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1. Field of the Invention This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 09/713,920, filed Nov.15, 2000 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,986), which is a continuation of U.S. Application No. 09/231,161, filed Jan. 15, 1999 (now abandoned), which is a divisional of U.S. Application No. 09/100,856, filed Jun. 19, 1998 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,970), which is a divisional of U.S. Application No. 08/537,874, filed Mar. 4, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,721), the U.S. National Phase of PCT/US95/02126, filed Feb. 17, 1995, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 08/198,431, filed Feb. 17, 1994 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,793), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference for all purposes. 2. Description of the Related Art The complexity of an active sequence of a biological macromolecule, e.g. proteins, DNA etc., has been called its information content (“IC”; 5-9). The information content of a protein has been defined as the resistance of the active protein to amino acid sequence variation, calculated from the minimum number of invariable amino acids (bits) required to describe a family of related sequences with the same function (9, 10). Proteins that are sensitive to random mutagenesis have a high information content. In 1974, when this definition was coined, protein diversity existed only as taxonomic diversity. Molecular biology developments such as molecular libraries have allowed the identification of a much larger number of variable bases, and even to select functional sequences from random libraries. Most residues can be varied, although typically not all at the same time, depending on compensating changes in the context. Thus a 100 amino acid protein can contain only 2,000 different mutations, but 20100 possible combinations of mutations. Information density is the Information Content/unit length of a sequence. Active sites of enzymes tend to have a high information density. By contrast, flexible linkers in enzymes have a low information density (8). Current methods in widespread use for creating mutant proteins in a library format are error-prone polymerase chain reaction (11, 12, 19) and cassette mutagenesis (8, 20, 21, 22, 40, 41, 42), in which the specific region to be optimized is replaced with a synthetically mutagenized oligonucleotide. In both cases, a ‘mutant cloud’ (4) is generated around certain sites in the original sequence. Error-prone PCR uses low-fidelity polymerization conditions to introduce a low level of point mutations randomly over a long sequence. Error prone PCR can be used to mutagenize a mixture of fragments of unknown sequence. However, computer simulations have suggested that point mutagenesis alone may often be too gradual to allow the block changes that are required for continued sequence evolution. The published error-prone PCR protocols do not allow amplification of DNA fragments greater than 0.5 to 1.0 kb, limiting their practical application. Further, repeated cycles of error-prone. PCR lead to an accumulation of neutral mutations, which, for example, may make a protein immunogenic. In oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, a short sequence is replaced with a synthetically mutagenized oligonucleotide. This approach does not generate combinations of distant mutations and is thus not combinatorial. The limited library size relative to the vast sequence length means that many rounds of selection are unavoidable for protein optimization. Mutagenesis with synthetic oligonucleotides requires sequencing of individual clones after each selection round followed by grouping into families, arbitrarily choosing a single family, and reducing it to a consensus motif, which is resynthesized and reinserted into a single gene followed by additional selection. This process constitutes a statistical bottleneck, it is labor intensive and not practical for many rounds of mutagenesis. Error-prone PCR and oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis are thus useful for single cycles of sequence fine tuning but rapidly become limiting when applied for multiple cycles. Error-prone PCR can be used to mutagenize a mixture of fragments of unknown sequence (11, 12). However, the published error-prone PCR protocols (11, 12) suffer from a low processivity of the polymerase. Therefore, the protocol is unable to result in the random mutagenesis of an average-sized gene. This inability limits the practical application of error-prone PCR. Another serious limitation of error-prone PCR is that the rate of down-mutations grows with the information content of the sequence. At a certain information content, library size, and mutagenesis rate, the balance of down-mutations to up-mutations will statistically prevent the selection of further improvements (statistical ceiling). Finally, repeated cycles of error-prone PCR will also lead to the accumulation of neutral mutations, which can affect, for example, immunogenicity but not binding affinity. Thus error-prone PCR was found to be too gradual to allow the block changes that are required for continued sequence evolution (1, 2). In cassette mutagenesis, a sequence block of a single template is typically replaced by a (partially) randomized sequence. Therefore, the maximum information content that can be obtained is statistically limited by the number of random sequences (i.e., library size). This constitutes a statistical bottleneck, eliminating other sequence families which are not currently best, but which may have greater long term potential. Further, mutagenesis with synthetic oligonucleotides requires sequencing of individual clones after each selection round (20). Therefore, this approach is tedious and is not practical for many rounds of mutagenesis. Error-prone PCR and cassette mutagenesis are thus best suited and have been widely used for fine-tuning areas of comparatively low information content. One apparent exception is the selection of an RNA ligase ribozyme from a random library using many rounds of amplification by error-prone PCR and selection (13). It is becoming increasingly clear that the tools for the design of recombinant linear biological sequences such as protein, RNA and DNA are not as powerful as the tools nature has developed. Finding better and better mutants depends on searching more and more sequences within larger and larger libraries, and increasing numbers of cycles of mutagenic amplification and selection are necessary. However as discussed above, the existing mutagenesis methods that are in widespread use have distinct limitations when used for repeated cycles. Evolution of most organisms occurs by natural selection and sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction ensures mixing and combining of the genes of the offspring of the selected individuals. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes from the parents line up with one another and cross-over part way along their length, thus swapping genetic material. Such swapping or shuffling of the DNA allows organisms to evolve more rapidly (1, 2). In sexual recombination, because the inserted sequences were of proven utility in a homologous environment, the inserted sequences are likely to still have substantial information content once they are inserted into the new sequence. Marton et al., (27) describes the use of PCR in vitro to monitor recombination in a plasmid having directly repeated sequences. Marton et al. discloses that recombination will occur during PCR as a result of breaking or nicking of the DNA. This will give rise to recombinant molecules. Meyerhans et al. (23) also disclose the existence of DNA recombination during in vitro PCR. The term Applied Molecular Evolution (“AME”) means the application of an evolutionary design algorithm to a specific, useful goal. While many different library formats for AME have been reported for polynucleotides (3, 11-14), peptides and proteins (phage (15-17), lacI (18) and polysomes, in none of these formats has recombination by random cross-overs been used to deliberately create a combinatorial library. Theoretically there are 2,000 different single mutants of a 100 amino acid protein. A protein of 100 amino acids has 20100 possible combinations of mutations, a number which is too large to exhaustively explore by conventional methods. It would be advantageous to develop a system which would allow the generation and screening of all of these possible combination mutations. Winter and coworkers (43, 44) have utilized an in vivo site specific recombination system to combine light chain antibody genes with heavy chain antibody genes for expression in a phage system. However, their system relies on specific sites of recombination and thus is limited. Hayashi et al. (48) report simultaneous mutagenesis of antibody CDR regions in single chain antibodies (scFv) by overlap extension and PCR. Caren et al. (45) describe a method for generating a large population of multiple mutants using random in vivo recombination. However, their method requires the recombination of two different libraries of plasmids, each library having a different selectable marker. Thus the method is limited to a finite number of recombinations equal to the number of selectable markers existing, and produces a concomitant linear increase in the number of marker genes linked to the selected sequence(s). Calogero et al. (46) and Galizzi et al. (47) report that in vivo recombination between two homologous but truncated insect-toxin genes on a plasmid can produce a hybrid gene. Radman et al. (49) report in vivo recombination of substantially mismatched DNA sequences in a host cell having defective mismatch repair enzymes, resulting in hybrid molecule formation. It would be advantageous to develop a method for the production of mutant proteins which method allowed for the development of large libraries of mutant nucleic acid sequences which were easily searched. The invention described herein is directed to the use of repeated cycles of point mutagenesis, nucleic acid shuffling and selection which allow for the directed molecular evolution in vitro of highly complex linear sequences, such as proteins through random recombination. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to develop a method which allows for the production of large libraries of mutant DNA, RNA or proteins and the selection of particular mutants for a desired goal. The invention described herein is directed to the use of repeated cycles of mutagenesis, in vivo recombination and selection which allow for the directed molecular evolution in vivo of highly complex linear sequences, such as DNA, RNA or proteins through recombination. Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention with reference to the attached drawings.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for inputting fluid through the casing and into the well bore, and more particularly relates to simple and reliable techniques for sealing and circulating fluid through the casing utilizing equipment which may also be employed to fill the casing with fluid as it is being run into the well. 2. Description of the Background In the oil recovery business, casing is commonly used as the outer conduit in a well bore, while tubing and drill pipe are generally positioned within the casing. When lowering casing into a well bore (also called running casing into a hole), it is not unusual to encounter difficulty in getting the casing to the desired depth in the hole, especially when the borehole is highly deviated. Typically, casing is "unstuck" in a hole by circulating fluid, such as drilling mud, down the casing to wash sand or other debris away from the vicinity of the lowermost end of the casing. In most instances, this circulation requires the operator to "rig-up" on top of the uppermost end of the casing string, which typically is from 3 to 15 meters above the drilling rig floor. Since the position of the upper end of the casing string for this rig-up operation varies with the depth of the stuck casing in the well, the height at which rig-up occurs varies, and the uppermost end of the casing string is thus not readily accessible to the operator. Accordingly, an operator is frequently suspended in the air from a safety harness to perform "rig-up" on the uppermost threaded end of the casing string. Once rig-up has occurred, drilling fluid is typically circulated into the top of the casing string to achieve the washing operation, at which time the casing can be further lowered simultaneously or subsequently into the well bore. In a conventional rig-up operation, a circulating sub is threaded onto the uppermost threads of the last joint of casing added to the string. Since this procedure commonly takes 30 minutes or more and, once the casing becomes stuck in the well bore, each successive joint of casing is likely to become restuck while the casing is run into the well, hours of valuable rig time and effort are required simply to attach and detach this circulating sub from the top of the casing string so that fluid can be circulated for the washing operation and the casing again lowered into the well. Another common problem with lowering casing into a well bore is related to getting fluid into the casing as it is lowered into the well bore. While a check valve is typically provided at the lowermost end of the casing string to prevent well fluid from entering the interior of the casing as it is run into the well, fluid must be added to the lowered casing to prevent collapse of the casing during the run in operation. In most instances, a fill line from the existing mud pumps is manually placed into the exposed upper end of the casing string to fill the casing at desired intervals with fluid. This procedure typically takes several minutes per joint of casing, which amounts again to a considerable loss of rig time while running casing into a deep well. The benefit of more quickly inputting a fluid into casing positioned in a borehole has long been recognized in the industry, and accordingly others have devised techniques for sealing the top of the casing string without threading a tool to the casing. Various types of quick couplers have been devised for positioning at the upper end of a casing string to circulate cementing fluid through the casing. These devices are not, however, generally suitable for circulating drilling or washing fluid into casing, since it still takes a considerable amount of time to properly install the coupler on the uppermost end of the casing string. Moreover, these devices do not overcome the previously mentioned problems concerned with the safety risks and an expense associated with circulating fluid into a casing by positioning an operator at varying heights far above the rig floor. Finally, these quick couplers do not solve the problems associated with easily filling the casing with drilling mud as a casing is run into the well. The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention, and improved methods and apparatus are hereinafter disclosed for easily and reliably circulating fluid through casing and into a well bore and/or filling casing with fluid as it is lowered into the well bore.

Electrical outlet boxes are commonly used for terminating wires to electrical fixtures such as switches and receptacles. Such boxes may also include single and multiple gang configurations and/or frames for supporting communications fixtures. In common use, the outlet boxes are attached to a wood or metal wall stud. The outlet box must be properly positioned on the stud so that an outer covering of wall board can be affixed thereover. The art has seen a wide variety of materials used to form electrical outlet boxes. Typically, boxes are either metallic or non-metallic in design. With respect to both types of boxes, fastening hardware is usually used to secure the box to the stud. The fastening hardware may take the form of wood screws or nails for affixing the box to a wood stud or sheet metal screws when affixing the box to a metal stud. In either case, separate hardware and separate steps for securement must be employed. The art has also seen the use of various brackets which may be attached to an outlet box to secure the outlet box to the stud. However, even when using such brackets, the bracket itself must be fixed to the stud using securement hardware. While certain of the outlet box and bracket designs allow the bracket to be temporarily affixed to the stud for positioning purposes, permanent securement of the bracket to the stud, in order to comply with applicable codes which dictate the load which the box must withstand, require additional securement hardware. One such applicable code requirement is a requirement mandated by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). UL Code 514C (29.1) requires in part that “a bracket or other device for securing a flush device or other box not intended to support a fixture to a structural wall stud shall withstand a pull of 50 pounds (222N) . . . the bracket may bend; but the results of the test are not applicable if the bracket breaks or if the box is pulled loose from the bracket.” As may be appreciated, it is time consuming and costly for the installer to have to employ separate securement hardware in order to secure the outlet box to the stud in a manner in which the box will perform adequately in its intended environment and meet applicable code requirements. It is, therefore, desirable to provide an outlet box which may be directly attachable to a structural stud and which by virtue of such attachment permanently secures the box to the stud in a manner which meets requisite code requirements.

Micro-fluid ejection devices, such as ink jet printers continue to evolve as the technology for ink jet printing continues to improve to provide higher speed, higher quality printers. However, the improvement in speed and quality does not come without a price. The micro-fluid ejection heads are more costly to manufacture because of tighter alignment tolerances. For example, some conventional micro-fluid ejection heads were made with nozzle plates (a form of a nozzle member) containing flow features. The nozzle plates were then aligned, and adhesively attached to a semiconductor substrate. However, minor imperfections in the substrate or nozzle plate components of the ejection head or improper alignment of the parts has a significant impact on the performance of the ejection heads. One advance in providing improved micro-fluid ejection heads is the use of a photoresist layer applied to a device surface of the semiconductor substrate as a thick film layer. The thick film layer is imaged to provide flow features for the micro-fluid ejection heads. Use of the imaged thick film layer enables more accurate alignment between the flow features and ejection actuators on the device surface of the substrate. While the use of an imaged photoresist layer improves alignment of the flow features to the ejection actuators, there still exist alignment problems and difficulties associated with a nozzle plate attached to the thick film layer. Misalignment between the ejection actuators and corresponding nozzles (e.g., holes) in a nozzle plate has a disadvantageous effect on the accuracy of fluid droplets ejected from the nozzles when the nozzles are formed in the nozzle plate before attaching the nozzle plate to the thick film layer. Ejector actuator and nozzle alignment also has an effect on the mass and velocity of the fluid droplets ejected through the nozzles. Conventional nozzle plates were made from metal or a polyimide material that was laser ablated then adhesively attached to the thick film layer. Use of such nozzle plates require an alignment step to assure that the nozzles correspond with the fluid ejector actuators and flow features in the thick film layer. In order to eliminate such alignment steps, photoimageable nozzle plate materials may be applied to the thick film layer by spin coating or lamination techniques. Spin coating techniques may be used to apply the nozzle plate photoresist material to the thick film layer before the flow features are developed in the thick film layer. However, developing the flow features in the thick film layer after applying the nozzle plate materials to the thick film layer requires difficult processing techniques. In the alternative, lamination techniques may be used to apply the nozzle plate materials to an imaged and developed thick film layer. However, conventional photoresist materials are available only as a relatively thick photoresist layer having a thickness of from about 35 to about 80 microns. Such relatively thick photoresist materials are too thick for use in providing a suitable photoimageable nozzle plate for a micro-fluid ejection head. If the photoresist materials are screened down to an appropriate thickness, the resulting photoresist films becomes too brittle to handle and apply by a lamination process to the thick film layer. Accordingly, there is a need for, for example, improved photoresist or photoimageable materials that may be used as nozzle materials that may be laminated adjacent a thick film layer of a micro-fluid ejection head structure. Amongst other embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle member for a micro-fluid ejection head, a micro-fluid ejection head containing an improved nozzle member, and a method for making a micro-fluid ejection head. One such nozzle member includes a negative photoresist composition derived from a first di-functional epoxy compound, a relatively high molecular weight polyhydroxy ether, a photoacid generator devoid of aryl sulfonium salts, an adhesion enhancer, and an aliphatic ketone solvent. The nozzle member has a thickness ranging from about 10 microns to about 30 microns. In another embodiment, there is provided a method for making an improved micro-fluid ejection head. The method includes applying a first negative photoresist layer adjacent a device surface of a substrate. The first negative photoresist layer is derived from a composition including a multi-functional epoxy compound, a first di-functional epoxy compound, a photoacid generator devoid of aryl sulfonium salts, an adhesion enhancer, and an aryl ketone solvent. A plurality of flow features are imaged in the first photoresist layer. The imaged first photoresist layer is developed to provide the plurality of flow features therein and a substantially planar thick film layer surface. A second negative photoresist layer is applied adjacent the thick film layer. The second negative photoresist layer has a thickness ranging from about 10 to about 30 microns and is derived from a second photoresist formulation including the first di-functional epoxy compound, a relatively high molecular weight polyhydroxy ether, the photoacid generator devoid of aryl sulfonium salts, the adhesion enhancer, and an aliphatic ketone solvent. A plurality of nozzles are imaged in the second photoresist layer. The imaged second photoresist layer is developed to provide a photoresist nozzle member adjacent the thick film layer. In yet another embodiment, there is provided a micro-fluid ejection head including a substrate having a device surface. The ejection head includes a photoimaged and developed thick film layer applied adjacent the device surface of the substrate. The thick film layer is provided by a first negative photoresist layer derived from a composition including a multi-functional epoxy compound, a first di-functional epoxy compound, a photoacid generator devoid of aryl sulfonium salts, an adhesion enhancer, and an aryl ketone solvent. A photoimaged and developed nozzle member is adjacent the imaged and developed thick film layer. The photoimaged and developed nozzle member is a second photoresist layer derived from a composition including the first di-functional epoxy compound, a second di-functional epoxy compound, a relatively high molecular weight polyhydroxy ether, the photoacid generator devoid of aryl sulfonium salts, the adhesion enhancer, and an aliphatic ketone solvent. The nozzle member has a thickness ranging from about 10 microns to about 30 microns. An advantage of at least some of the exemplary embodiments described herein is that lamination of a dry film photoresist layer adjacent a substrate and thick film layer for a micro-fluid ejection head enables wafer level processing of the ejection head. Wafer level processing means that separate processing steps for the nozzle member and the substrate may be eliminated in favor of photoimaging and developing a composite substrate containing materials providing the flow features and nozzles. Accordingly, laser ablation steps for the nozzle member as well as alignment tolerances, adhesives, and/or thermal compression bonding techniques used to attach the nozzle member to the substrate are avoided. Other potential benefits of the disclosed embodiments include reduction in raw materials required, potential improvement in ejection head performance, improvement in adhesion and durability of the composite substrate and nozzle member structure, and significant manufacturing cost savings. For purposes of the disclosure, “difunctional epoxy” means epoxy compounds and materials having only two epoxy functional groups in the molecule. “Multifunctional epoxy” means epoxy compounds and materials having more than two epoxy functional groups in the molecule.

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for an operation based on a power save mode in a wireless local area network (WLAN). Related Art An IEEE 802.11 standard provides a power save mechanism (or power save mode) to increase the lifespan of a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA). The STA operating based on the power save mode may operate in an awake state or a doze state for power saving. The awake state is a state which enables a normal operation of the STA such as frame transmission or reception, channel scanning, etc. On the other hand, the doze state is a state in which power consumption is extremely reduced and thus frame transmission or reception and channel scanning are impossible. In a case where the STA usually operates in the power save mode, the STA is in the doze state and, when necessary, transitions to the awake state, thereby reducing power consumption. If the STA operates for a long time in the doze state, power consumption of the STA is reduced. Therefore, the lifespan of the STA may be increased. However, frame transmission or reception is impossible in the doze state. Therefore, the STA cannot stay for a long time in the doze state. If a pending frame is generated in the doze state, the STA may transition to the awake state to transmit the frame to an access point (AP). However, if the STA is in the doze state and a pending frame to be transmitted to the STA exists in the AP, the STA cannot receive the pending frame from the AP, and cannot know that the pending frame exists in the AP. Therefore, the STA may acquire information regarding the presence/absence of the pending frame in the AP, and may operate by periodically transitioning to the awake mode in order to receive the pending frame in the AP. The AP may acquire information regarding awake mode operating timing of the STA, and may transmit the information regarding the presence of the pending frame in the AP according to the awake mode operating timing of the STA. More specifically, in order to receive information regarding the presence/absence of a frame to be received from the AP, the STA may periodically transition from the doze state to the awake state to receive a beacon frame. The AP may report the presence/absence of a frame to be transmitted to each STA on the basis of a traffic indication map (TIM) included in the beacon frame. The TIM is used to report the presence of a unicast frame to be transmitted to the STA, and a delivery traffic indication map (DTIM) may be used to report the presence of a multicast frame/broadcast frame to be transmitted to the STA.

