitary with the absorbent core, these parts could be used further. In addition to the added cost and waste associated with discarding reusable materials, it is often inconvenient to remove and replace the entire absorbent article when absorbent core components are saturated.
Absorbent articles having removable absorbent inserts and thereby being potentially usable for more than a single use are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,761 to Buell, issued Jul. 1, 1986, discloses a disposable absorbent insert for use inside an over-garment such as a conventional reusable diaper, or a disposable diaper. Once the absorbent insert becomes saturated it may be removed and discarded. The absorbent article may then be reused with a fresh absorbent insert. However, because the absorbent insert is removable only from the body side of the article, the absorbent article must be removed from the wearer in order to remove the insert. Therefore, the removal of the absorbent insert is often inconvenient and time consuming.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article having a replaceable absorbent core component wherein the absorbent core component can be replaced without having to remove the absorbent article from the wearer.
Additionally, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article having a replaceable absorbent core component and an apertured garment-facing layer, allowing a saturated component of the absorbent core to be removed through the aperture, thereby exposing an unsaturated component and allowing for prolonged use of the reusable portions of the absorbent article.
Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article having a replaceable absorbent core component disposed between a wearer-facing layer and a garment-facing layer, configured such that access to the replaceable absorbent core component is gained by separating the wearer-facing layer and the garment-facing layer in a predetermined area to form an opening.