This invention relates generally to the field of cardiovascular medicine, and in particular to the treatment of patients suffering from a spectrum of cardiac states, ranging from shock to pulseless electrical activity, in which the patient appears to be lifeless and in cardiac arrest yet retains some mechanical activity in the myocardial wall motion. One common technique for treating persons suffering from cardiac arrest is the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In this procedure, the patient's chest is repeatedly compressed, often in combination with periodic ventilations. Administration of electrical countershock and drugs intended to assist in restoration of cardiopulmonary function to chest compression and ventilation, constitutes advanced life support. For a variety of reasons, the effectiveness of CPR has been limited. Hence, devices or techniques which can improve the effectiveness of CPR are greatly needed. In additional to sudden cardiac arrest, refractory-shock (which is referred to herein as “shock”) is often fatal. For example, if not properly stabilized, a person suffering from shock can progress into cardiac arrest, which, because it is not sudden in nature, is usually fatal. Emergency medicine and critical care practitioners approach the treatment of shock principally by attempting to alleviate the cause because there are no non-invasive techniques that may beneficial in assisting circulation. Hence, devices and techniques are also needed to treat those suffering from refractory shock and shock that is progressing toward cardiac arrest. There is no general consensus as to when it is the appropriate to start administering CPR as the patient's blood pressure progressively decreases. This relates to a lack of demonstrated efficacy and concern that chest compression may interfere with residual cardiac function, even though CPR may at some point be beneficial in shock patients as they progress to cardiac arrest. Hence there a need for a device or technique to prevent CPR from interfering with residual cardiac function. Unlike cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation, pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is a heterogeneous entity with respect to cardiac function and hemodynamics. PEA is a clinical condition characterized by unresponsiveness and lack of palpable pulse in the presence of organized cardiac electrical activity. Pulseless electrical activity has previously been referred to as electromechanical dissociation (EMD). During PEA, electrical activity of the heart may or may not be indicative of cardiac mechanical movements and particularly cardiac output. Pulseless electrical activity is not necessarily a condition of complete mechanical quiescence in the heart. In PEA, the heart may have a regular organized electrical rhythm such as supraventricular or ventricular rhythms. These cardiac rhythms may not be associated with mechanical activity of the heart in PEA. As an example of cardiac mechanical patterns during PEA, patients may have weak ventricular contractions and detectable aortic pressure—which is a condition referred as pseudo-PEA. Various studies have documented that between 40-88% of patients with PEA had residual cardiac mechanical activity (pseudo-PEA). In pseudo-PEA, the patient may appear lifeless and without a pulse, despite some degree of residual left ventricle function and hemodynamics. The outcome of patients suffering PEA has tended to be worse than those in ventricular fibrillation, possibly reflecting the potential of CPR chest compressions and residual myocardial mechanical activity to interfere with each other's efficacy. Hence there is a need for a device or technique to enhance the efficacy of CPR in PEA.

This invention relates generally to a method and system for effecting legal service of a subpoena for information held by a financial or non-financial institution. In particular, the present invention relates to a computerized system and method for banks and non-bank financial institutions to accept service of a subpoena, automatically search their records for any information related to the subject of the subpoena, and generate a response in a timely manner, thereby expediting law enforcement efforts. A government agency on the trail of money needs to have access to information contained in the records of banks and other financial institutions. Currently, the government is limited because there is no vehicle that allows the government to effect widespread service of a subpoena which relates to a person or entity which it needs to investigate. Fax subpoenas can be utilized, but fax delivery only affects one small aspect of the subpoena process, which is the delivery of a hardcopy. The logistical problems associated with who to fax a document to, whether the intended recipient is available, and whether the fax is received, also must be addressed. Another shortcoming with the present system is the lack of coordination amongst agencies conducting investigations which results in inconsistent and non-unified lists of suspect names. One agency may very well not know that another agency is already conducting research into a particular name or to what extent another agency may have collected information regarding a particular name. In another aspect, a bank's lawyers and other financial institution personnel typically have few resources available to assist them with the identification of information associated with a particular subpoena. A substantial amount of information needs to be considered in order to properly comply with a subpoena and to evaluate whether particular information should be provided under the terms of the subpoena. Search criteria and matching are largely subjective and can vary from institution to institution depending upon the skill set and degree of commitment. As a result, based largely upon who conducts a search to comply with a subpoena, one institution may conduct a thorough search of their records and provide results that include a search for alternate spelling of names, aliases, associations or other useful information, while another institution may provide a bare minimum of information. Financial institutions do not have available a mechanism which can provide automated real time assistance to receive a subpoena and search their electronic records in a thorough and consistent manner for information associated with an international entity or subject of a subpoena. In the event of inexact matches to requested information, it is often a difficult and subjective task to manually review records and ascertain which information should be included in a response to the subpoena. Absent a means with which to timely receive a subpoena and search their records for any information related to the subpoenaed information, a financial institution may delay law enforcement efforts. What is needed is a method and system to accept an electronic subpoena and process the subpoena in an automated and expeditious manner. A new method and system should anticipate offering guidance to personnel who process the subpoena and providing search algorithms and methods which allow the personnel to locate as much pertinent information as is feasible. In addition, the system should allow for an electronic transmission of information responsive to the subpoena, and help the personnel identify high risk situations.

The present invention relates in general to electrified vehicles using a high voltage bus, and, more specifically, to accurate estimation of the effective isolation resistance present between each high-power bus and a chassis ground. Electrified vehicles such as for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles typically utilize a high voltage power bus driven by a DC power source which may include storage and/or conversion devices such as a multi-cell battery pack or a fuel cell. The presence of high-voltage buses creates a need for monitoring of the electrical isolation of each bus with respect to the electrically conductive components of the vehicle chassis (ground). Any leakage resistance present between a DC bus and chassis ground must be sufficiently large. In typical leakage resistance detection systems, there is an assumption that leakage resistance will be between one of the positive or negative DC buses and chassis ground. A typical leakage detector circuit operates by periodically connecting one bus at a time to chassis ground through a current-limiting resistance, and using the resulting current flow to calculate the leakage resistance between the opposite bus and ground. The battery voltage divided by the calculated leakage resistance characterizes the electrical isolation. The invention is based, in part, on a determination that conventional leakage resistance detection systems based on supplying a current from one bus through a known resistance to the leakage resistance between the ground and the other bus may ignore a potential balanced component of leakage resistance from both buses to ground that can sometimes result in the mischaracterization of the electrical isolation because of a potential discrepancy in the derived leakage resistance values. More specifically, a resistance may exist between the positive bus and chassis ground as well as a resistance of equal value between the negative bus and chassis ground. These resistances, both being equal in value, are hereafter referred to as symmetrical or balanced leakage resistance. A resistance on one bus to chassis without a matching value on the other bus to chassis is hereafter referred to as non-symmetrical or unbalanced leakage resistance. The additional current flow through the balanced leakage resistance may cause the prior art detection system to overestimate the composite balanced and unbalanced resistance which exists between one bus and chassis ground. Estimating this latter composite resistance is desirable in order to more accurately determine the isolation. One typical source of a balanced leakage resistance would be a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, wherein a deionizer intended to remove ions from water being used as a coolant fails to maintain proper deionization. As ions build up, the conductance of the cooling water increases and the electrical isolation between both positive and negative fuel cell electrodes and ground is reduced. Another possible source of a balanced leakage resistance includes a symmetrical breakdown in cable insulation.

The present invention relates to an FM demodulator for demodulating a signal which has been frequency modulated by a digital signal and, more particularly, to an FM demodulator suitable for an integrated circuit. An FM demodulator in an integrated circuit configuration may be implemented by a so-called direct conversion system. The system is such that a received signal is directly frequency converted to a baseband signal to allow filtering and other kinds of processing to be achieved in the baseband. Signal processing in the baseband may be accomplished by a well known method which employs differentiation and multiplication. While the differentiation and multiplication scheme is capable of demodulating even a signal which has been modulated by an analog signal, it is difficult to be implemented by an integrated circuit due to the need for an automatic gain control circuit and an analog multiplier. An example of prior art FM demodulators of the type using the direct conversion system is disclosed in U.K. Patent Application GB No. 2 106 359A. The disclosed FM demodulator, as shown in FIG. 11a of the drawings, has a demodulator construction furnished with digital circuit portions and an analog circuit portion which comprises a switch, resistors, a low-pass filter and other elements. The problem encountered with such a prior art demodulator is that the analog circuit portion is not suitable for an integrated circuit implementation and minute pulse noise (spike noise) appears in an output of the demodulator due to a delay difference between two inputs to a second Exclusive-OR gate (15).

Several types of OFDM multi-carrier modulation are known at this time. Of these, the nearest to a standard modulation technique includes a particularly simple equalization system based on inserting a guard time. This guard time, also called a cyclic prefix, provides good performance in the face of echoes at the price of a loss of spectral efficiency. As a matter of fact, to guarantee that all information received comes from the same multi-carrier symbol, no payload information is transmitted during the guard time. This is an effective way to combat echo phenomena caused both by the Doppler effect and by multiple propagation paths resulting in intersymbol interference (ISI) in the receiver. In a system with a plurality of transmit antennas, the interference observed in the receiver originates from the presence of a plurality of signals transmitted simultaneously by the various transmit antennas, which causes what is called interantenna interference or spatial interference. Transmit/receive systems comprising multiple antennas are already well known. One such system is represented diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The system includes a transmitter EM, at least two transmit antennas TX1, TX2, one or more receive antennas RX1, RX2, and a receiver RE. The signals radiated by a transmit antenna are transmitted to the receive antennas via the propagation channel CT. By way of simplification, the propagation channel often includes the transmit and receive antennas. Some of these systems employ spatial coding, space-time coding or space-frequency coding associated with multi-carrier modulation, in particular OFDM modulation, making it possible to exploit the space-time diversity of these systems. The first systems proposed all employed orthogonal space-time block codes. Alamouti, in “A Simple Transmit Diversity Technique for Wireless Communications”, IEEE J. Sel. Areas Comm., 1998, 16, (8), pp. 1451-1458, describes the first system employing, for two transmit antennas, an orthogonal space-time block code with an efficiency of 1 (where the efficiency is defined as the ratio between the number N of different data symbols transmitted and the number L of multi-carrier symbol times during which they are transmitted). The term data symbol commonly refers to the output of a converter module that formats the information to be transmitted according to a given constellation (QPSK, QAM, etc.). A multi-carrier symbol represents a multiplex produced by a multi-carrier multiplexer, commonly referred to as an OFDM multiplex, which entails distributing the data symbols between the sub-carriers of the multiplex and summing the data symbols weighted by Fourier coefficients. This weighted summation is effected by means of an inverse Fourier transform. It is routine for some sub-carriers to be reserved for particular symbols such as pilot symbols. In the remainder of this document the term symbol refers to various types of symbols and in particular to data symbols and pilot symbols. With OFDM modulation, it is commonly assumed that the channel on each sub-carrier is flat. Ignoring the introduction of noise, this amounts to assuming that the effect of the propagation channel is reflected in each symbol transmitted on a sub-carrier, with a given OFDM symbol time, by multiplication by a single complex coefficient. FIG. 2 illustrates space-time coding in accordance with an Alamouti scheme for two transmit antennas TX1, TX2 and one receive antenna RX1. In this situation, Q=2 independent symbols S1, S2 are coded during a time period equal to two OFDM symbol times. The principle of what is proposed by S. Alamouti is to create a coding scheme ensuring decoupling of the transmitted symbols on reception and thus enabling linear maximum likelihood decoding. The coding orthogonal pattern is expressed by the following matrix C: C = ( s 1 s 2 - s 2 * s 1 * ) ( 1 ) Referring to FIG. 2, and assuming that the channel does not vary over at least one OFDM symbol time, the equations at the input of the receiver are:at time t1: y1=h1s1+h2s2+n1  (2)at time t2: y2=−h1s*2+h2s*1+n2  (3)where t2=t1+T, T being the OFDM symbol time, n1, n2 is the noise introduced by the propagation channel CT at times t1 and t2, respectively, and h1, h2 are the respective coefficients of the propagation sub-channels from the transmit antennas TX1 and TX2 to the receive antenna RX1, assumed to be constant over at least the OFDM symbol time T. These equations may be expressed in matrix form: ( y 1 y 2 ) = ( s 1 s 2 - s 2 * s 1 * ) ⁢ ( h 1 h 2 ) + ( n 1 n 2 ) = C ⁢ h → + b → ⁢ ⁢ with ⁢ : ⁢ ⁢ h → = ( h 1 h 2 ) , and ⁢ ⁢ b → = ( n 1 n 2 ) ( 4 ) The matrix of the code C satisfies the following orthogonality condition, in which I2 is the identity matrix of dimension two: C H ⁢ C = ∑ i = 1 Q = 2 ⁢ ⁢  s i 2  ⁢ I 2 ( 5 ) On reception, the received signals y1 and y2 can be expressed in the following form, reflecting the effect of the channel on the transmission of the signals according to an Alamouti scheme, and assuming that the channel is constant over at least one OFDM symbol time: y → = ( y 1 y 2 * ) = ( h 1 h 2 - h 2 * h 1 * ) ⁢ ( s 1 s 2 ) + ( n 1 n 2 * ) = H ⁢ s → + n → ⁢ ⁢ with ⁢ : ⁢ ⁢ H = ( h 1 h 2 - h 2 * h 1 * ) , s → = ( s 1 s 2 ) , and ⁢ ⁢ n → = ( n 1 n 2 * ) ( 6 ) where hi are the coefficients of the propagation channel and * is the “conjugate” operator. The equations (6) satisfy the following equation:HHH=∥h∥2I2=(|h1|2+|h2|2)I2  (7)where H is the hermitian operator. Decoding simply consists in multiplying the received equivalent vector {right arrow over (y)} by the matrix HH. The output vector is written:{tilde over ({right arrow over (y)}=HH{right arrow over (y)}=HH(H{right arrow over (s)}+{right arrow over (n)})=∥h∥2{right arrow over (s)}+{tilde over ({right arrow over (n)}  (8) The symbols s1 and s2 can therefore be decoded using two threshold detectors that satisfy the optimum maximum likelihood (ML) decision criterion. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex/Offset Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (OFDM/OQAM) is an alternative to standard OFDM modulation and was introduced to avoid the loss of spectral efficiency caused by the introduction of a guard time. To be more precise, OFDM/OQAM modulation does not require a guard time (cyclic prefix) by means of a judicious choice of the prototype function for modulating each of the signal carriers, which makes it possible to locate each of the carriers accurately in the time-frequency space. One example of a prototype function is the Iota function, described in particular in patent application FR 2 733 869, which has the feature of being identical to its Fourier transform. To combat interference, the standard approach is to apply the Alamouti scheme to OFDM/OQAM modulation. With this type of modulation, the symbols am,n transmitted on a carrier m at a time n are real symbols and the coding matrix may be expressed in the form: C = ( a m , n a m , n + 1 - a m , n + 1 a m , n ) ( 9 ) The above formula may be concisely expressed in the form: C = ( a 1 a 2 - a 2 a 1 ) 10 ) With OFDM/OQAM modulation, the receiver receives the symbols ai phase-shifted by the channel coefficients, to which is added the intrinsic interference Ii caused by the real orthogonality. Even assuming a perfect channel estimate, it is therefore a priori impossible to recover the transmitted symbols using a single receive antenna. Ignoring noise, the symbols received after modulation on a carrier m at respective times t′1 and t′2 where t′2=t′1+T may be expressed in the following form:r1=h1a1+I1(a1)+h2a2+I1(a2)  (11)r2=h2a1+I2(a1)−h1a2+I2(a2)  (12)where I1(ai) is the intrinsic interference affecting the symbol ai at time t′1, which depends on the adjoining symbols on each side of the symbol ai at time t′1, and where I2(ai) is the intrinsic interference affecting the symbol ai at time t′2, which depends on the adjoining symbols on each side of the symbol ai at time t′2. The interference Ii includes interference caused by the simultaneous transmission of signals by a plurality of antennas and therefore includes spatial interference. Despite the orthogonality (or quasi-orthogonality) that exists between a symbol and its intrinsic interference, and despite a knowledge of the channel that is assumed to be perfect, it is not possible to solve this system of equations using the same approach as for standard OFDM. This system comprises two equations in six unknowns, the two transmitted symbols a1, a2 and the four interference terms I1(a1), I1(a2), I2(a1), I2(a2). In contrast to standard OFDM transmission using an Alamouti scheme, OFDM/OQAM transmission using real space-time coding generates on reception, by construction, interference relative to a transmission time that makes it impossible to process interference between two successive transmission times. As a matter of fact, assuming that I1(a1) and I1(a2) are respectively equal to I2(a1) and I2(a2) cannot be envisaged because: the intrinsic interference I1(ai)(i=1,2) depends on the adjacent symbols (in the time-frequency plane) on each side of the symbol ai at time t′1. the intrinsic interference I2(ai)(i=1,2) depends on the adjacent symbols (in the time-frequency plane) on each side the symbol ai at time t′2; and the neighbors of the symbol ai at time t′1 are different from the neighbors of the symbol ai at time t′2. Consequently, for i=1,2, I1(ai)≠I2(ai). Furthermore, simulation has verified that the variance of the intrinsic interference is equal to the variance of the real symbols. Considering all this interference as noise, the overall noise level is increased enormously, and it is not possible to obtain an acceptable bit error rate Teb. Consequently, with OFDM/OQAM modulation, it is not possible to use an Alamouti scheme in the transmitter to combat interference in the receiver.

The invention relates to the smelting of metals in the liquid state, especially steel. It applies particularly to the smelting of high-purity steels of extremely low carbon content, or even also of extremely low nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen content.

Manageability is a key requirement for a broad spectrum of information technology (IT) systems ranging from laptops to blade servers to clusters to large scale data centers. With rising complexity and scale in tomorrow's, enterprise IT, systems, the management of these systems has become a dominating cost. Several independent studies found that 60-70% of IT costs today are spent on maintenance costs. A key challenge in the design of future manageability architectures is the organization and propagation of management information related to the IT infrastructure in data centers. The Common Information Model or CIM is a standards-based approach to provide a common definition of management information for systems, networks, applications and services, and allows for vendor extensions. It is emerging to be a key component in manageability architectures and provides for standardization, an object oriented model, and deployment through web-based protocols. CIM's common definitions enable vendors to exchange semantically rich management information between systems throughout the network. CIM is composed of a specification and a schema. The schema provides the actual model descriptions, while the specification defines the details for integration with other management models. Typically, in a CIM-based infrastructure, management applications (clients) connect to a CIMOM (CIM object manager) resident on managed nodes. The CIMOM in turn invokes CIM providers that provide the requested management information to the caller. While CIM-based systems have been extremely popular, the emerging trends towards virtualization, consolidation, and hardware enhancements presents challenges for effective management with such systems. In current state of the art in CIM-based inventory management, per-server CIMOMs keep up-to-date information of assets at the local end-points, and periodically provide it to data center level tools that aggregate the assets across the servers and blades. With the exponential growth of the amount of inventory information relating to the software and hardware per server in modern data centers, the collection of such inventory information typically takes place through multiple CIMOM end-points, as shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 13 shows a conventional CIM-based inventory management system. A management application 1301 external to the managed node collects inventory information from CIMOMs 1302, 1303, 1304 and 1305. For example, the hardware inventory information is provided through the CIMOM 1305 typically hosted in firmware at the management processor, shown as iLO. The management processor may communicate with processors/cores in the hardware to receive information, for monitoring the processors and managing the processors. The management processor may communicate with the managed processors using an implementation of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification, which defines a set of common interfaces for hardware and firmware which system administrators can use to monitor system health and manage the system. Inventory information related to the hypervisor, i.e., the virtualization layer, is provided through the CIMOM 1302 in the control domain, e.g., Dom0 for the Xen Hypervisor. The CIMOMs 1303 and 1304 in each guest virtual machine (VM) provide software and application inventory information. It is beneficial to correlate the information from the multiple CIMOMs to provide a single view of the hardware, software, and virtualization layers. For example, decisions to upgrade hardware (e.g., memory) benefit from knowing what applications are being hosted on the server. Hardware fault diagnostics decisions would benefit from knowing what applications are being affected, and knowledge of the physical platforms on which the hypervisors and VMs reside would aid in better license tracking. Correlating the hypervisor inventory information with those for the set of VMs hosted on it would aid in better statistics gathering, and correlating the per-VM inventory information with that on the hypervisor would help in better accountability and licensing. Existing management systems, such as the system shown in FIG. 13, are operable to receive the inventory information from the CIMOMs at the hardware, software, and virtualization layers, however, the information is not correlated. Furthermore, it is difficult to correlate hardware, software, and virtualization inventory information, especially when there are thousands of CIMOMs, such as for a large data center, because the received information lacks common parameters for joining or correlation at a centralized entity in the network. In addition, having multiple non-coordinated CIMOMs leads to increased administrator workload, which leads to higher overall cost in the data center. For example, an administrator would have to be aware of the various CIMOMs at each server, their type, IP address, and other installation information to correlate all the data from the CIMOMs. When multiplied by the tens of thousands of machines in a data center, this leads to high administrator costs. If an automated software were to perform the same task, it would translate to higher complexity for the management software itself.

The present disclosure relates generally to an arrangement for, and a method of, assessing reading performance during reading of coded symbols to be electro-optically decoded and read by image capture, and, more particularly, to displaying a symbol image of the symbol that took the longest decode time period to be successfully decoded, thereby enabling a cause of the slow, sluggish reading performance to be determined. Handheld readers and hands-free readers, such as flat bed or horizontal slot readers, vertical slot readers, and bi-optical readers, have all been used to electro-optically read targets, such as one-dimensional bar code symbols, particularly of the Universal Product Code (UPC) type, and two-dimensional bar code symbols, such as PDF417 and QR codes, in many different venues, such as at full-service or self-service, point-of-transaction, retail checkout systems operated by checkout clerks or customers, and located at supermarkets, warehouse clubs, department stores, and other kinds of retailers, as well as at many other types of businesses, for many years. Handheld readers are typically held in a user's hand and aimed at products bearing, or associated with, identifying target symbols. For hands-free readers having a scan window, such products with their target symbols are typically slid by a user across the scan window in a “swipe” mode, or the user merely presents the target symbols momentarily steady at the scan window in a “presentation” mode. The choice depends on the type of target, on user preference, and on the layout of the system. Imager-based readers have one or more solid-state imagers, or image sensors, analogous to those conventionally used in consumer digital cameras. Each imager has a one- or two-dimensional array of photocells or light sensors (also known as pixels), and an imaging lens assembly for capturing return light scattered and/or reflected from a target being imaged through a scan window over a field of view, and for projecting the return light onto the sensor array to initiate capture of an image of the target over a range of working distances in which the target can be read. The target may be a symbol, as described above, either printed on a label or displayed on a display screen of an electronic device, such as a smart phone. The target may also be a form, such as a document, label, receipt, signature, driver's license, employee badge, or payment/loyalty card, etc., each bearing alphanumeric characters, as well as a picture, to be imaged. Such an imager may include a one- or two-dimensional charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device and associated circuits for producing and processing electrical signals corresponding to a one- or two-dimensional array of pixel data over the field of view. These electrical signals are decoded and/or processed by a programmed microprocessor or controller into target data related to the target being electro-optically read, e.g., decoded data identifying the product, and enabling information, such as the product's price, to be retrieved from a price database, or into a picture of a target other than a symbol. The above-described imager-based readers, employed in either handheld and/or hands-free modes of operation, typically decode and read a symbol in an optimum decode time, e.g., less than about 200 milliseconds (ms), and this is generally considered to be responsive, aggressive, and satisfactory in most applications. Upon a successful decode, the controller typically energizes an auditory annunciator, e.g., a beeper, and/or a visual indicator, such as a light, to alert the user that the target has been successfully decoded. There are times, however, when such decode times are not routinely realized. For example, a symbol may be poorly printed, or covered up with extraneous markings or dirt. Or, a label bearing the symbol may be torn, or overlain with a transparent plastic film or dirt, or placed incorrectly on its product. Alternatively, sunlight or ambient bright lights may cause specular reflections or bright spots to appear on the symbol. The scan window itself may be dirty or scratched, which may interfere with a quick, responsive reading. An inexperienced user may be performing an incorrect scanning technique, thereby delaying reading. All of these factors, and more, either singly or in combination, can deleteriously impair reading performance and can slow down the decode time to exceed the optimum decode time of about 200 ms, and, in some cases, to exceed about 3 seconds, thereby causing the reader to time out without having read the symbol. Such a slow, sluggish performance is unacceptable, particularly in the retail industry, where retailers value fast checkout transactions, and where getting a customer checked out faster generally results in higher revenues. At present, some retailers try to discover any symbols that read poorly (slowly) by instructing their clerks to take note of each such sluggish performance. Typically, this is done by manually collecting a second physical specimen of the product with the symbol that scanned slowly, because the first physical specimen of the product has already been purchased and removed from the retailer's premises by the customer. In this way, the retailers can inspect the second physical specimen and possibly determine, for example, the source of the slow decode time and possibly see if there is any consistent pattern to the poor performance. However, this technique is ineffective in practice. A clerk may either conveniently or inadvertently forget the retailer's instructions, or simply not wish to be bothered to retrieve a second physical specimen. Not every clerk will have the same mental determination as to what amount of decode time is slow or fast. Due to the subjective, labor-intensive, and extra cost and effort associated with this technique, most retailers do not optimize their checkout times at all, or not as regularly or frequently as they would like. Accordingly, there is a need to assess reading performance in an automatic, accurate, and inexpensive manner, and to readily determine the cause of poor (slow) reading performance so that corrective measures can be quickly implemented. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The method and arrangement components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Presently wire having a diameter of 5.5 mm is rolled in blocks of this type at the comparatively high speed of 100 m/sec. The known blocks differ somewhat of course as to design, but they have the common feature that the rolling work is done between the two rolls provided with rolling grooves, said rolls being solidly fixed to a free end of an individual rotationally driven shaft, said free end extending from a housing common to both shafts. The reason for this is that the interior of the block can be maintained intact since all the required replacement of rolls can be done on the outside without any need to open the blocks, which could result in contamination because of the dirty rolling mill environment. Contamination of the interior of such a wire rod block could have catastrophic consequences since we are dealing with a high speed machine. Developments in the rolling mill industry are however going towards higher and higher rolling speeds in order to achieve lower production costs. This especially applies to wire rolling. Multigroove wire rolling mills have been replaced by single groove mills with increased rolling speed. In response to these developments, study of the possibilities of further increasing the final wire rolling speed within the scope of known technology has led to the realization that known wire blocks with the common basic features described above have too many rotating parts and bearings to permit a further increase in speed. It has also proved be the case that an optimum rolling process requires a relatively small roll diameter. This means in turn that the roll shaft diameter, i.e. the diameter of the shafts carrying the rolls is also reduced since the maximum conceivable roll shaft diameter is equal to the roll diameter minus the bearing thickness. Taken as a whole, these various circumstances will mean that a substantial increase in the roll speed of these known wire blocks with the common basic characteristics described here will result in such a great load on the bearings that the accompanying temperature rise therein will be unacceptable. The small roll shaft diameters will result in greater deflection of the shafts and thus very large deviations in wire dimensions. In a known wire rod block with the above common basic features, and in which the two shafts extending from the common housing can be moved as a whole towards or away from each other while retaining a parallel relation to each other, there is the additional disadvantage that elevated rolling speeds will result in unacceptable vibrations as a result of the simultaneously increased rotational speed in the complicated transmission arrangement, which is required in this wire block to achieve the required parallel displaceability of the shafts. Another problem caused by the parallel displaceability of the shafts is the seal arrangement between the block housing and the roll shafts radially displaceable in relation thereto. This sealing arrangement is already so complicated and expensive for the roll speeds now used that it could hardly be employed for still higher roll speeds in the future. Our prior Swedish patent application No. 8502010-5 describes the advantages of being able to roll at lower temperatures. This increases the resistance to deformation and thus the roll pressure to such levels that the known wire blocks cannot withstand the loads. Therefore the purpose of the present invention is, starting from known wire rod blocks equipped with a pair of grooved rolls cooperating as rolling means, and solidly fixed to a freely projecting end of an individual rotationally driven shaft, to provide a new and improved block for wire rolling, which obviates the described problems and makes it possible to significantly increase rolling speeds.

The preparation of printed circuit boards by electroless plating procedures is known, such as those disclosed in "Printed Circuits Handbook", Second Edition, edited by C. F. Coombs, Jr., published by McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, NY, 1979, Chapter 7; in "Printed Circuit Boards for Microelectronics", Second Edition, by J. A. Scarlett, published by Electrochemical Publications, Ltd., Ayr, Scotland, 1980, Chapter 4 and in "The Multilayer Printed Circuit Board Handbook", edited by J. A. Scarlett, published by Electrochemical Publications, Ltd., Ayr, Scotland, 1985, Chapter 12. Using electroless plating procedures, various techniques are known to enhance adhesion between substrate and plated metal and to define circuit lines, vias and pads. Enhancing adhesion by plating onto surfaces roughened mechanically. chemically or by other means is common. In one method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,147, microscopic pores are replicated in the surface of a thermoset plastic substrate by laminating it to microporous anodized aluminum. The aluminum is removed chemically prior to catalyzing and plating. The method is thus limited to thermoset substrates and requires the added expense and effort of anodizing, laminating and removing the aluminum foil. In another method, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,695, hard, sharp edged, inert, inorganic dielectric powders, such as aluminum oxide or quartz, are embedded at elevated temperature into a polymeric layer and produce a rough surface from the many interstices present. There is no suggestion that particle microporosity is important or that the particles applied are capable of accepting electrolessly deposited metal; only vacuum sputtering or spraying molten metal is taught. Because of the high temperatures involved, applicability of the method to a wide variety of plastic substrates is uncertain. A chemical method for roughening a plastic substrate to improve adhesion for electroless plating is the well known "swell and etch" technique. The substrate is treated with a solvent or solvent mixture that will swell but not dissolve the material. In the swollen condition, the panel is chemically etched with oxidizing reagents such as hot chromic-sulfuric acid to create pits on the surface. The surface-roughened substrate is then screen printed or photoimaged with a resist by known procedures, sensitized and/or catalyzed and electrolessly plated. Alternatively, the resist can be applied after the catalyzing step. With this approach, the degree of plated metal adhesion can be limited depending on the effectiveness of the roughening step, which must be tailored to each different substrate material. The swell and etch technique uses solvents that are volatile and require special procedures and equipment for controlling fumes during application and drying. The hot oxidizing solution is corrosive and hazardous. Further, during the sensitization and catalysis steps, any resist used to define the circuit pattern can pick up catalyst on its surface which leads to unwanted extraneous plating, forms nodules or even short circuits and will thus limit the circuit line resolution that can be reliably achieved. If, on the other hand, the entire substrate surface is catalyzed before applying the circuit-defining resist, then the resist must by stripped and the underlying catalytic agents thoroughly removed to prevent the possibility of electrical breakdown when high density circuits are made by this method. Special cationic copolymers for promoting attachment of negatively charged catalyst species are recommended for treating substrates prior to catalysis in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,883. While effective for the particular catalytic species specified, it is uncertain how many other catalytic types would be usable. Another technique for surface roughening prior to circuit pattern formation is suggested in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,625,758 and 3,546,011. The dielectric substrate contains uniformly dispersed materials, organic or inorganic, which are attacked by oxidizing or caustic reagents and preferentially etched out from the substrate to form the rough surface needed for plating. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,477, a butadiene-based rubber adhesive is etched away from hardened phenolic resin microcapsules dispersed in the rubber to provide increased surface area from the presence of the high number of small particles exposed. A characteristic of all these etch-out approaches is that the substrate or adhesive is limited to a narrow range of fillers or matrix materials, thus limiting applicability to a narrow range of substrates, or compromising other properties needed by high performance circuits. In another approach. e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,259,559 and 4,287,253, particulate materials suitable for catalyzing electroless deposition are uniformly dispersed in a polymeric matrix and molded into a dielectric substrate containing uniformly dispersed catalytic sites. Alternatively, such a mixture of polymer and catalyst can be applied as a separate adhesive layer to a dielectric substrate. A resist may be applied to define the circuit before plating. In this method, ionic or metallic species are left permanently on the substrate next to the plated circuit lines. This is unsatisfactory for high density circuits which need better and better dielectric materials for high speed microelectronic applications to prevent electrical breakdown. Also, unless very high catalyst loading is used, the available catalytic sites cover a relatively low fraction of the surface area. This leads to fewer bonding sites per unit area which restricts the adhesive strength obtained by the plated circuit. In still another method, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,391,455 and 3,506,482, the dielectric substrate is imagewise screen printed with an adhesive composition. The resulting adhesive circuit image is rendered catalytic by toning with copper powder. Because image formation is based on screen printing, plated line resolution is inherently low, the resulting circuits have unstraight sidewalls and are thus primarily suitable for lower quality uses or in applications that require only thin conductor layers. Printed circuits can also be prepared by applying powdered material such as particulate metals onto surfaces having imagewise tacky and nontacky areas. Representative methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,054,479, 4,054,483 and 4,454,168. After the particulate metal is applied and unwanted particles are removed, the circuits are formed by one of several additive techniques including electroless plating. Without a separate resist to define circuit line sidewalls, the best applications for this approach are also thin copper layers or low density circuitry. Methods for imaging without use of resists are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,128 is directed to electroless plating of conductive metal onto a microporous anodized aluminum surface which has been made imagewise catalytic by photoforming metallic silver in the anodized layer. In Japanese patent Application publication 55-48,472, a conductive circuit is prepared on a dielectric substrate by applying titanium dioxide powder to an adhesive layer previously coated on the substrate, creating a latent image on the titanium dioxide layer by imagewise ultraviolet exposure to a circuit pattern, forming metallic silver plating catalyst on the exposed titanium dioxide particles by treatment with silver nitrate solution, electrolessly plating copper on the catalyzed areas and then curing the adhesive. These approaches suffer from the obvious restriction of being limited to specific materials, an anodized aluminum substrate or titanium dioxide layer. In addition. without the presence of a resist to contain plating, circuit applications would be primarily the lower quality, low definition applications. It is an object of this invention to provide a process for making printed circuit boards, using the electroless plating technique, that results in excellent adhesion and is readily adaptable to achieve high adhesion on a wide variety of substrates--organic, ceramic or metal. It is a particular object to provide a process that is suitable for developing good adhesion on high performance circuit board substrates such as those having low dielectric constant or other desirable properties such as strength, flexibility, or resistance to high temperatures, chemical or environmental attack. It is also an object to achieve high adhesion on such substrates but not require special additives or fillers in the substrate composition that could compromise electrical, physical, thermal or chemical resistance properties of the finished circuit. It is another object of the invention to provide a process suitable for the highest circuit line definition, for example, circuit lines 0.001 to 0.002 inches (25.4 to 50.8 microns) wide, 0.001 to 0.002 inches (25.4 to 50.8 microns) high with straight sidewalls. These demanding requirements are important in high performance circuits to prevent impedance difficulties that might otherwise ensue. It is still another object of this invention to provide a process that leaves no trace of metallic or ionic residues on the substrate to cause low resistivity between the conductor lines, thus making the process suitable for producing fine line, high performance circuitry not subject to electrical breakdown, particularly at high voltages or high temperature and humidity conditions. Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for making circuits that are ideal for use in producing multilayer circuit boards using existing lamination techniques because their smooth circuit surfaces require only thin adhesive layers between individual boards and minimum pressure in the lamination stage.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to the control of fume formation in steel mill blast furnace cast houses and more particularly to the suppression and mitigation of fumes from the iron troughs and the iron and the slag runners of the blast furnace casting system. One of the most critical problems faced by the steel industry is the control of blast furnace cast house emissions. It is evident that the industry must develop new techniques for pollution controls if it is to obviate the substantial capital and operating costs associated with available technology for controlling blast furnace cast house emissions to levels required by governmental environmental protection agencies. Technology for emission reduction through gas cleaning exists and can be accomplished by a number of air pollution control devices which utilize exhaust and filtering equipment which collect and clean the fugitive air. However, it should be recognized that in the United States a great majority of the presently operating blast furnaces were built before 1960 and use the original cast houses in which there are spatial limitations toward retrofitting additional equipment such as pollution collection devices. 2. Description of Prior Art The known prior art fume control systems which can be used in conjunction with steel mill blast furnaces are directed to the disposal of the fume after it has been generated. U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,210 discloses method and apparatus by which jets in the form of moving curtains of air are utilized to control and direct the movement of fume from a fume-generating apparatus to an exhaust hood opening. French Pat. No. 71.13332 is more specifically directed to the channeling of smoke emitted by molten cast iron as it is extracted from a blast furnace through the use of blower nozzles which laterally direct air curtains to limit lateral movement of the smoke and direct it to a ventilating head. German Pat. No. 2,157,418 discloses an air cleaning device for the pouring platform of a blast furnace, which device comprises suction nozzles connected to a gas cleaner at the outlets of the filling hoppers and/or over the tap holes. Additionally, there appears in the August 1979 issue of Iron and Steel Engineer, pp. 33-39, an article entitled "Blast Furnace Cast House Emission Control" by A. G. Nicola which sets forth the available technology for collecting the process fugitive emissions generated in the blast furnace cast house. It is evident that most prior art fume pollution control systems are addressed to the ventilation or exhausting of fumes after they are formed, i.e., they are addressed to the effect rather than the cause.

(1) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spindle assembly to be used for a winding machine of the type where a spindle having a bobbin mounted thereon is driven, a yarn guided by a traverse device is wound on the bobbin, and the spindle is moved away from the traverse device in accordance with an increase in the amount of yarn wound on the bobbin. (2) Description of the Related Art The following procedures must be carried out when operating spindle assembly in a winding machine of the above-mentioned type. (1) A bobbin is attached to and removed from a spindle of the spindle assembly. (2) When a full bobbin is removed from or an empty bobbin is attached to the spindle of the spindle assembly, the spindle assembly is either moved away from or brought closer to the traverse device. (3) The spindle of the spindle assembly is stopped. In known winding machines, the foregoing procedures (1) through (3) are independently performed by an operator. For example, in the conventional winding machine disclosed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,941, a bobbin is attached to the spindle of the spindle assembly by turning a handle arranged vertically to the spindle. However, the spindle assembly is moved and the spindle stopped in the spindle assembly by other separate devices. In a winding machine, generally, a great number of spindles are arranged in all parts of the machine. Accordingly, if a plurality of operating devices are disposed for the spindle assembly as described above, the overall structure of the winding machine becomes complicated and the machine must occupy a greater space. This also makes the operations to be carried out by the operator much more complex.

Modern society is extremely dependent on a steady supply of adhesives. Adhesives are used in many non-food consumer products, including books, fabricated building materials, apparel and house wares. With such widespread distribution and usage, the health effects of consumers' exposure to these adhesive formulations should be considered. Many currently available adhesive products use petroleum-based starting materials and require organic solvents. As these adhesives cure, the organic solvents are released in the form of potentially harmful or irritating volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can be harmful to human and animal health, and are a significant cause of indoor air and outdoor water supply pollution. Many commonly used adhesives are of petroleum-derived feedstock molecules such formaldehyde, phenol, and methylene diisocyanate. These chemicals are both toxic to humans and animals and are volatile, easily making their way into the air, thus contributing to indoor air pollution. Formaldehyde, for example is classified as a carcinogen. Furthermore, petroleum-based adhesives often require solvents for distribution. Examples of these solvents include methylene chloride, toluene, and trichloroethane. Water-based (water soluble) adhesives represent an attractive alternative to petroleum-based adhesives, as water is inherently nontoxic, non-flammable, and safe to handle. Moreover, preparation of such an adhesive can be derived almost entirely from natural/renewable sources that do not produce VOCs upon curing. One such class of water-based adhesives is dextrin-based adhesives. Dextrins are low molecular weight carbohydrates that are readily produced via hydrolysis of plant starch. This is achieved by dry roasting starch in the presence of an acid catalyst. Corn starch is the most commonly used starch due to its abundance and low cost. Potato, tapioca, and sago starches are other substrates that can be easily converted to dextrin. More specifically, dextrins are oligomers of D-glucose linked by either α-(1,4) or α-(1,6) glycosidic bonds. Given that these adhesives are water soluble they can therefore be distributed as water-based solutions. The majority of starch-based adhesives are used in the paper and textile industries as binders and sizing materials as well as glues and pastes. Dextrins fall into three classes: white dextrins, yellow dextrins, and British gums. These classes are differentiated by their respective dry roasting times, temperatures, and amounts of catalyst used. British gums are typically dry roasted for 10 to 24 hours at temperatures between 150° C. and 180° C. in the presence of small amounts of acid catalyst. British gums are the highest molecular weight dextrin fragments, and as such they typically form the strongest adhesives. British gums contain pendant hydroxyl groups which form an extended network of inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds, thus producing a strong adhesive force. However, the extensive hydrogen bonding network makes these longer fragments of British gum dextrins less soluble in water because the crystalline hydrogen-bonded domains are difficult to separate and dissolve. Because of this, the maximum solids concentration of British gum dextrin fragments in the water solvent carrier is only about 25% (w/v), thus limiting the utility of these starch-based dextrin adhesives. In addition, these types of adhesives are susceptible to colonization by a variety of microbes including molds and fungi which can decrease the effective lifetime of the adhesive and the product into which it is incorporated. Accordingly, there is a need for improved environmentally friendly adhesives and adhesive additives that improve the properties of existing starch-based adhesives.

Operators of many data communications networks are typically ignorant of the exact topology of the networks. The operators need to know the exact topology in order to properly manage the networks, for example, for the accurate diagnosis and correction of faults. Network managers that do know the very recent topology of their network do so by one of two methods: an administrative method and an approximate AI (artificial intelligence) method. Administrative methods require an entirely up to date record of the installation, removal, change in location and connectivity of every network device. Every such change in topology must be logged. These updates are periodically applied to a data base which the network operators use to display or examine the network topology. However, in most such systems the actual topology information made available to the operators is usually that of the previous day or previous days, because of the time lag in entering the updates. This method has the advantage that a network device discovery program need not be run to find out what devices exist in the network. This method has a disadvantage that it is almost impossible to keep the data base from which the topology is derived both free of error and entirely current. The approximate AI methods use routing/bridging information available in various types of devices, for example, data routers typically contain routing tables. This routing information carries a mixture of direct information about directly connected devices and indirect information. The AI methods attempt to combine the information from all the devices in the network. This method requires that a network device discovery program be run to find out what devices exist in the network, or that such a list of devices be provided to the program. These approximate AI methods require massive amounts of detailed and very accurate knowledge about the internal tables and operations of all data communications devices in the network. These requirements make the AI methods complex, difficult to support and expensive. In addition, devices that do not provide connectivity information, such as ethernet or token ring concentrators must still be configured into the network topology by the administrative method. One major problem with the Al methods is that inaccurate or incomplete information can cause their logic to deduce incorrect conclusions. The probabilistic methods described here are far less vulnerable to such problems. The present invention exploits the fact that traffic flowing from a first device to a second device can be measured both as the output from the first device and as the input to the second device. The volume of traffic is counted periodically as it leaves the first device and as it arrives at the second device. With the two devices being in communication, the two sequences of measurements of the traffic volumes will tend to be very similar. The sequences of measurements of traffic leaving or arriving at other devices have been found in general, to tend to be different because of the random (and fractal) nature of traffic. Therefore, the devices which have the most similar sequences have been found to be likely to be interconnected. Devices can be discovered to be connected in pairs, in broadcast therefore extremely general. Various measures of similarity can be used to determine the communication path coupling. However the chi squared statistical probability has been shown to be robust and stable. Similarity can be established when the traffic is measured in different units, at different periodic frequencies, at periodic frequencies that vary and even in different measures (e.g. bytes as opposed to packets). In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method of determining the existence of a communication link between a pair of devices is comprised of measuring traffic output from one device of the pair of the devices, measuring the traffic received by another device of the pair of devices, and declaring the existence of the communication link in the event the traffic is approximately the same. Preferably the traffic parameter measured is its volume, although the invention is not restricted thereto. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method of determining the topology of a network comprising: transmitting a signal comprised of a sequence of bursts of packets formed of orthogonal signals, monitoring devices in the network including the destination device for reception of the signal, and defining a sequence of devices within the network by sensing a sequence of reception of the signal in the devices from the source device toward the destination device. An embodiment of the present invention has been successfully tested on a series of operational networks. It was also successfully tested on a large data communications network deliberately designed and constructed to cause all other known methods to fail to correctly discover its topology.

In the manufacture of metal and/or ceramic parts, it is common to form the starting material into the desired shape of a part and then to heat treat the part. The starting material is typically blended and/or coated with a lubricant or binder and may include optional additives as well. For example, if the starting material is a powder the lubricant is added principally to increase the bulk density of the uncompacted powder. In addition, the lubricant allows a reduction in the pressure used to compact the powder to its specified density and shape. Still further, the force required to remove the compacted part from the mold used in the compacting process can also be reduced. Thus, the use of lubricants in the compacting of powders to form preheated parts is highly recommended. In another example, solid strips of starting material (e.g. metals or metal alloys) may be coated with one or more lubricants prior to or during rolling to reduce the thickness of the strip. Despite the advantages of using lubricants, there is a significant disadvantage associated with lubricants. Most lubricants have a decomposition temperature below the typical temperatures used to heat treat the part. Accordingly, the lubricants decompose into undesirable by-products including carbon or soot. This process results in an unattractive surface finish on the heat treated part and a coating of soot in the heat treating zone of the furnace. There have been efforts to avoid and/or eliminate the presence of the decomposition products of lubricants, although such efforts have not been commercially successful. For example, Sidney G. Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,061, discloses a process of removing gaseous or volatile contaminants from metal powders or compacts by employing a vacuum treatment followed by back filling with an innocuous depurative gas capable of forming a solid reaction product with the metal or the impurities in the metal. The gaseous reaction product is then removed. John Blachford, U.S. Pat. No, 4,106,932, is directed to a new type of lubricant composition in the form of discrete pressure-rupturable microcapsules composed of a core containing a liquid lubricant surrounded by a shell of a degradable polymeric material and optionally a solid lubricant. George M. Brasel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,387, discloses the use of a lubricant having as its primary constituent a thermosetting condensation resin. Despite these efforts, the problems associated with the decomposition of lubricants in the heat treating zone and the deleterious affects on both the heat treated part and the walls of the furnace remain. It would therefore be a significant advance in the art of heat treating parts to effectively and economically conduct the heat treating process only after the lubricants have been substantially removed from the part prior to heat treating. In meeting this objective, it would be desirable to monitor the concentration of the lubricants in and/or on the part and only when the concentration is reduced to a predetermined value would the heat treating process commence. In this way, the level of the lubricants in the heat treating zone is minimized resulting in a desirable product and substantially reduced soot levels in the heat treating section of the furnace.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of refuse vehicles. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to control systems for refuse vehicles. Various vehicles are known for handling refuse (e.g., collecting refuse, transporting refuse, etc.). Such vehicles may include front loaders, side loaders, rear loaders, bucket loaders, etc. These refuse vehicles are generally configured to collect refuse from a refuse bin and put it in a container on the vehicle for transport to another location such as a landfill or transfer station. Refuse vehicles are generally made in a variety of configurations to meet the requirements imposed by the particular refuse bins (e.g., bin on wheels, residential refuse can, etc.) and physical limits of the areas in which the refuse is collected (e.g., the width and height of an alley where refuse is stored). A need exists for a way to monitor the various aspects and operations of a refuse vehicle and, based on the information obtained, prevent or disable certain operations of the refuse vehicle. Also, a need exists for a refuse vehicle that is able to effectively enable and disable various operations of the refuse vehicle in a manner that is timely and does not interfere or slow down the process of collecting the refuse. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a refuse vehicle that provides one or more of these features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present description. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they provide one or more of the aforementioned advantages or overcome one of the aforementioned disadvantages.

In the field of offshore structures, there is an ongoing trend of advancing development of energy resources in very deep waters, expanding resource exploration/mining zone to an extreme sea area such as Arctic sea, and growing in the equipment size. Against this background of technical trend, a high-strength and high-toughness design of the offshore structure is proceeding, and more stringent requirements are imposed on the performance of the weld joint. On the other hand, as for the welding material, in view of higher efficiency, a flux-cored wire for all-position welding is demanded. However, a conventional flux-cored wire for all-position welding forms a weld metal having a high oxygen amount and therefore, when gas-shielded arc welding is performed using the wire, the weld joint part can be hardly assured of having low-temperature toughness. Conventionally, there has also been proposed a flux-cored wire for all-position welding, in which for the purpose of enhancing the low-temperature toughness of a weld metal, the ratio of the content of MgO to the content of TiO2 is set to a specific range and the relationship with a slag forming flux is specified (see, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes that when welding is performed using the flux-cored wire of Examples, a weld metal having a 0.2% yield strength of 620 MPa or more and a Charpy impact value at −60° C. of 27 J or more is obtained and the welding usability is good.

Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels from preexisting blood vessels Physiologically, angiogenesis ensures proper development of mature organisms, prepares the womb for egg implantation, and plays a key role in wound healing, fracture repair, and the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Angiogenesis is also associated with pathological conditions associated with a number of disease states such as cancer, inflammation, and ocular diseases. Angiogenesis or “neovascularization” is a multi-step process controlled by the balance of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors. The latter stages of this process involve proliferation and organization of endothelial cells (EC) into tube-like structures. Growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are thought to be key players in promoting endothelial cell growth and differentiation. The endothelial cell is the pivotal component of the angiogenic process and responds to many cytokines through its cell surface receptors and intracellular signaling mechanism's. Control of angiogenesis is a complex process involving local release of vascular growth factors, extracellular matrix adhesion molecules, and metabolic factors. Mechanical forces within blood vessels may also play a role. The principal classes of endogenous growth factors implicated in new blood vessel growth are the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; ERK1/2) signal transduction cascade is involved both in VEGF gene expression and in control of proliferation of vascular endothelial cells. Many diseases and undesirable conditions could be prevented or alleviated if it were possible to stop the growth and extension of capillary blood vessels under some conditions, at certain times, or in particular tissues. Angiogenesis-dependent diseases that can be treated by the invention disclosed herein are those conditions/diseases which require or induce vascular growth. On the other hand, promotion of angiogenesis is desirable in situations where vascularization is to be established or extended, such as, but not limited to, stroke, heart disease, ulcers, scleroderma and infertility. It has been proposed that inhibition of angiogenesis would be a useful therapy for restricting the unregulated growth of blood vessels, for example, in tumor growth. Inhibition of angiogenesis can be achieved by inhibiting endothelial cell response to angiogenic stimuli as suggested by Folkman et al., Cancer Biology 3:89-96 (1992), where examples of endothelial cell response inhibitors such as angiostatic steroids, fungally derived products such as fumagilin, platelet factor 4, thrombospondin, alpha-interferon, vitamin D analogs, and D-penicillamine are described. For additional proposed inhibitors of angiogenesis, see Blood et al., Bioch. Biophys. Acta 1032:89-118 (1990), Moses et al., Science 248:1408-1410 (1990), and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,092,885, 5,112,946, 5,192,744, and 5,202,352. Inhibiting an undesired angiogenic processes may provide a therapeutic treatment and/or preventive against inappropriate or undesired angiogenesis. Conversely, promoting an angiogenic process may provide a therapeutic treatment for those diseases states that would benefit from angiogenesis. Aspects of the invention disclosed herein provide amphiphilic compounds, such as polycationic compounds, for their anti-angiogenic properties. The ability to inhibit angiogenesis may provide an effective therapeutic tool for modulating angiogenic diseases and/or conditions.

High pressure decorative laminates are conventionally produced by stacking and curing under heat and pressure a plurality of layers of paper impregnated with various synthetic thermosetting resins. In normal practice the assembly, from the bottom up, consists of a plurality, e.g. three to eight, core sheets made from phenolic resin impregnated kraft paper, above which lies a decor sheet impregnated with melamine resin; on top of the decor sheet is provided an overlay sheet which, in the laminate, is almost transparent and provides protection for the decor sheet. The core sheets are conventionally made from kraft paper of about 90-155 pound ream weight. Prior to stacking, the kraft paper is impregnated with a water-alcohol solution of phenol formaldehyde resole, dried and partially cured in a hot air oven, and finally cut into sheets. The decor sheet is a high quality, 50-125 ream weight, pigment filled, alpha cellulose paper that has been impregnated with a water-alcohol solution of melamine-formaldehyde resin, dried and partially cured, and finally cut into sheets. The decor sheet, prior to impregnation with the resin, usually has been printed with a decorative design, or with a photogravure reproduction of natural materials, such as wood, marble, leather etc., but it may also be solid colored. The overlay sheet is almost invariably used when the decor sheet has a surface printing in order to protect the printing from abrasive wear. The overlay sheet is a high quality alpha cellulose paper of about 15-35 pounds ream weight that is also impregnated with melamine-formaldehyde resin in a manner similar to that used for the decor sheet, except that a greater amount of resin per unit weight of paper is used. The individual sheets are stacked in the manner indicated above and, if six sheets of impregnated core paper are used, there results a finished laminate having a thickness of about 50 mils, it being understood that a different number of sheets can be used to provide thicker or thinner laminates. The stack of sheets as described above is placed between polished steel plates and subjected to about 230.degree.-340.degree. F. (e.g. 300.degree. F.) at 800-1600 psi (e.g. 100 psi) for a time sufficient to consolidate the laminate and cure the resins (e.g., about twenty-five minutes). This causes the resin in the paper sheets to flow, cure and consolidate the sheets into a unitary laminated mass referred to in the art as a decorative high-pressure laminate. In actual practice, two laminated stacks are pressed back to back, separated by a coated release sheet that allows the two laminates to be peeled apart after separation. Also, a large proportion of the stacks are laminated with an aluminum foil-kraft paper composite sheet inserted between the overlay and the metal plate, with the aluminum facing the overlay, in order to obtain a laminate having a lower gloss and a slightly textured surface which is desirable for some products. At the completion of the laminated operation, the backs of the laminates are sanded to permit gluing to particle board, plywood or other substrates. The glued, laminate surfaced panel is then fabricated into furniture, kitchen counter tops, table tops, store fixtures and other end-use applications widely accepted for the combination of appearance, durability and economy. A number of variations of the above-described general process are known, particularly those operations designed to obtain special effects in appearance and texture. Also other curing cycles are possible and, in fact, sometimes other resin systems are used as well. Besides decorative high-pressure laminates referred to above, there are also a number of low-pressure products which have been developed in recent years, including low-pressure laminates using either saturated polyester resins, or melamine-formaldehyde resin. One of the fastest growing materials competing with high-pressure laminates in recent years is a product referred to as low-pressure melamine board which is normally pressed in a short cycle at 175-225 psi at 325.degree.-350.degree. F. These low-pressure products have the advantage of being normally less expensive, but they cannot be given the title of "high pressure laminates" because such a product must meet a variety of rigid standards promulgated by the National Electric Manufacturers Associates, NEMA LD3-1980, which include standards relating to abrasive wear, stain resistance, heat resistance, impact resistance, dimensional stability, etc. While various other decorative printed, surfacing materials, such as some of the low-pressure laminates, have certain of the desirable characteristics, no products other than high-pressure laminates currently available have all of these properties. One of these properties in particular which is very important is abrasion resistance. Adequate abrasion resistance is provided in most cases by the overlay sheet. Superior abrasion resistance is provided in accordance with the Scher et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,255,480 and 4,263,081 and their progeny, and at a lower cost. In some cases, however, such as low pressure laminates and high pressure laminates intended for use in low wear areas, such as wall paneling, fairly low abrasion resistance is tolerable. If a high-pressure decorative laminate is prepared in a conventional manner, with a normal 35-40% resin content in the decor sheets, but without an overlay sheet, the abrasion resistance will be only about 50-75 cycles NEMA test LD-3.01. Besides resistance to abrasion and wear, it is necessary that decorative laminates, especially "high-pressure laminates", have surfaces characterized by resistance to heat, stain by common household chemicals and foods, impact and boiling water, all consistent with the NEMA LD3-1980 standards. In addition to the above, another source of damage to a laminate surface is scuffing. Prior to the actual installation of a laminate surface, the laminate sheet must be handled many times, cut to size, bonded to a substrate, cut to final size, edged, and then finally moved to a final location and installed. During all this handling, the laminate surface can come into sliding contact with surfaces of other sheets, corners of sheets, and corners of edges of other materials. During these various sliding contacts, the laminate surface can gain unsightly scuff marks, which are not distinctly scratches or cuts in the laminate surface. For example, if a white colored laminate is rubbed by the corner or edge of a blue colored laminate, the scuff mark appears to have blue particles embedded therein. In this sense, the scuff mark is analogous to the process known as "galling" when two similar clean surfaces of metals are rubbed together at high pressure. It is well known to metallurgists that galling represents a transfer of metal from one surface to the other. Some scuffs do not have an obvious transfer of material from an offending contracting object. In these cases, the area of the scuff appears to have been burnished to a higher gloss, or dulled to a lower gloss. This type of scuff appears to be caused by a very small amount of flow in the laminate surface due to the pressure of contact with the corner or edge of the offending object. Most frequently, however, the scuffs appear to be caused by a combination of the two effects just described, i.e. galling together with burnishing or dulling. In the past, most decorative laminates were produced in light colors for work tops and other large area uses. Dark or intense colors could not be used in large areas because of the scuffing problem and therefore were most often used in smaller areas for color accents. Within the past ten years, however, the demand for dark and intense colors has greatly increased, even for large area uses such as the surfaces on store fixtures, elevator cabs, restaurant tables. As scuff marks of the kind described are much more visible when they occur on dark or intensely colored surfaces, than on light colored surfaces, they are much more objectionable to the owners of the installation. This has caused a significant amount of customer dissatisfaction, and considerable expense to the manufacturers and fabricators of laminate for replacement of defective installations. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a decorative laminate which avoids and reduces the problem of scuffing.

The present invention is generally related to doped contact structures for amorphous silicon field effect transistors (FETs). More particularly, the present invention is directed to an FET device with a n-doped amorphous silicon layer which reduces the intrinsic source and gate capacitance and which does not degrade the performance of the device by introducing voltage drops at the source or gate contact. The resulting FET device is particularly useful in matrix addressed liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Amorphous silicon FETs provide an attractive choice for high contrast flat panel type television displays. These displays typically include liquid crystal material disposed between conductive electrodes arranged in a horizontal and vertical array so as to provide a large plurality of picture elements (pixels). Application of voltages to the electrodes orients the liquid crystal material so as to affect the transmission of light through the material. Since at least one set of electrodes (and its corresponding substrate) is transparent, a visible image is thereby displayed. In the process, each one of the pixel elements operates very much like to an electrical capacitor. In fact, an effective liquid crystal capacitance C.sub.LC is associated with each pixel element. Ideally, in a FET addressed liquid crystal display (LCD), when a FET is turned on, the liquid crystal pixel capacitor C.sub.LC charges to the data or drain line voltage. When the FET is turned off, the data voltage is stored on C.sub.LC. However, there are many parasitic capacitances in the display structure which are not negligible when compared to C.sub.LC. Two important parasitic capacitances are the source to drain capacitance, C.sub.SD, and the source to gate capacitance, C.sub.SG or C.sub.GS. In particular, the source to gate capacitance is of particular concern herein. Consider the effect of the source to drain capacitance, C.sub.SD. The worst case condition is when one element in a column of the display is turned off and all other elements in the column are turned on. In this case, the desired voltage across the pixel element capacitor, V.sub.LC should be zero while the voltage V.sub.LC across all of the other pixel elements in the column should be V.sub.O. The rms voltage on the data line is then approximately V.sub.O and the voltage induced on the "off" pixel element is .delta.V.sub.LC =V.sub.O C.sub.SD /C.sub.LC. For the off pixel element to remain off, the sum of the induced voltages from this and all other parasitic capacitances must be less than the threshold voltage of the liquid crystal material, namely, V.sub.th. The effect of C.sub.SD on a gray-scale display is much more critical. If V.sub.LC is set at an intermediate level on one pixel (V.sub.th <V.sub.LC <V.sub.max) the value of V.sub.LC can vary by .delta.V.sub.LC depending upon the state of the other elements in the column. The effect of the gate source capacitance C.sub.GS is similar except that voltage waveforms on the gate line couple through C.sub.GS to produce an additional undesirable voltage on the pixel electrode. Only the part of the gate line waveform for which the gate voltage is less than the threshold voltage couples through since, above the threshold voltage, the FET is sufficiently conducting to hold the pixel voltage at the data line voltage. The parasitic capacitances in an LCD display can be divided into two groups: those that are dependent on the FET structure and those that are dependent upon the overall matrix structure. The parasitic capacitances which depend on the FET structure include the source to drain capacitance and the source to gate capacitance. The parasitic capacitances which are dependent upon the matrix structure include the capacitances between the pixel electrode and the gate and data lines. These latter capacitances are minimized by choosing structures with appropriate address line widths, spacings between pixel elements, cell thickness, and liquid crystal material. The FET capacitances, which are the ones of primary interest herein, are minimized by making the area of the gate, source, and drain electrodes as small as possible. This leads to FET designs with small overlap area between the gate and the electrode which contacts the indium tin oxide (ITO) pixel. A conventional thin film FET structure with the contact on the opposite side of the silicon from the induced electron channel has many processing advantages. For LCD devices, it has the additional advantage that the data and scan line crossover insulation is obtained without extra processing. However, this structure can result in reduced drain currents and a contact voltage drop which complicates applications to gray scale displays. The nature of this contact structure also requires larger contact area which undesirably increases the parasitic capacitances associated with such FET devices. Plots of drain currents versus drain voltage for conventional FET devices generally indicate non-ideal characteristics at low drain voltages. At these voltages, the dependence is nearly parabolic resulting in a non-exponential charging characteristic for the LCD pixel capacitor. An ideal device is generally linear in the drain voltage versus source voltage characteristic at low drain voltages. Non-ideal behavior results in the introduction of a contact drop voltage, V.sub.c. This drop is undesirable. However, the effect that the contact drop has on decreasing the drain current in the FET is less obvious. The contact drop at higher drain currents is generally larger than V.sub.c. This reduces the actual gate and drain voltages applied to the internal device structure and hence reduces the drain current compared to that which would be otherwise obtainable. In order to minimize the source to gate capacitance, C.sub.SG, it is generally desired to minimize the overlap between the source and gate electrodes. However, this reduction results in an increase in the contact drop, V.sub.c. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide amorphous silicon FETs which strike a critical balance between minimum parasitic capacitance and contact voltage drop. It is also an object of the present invention to provide FET structures which are useful in liquid crystal display devices, particularly in gray scale level devices. It is also an object of the present invention to reduce the parasitic source to gate capacitance in a thin film FET device. It is yet another object of the present invention to reduce contact voltage drops in thin film FET devices. Lastly, but not limited hereto, it is an object of the present invention to achieve improved performance in amorphous silicon FETs by doping the amorphous silicon layer in conjunction with control of overlap dimensions for the source and gate electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a solder structure in the form of a column which structure provides enhanced fatigue life properties when reflowed and used to bond substrates and, more particularly, to a solder structure having a metal portion at one end thereof which forms an alloy with solder and which structure is used to make C-4 connections in electronic components such as joining a chip to a substrate. 2. Description of Related Art The use of solder to join materials such as components of an electronic structure is well known in the art. In the electronics area there are a myriad of electronic components which require connection to other electronic components or to other levels of packaging. Examples include mounting of integrated circuit chips to a metallized substrate, multilayer ceramic substrate, laminate organic substrate, glass ceramic substrate, card (direct-chip-attach, DCA), and any substrate made of composite materials meeting thermal and mechanical properties. For the sake of clarity and consistency in describing the present invention the specification will be directed to electronic components made using Controlled Collapse Chip Connection (C-4) technology and, in particular, to the use of C-4 solder columns as compared with spherical solder bumps. C-4 technology is an interconnection technology developed by IBM as an alternative to wire bonding. Broadly stated, in one application, one or more integrated circuit chips are mounted above a single or multilayer substrate and pads on the chip are electrically connected to corresponding pads on the substrate by a plurality of electrical connections known as solder bumps or solder columns. An example of a C-4 configuration is a square grid array which is 11 C-4 pads long by 11 C-4 pads wide on 10 mil centers. A five mil solder bump is located at every intersection in the grid except one which is typically displaced for orientation purposes. A popular chip is a circuit "computer-on-a-chip" which has 762 C-4 solder bumps in a 29.times.29 area array. The C-4 technology has also extended to other applications and is now used on thin-film resistor and composite chips in hybrid modular applications. Solder pads for this application are very large-about 25 mil in diameter. At the other extreme, C-4s have been used for precision registration and alignment in the joining of a GaAs wave guide. The most dense area array reported has been a 128.times.128 array of 1 mil bumps on about 2 mil centers resulting in 16,000 pads. The C-4 technology typically utilizes spherical solder bumps deposited on solder wettable metal terminals on the chip and a matching foot print of solder wettable terminals on the substrate to be joined thereto. The upside-down chip (flip chip) is aligned to the substrate, and all joints are made simultaneously by reflowing the solder bumps. The flow on the chip is limited by a ball limiting metallurgy (BLM) pad which is generally a circular pad of evaporated, thin-film metal such as chromium, copper and gold that provides the sealing of the via as well as the solderable, conductive base for the solder bump. A very thick deposit of evaporated solder acts as the primary conduction and joining material between chip and substrate. Melting point has been a consideration in the choice of solder alloys for C-4s. Lead solders, especially 95 Pb/5 Sn have been widely used with alumina ceramic substrates because of their high melting point of approximately 315.degree. C. Their use for the chip connection allows other lower-melting point solders to be used at the module-to-card or card-to-board packaging level without remelting the chip's C-4s. Intermediate melting point solders such as eutectic 63 Sn/37 Pb (melting point 183.degree. C.) and a 50 Pb/50In melting point of approximately 220.degree. C. have been used. In "Microelectronics Packaging Handbook", edited by R. R. Tummala and Rymaszewski, 1989, van Nostrand Reinhold, pages 361-391, C-4 chip to package interconnections as well as typical solders used in C-4 technology are discussed and this reference is hereby incorporated by reference. Once the solder bumps or columns are deposited on the BLM, the joining of the BLM of the chips to the substrate using C-4 technology is relatively straight forward. Flux, either water-white rosin for high-lead solders with watersoluble flux for low lead and other low-melting solders, is normally placed on the substrate to be joined as a temporary adhesive to hold the chips in place. Such an assembly is then subjected to a reflow thermal cycle wherein the pads on the chip and the pads on the substrate self-align due to the high-surface-tension forces of the solder to complete the assembly. Once the chip-joining operation is complete, cleaning of flux residues is accomplished with such solvents as chlorinated solvents or xylene. The assembly is then electrically tested. New technologies are continuously increasing the number of C-4 interconnections per device, and/or the size of the chip, both of which affect the stresses on the solder interconnections. As chips become more and more dense, higher input/output counts will drive area arrays of terminals to as many as 155,000 pads on a 20 mm chip. This will result in the number of pads increasing while the pad sizes and spacings decrease. The new technologies will induce large strains to the solder joint and new solders and solder structures are needed to meet the fatigue requirements of these types interconnections. Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a solder and solder structure which provides enhanced fatigue life properties when used to bond substrates particularly electronic substrates such as a chip to a multilayer ceramic substrate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making C-4 solder interconnections, using the specially defined column solder structure of the invention. A further object of the invention is to provide C-4 containing electronic structures made using the solder column structure and method of the invention. Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

It is well known in the art that a variety of ventilating systems, which as an integral part thereof employ motorized inlet shutters, experience difficulty in operating in subfreezing climates, particularly with respect to agricultural applications such as barns in the northern climates. Great difficulty has been experienced with respect to the faulty operation of such motorized inlet shutters because of freezing of the individual blades of the shutters at subzero conditions. The cold weather inlet of the present invention, which can function either by itself merely as an inlet for outside air, or in conjunction with a powered tube ventilation fan, is provided with a single panel mounted for rotating movement within a frame, and an electrical defroster strip appropriately mounted in surrounding relationship with respect to the movable panel, and electrical controls for operating same.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a dielectric filter applicable to an antenna duplexer of a car telephone and, more particularly, to a dielectric filter having an attenuation pole which is tunable to a predetermined frequency. 2. Description of the Prior Art A dielectric filter customarily has a plurality of dielectric resonators implemented by center electrodes which may be arranged substantially parallel to each other in a homogeneous monolithic block of dielectric material. The dielectric block is provided with an input electrode pattern and an output electrode pattern thereon. The dielectric resonators in combination constitute a series resonance circuit and define a pass band frequency of the filter. A conductive electrode pattern for frequency adjustment is provided on one surface of the dielectric block and connected to one end of each center conductor. Another conductive electrode pattern is provided on the above-mentioned surface of the dielectric block in such a manner as to intervene between nearby dielectric resonators for the purpose of adjusting coupling capacitance or coupling inductance. A metalized pattern is formed on opposite sides and bottom of the dielectric block and connected to ground. An insulated wire having an insulative coating is laid above the dielectric resonators and connected at one end to the metalized pattern and at the other end to the output electrode pattern. The insulated wire may be implemented as an ICXL-PVC wire having a diameter of 0.32 millimeter, for example. An ICXL-PVC wire is a wire having a single conductor and a coating of vinyl chloride, as is well known in the art. Such an insulated wire has the following effect in the electrical aspect. The ICXL-PVC wire is connected to the output electrode pattern and spaced apart from the dielectric resonators of the dielectric filter by a predetermined distance. Since the dielectric resonators serve as .lambda./4 semicoaxial resonators, the electric field is most intensive at their open end. A certain capacitance exists between the dielectric resonators and the ICXL-PVC wire which is spaced apart from the open end of the dielectric resonators, setting up a capacitive coupling. In this kind of dielectric filter, therefore, a parallel resonance circuit is completed by the coupling capacitance between the ICXL-PVC wire and the dielectric resonators, self-inductances of the ICXL-PVC wire, coupling capacitance between the input electrode pattern and the dielectric resonator, coupling capacitance between the dielectric resonators themselves, and coupling capacitance between the dielectric resonators and the output electrode pattern. The resonance frequency of the parallel resonance circuit is the zero transmission point, i.e., infinite attenuation point or attenuation pole. The parallel resonance circuit made up of the .lambda./4 semicoaxial resonators defines a pass band. The prior art dielectric filter having the above construction has some problems left unsolved. Specifically, the use of an ICXL-PVC wire for achieving an attenuation pole makes it difficult to tune the attenuation pole to a predetermined frequency range. While the ICXL-PVC wire has to be surely fixed to the dielectric block in order to set up an accurate attenuation pole, the fixation is not easy and, therefore, the reliability of operation is not satisfactory. This, coupled with the poor tunability of the pole, adds to the cost involved in the fabrication of a high performance polar dielectric filter.

The present invention generally relates to user interfaces, and, more specifically, to graphical user interfaces for gaming systems. Computing devices include tablet computers such as iPads, and smart phones, including Apple's iPhone®, Google's Android® phone, and Symbian® phones. These computing devices have extremely user-friendly interfaces, for enabling easy and quick interaction to users thereof. Most of these devices incorporate touch-sensitive screens that obtain user's inputs and facilitate smooth user interaction. Gaming software is employed in many of these devices for leisure purpose. An important aspect of a gaming system is the ease with which a user can enter desired inputs and interact with the user interface of the device on which he/she plays a game. For devices that lack a touch-screen facility incorporated therein, the only possible ways of interaction of the user while playing a game on such devices, is by clicking an associated mouse, using associated keyboard functions/keys to operate, or using associated joysticks. The experience with the ‘point and click’ or ‘joystick’ incorporated in many lower grade electronic devices is incompatible and often time consuming, while playing a game. Specifically, there are specific games where a user/player needs to use clicking, pointing, tapping and dragging operations many times, and often at different device display locations, which is hard to operate through a mouse or a joystick. In a typical gaming environment, where a user needs to perform similar operations by clicking or touching on multiple points on the interface, this becomes cumbersome. Even the touch-sensitive screens, provided in many conventional electronic devices, are capable of sensing the touching operation at one point at a time. Multi-touch screens are still not popular, and they can be of great benefit in gaming environment. Some of the conventional gaming console applications can be controlled through multi-touch sensitive operations, however, in strategic gaming environments, for performing certain desired operations, they still have some drawbacks. Therefore, considering the aforementioned problems, there exists a need for a better and highly congenial graphical user interface for a gaming system, while playing a game on a computing device.

This invention relates to an assembly suitable for carrying out life testing of a multi-dimensional force transducer.

Prepaid and subscription based devices, such as computers, personal digital assistants, media devices, etc., may be supported by a provisioning backend for initial registration and subsequent re-provisioning. However, a single web service or other provisioning backend may not be able to meet the dual goals of high security as well as highly scalable transaction processing support. Particularly in Third World countries, network access may be limited and/or unreliable requiring special care when processing out-of-band payments and online registration and re-provisioning.

The invention relates to methods of altering the appearance of decorative objects, such as gemstones, by coating the decorative objects with thin film coatings that provide color via optical absorption to improve the appearance of the objects. A number of processes have been developed to improve the appearance of gemstones or to create simulated gemstones. For example, methods of diffusing ions into gemstones (e.g., diffusing ions of titanium and/or iron into sapphire, or diffusing ions of cobalt into topaz) have been disclosed. These diffusion methods, however, traditionally have been limited to specific ions and specific substrates. Moreover, diffusion methods typically involve extremely high temperature, which frequently causes breakage or damage of the gemstones. Diffusion methods characteristically cause the added ions to become part of the crystal surface with no distinct boundary. In fact, diffusion methods commonly leave a gradient of ion concentration in the substrate (e.g., in a gemstone). Diffusion methods typically require long processing times, commonly more than a day. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,690,630 and 4,039,726. Nuclear radiation has been used to produce color centers in gemstones, giving a body color that in some cases can be improved with heat treatment. Cyclotrons and neutron bombardment are routinely used to impart blue color in colorless topaz. This method does not involve coating the stone. Rather, it produces color centers throughout the stone. A disadvantage of this method is the requirement for a “cooling off” period to allow the topaz to radioactively decay to a safe level. Traditionally, it has only been possible to obtain shades of blue with this method. Impurities in the gemstone (and the nuclear process used) determine the particular shade of blue that is obtained. Thus, it is difficult to obtain a consistent color on any given lot of gemstones. Rhinestones and Carnival Glass have reflective coatings layered on one or more surfaces of a clear substrate. The coating is usually silver or some other highly reflective material utilized to apply a mirror coating (usually silver or aluminum) onto the back (e.g., the pavilion) of a faceted glass gem. In such a coating, substantially all of the light is reflected without passing through the coating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,280 is representative. Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,826, issued to Starcke et al., discloses desirable coatings for enhancing the optical properties of a decorative object, such as a gemstone. The coatings impart in the decorative object a desirable colored appearance, wherein the color of light reflected from the decorative object to a viewer changes with angle of observation. Tavelite™ is a product produced by depositing thin multiple layers on a transparent substrate to produce an interference effect. The coating is believed to be deposited, at least in some cases, through a process that involves high temperatures. When gemstones are coated at high temperatures, considerable breakage can occur. U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,428, issued to Rogers, assigned to Deposition Sciences, Inc., is believed to disclose the coatings and deposition methods that are used for some of the Tavelite™ products. The Rogers patent teaches an optical interference coating that is applied over substantially the entire surface of a gemstone. The coating comprises alternating layers of materials with relatively high and low refractive indices. The coating is said to be composed of materials that are substantially free of absorption of light (i.e., visible radiation). In particular, the optical interference coating is said to impart in the coated gemstone perceived color that is dependent on the angle of incidence and the relative positions of the object and the viewer. Layered coatings on a surface of a gemstone have been provided to increase the “fire” of the stone. These techniques involve a first coating of a highly refractive material, with respect to the gemstone's index of refraction, followed by a second coating of a different highly refractive material. The layers are designed so that the light reflected at each interface of each layer causes an optical interference effect. Coatings of this nature are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,250. Aqua-aura™, a product of Vision Industries, is a surface treatment providing a single moderately saturated color. The surface treatment is proprietary, but is believed to involve a gold-based coating that is deposited by spraying at high temperatures. The Aqua-aura stones have a metallic sheen and a substantial dichroic appearance. For many applications, it is desirable to provide coated stones that do not have a dichroic appearance, as stones of this nature have a particularly natural appearance. Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition has been used to deposit films of titanium oxide by thermal decomposition of a titanium compound (usually TiCl4) in air. Colored lacquers have been painted onto the pavilion of gemstones to give the stones a colored appearance. Unfortunately, these lacquers tend to have poor durability, and have been found to come off easily. It would be desirable to provide durable coatings that can be applied at low temperature to gemstones and other decorative objects to impart in the decorative objects a body color that appears substantially constant at different angles of observation.

1. Field of the Invention This invention generally relates to a dynamic global precharge decode scheme for dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and more specifically to a DRAM decode scheme which includes a dynamic global precharge signal generated based on a sense amplifier set signal. 2. Description of the Related Art DRAM memory chip systems typically have a number of units or blocks, including a first set of address generators which identify a word and a column address, second set of address generators, further referenced as RACP generators, which identify a subarray address, a number of subarrays which include a number of cells for storing data, and wiring to interconnect the various units. Signals propagate from one block to the next, such that an exit signal from a first block activates a second block. The DRAM chips operation can be broken into two parts: an active phase, and a precharge phase. Signal transitions associated with the active phase will be referred to as active phase transitions, while those associated with the precharge phase will be referred to as precharge phase transitions. Active phase transitions provide address and other information to a chip and causes the execution of an operation. This operation results in either a logical state being sensed from a particular cell or a particular cell being set to a high/low logical state. The active phase signal transition travels along one or more busses, such as a word/column address bus and a RACP address bus. Precharge phase transitions place the chip in a state to receive a subsequent active phase signal. In order for the read or write operation to be successful, there must be a sufficiently long period of time between the active phase transition and the precharge phase transition, hereinafter the active signal period. However, the longer the active signal period, the slower the DRAM cycle time. Conventional static random access memory (SRAM) systems have addressed these opposite requirements of fast cycle times and long active signal duration through local and global precharging, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,677, invented by Chappell et al, and assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. However, a DRAM system using a dynamic precharge signal has heretofore not been taught. Furthermore, the conventional systems do not teach a precharge activation path matched to the address decode path, such that all cells have the same active signal period. Additionally, the conventional systems do not teach a DRAM system optimized for the active phase transition as opposed to the precharge phase transition (e.g., optimized in the forward direction), such that the active transition races through the address decode path thereby maximizing the active signal period. In view of the above and other problems of the conventional systems and techniques, it is an object of the present invention to provide a DRAM which uses a dynamic precharge system. It is another object of the invention to provide a DRAM in which a dynamic global precharge activation path and an address decode path are matched and a method for operating the same. It is a further object of the invention to provide a system and method for optimizing an address path in a forward direction to gain an improvement in access time. It is a further object of the invention to provide a system and method for providing a global decode scheme without the use of address latching by a Macro Select Not (MSN) signal. It is a still further object of the invention to simplify a DRAM by using a single signal to activate the precharge phase of both a RACP generator and an address generator. It is a still further object of the invention to enable a two-fold strategy for timing a start of a precharge, wherein a first strategy includes a self-timed strategy wherein the sense amplifier activation signal SETP signal triggers a precharge activation and a second strategy includes a clock-controlled strategy for conducting a margin test. According to one embodiment of the invention, these and other objects are achieved by a DRAM including first address generators which identify a word and a column address, second address or RACP generators which identify a subarray address, a number of subarrays which include a number of cells for storing data, an address decode path configured to transmit address and other information, and a precharge activation path configured to transmit a precharge activation signal, wherein the precharge activation path and the address decode path are matched. In a second aspect, a method includes initiating a sense amplifier signal after initiation of a word line selection signal, initiating a subarray precharge signal after initiation of the sense amplifier signal, wherein the subarray precharge signal path is matched with a subarray selection signal path, and initiating a word/column precharge signal after initiation of the sense amplifier signal, wherein the word/column precharge signal path is matched with the word/column selection signal path. With the unique and non-obvious aspects of the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide a DRAM which uses a dynamic precharge system. It is another object of the invention to provide a DRAM in which a dynamic global precharge activation path and an address decode path are matched and a method for operating the same. It is a further object of the invention to provide a system and method for optimizing an address path in a forward direction to gain an improvement in access time.

The design of combustion chambers and pistons for combustion engines has in one respect focused primarily on reducing the load on the actual cylinder and the piston with associated piston rings, oil rings and piston pins moving therein. This has often been done by using different cooling arrangements for effectively leading off heat from said parts and thereby lowering the working temperature in them. The purpose thereof is to reduce the actual temperature load on the parts and also to reduce problems arising due to the different degree of heat expansion of the different relatively moving, cooperating parts, i.e. primarily between piston/piston rings and cylinder bore. In a partly different respect efforts have been made to configure combustion engine combustion chambers and pistons so that combustion work may without negative consequences be performed at very high temperatures. The purpose thereof has been to increase engine efficiency by reducing heat losses and to improve combustion and thereby lower the fuel consumption and to a certain degree obtain a reduction of pollutions. Such elevated temperatures could as a consequence of heat expansion phenomena cause damage to the actual pistons and to their piston rings, usually in the form of gas sealing rings and oil scraper rings. In efforts to avoid these problems it has e.g. been suggested, in such connections, to provide a divided piston configuration, with a heat insulation gap between a piston crown portion being exposed to the highest temperatures and a piston skirt supporting the piston rings. By means of the gap between the piston parts and special seals provided therein it is possible to eliminate or at least subdue the effect of different heat expansion between the piston crown portion and its skirt portion. Often, different materials are also used for these parts, so that e.g. the piston crown portion is made of steel and the piston skirt of an aluminum alloy.

Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) oncogene belongs to a group of antigens expressed on the surface of cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) during the latency period and is considered to be one of the most important EBV-transforming proteins [Meij et al., J. Infectious Diseases, 179:1108-15, 1999]. LMP1 belongs to a group of EBV antigens. Currently known members of this group of antigens include two EBV encoded noncoding RNAs (EBER1, 2), six Epstein-Barr nuclear antigens (EBNA1, 2, 3a, 3b, LP), and three latent membrane proteins (LMP1, 2A, 2B) [Id.]. LMP1 protein has a short cytoplasmic amino terminus which is involved in transcriptional activation. The carboxy terminus contains a C-terminal activation region 1 (CTAR1) region adjacent to the plasma membrane, including a PXQTX (SEQ ID NO. 1) core TRAF protein-binding motif and an outermost CTAR2 region for tumor necrosis factor associated death domain protein (TRADD) and receptor interacting protein (RIP) binding. In addition to these functional domains, LMP1 also contains three plasma membrane spanning domains, which expose short loops to the extracellular space [Knecht et al. Oncology 60:289-302, 2001]. While these short loops are present on the surface of the infected cell, the LMP1 oncogene is known to have a very low immunogenicity [Meij et al. J. Infectious Diseases, 179:1108-15, 1999]. This has hampered development of antibodies against it. Moreover, the extracellular loops of the LMP1 are part of a transmembrane domain. Membrane association of LMP1 makes production of antibodies against a recombinant antigen difficult because such a recombinant antigens do not present themselves in a native membrane-bound conformation. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) belongs to γ-herpesviruses and it is associated with various malignant and benign lymphoproliferative disorders [Liebowitz, N. Eng. J. Med. 338:1413-21 (1998)]. It is the etiologic agent of infectious mononucleosis. It is also strongly associated with malignancies like Burkitt's Lymphoma (BL), nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and immunoblastic B cell lymphomas (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL) in immunocompromised individuals. EBV has also been detected in substantial percentage of Hodgkin's disease (HD), in certain types of T and NK (natural killer) cell NHL (T-NHL and B-NHL), and gastric carcinoma patients. In addition to its association of human malignancies, EBV is also associated with a spectrum of diseases, collectively called chronic EBV syndrome, and with oral hairy cell leukoplakia predominantly seen in patients with AIDS. Based upon viral latent gene expression and the expression of surface antigens, three main types of EBV latency have been characterized. In type I latency, the EBV infected cells express EBNA-1 and EBER1 and 2, and the disease is usually a phenotypically representative BL. Type II latency is seen in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and in immunocompetent patients and is characterized by expression of EBNA1, EBER1 and EBER2, and LMP1, LMP2A, and LMP2B. Type II latency, in which all gene products are expressed, is seen in B-NHL in immunocompromised patients. In many cases, EBV infection results in a lymphoproliferative disease that may be only temporarily debilitating. However, in immunosuppressed individuals, the result can be full-blown malignancy. This occurs in individuals who are immunosuppressed intentionally, particularly children receiving organ transplants who are treated with cyclosporine A, or opportunistically, as in the case with individuals infected with EBV, or genetically, as in the case of affected males carrying the XLP (X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome) gene. In these cases the resulting malignancies derive from the polyclonal proliferation of EBV-infected B cells. In addition, in such patients uncontrolled epithelial replication of the virus is detectable in lesions of oral hairy leukoplakia Thus, the immune response plays a central role in the control of EBV infection. Vaccination against EBV might be useful for several groups of people who are seronegative for EBV. These include patients undergoing bone marrow or organ transplantation, persons with X-linked lymphoproliferative disease, people in areas of the world with high incidence of Burkitt's lymphoma (equatorial Africa) or nasopharyngeal carcinoma (southern China), and adolescents and adults at risk for infectious mononucleosis. Current treatment of BL and other EBV associated malignancies include chemotherapy, for example cyclophosphamide, and/or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is frequently used, especially in patients with AIDS, because chemotherapy alone is rarely successful. However, these treatments are focused on unspecific general destruction of rapidly dividing cells and are associated with a number of undesirable side effects. Some anti-B-cell antibodies, such as monoclonal antibodies to CD21 (EBV receptor), CD24 (pan-B-cell antibody), and CD20 (Rituxan®, rituximab, from Genetech oncobiology, Inc.) have recently been introduced [Cohen J. I., New England J. Med. 343:481-492, 2000; Benkerrou et al., Blood 92:3137-47 (1998)]. However, while being B-cell specific, they do not discriminate between EBV infected and uninfected B-cells and their use results in destruction of all B-cells with such surface antigens. Therefore it would be desirable to develop antibodies that are specific for EBV infected cells and that elicit sufficient immune responses to specifically target infected with EBV infected cells. It would also be desirable to have new means for determining cells infected by EBV and means which can be used to differentiate between different disease states.

Various types of electrical connectors for electrically connecting electric wires and the like, including those for single wires and multiples-wires, are known. Most of such connectors are of the type comprising matable connectors having therein connectable electrical contacts. Such connectors have been used not only for connecting wires but also for connecting wires with a printed circuit board. These connectors, when used for connecting electric wires and subjected to a large external force, may become loose or be disconnected thereby resulting in disruption of electrical connections in essential electronic equipment.

In many telecommunications applications, repeaters and other electronic devices are housed in remote units scattered throughout a geographical region in the vicinity of a central office. In one example, a remote unit communicates with the central office and also receives power from the central office through the same cable or other communication medium. This cable is also referred to as a “span cable,” “plant,” or “cable plant.” An example of a span cable includes a set of twisted-pair conductors over which telecommunications data is transferred between the central office and the remote units, and over which DC power is supplied by the central office to the remote unit. The remote unit typically utilizes the power received from the central office over the span cable to power one or more electronic devices within the remote unit. The power delivered via a span cable is often susceptible to disturbances (such as faults, voltage spikes and surges) caused by environmental factors such as lighting and nearby electrostatic discharges. Left unmitigated, such power disturbances can interrupt telecommunications operations and permanently damage equipment. Many electrical protection and personnel safety systems have been developed to detect these disturbances. One such system is generically referred to as ground fault detection system. With ground fault detection, the system looks for excessive current flowing to ground. When such current is detected, the ground fault detection system takes appropriate action such as shutting down the power supply that transmits power over the span cable. AC power lines are often located within the vicinity of the span cable or plant of the telecommunications network. The signals on the AC power lines can adversely affect signals on the span cable through a phenomenon known as “AC induction.” With AC induction, an AC signal from the power lines or other source of AC power is induced onto the copper plant. When the electronic devices of the network are separated by a large distance, the plant is more susceptible to AC induction. AC voltages typically are induced longitudinally upon span cables which cause currents to flow through the longitudinal noise filter circuits to ground at both the Central Office Terminal (COT) and Remote Terminal (RT) equipment. The earth ground maintained between the COT and RT installation completes the circuit, allowing the induced voltage to maintain current flow in the communication systems grounding path. The longitudinal noise filter circuits present a relatively high impedance to ground at the AC power line frequencies to avoid large currents from flowing in the filters ground path, as would be the case in a direct contact of an AC power line with the span cable (known as a power cross event). The ground fault detection circuit is designed to monitor the level of DC current flowing in the grounding system as the result of leakage currents to ground along the cable span and equipment. AC induction currents are imposed on the DC leakage currents and can look like a ground fault to the ground fault detection circuit during the half of the AC cycle which is additive to the DC current. Thus, the AC induced signal could trip the ground fault detection circuit causing the power supply to be inadvertently turned off. This could be compensated for with a large filter, e.g., a large capacitor, in the ground fault detection circuit to filter out the AC signal. However, the filter would have to be prohibitively large and expensive due to the large voltages involved. Further, if a large capacitor is incorporated into the ground fault detection circuit, any alternating longitudinal voltage on the span would be exposed to a low (longitudinal) impedance to ground. If the power lines came into direct contact with the cable plant of the telecommunications network, the power lines would be shorted to ground through the network device. Software filters have also been used to attempt to address this phenomenon. However, the effectiveness of software filters tend to roll off at higher frequencies. It has been discovered that some of the most relevant frequencies for AC immunity are harmonics that fall outside the effective range of traditional software filters. Therefore, there is a need in the art for enhanced AC immunity in ground fault detection.

The present invention relates to a connector block comprising at least one contact member, each contact member being integrally made and provided with a first contact terminal for electrical contact to a contact member of a mating electric element, a second contact terminal and a spring part giving the contact member a resilient capacity in a predetermined axial direction, the connector block also comprising a shorting rod electrically contacting predetermined contact members when the connector block is in its disconnected state and being electrically separated from said predetermined contact members when the connector block is in its connected state. Such a connector block is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,087 which is intended for test purposes and to identify electric components which are able to push away predetermined first terminals from the shorting rod in the testing state. The shorting rod in this prior art connector block is not intended to short circuit vulnerable electronic equipment, such as MOS elements, when the connector block is in its disconnected state. Moreover, the known short rod extends in an open space in the connector block and the spring parts of the contact elements occupy a large space. Thus, the design of the known connector block is unsuitable for miniaturization. U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,385 shows a connector provided with opposite pairs of electrical contact members which are "shorted" by a shorting bar assembly when the connector is not connected to a printed circuit board. The shorting bar assembly comprises a shorting bar extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the contact members. The shorting bar is supported by a spring pushing the shorting bar against both contact members which are somewhat bent to one another for that purpose, whenever a printed circuit board is absent. Inserting a printed circuit board into the connector pushes the shorting bar away from the contact members. Since each contact member is made up of two opposite parts and each pair of contact members needs its own shorting bar with a spring the known shorting bar assembly is unsuitable for miniaturization. U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,557 discloses a shroud, e.g. used in back panel systems, in which resilient bridging contact members are provided. When no connector is inserted in the shroud the bridging contact members are forced in electrical contact with preselected terminals to form a closed loop condition in vacant module positions. When a connector is inserted into the shroud the connector block pushes the bridging contact members away from the terminals, thus breaking the closed loops. The bridging contact members are U-shaped and need a relatively large space within the shroud making the known arrangement unsuitable for miniaturization.

a) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for removing bad smell and more particularly to an aromatic deodorant which is small in size and can control release of a scent to remove the bad smell. b) Description of the Prior Art Everyone must be full of various scents in each daily life and different scents will bring in a pleasant mood or a gloomy touch. When being in the pleasant mood in a long time, one can have a stable emotion and in a same time, ambient atmosphere can be changed. Therefore, all kinds of devices which can change scents depending on different places are shown up in markets and a place where the bad smell can be formed most easily in the daily life is a shoe cabinet which carries all kinds of shoes. As the shoes are one of clothing that people wear the longest time each day, and when feet are smothered in the shoes for a long time, it will be very easy to result in the uncomfortable bad smell, following inaction and increase of moisture and temperature. Accordingly, in order not to allow the feet to sweat too easily and to keep dry in the shoes, some people will spray baby powder uniformly in the shoes or put insoles woven by hay into the shoes, so as to decrease the unbearable bad smell in the shoes. However, when the aforementioned methods that improve the bad smell in the shoes are used, following issues and shortcomings actually exist for improvement: 1. Although the aforementioned baby powder can effectively improve the generation of the bad smell after being sprayed, griminess in the shoes and on the feet can be quickly increased that it can be very inconvenient in cleaning. 2. On the other hand, the effect of reducing the bad smell using the insoles woven by hay is not very significant and when these kinds of insoles are not replaced timely, it will instead cause an adverse effect that the bad smell is stronger. Accordingly, how to solve the aforementioned issues and shortcomings of the prior art is a trend for research and development by the present inventor and related vendors.

The present invention relates to devices and systems for providing active thermal control of sample-containing assay trays and, more specifically, to devices and systems that provide improved, uniform heat transfer from a sample-containing assay tray using thermo-electric devices, heat spreader plates, and liquid heat exchangers. Protocols for amplification of RNA or DNA, for example, during polymerase chain reaction (PCR), bDNA, and similar testing, require rapid and uniform heating and cooling of a plurality of sample-containing vessels. Because such testing typically is performed in batches, the rapid and uniform heating and cooling are applied to the plurality of sample-containing vessels simultaneously. Conventionally, heat transfer for thermo-electric devices and/or heating elements is accomplished by conduction, while cooling of thermal system components is done by convection, or, more conventionally, by air convection. However, thermal performance of such systems is limited by the space needs of relatively large thermal components. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a liquid heat-transferring concept that transfers heat by liquid convection rather than by air convection to improve heat transfer and to provide a more compact thermal component size. Thermal control of sensitive reagents used in these protocols is also highly desirable.

It is well known that the flip chip package is lighter, thinner, shorter, and smaller than other packages. Furthermore, the flip chip package includes a flip chip which is flip-chip mounted on a substrate via bumps so that the signal path from the flip chip to the substrate becomes shorter for high-speed applications. However, the heat generated from the flip chip becomes a serious problem in high-speed operation. Therefore, it is important to solve the heat dissipation problem in a flip chip package. R.O.C. Taiwan Patent No. 508,778 entitled “Package structure of semiconductor chip” discloses a conventional thermal-enhanced flip chip package. Referring to FIG. 1, the flip chip package 10 includes a flip chip 11, a substrate 12 and a heat sink 13. The flip chip 11 is mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 12 via a plurality of bumps 14. A plurality of solder balls 17 are placed on the bottom surface of the substrate 12 for outer electrical connection. To enhance the heat dissipation of the package 10, a heat sink 13 is attached to the top of the flip chip 11. However, in order to improve the thermal coupling effect of the heat sink 13, a thermal interface material 15 is applied between the heat sink 13 and the flip chip 11. The bond line thickness (BLT) and the volume of the thermal interface material 15 should be well-controlled so that heat can be rapidly conducted from the flip chip 11 to the heat sink 13. Then, the heat sink 13 can dissipate Heat to the outside more effectively and efficiently. Since the thickness of the thermal interface material 15 will vary with the attaching pressure of the heat sink 13, therefore, the BLT of the thermal interface material 15 should be measured first, then the volume of the thermal interface material 15 and the parameter of the attaching pressure of the heat sink 13 can be determined. According to a conventional BLT measurement method, the flip chip package 10 will go through destructive experiments because the thermal interface material 15 has been pre-heated and cured inside the heat sink 13. Afterward, the heat sink 13 is removed from the flip chip package to measure the BLT of the thermal interface material 15 and its distribution. Under this kind of destructive measurement, the sampling is very limited and very time-consuming.

In a throttle valve device provided in an intake system of an internal combustion engine, icing or deposition of ice on an inner wall of a throttle bore owing to the freezing of moisture that condenses in the throttle bore is required to be avoided so that the throttle valve member may be allowed to be opened and closed without fail. For this purpose, it was proposed to provide a concentric annular ridge around the entire circumference of the throttle bore and install a heater buried within the annular ridge over the entire circumference thereof (see Japanese patent laid open publication No. 2002-206434). In such a throttle valve device which is disposed in a lateral orientation with the throttle bore extending in the horizontal direction, because the inner wall of the throttle bore adjoining the peripheral edge of the throttle valve member is elevated with respect to the adjoining parts, accumulation or deposition of moisture between the peripheral edge of the throttle valve member at its fully closed position and the inner wall of the throttle bore can be avoided. Moreover, under an operating condition where freezing of moisture could occur, the heater is energized so that ice deposition that may exist can be melted, and any freezing or seizing between the outer peripheral part of the throttle valve and the ridge can be avoided. In particular, because the ridge is given with a small width, the dissipation of heat from the heater to the surrounding part of the throttle body by conduction can be minimized, and the consumption of electric power for deicing the throttle valve device can be minimized. However, in such a conventional throttle valve device, because the ridge extends over the entire circumference of the inner wall of the throttle bore adjoining the outer edge of the throttle valve member at its fully closed position, and the width of the ridge is relatively small, the effective cross sectional area of the throttle bore abruptly increases when the throttle valve member has turned by a small angle from its fully closed position. Therefore, the air flow that is metered by the throttle valve member or the intake flow rate abruptly increases as the throttle valve member opens from the fully closed position, and this makes the intake flow rate control highly difficult. Also, in the conventional arrangement, the heater extends over the entire circumference of the throttle bore, and heats the entire circumference of the throttle bore including the upper part thereof and parts adjoining the valve shaft. Therefore, the heater is employed to heat not only the necessary part but also unnecessary parts, and this causes a significant part of the heating energy to be wasted.

The present invention relates to a rubber composition, in which reaction efficiency of the silane coupling agent and various properties are improved. In recent years, both fuel efficiency and improved wet grip performance are strongly desired in a tire and in order to satisfy such demands, silica is compounded in the tread. However, sufficient reinforcing properties cannot be obtained with only silica and a silane coupling agent is used together with silica. Usually, a silane coupling agent having an alkoxyl group is used for tires. However, reaction of the silane coupling agent cannot sufficiently be completed in the rubber kneading step and in order to obtain sufficient reinforcing properties, more of the silane coupling agent than necessary must be compounded. Furthermore, the silane coupling agent that could not finish reacting during kneading (hereinafter referred to as unreacted silane coupling agent) reacts in the extrusion step to generate alcohol (such as ethanol) and there is the problem that bubbles arise in the extruded unvlucanized tread. As a method to solve such problems, JP-A-2001-247718 discloses compounding various sodium salts in a rubber composition. According to this method, reaction efficiency of the silane coupling agent is improved, but the improvement is insufficient. Thus, generation of bubbles in the extruded tread cannot be suppressed completely.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile strength member high in bending repulsion at the beginning of impact and able to reduce production costs and lighten the weight. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, standards for side impact of automobiles have become tougher. The structural design concepts of chasses have changed as well. Automobile doors are being provided with door guard bars. In the past, door guard bars have been considered members deforming at the time of side impact so as to absorb the impact energy and reduce the impact received by passengers. In recent years, chassis structures have been designed to enable the impact energy at the time of a side impact to be absorbed by the door as a whole. In such a chassis structure, the door guard bar has been used as an energy transmitting member for transmitting the impact energy to other members around the door guard bar to have the other members absorb the impact energy by their own deformation. Therefore, it is important that the member used as the door guard bar keep any impact force received to within its elastic deformation range and not deform. In particular, a member having the property of a high bending repulsion at the beginning of impact has been demanded. For this, increase of the strength of the member may be considered, but a higher strength results in the problems of brittle fracture or hydrogen induced cracking. Just increasing the strength of the member is not preferable for an automobile member. Therefore, the shape was focused on and studied for improvement of the bending repulsion at the beginning of impact. Up to now, members for door guard bars have been studied using static bending test from the viewpoint of the absorption energy. For example, it is known that a high absorption energy can be obtained by increasing the strength of a steel tube while its cross-section is round (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H4-63242). However, in bending deformation behavior of a round-section steel tube, the load concentrates right under the load, and the sectional shape easily flattens due to local buckling. The member is similarly weak in impact bending. Therefore, a high bending repulsion at the start of impact cannot be obtained. Further, an automobile structural member having a closed sectional structure, a maximum dimension in the longitudinal direction, a maximum dimension in the direction perpendicular to that, an outer circumferential length, and a thickness defined in relationship by a tensile strength of at least 1400 MPa has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-248941). With this member, it is true that the absorption energy and bending repulsion are improved compared with the past, but in each case the results were based on a static bending test. Whether a high bending repulsion at the beginning of impact is obtained even for an impact bending test is unclear. On the other hand, as opposed to this, rectangular tubes superior in bending properties compared with round tubes are being developed. That is, there has been proposed a rectangular tube wherein the outsides of the corner parts are either not provided with an R or are providing with an R of a magnitude less than the thickness and the inner surfaces are provided with an R larger than the outside so as to make a load act directly on the two side surfaces parallel to the bending input direction and improve the bending repulsion (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H6-278458). The tensile strength of the member is the 1470 MPa class. With a member having this tensile strength, the possibility arises of brittle fracture or hydrogen induced cracking occurring due to the bending load applied. Further, when further working an electric resistance welded steel tube or other round tube into a rectangular tube, provision of a larger R at the inner surfaces of the corner parts than the outer surfaces is difficult in production, while when producing the above sectional shape, there is the problem that the cost ends up becoming remarkably higher.

Field The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to inter-RAT handover. Background Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems. These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE is designed to support mobile broadband access through improved spectral efficiency, lowered costs, and improved services using OFDMA on the downlink, SC-FDMA on the uplink, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. These improvements may also be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. A radio access technology (RAT) is the underlying physical connection method for a radio based communication network. Many modern phones such as smart phones support several RATs in one device such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 3G, 4G or LTE. RAT can be GSM, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, TD-SCDMA or any other wireless technology used to provide air interface to mobile devices to obtain various services (voice, email, internet, VOIP). A mobile device associated with one RAT may have a neighbor cell associated with a different RAT. The mobile device may perform neighbor cell measurements and send a measurement report to the network. Based on the measurement report provided by the mobile device, the network may initiate handover from the current RAT to the other RAT, which is referred to as inter-RAT handover. The network may receive several measurement reports for several different neighbor cells at around the same time. The network may use the first measurement report received to initiate handover to the neighbor cell associated with the first measurement report. Thus the network might not carry out the inter-RAT handover to the strongest neighbor cell, but just to the first reported neighbor cell.

1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to a surgical stapling device for applying surgical staples to body tissue. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical stapling device suitable for performing circular anastomosis of hollow tissue organs. 2. Background to Related Art Anastomosis is the surgical joining of separate hollow organ sections. Typically, an anastomosis procedure follows surgery in which a diseased or defective section of hollow tissue is removed and the remaining end sections are to be joined. Depending on the desired anastomosis procedure, the end sections may be joined by either circular, end-to-side or side-to-side organ reconstruction methods. In a circular anastomosis procedure, the two ends of the organ sections are joined by means of a stapling instrument which drives a circular array of staples through the end section of each organ section and simultaneously cores any tissue interior of the driven circular array of staples to free the tubular passage. Examples of instruments for performing circular anastomosis of hollow organs are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,053,390, 5,588,579, 5,119,983, 5,005,749, 4,646,745, 4,576,167, and 4,473,077, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Typically, these instruments include an elongated shaft having a handle portion at a proximal end of the elongated body to actuate the instrument and a staple holding component disposed at a distal end of the elongated body. An anvil assembly including an anvil rod with attached anvil head is mounted to the distal end adjacent the staple holding component. Opposed end portions of tissue of the organs to be stapled are clamped between the anvil head and the staple holding component. The clamped tissue is stapled by driving one or more staples from the staple holding component so that the ends of the staples pass through the tissue and are deformed by the anvil head. Instruments for performing circular anastomosis procedures having anvil assemblies which are pivotable from an operative position to a tilted or non-operative position are known in the art. Such pivotable anvil assemblies lessen the trauma to a patient during insertion and/or removal of the anvil assembly into or from a body lumen. During some procedures using such instruments, it is desirable to insert the anvil assembly of the instrument into a body lumen in the tilted position, return the anvil assembly to the operative position to perform the anastomosis procedure, and thereafter return the anvil assembly to its tilted position for removal of the anvil assembly and/or instrument from the body lumen. During other procedures, it is desirable to insert the anvil assembly into a body lumen in its operative position and move the anvil assembly to its tilted position prior to removal from the body lumen. In each of these procedures, it would be desirable for the anvil assembly to move automatically to its desired position. Accordingly, a continuing need exists in the art for an improved stapling device having a tiltable anvil assembly which can achieve the above-mentioned objectives.

Silicon photonics is the study and application of photonic systems that use silicon as an optical medium. Silicon photonic devices can be made using existing semiconductor fabrication techniques, and because silicon is already used as the substrate for most integrated circuits, it is possible to create hybrid devices with optical and electronic components integrated onto a single microchip, thereby dramatically lowering the cost of photonics. Use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical elements.

A missed approach occurs when one or more conditions occur that cause a pilot to abort a landing procedure. A missed approach procedure requires the pilot to maintain an altitude above a particular height and return to the landing structure. The altitude ensures that the aircraft remains clear of obstacles. For example, upon reaching a decision height (DH) (height above ground level (AGL)) or a minimum descent altitude MDA, a missed approach procedure may be initiated when a visual reference to continue the approach to land has not been established. The procedure may require that the pilot contact the air traffic control tower, retract flaps, and initiate full power for a positive rate of climb. Knowing what location at which the aircraft will reach the DH (also referred to as the missed approach point (MAP)) or the MDA in advance to reaching the location will aid the pilot in making the decision of whether to initiate the missed approach procedure. Conventional methods provide the DH/MDA through a readout indicating the altitude of the DH/MDA and provide an alert when the aircraft has reached the DH/MDA. These methods do not provide visualization of the time left or how close the aircraft is to the DH/MDA. These methods do not aid in the anticipation or natural transition to executing the missed approach procedure. Hence, there is a need for systems and methods for presenting a visual of this information in advance to the pilot in the aircraft. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to devices that are used in connection with catheters and, specifically, to membranous shrouds or envelopes that are employed to cloak a catheter in order to facilitate sterile (aseptic) insertion of such into a bodily passage. The shroud, or envelope, of the present invention improves that of the earlier art, hereinafter disclosed, by the addition of a shrouding adjunct that lessens the likelihood of urethra contamination. It also includes aids for handling and emptying the collector. The principal distinction of this invention is that it entertains the use of a shorter catheter, in a diminutive shroud-conduit-collector package that may be used for self-catheterization by paraplegics. 2. Discussion of Relevant Art There exists in the field a need for an apparatus that will allow one limited physically, say by paraplegia, to perform self catheterization and void the bladder, either fully or partially (e.g., taking a specimen sample). Further, the individual performing this auto-procedure should be able to collect a clean specimen, truncate both procedure and apparatus conduction (i.e., fluid flow to a collector) and resume voiding into a portable urinal that is often close to, or part of, the wheelchair apparatus. Although art exists that will allow aseptic or sterile catheterization and uncontaminated fluid collection/containment, and ready disposability of the apparatus, there does not exist the unique combination of elements seen in the instant invention for accomplishing the aforesaid auto-procedure. Over thirty years ago, I suggested catheterizing a patient with a catheter that was itself prevented from contacting the wall of the urethra, until it had passed into uncontaminated portions of the urethra. To achieve this, an envelope or shroud, i.e., a sterile barrier is interposed the catheter and the urethra wall. The apparatus used consisted in a standard catheter enveloped, at its distal portion, in a tubular membrane (the shroud). A short portion of the shroud is initially passed into the catheter""s distal orifice and stored in the catheter. Upon insertion of the catheter distal end into the urethra, with concomitant mechanical or manual retardation of the shroud, the stored shroud is withdrawn from the catheter. This withdrawal of the shroud, as the catheter advances, causes a simultaneous interposition of the shroud between the catheter and wall of the urethra. As may be reckoned, the use of the shroud is no longer novel; however, the instant invention places it to the (self) application mentioned in the Field of the Invention and provides several adjuncts to my basic shroud-conduit-collector combination. Before discussing the art relevant to my reasons for eclipsing the early shroud usage, I will discuss all the pertinent features of my U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,509 (""509), for an URETHRAL CATHETER. It discloses a catheter which has inserted in its distal end (i.e., with respect to the user, who manipulates the device from its proximal end) a membranous, tubular envelope, which is inserted in and extracted out of the catheter, as its distal end is advanced into the urethra. To facilitate withdrawal of the envelope, an annular sleeve and guard portion or collar, which is attached to a hem of the envelope, is provided to slide over the catheter. As the catheter advances (forward) into the urethra, the sleeve is urged rearward, towards the catheter""s proximal end, by manipulation or mechanically by contact against the glans/urethra orifice, and the envelope is extracted. The envelope, or shroud, of this invention does not include an integral container and it is the catheter that provides a conduit to the collection reservoir. This arrangement necessitates use of an introducer element which, like the catheter conduit and collector, is not wholly one piece with the envelope/shroud. Finally, a limitation extant in all shrouded catheters of the present day is likewise present in ""509; namely, the tip orifice of the catheter may pick up effluvial contamination within the urethra as it incipiently transits the duct. Quite possibly, the contamination will be carried into the bladder and, most likely, it will be passed into the non-contaminated portions of the urethra. All subsequently discussed art suffers this limitation and, considering my purpose for which the instant invention was made, much more. Another sheathed catheter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,259 (""259), entitled CATHETER ASSEMBLY. This disclosure shows a catheter disposed within an outer sheath, the outer sheath composed of two co-linear tubular members. A containment feature, providing a flexible shroud, is in reality a sterile covering that encloses the juncture of the two tubular members. Thus, its function is to maintain sterile conditions within the sheath proper. It is not a container, in the conventional sense, and does not do what is desired by the instant inventor. Also relevant to the instant invention is U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,717 (""717) for NON-CONTAMINATING PROBE AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME, a sheathed catheter assembly. This patent discloses an annular collar that is attached to a hem of a sheath member and is provided in order to allow the user to manipulate (the extraction of) the sheath. My more recent patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,114 (""114), for INTRODUCER FOR STERILE INSERTION OF CATHETER, also employs a non-integral collar. The envelope (termed xe2x80x9cshroudxe2x80x9d) therein is distinctive over the envelopes or sheaths of the aforementioned patents in that it has only one open end; but, the closed end, although possessing a small cavity, cannot be said to contain an integral fluid receptor/collector. Furthermore, the integrity of this closed-end design is violated by the operational introduction of the catheter. None of the current art reveals a single-piece shroud-conduit-collector nor, for that matter, a single-piece shroud-collector, that is small enough to be used by the patient him/herself. Moreover, nowhere in the art is there disclosed a one-piece apparatus for the aseptic enshroudment of a catheter, conduction of body fluids to, and a reservoir for, those fluids. Finally, it can be seen that even shrouded catheters do not avoid the aforementioned limitation of ""509, entry of contamination into the shrouded catheter tip. Because of their relevance to certain features of the instant invention, as well as their provision of background art and terminology, the following previously discussed U.S. patents are hereinafter incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,509, entire disclosure; U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,259, column 2 and FIGS. 1 and 6; U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,717, FIGS. 2-9, 12, 13 and columns 1 and 2; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,114, entire disclosure. Most terms are defined parenthetically herein or may be determined by context and by referring to the drawings of both incorporated references and the instant art. A few terms and their synonyms or analogs are defined: xe2x80x9casepticxe2x80x9d is used synonymously with xe2x80x9csterilexe2x80x9d; xe2x80x9cbulbousxe2x80x9d means expansive and does not connote a particular form or shape; xe2x80x9ccollarxe2x80x9d means an encircling or girdling element or surface relief; such an element in the present invention, a relieved surface, serves as a manipulative device; xe2x80x9cenvelopexe2x80x9d means the flexible, membranous subject of the invention, also the words xe2x80x9csheathxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cshroudxe2x80x9d; xe2x80x9cintegral with/toxe2x80x9d means within the unit in the forming or making of an object; xe2x80x9cmonolithicxe2x80x9d has the meaning given it in the BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION; xe2x80x9cone-piecexe2x80x9d means a single continuous unit, whether formed monolithically or formed, molded or cast in separate sections that are joined subsequently by suitable means; xe2x80x9cproximalxe2x80x9d refers to a device""s portion that is inserted into the body, i.e., in this invention, closer(est) to the human body (urethra) being catheterized; xe2x80x9csingular piecexe2x80x9d means the same as xe2x80x9cone-piecexe2x80x9d; and xe2x80x9cwhollyxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cunitaryxe2x80x9d mean the same as xe2x80x9cone-piecexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csingular piecexe2x80x9d. The basic device on which the herein disclosed improvements are made consists in a singular piece of fluid-impervious, membranous envelope that may be continuously formed, of a single substance, to provide a catheter shroud- (or sheath-) fluid conduit-collector. The latter is a concatenated, short-necked reservoir. Alternately, the invention consists in a singular piece realized by a continuous structure wherein the three distinct portions thereof are physically joined, one to the other(s), by any of the contemporary manufacturing processes such as adhesion, cohesion or welding. In keeping with a standard adopted in the Patent Office, I refer to the first, continuously formed article, as xe2x80x9cmonolithicxe2x80x9d and the second, continually or piecemeal formed, simply as xe2x80x9cintegralxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cunitaryxe2x80x9d. Neither of these two embodiments are seen in the art; and, also novel is the likely usage of a short catheter (about 10-12 cm.) that is, when used properly, one which may be preponderantly disposed in the urethra, with but 2-5 cm. anticipated to remain outside, to facilitate finger-tip withdrawal. In its normal, ready-to-use configuration, the catheter is enshrouded by the shroud portion and part of the fluid conduit portion, the latter portion being storable on the rear part of the catheter, as an aid in packaging. Should it suit the manufacturer, for ease of sterilization and compactness in packaging, the entire conduit and collector may also be placed onto the catheter; however, this is a storage, rather than an operative mode. In operation, the catheter does not join the collector. This is most important because integrity of the conduit-collector section is violable and, after it is filled with fluid, the collector is readily separable from the conduit portion, unhindered by the catheter. This is done with little physical effort by the paraplegic user, because the catheter device is itself not integrated with the collector. As reference to this disclosure""s priority document will show, a portion of the shroud is initially disposed in the proximal end of the catheter and is withdrawn as the latter is pressed into the urethra. As it leaves the catheter proximal end, the shroud is interposed the catheter and the urethra wall, its primary purpose being to provide a sterile path for the catheter as it transits the urethra into the bladder. To statically maintain the conduit during catheter insertion, as well as separation and closure of the collector from the ensemble proper, suitable adjuncts are provided such as a distal surface relief on the shroud exterior, a rending facility and a tongue-in -groove closure, respectively. Differing from the above described and original, xe2x80x9cbasicxe2x80x9d device are the shroud and adjuncts of the instant invention. First and foremost, the shroud, which is disposed in the catheter proximal end, bears near that end, a plurality of tabs or leaves that are attached by their distal margins to the circumference of the shroud exterior. The leaves are stylistically folded (overlapping or interleaving) over the shroud-enveloped proximal end of the catheter. This interleaving of integral shroud portions (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cleavesxe2x80x9d) operatively effects a continuous sheathing of the catheter as it is initially pressed into the urethra, thus avoiding possible infusion of urethra secretions into the proximal opening of the incipiently inserted (and shrouded) catheter. Thereafter, the shroud portion""s distal end is maintained static by the user""s fingertips and the catheter is advanced further into the urethra and into the bladder. The rending and closure adjuncts, mentioned above, are maintained; and, additionally a handle and an evacuation device are added to the collector portion. The evacuation device is a mechanism that is positioned at most any place on the collector to facilitate emptying of the reservoir. It consists, primarily, of a flanged annular guide or jig, fixed to the collector surface and a flanged annular chisel, positioned in the guide and held off the surface by a cushion interposed between the flanges. Pressing the chisel toward, and compressing, the cushion effects a piercing of a seal or the collector surface.

Data management applications allow for the creation of custom applications for managing various types of data ranging from contact and order management to keeping records of baseball card purchases and auctions. The custom applications may include data structure definitions (e.g., an order or a customer), form definitions (e.g., an order entry form or a customer contact form), and business logic (e.g., when a customer has been contacted three times at an e-mail address without a reply, then mark the e-mail address as ‘invalid’). In order to facilitate the creation of custom applications, many data management applications provide templates which contain a commonly used set of data structures, forms and business logic. Current templates however, suffer from a number of drawbacks. One drawback is that data management applications often provide a large number of templates for the same or similar processes, each of which must be manually utilized by a user to determine which one is the most appropriate for the user's needs (e.g., a data management application may provide hundreds of templates related to order management processes). Another drawback is that many applications provide templates which are not customizable (i.e., extendible) with respect to the current or future needs of the user. For example, applications may not provide any templates which completely satisfy a user's current needs or they may provide templates which are initially useful but will later be obsolete as the user's needs change in the future. While some data management applications do allow for template customization, these applications require that the user have a detailed knowledge and understanding of a template's functionality and are further designed to plug into a larger ‘master application’ in which all of the templates are merely preordained extensions of the master. Thus, template customization may not be accomplished without constantly referring to the structure of the master application. Currently however, database applications do not allow for the defining of relationships which specify how database template tables are joined with one or more database tables in an existing database. In addition, for database template tables that have been joined, current database applications do not provide for viewing extended database template tables or forms created from the linking or merging of one or more database tables in an existing database. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.

Many mobile devices, such as mobile phones or other portable electronics, include audio jacks configured to receive external audio accessories having an audio plug. However, audio plugs can have varying configurations, which can create issues for headset manufacturers and end users, as manufacturers can be forced to build specific phone configurations based on region, and end users can be forced to use only specific accessories with their mobile device FIGS. 1-2 illustrate generally two example four-pole audio jack configurations. FIG. 1 illustrates generally an example of a four-pole audio plug 101 in an open mobile terminal platform (OMTP) configuration including a left speaker (LSPKR) pole at pole-1, a right speaker (RSPKR) pole at pole-2, a microphone (MIC) pole at pole-3, and a ground (GND) pole at pole-4. FIG. 2 illustrates generally an example of a four-pole audio jack 102 in an American Standard configuration including a LSPKR pole at pole-1, a RSPKR pole at pole-2, a GND pole at pole-3, and a MIC pole at pole-4. In other examples, other configurations can be realized, for example, a three-pole audio plug with GND poles at both pole-3 and pole-4.

The invention provides a novel method for synthesising Morphine-6-Glucuronide (M6G) and intermediates therefor. Synthesis of M6G from 3-acetyl morphine and methyl 2-xcex1-bromo-3,4,5-tri-O-acetylglucuronate is described by Lacy, C., et al. (Tetrahedron Letters, 36 (22), (1995), 3949-3950). Hidetoshi, Y. et al., (Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, JP, TOKYO, 16 (11), (1968), 2114-2119) describe synthesis of M6G by reaction of 3-acetyl-morphine with a bromo derivative of glucuronic acid to form a Methyl [3-acetyl-morphine-6-yl -2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-xcex2-D-glucopyranosid] uronate intermediate which is subsequently hydrolysed to M6G. WO 93/05057 discloses preparation of M6G by reaction of 3-acetyl morphine with methyl 1xcex1-bromo, 1-deoxy, 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl D glucopyranuronate and subsequently hydrolysing the resulting intermediate to M6G. In order to synthesise M6G the major problem to overcome is to obtain the glycoside linkage with very high xcex2-selectivity since prior methods produce the xcex1-anomer. One method for obtaining high xcex2-selectivity is to use trichloroimidate as the leaving group, as shown in WO 93/03051: FIG. 1 (Salford Ultrafine Chemicals and Research Limited). Orthoesters are simple to synthesise from their respective bromides. There is a reaction reported in the literature2 between the glucuronate orthoester (2) and the sugar derivative (3) catalysed by lutidinium perchlorate3 (4) (Scheme 1). When this reaction was repeated with the t-butyl orthoacetate (5) and cyclohexanol (6 equivalents), the desired product (6) was isolated in 9% yield. Two other products also suggested that they were the desired product, but with the loss of one acetyl group, isolated in a combined yield of 43% (Scheme 2). When 1.2 equivalents of 4-tert-butylcyclohexanol was used, the desired compound (7) was obtained in 17% yield. Other compounds obtained from the reaction also appeared to contain the desired peaks in the nmr, but after further examination proved to be the product of transorthoesterification (8) (Scheme 3). Reaction of Orthoester (5) with Protected Morphine Initially, 1.2 equivalents of 3-TBS protected morphine and the orthoester (5) were dissolved in chlorobenzene and half of the solvent was distilled off before 0.1 equivalents of lutidinium perchlorate (4) in chlorobenzene was added. The solvent was continuously distilled off while fresh solvent was added, and after 2.5 h another compound was formed with similar tlc properties to the protected morphine. Workup and chromatography gave a compound which corresponded to trans-orthoesterified material (9). None of the desired material was obtained (Scheme 4). This product (9) was resubmitted to the reaction conditions (0.1 equivalents of lutidinium perchlorate and protected morphine in refluxing chlorobenzene) with no new products formed after 4 h. Two further reactions were attempted using two equivalents of orthoester (5) and 0.2 equivalents of lutidinium perchlorate and 1 equivalent of orthoester (5) and 1.2 equivalents of lutidinium perchlorate, but both gave varying yields of orthoester (9). We have concluded that a different, more bulky, alkyl group was needed on the orthoester to hinder attack there. Initially, the isopropyl group was examined. However, the initial reaction, perisobutyrylation, failed to give a compound which recrystallised from petrol, so the xcex1 and xcex2 anomers could not be separated. Therefore, attention focussed on the pivaloyl group.

Both hydrostatic transmissions and geared transmissions are used in agricultural and construction equipment to transmit power from engines to equipment for accomplishing a desired task. For example, transmissions are used to properly transmit power to the wheels of a vehicle, or to a vehicle implement such as a rotor on an agricultural combine. However, depending upon the application, it is seldom that either a geared transmission or a hydrostatic transmission will provide the best performance for all of the transmission requirements. Two important considerations in selecting transmissions are their efficiency and range of input and output speed variability. In general, hydrostatic transmissions provide extremely high speed variability between the input and output, but are less efficient than geared transmissions. Turning to the rotor of a combine, such rotors usually are relatively high in mass, and as the size of combines increases, become increasingly larger. Typical combines now use variable pulley belt drives to transmit power to the rotors. However, the power required to rotate the larger rotors of larger combines cannot be effectively transmitted through conventional belt drives. Also, the current machines have a provision to manually rotate the rotors in reverse, after they become clogged with excess material. This is not only cumbersome but also less effective with larger machines. Accordingly, in the larger combines there is a move toward using geared transmissions to drive the rotor and provide an engine-powered reversing feature. However, one of the problems with geared transmissions is the limited variability in speed. This limitation restricts the operator's ability to optimize rotor speed to obtain peak harvesting efficiency. Another problem with geared transmissions is the amount of energy which must be dissipated by the input clutch when engaging the power source to initiate rotation of the rotor. Due to the high inertia of large combine rotors, initiating rotation of the rotor when the combine engine is rotating at operating speed results in substantial wear of the input clutch to the transmission. In view of the need for an improved transmission having improved variability between transmission input and output speed while maintaining efficiency, it would be desirable to combine the features of a hydrostatic transmission with a geared transmission.

Since at least the beginning of civilization, shelter from the elements has been a basic human need. Over the years, a number of structures have been developed to satisfy this need. For example, structures such as homes, apartments, condominiums, and the like have been used to effectively provide shelter from the elements. In addition to these immobile structures, mobile structures such as land vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, and the like have also been used to effectively provide shelter. Many of these structures are used not just to provide shelter but also to provide living quarters. Ever since people began to use structures as living quarters, there has been an almost universal desire to increase the size and comfort provided by these structures. This is true regardless of whether the structure is mobile or immobile. For immobile structures, this desire is manifest by the continually increasing size of homes, apartments, condominiums, hotels, etc. In the context of mobile structures, the desire for more space and comfort is manifest by the increased size of land vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, etc. The size of immobile structures may be limited by a number of factors such as cost, available real estate in the area, government regulations, etc. The size of mobile structures may be limited by transportation regulations set by the government (e.g., width of a road vehicle, length of a road vehicle, etc.) and by the physical dimensions of the roads (e.g., width of a travel lane, distance between railroad tracks, height of bridges, etc.) or other medium of transportation (e.g., waterways, etc.). Also building larger structures may unnecessarily increase the consumption of valuable resources (e.g., land, steel, wood, etc.). Accordingly, it would be desirable to more effectively utilize the space in structures without increasing the “footprint” of the structures. One type of vehicle where it may be desirable to more effectively utilize the space are “toy hauler” type recreational vehicles. Toy haulers may differ from other types of recreational vehicles in a number of ways. For example, toy haulers include a cargo area which is used to receive and transport off-road vehicles. Because of the cargo area, the toy hauler may have different characteristics than other recreational vehicles. For instance, in many recreational vehicles, the integrity of the body may be reinforced using a number of techniques such as coupling cabinets to both the side walls and the ceiling of the vehicle, using interior walls extending between the ceiling and the floor, and the like. Although these techniques may be used in a toy hauler, in an effort to maximize the amount of cargo space, these techniques are often not used in the cargo area. The lack of these reinforcement techniques combined with the rear wall being used as a door or ramp to load the off-road vehicles (i.e., the rear wall is not a rigid stationary structure) may contribute to flexing, swaying, etc. of the side walls in the area adjacent to the cargo area. This may be a problem when the toy hauler is traveling at high speeds, in high winds, or over rough surfaces (e.g., washboard gravel roads, unmaintained backcountry roads, etc.). The flexing, swaying, etc. may cause an object such as a bed coupled between the side walls to dislodge and fall during travel. Off-road vehicles positioned in the cargo area may be damaged by the falling bed. In light of these problems, it would be desirable to provide an improved system to securely hold and move the bed or other objects to prevent such an occurrence. In the past, there have been attempts to more effectively utilize space inside structures by using a system which moves a bed to a use position at night and a stowed position during the day. Thus, the space taken up by the bed is capable of being utilized for other purposes when the bed is not being used for sleeping. Unfortunately, these systems suffered from a number of problems. For example, many of these systems were considered unreliable and difficult to maintain and operate. These problems may have inhibited the widespread adoption of these systems. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved system for moving objects that is considered reliable and effective for its intended use.

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge apparatus that uses the liquid discharge head. Description of the Related Art A liquid discharge apparatus that records by discharging liquid onto a recording medium uses a liquid discharge head having a pressure chamber communicating with a discharge orifice and a recording element that provides energy for discharging to liquid within the pressure chamber. An inkjet recording apparatus, which is representative of liquid discharge apparatuses, discharges recording liquid which is a color material such as dye or pigment contained in a medium, process liquid for adjusting the recording liquid, and so forth, from discharge orifices. In a case where the liquid to be discharged is a recording liquid in such a liquid discharge apparatus for example, volatile components in the recording liquid near discharge orifices may evaporate, and the concentration of color material increase accordingly, leading to irregular color in the recorded image. There also are cases where the evaporation of the volatile components raises the viscosity of the liquid near the discharge orifices and within the pressure chamber, which reduces the discharge speed of the liquid, and consequently the liquid cannot accurately reach the intended position on the recording medium. One known measure to handle such an issue is to circulate liquid through the liquid discharge head, and particularly through the pressure chambers. In a case where liquid is to be circulated through the pressure chambers, channels are provided branching from a common supply channel, passing through the pressure chambers, and merging at a common recovery channel, so as to circulate liquid through the pressure chambers through these channels. Drive circuits for driving the recording elements are provided in the liquid discharge head, and in a case where the number of discharge orifices is great and the number of recording elements also is great, increased effects of heat generation by the drive circuits may also cause change in the discharge speed of the liquid, and accurate discharging of liquid as to the recording medium may be difficult. For example, PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2003-519027 discloses an arrangement where heat generated at the drive circuits is channeled away from liquid that has circulated through the pressure chambers and transferred to the recovery channel, thereby suppressing change in viscosity of the liquid due to temperature rise, and thus suppressing change in discharge speed of the liquid. In the configuration such as described in PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2003-519027, in a case where the flow rate of liquid supplied from the supply channel to the pressure chambers is smaller than the flow rate of liquid discharged from the discharge orifices, the liquid from the recovery channel backs up and flow into the pressure chamber when performing discharging. This means that the liquid that has been heated by transmission of heat from the drive circuits and the like and has become less viscous flows into the pressure chambers, so discharge properties such as discharge amount and discharge speed changes. As a result, recording quality is affected, such as the density of recording being darker at portions recorded on the recording medium at the time of starting recording as compared to portions recorded later, and so forth. This is one example of discharge properties changing in accordance with a drive state of the liquid discharge head having changed (in this case here, changing from a standby circulation state to a recording stage), and recording quality also changing. On the other hand, in a case where the flow rate of liquid supplied from the supply channel to the pressure chambers is greater than the flow rate of liquid discharged from the discharge orifices, there is no backflow of liquid from the recovery channel even when performing discharging. However, the pressure drop at the at the pressure chambers and nearby channels is great in this case, so the channel width of the pressure chambers and nearby channels needs to be larger, making it difficult to dispose pressure chambers in high density an performed high-definition recording.

The present invention relates to polyamide resin compositions with good dimension stability during absorption and good mechanical properties.

This invention relates in general to a traction device for a vehicle wheel and various attachment means therefor, and more particularly to a traction device with small teeth or protrusions on the inner surface of the gripping tread for limited penetration into the tread of the tire, larger teeth or protrusions on the outer surface thereof to provide a gripping surface and various attachment means for securing the device about the tire. Various types of traction devices and means for attaching the same about a tire and wheel are known in the prior art. Many such prior art devices are quite inconvenient or nearly impossible to attach to the vehicle wheel or tire when the vehicle has lost effective traction of one or more of its motive wheels by becoming mired in mud, snow, ice, sand or the like. Frequently the vehicle operator gets soiled while attaching the device. Some prior art devices require deflation of the tire or even breaking the bead of the tire from the wheel rim. Rain, snow or other dampness usually reduces the coefficient of friction between prior art traction devices and the tire, permitting the traction device to slip radially about the tire during use. Another frequently encountered limitation of prior art devices is the necessity of removing the hubcap, tire or wheel to attach the device.

A parallel database is a database that runs on more than one CPU (central processing unit). There are two kinds of parallel database systems. One kind of parallel database system is a single-node parallel database, which runs on a single symmetric multiprocessor (SMP). On an SMP, all CPUs share memory and disk. Another kind of parallel database system is a multi-node parallel database. Multi-node parallel databases run on a multiple number of nodes that do not share memory. Each node in the multi-node parallel database system can be an SMP or a single CPU. Unlike distributed databases, both single-node and multi-node parallel databases provide a single database image. Single-node parallel databases typically scale to the number of CPUs supported by a single SMP machine. Today, these kinds of databases are widely used and supported by many vendors. SMPs generally can support up to a few dozen CPUs because of the limited capacity on a single SMP bus. Multi-node parallel databases are more fault-tolerant. If one node dies, surviving nodes can keep the database available. Multi-node parallel databases are more scalable because the number of CPUs are not subject the limitation of a single SMP bus. Achieving better scalability in multi-node parallel database systems is a challenge, however, because sending messages between nodes is more expensive than referencing shared memory on an SMP machine. One difficulty associated with sending messages between nodes is in the generation of timestamps for ordering events within the multi-node parallel database. A multi-node parallel database uses timestamps to track the sequence of changes made by different nodes to shared resources. For example, if two transactions change a common dictionary, the transaction with the more recent timestamp is the change that occurred after the change of a transaction with a less recent timestamp. During normal processing, the ordering of events is used to maintain consistency. During recovery time, the ordering is used to order redo records in a recovery log. The problem of tracking the sequence of completed transactions is generally solved by marking every completed transaction with a consistently increasing serial number at the time the transaction completes. Later transactions will have serial numbers greater than earlier transactions, allowing transactions to be well-ordered. These serial numbers are often called timestamps, because they indicate when an event occurred within a computer system relative to other events. Using a hardware clock for each node to generate these timestamps for each node, however, is problematic because physical devices are imperfect. Each local clock may be set to a different time, and some clocks may run faster than others. It is quite possible for the clock of one node to be running fast, and, as a result, its timestamps would have a greater value than those of another clock, even though the timestamps of the other clock were generated at the same physical time. One way to avoid the problem of synchronizing the local clocks is to use a single global, hardware clock connected to every node in the multi-node parallel database system. However, in a database with many nodes, a single hardware clock requires custom-built hardware, adds cost, and limits the scalability of the entire system. Furthermore, many hardware systems today do not have such a global clock. Another approach is to recognize that all the nodes in a multi-node parallel database system already communicate with one another by sending messages over the network. Thus, one node, called a global clock service, can be assigned the task of running a clock. When other nodes need a timestamp, the other nodes send a message to the global clock service, requesting a timestamp. Upon receipt of such messages, the global clock service would generate a timestamp, either by reading its hardware clock or, more easily, by incrementing a software-based serial number counter, and send the timestamp to the requester. This approach works and is in common use, but it does have a substantial drawback. As the system gets larger, more nodes must communicate with the global clock server. As a result, more time is spent waiting for the global clock server to handle all the requests. Certain improvements to the global clock server approach can be made. However, the basic design is ultimately limited by the single global point of timestamp generation, which can become a performance bottleneck for the entire system. A method to improve the performance of timestamp generation by avoiding the single point has been discussed in a classic article by L. Lamport, "Time, Clocks & the Ordering of Events in a Distributed System", 21 COMMUNICATIONS OF THE A.C.M. 558 (July 1978), incorporated herein by reference. In general, Lamport discloses a way to generate timestamps using a local clock, such as a local software-based counter, yet remain synchronized. According to Lamport's technique, every message sent between nodes bears a timestamp that indicates the current time of a local clock. When a node receives a "piggybacked" timestamp from another node which is running fast, the node receiving the timestamp would resynchronize its local clock forward to the faster time. This procedure ensures a partial ordering upon the distributed system. That is, all causes will have a lower timestamp than their effects. This is true because each transaction carries with it the most recent timestamp it has seen so far. By the time the timestamp is generated for the completed transaction, the timestamp will have a greater value than any of the prior transactions in the chain of messages. In a distributed system that uses Lamport's method of synchronizing clocks associated with each node of a distributed system, each node must piggyback a timestamp in every message it sends to another node. With reference to FIG. 2, when a node is about to send a message to another node, the former node reads a timestamp from the associated clock (step 210) and piggybacks the timestamp to the message (step 220). At this point, the message may be sent to the other node (step 230). When a message, containing a piggyback timestamp TS.sub.2, is received by a node (step 310), the node performs the steps shown in FIG. 3. First, the node inspects the clock associated with the node to determine a local time TS.sub.1 (step 320). Then, the node compares TS.sub.1 and TS.sub.2 (step 330). If TS.sub.2 indicates a more recent time than TS.sub.1 (step 340), then execution proceeds to step 350, otherwise the process terminates. In step 350, the node sets the time of its clock to be at least that of the timestamp. A simple way is to set the clock to a time equal to the timestamp. This Lamport approach does not, however, indicate which causally unconnected events happen before the other. For example, if event A on node A did not cause event B on node B, and event B on node B did not cause event A on node A, then the timestamps assigned to events A and B by nodes A and B, respectively, will not necessarily reflect the actual sequence of events A and B. To reflect the sequence of causally unrelated events, a total ordering is necessary. Any one set of total orderings can easily be derived from a partial ordering through simple arbitrary rules, such as granting certain nodes automatic priority for causally unconnected events. Although any derivable total ordering is sufficient to maintain the consistency of the concurrent database, users may have their own ideas about which casually unconnected event occurs before another. When they disagree, anomalous behavior results. This is a problem for multi-version databases. A multi-version database is a database that manages concurrency control via versions and snapshots. A multi-version database stamps each version of data with a logical timestamp. When a process initiates a transaction to read an item of data from a multi-version database, the process generally does not obtain a lock to prevent other processes from concurrently modifying the data. Instead, the process reads a snapshot of the data at a particular point in time, determined by a timestamp generated at the beginning of the transaction. Consequently, the process might read information that is slightly older than the most current version, but the information is guaranteed to be consistent. For example, consider a distributed database using Lamport's technique that implements a checking account. Suppose a husband makes a deposit in the checking account at his node and telephones his wife that the money is there. She then queries the checking account at her node to see how much money is there. As far as the database is concerned, these events are causally unconnected and it has no way of knowing that the snapshot time for the wife's transaction should be more recent than the timestamp for the husband's transaction. Technically, the husband's phone call to his wife violated a specification of Lamport's approach, because his telephone call to his wife did not piggyback a timestamp to the wife's node. If the snapshot time of the wife's balance inquiry is less recent than the timestamp of the husband's deposit, she would then not see the money deposited into the account, even though her husband had deposited it earlier in real time and told her about it. It is clearly desirable to reduce the amount of this kind of anomalous behavior in a database system. Lamport recognized this problem and proposed to address it by mandating that every node keep a sufficiently accurate physical clock. This scheme is difficult to implement for database systems, because physical clocks are not reliable. Physical clocks run at different rates, they may be changed by an external user, and they require periodic resynchronization. Another drawback with Lamport's method is that it is not fault-tolerant. In a multi-node parallel database, different nodes may share data stored on a non-volatile memory, such as a disk. Thus the disk becomes another medium in which anomalous behavior may occur. Typically, multiple nodes synchronize their write operations to disk with distributed locks. A node writing to a block of data to disk obtains an exclusive lock for the disk block, while a node reading a disk block obtains shared lock. Thus one can respect the causalities propagated via the disk by piggybacking timestamps in the lock messages according to the Lamport technique. However, this scheme only works if all nodes are alive. When a node dies, it may have advanced its local time way ahead of others and wrote that timestamp to disk. But this high local timestamp cannot be piggybacked to other nodes to propagate the causality. Consequently, when other surviving nodes read the data on disk (e.g., as part of recovery), it may unexpectedly encounter data in the future of its local time, violating causality that the Lamport technique guarantees.

Documents WO 2010/076646 and WO 2011/154545 in particular describe seismic data acquisition methods relative to an area of the subsoil in the marine environment using a set of cables provided with receivers (seismic sensors), all of the receivers forming a seismic network, and at least one seismic source. The seismic source moves relative to the cables and emits seismic waves in successive shot positions of the source so as to illuminate said area of the subsoil, and the receivers pick up the reflected waves resulting from those emissions. The cited documents describe an acquisition mode in which the cables are kept stationary or quasi-stationary relative to the terrestrial reference frame, or move relative to that reference frame at a speed substantially lower than that of the source. In that type of acquisition, the currents exert a significant influence on the cables, and therefore on the position of the receivers, which may affect the quality of the seismic data acquired by the receivers. There is therefore a need for a seismic data acquisition method making it possible to compensate the effect of the currents. To that end, the present invention proposes an acquisition method of seismic data relative to an area of the subsoil. In the method, at least one seismic source is moved and seismic waves are emitted in successive shot positions of the source so as to illuminate said area of the subsoil. The signals resulting from those emissions are picked up using a set of cables having a substantially zero buoyancy and provided with receivers. The cables have a substantially zero speed or a speed substantially slower than the speed of the source in the terrestrial reference frame. Said successive shot positions are determined as a function of the position of the receivers relative to the terrestrial reference frame so as to optimize at least one quality criterion relating to the set of seismic signals acquired by the receivers in respect of said area.

A conventional voltage control device for a vehicle AC generator detects an output voltage of a generator and stops supplying a field current to weaken a field flux when the detected output voltage is higher than a reference value. On the other hand, when the detected output voltage is lower than the reference value, the voltage control device reinforces the field flux. Thus, the output voltage is controlled to be substantially constant. However, even when the supply of the field current is stopped, an inductance component exists in a field coil and an excessively high voltage is generated by this inductance component when shutting down the field current. Therefore, the voltage control device can be damaged. Particularly in a recent vehicle AC generator with small size and high output, since the resistance of the field coil tends to be small and the inductance tends to be large, the overvoltage continuation time becomes longer accordingly. Therefore, it has been proposed to switch to a circuit that consumes the energy of the field current by using resistance and diode in order to quickly reduce the field current, for example, as disclosed in Patent Reference 1. Patent Reference 1: JP-A-2003-174799

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a conventional wireless RF module is shown. As illustrated, the wireless RF module 10 comprises a baseband unit 11, a RF transceiver unit 13, a control unit 15 and a power amplification unit 17, wherein the baseband unit 11 is electrically connected to the power amplification unit 17 through the RF transceiver unit 13 and the control unit 15. The baseband unit 11 can transmit a control signal TRx_con and a baseband signal BB_sig to the RF transceiver unit 13, wherein the control signal TRx_con is adapted for controlling on/off, operating band selection or other related functions of the RF transceiver unit 13, or regulating the output power of the RF transceiver unit 13. The baseband signal BB_sig is adapted for transmitting a modulating signal associated with the system specifications to the RF transceiver unit 13 so that the RF transceiver unit 13 can up-convert the frequency of the baseband signal BB_sig to generate a RF signal. The RF transceiver unit 13 can further transmit the RF signal to the power amplification unit 17 where the power amplification unit 17 amplifies the received RF signal and then outputs the amplified RF signal. The control unit 15 is electrically coupled with the power amplification unit 17, and adapted for controlling on/off and operating band selection of the power amplification unit 17, or regulating the output power of the power amplification unit 17. In actual application, the control unit 15 can control on/off and operating band selection of the power amplification unit 17 by changing the power supply voltage Vcc and/or bias voltage Vbias being provided to the power amplification unit 17, thereby regulating the output power of the power amplification unit 17 so that the power amplification unit 17 can properly amplify the RF signal being received from the RF transceiver unit 13. The baseband unit 11 can transmit at least one control signal PA_con to the control unit 15, thereby controlling on/off and operating band selection of the power amplification unit 17. The baseband unit 11 can also transmit another power control signal Vramp to the control unit 15 to control the output power of the power amplification unit 17. Currently, the industry has defined the power-vs-time curve of the power amplification unit 17 of the wireless RF module 10. For example, in GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) system, the power-vs-time curve of the power amplification unit 17 must fall in a predetermined range. However, in actual application, the output power characteristic of the power amplification unit 17 can be affected by many factors, such as the ambient temperature, the operating temperature and memory effect of the power amplification unit 17 and the bandwidth or frequency dependent characteristics of the power amplification unit 17, resulting in a discrepancy between the actual output power characteristic and the required output power characteristics of the power amplification unit 17. In order to eliminate the aforesaid problem, the control unit 15 is controlled to adjust the power supply voltage Vcc and/or bias voltage Vbias being provided to the power amplification unit 17, thereby correcting or compensating the output power characteristics of the power amplification unit 17. However, in conventional RF module, the adjustment of the power amplification unit 17 from the control unit 15 is done by analog circuit. The adjustment achieved by analog circuit is more complex and less flexibility due to the complexity and process variation of the analog circuit. Therefore, the conventional method to adjust the characteristic power amplification unit 17 by analog circuit in the control unit 15 is not flexible for the wireless communication module. For example, an error can be easily occurred when the control unit 15 try to adjust the output power of the power amplification unit 17 through a power supply voltage Vcc and/or a bias voltage Vbias, causing some of the specification such as the power-vs-time curve of the power amplification unit 17 or the shape of the spectrum fail the specifications of GSM or other related systems.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to chip packaging, and more particularly to a method of forming metallic bumps on the I/O pads of a semiconductor device 2. The Prior Arts Flip-chip packaging utilizes bumps to establish electrical contact between a chip's I/O pads and the substrate (or lead frame) of the package. Structurally, a bump actually contains the bump itself and a so-called under bump metallurgy (UBM) located between the bump and an I/O pad. An UBM generally contains an adhesion layer usually made of aluminum or chromium, a barrier layer usually made of copper, lead, or platinum, and a wetting layer usually made of gold, arranged in this order on the I/O pad. The bumps themselves, based on the material used, are classified as solder bumps and gold bumps. To form solder bumps on the UBMs, usually either electroplating or printing method is used. For electroplating, patterned resists are first formed on the UBMs and then solders are plated. For printing, solders are first printed on the UBMs and the solders are thermally cured into the bumps. The two methods, however, all suffer disadvantages such as excessive bubbles, easy to peel off, etc and the production yield is therefore limited. Electroplating similar to that used for solder bumps is also usually used to form gold bumps on UBMs so as to facilitate the subsequent Tape Carrier Package (TCP) or Chip On Glass (COG) process. Another method is to use a specialized wire bonding apparatus capable of melting gold wire into ball shape to perform bonding on the UBMs several times until the gold bumps reach a required height. Gold bumping, however, is not widely popular due to its high cost.

1. Field The present disclosure relates to metal-air batteries, and more particularly, to metal-air batteries having improved air handling and improved energy density. 2. Description of the Related Art A metal-air battery includes a negative electrode that may store/release ions and a positive electrode that uses oxygen from the air as an active material. In the metal-air battery, reduction/oxidation of oxygen introduced from the outside occurs in the positive electrode, oxidation/reduction of a metal occurs in the negative electrode, and chemical energy that is produced in these reactions is extracted as electrical energy. For example, the metal-air battery absorbs oxygen during discharging and emits oxygen during charging. Since the metal-air battery uses oxygen that is present in the atmosphere, an energy density of the metal-air battery may be a dramatic increase over other types of secondary batteries. For example, the metal-air battery may have an energy density that is several times higher than an energy density of a lithium-ion battery. Also, since there is a low possibility that the metal-air battery may ignite at an abnormally high temperature, the metal-air battery has excellent stability. Since the metal-air battery operates only by storing/releasing oxygen and does not use a heavy metal, the risk of environmental pollution is low. Due to such various advantages, much research has been conducted on metal-air batteries. Nonetheless the remains a need for improved materials for metal-air batteries.

In the discussion of the background that follows, reference is made to certain structures and/or methods. However, the following references should not be construed as an admission that these structures and/or methods constitute prior art. Applicant expressly reserves the right to demonstrate that such structures and/or methods do not qualify as prior art. Currently available tool materials use nitrides or carbides of Ti, mixed with cubic boron nitride (cBN), to form a sintered compact. At speeds greater than 200 m/min, in continuous cutting of materials such as hard steel (greater than about 45-50 HRC), frictional heat can cause rapid wear of current tool materials. Adding heat resistant ceramic, such as TiN, can improve performance in continuous cutting, but at the expense of reduced fracture toughness. Reduced fracture toughness can become a problem in interrupted cutting because the tool fails by chipping. Thus, there is a need to provide a tool material that can machine hard steel parts (>45 HRC) at greater speeds and for longer than is currently possible.

There are numerous types of devices making it possible to measure the activity of solid catalysts for the usual reactions encountered in the refining or petrochemical industry. These measurements are made under the following conditions: pressure between 10.sup.5 and 3.times.107 pascals; temperature between ambient and 750.degree. C; liquid (hydrocarbons, other organic compounds) and/or gas (generally containing hydrogen) charge. The flow of charge, expressed in volume of charge per unit of catalyst and per hour (VPH), is generally between 0.01 and 10.sup.2 in the case of a liquid charge, between 10 and 10.sup.5 in the case of a gas charge; shaped solid catalyst (balls, pellets, extrudates). Although acceptable when it is desired to measure the activity of catalysts under conditions similar to or identical with those achieved in industrial installations, existing devices and particularly those operating at a pressure above atmospheric pressure exhibit a certain number of drawbacks: the amounts of catalyst required at a minimum are a few cm.sup.3, which can be a serious obstacle in the case of exploratory studies using catalysts whose preparation is difficult or expensive: in standard installations, activation and bringing to normal operating conditions of certain catalytic systems is long (from several hours to several days), which is linked to the dimensions of the equipment (thermal inertia and large dead spaces); for the same reasons, the period of a balance is necessarily important, which generally precludes detailed study of initial bringing to normal operating conditions of the catalytic system under consideration; standard installations are generally not suited to an online automated analysis with a very short response time (size of dead spaces, inertias of the temperature and pressure regulating systems); finally, complete automation of a standard installation and its control from a decentralized console is a complex and expensive operation. The gains in accuracy and reliability that can be expected are limited for intrinsic reasons (lack of stability of the catalysts over long test periods) or extrinsic reasons (difficulties in getting free of the fluctuations in the settings of the various operating parameters). Moreover, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,923 describes an automatic unit for catalyst preselection which makes it possible to obtain a preliminary indication of their potential activity. Further, the German publication No. DE 2.425.227 describes an automatic microreactor for the study of catalytic chemical reactions under pressure. But none of these documents suggest making a complete material balance of a chemical reaction under pressure by determining particularly the measurement of the output flow of the reactor, at the high temperature and pressure conditions of the reaction, a measurement that cannot be obtained directly There is also known and described in French patent No. 2 529.472 a catalytic microunit test device with a system of sampling valves transferred to one another over a gas chromatograph, which implies stopping the reactor particularly to avoid destruction of the catalyst. But this device does not make it possible to make a strict material balance because it does not have on-line analysis of the effluents under conditions of the reaction under pressure. To succeed in knowing this output flow, it is necessary to determine the composition of the effluent at the output of the reactor, at the temperature and pressure conditions of the reaction. A first object of the invention therefore is to determine the volume composition of the effluent at the output of the reactor at the temperature and pressure conditions of the reaction and particularly at pressures above atmospheric pressure. Another object of the invention is to establish from the knowledge of the composition of the charge, its flow and the flow of effluents at the output, a strict and complete material balance of a chemical reaction at a pressure above atmospheric pressure and at high pressure levels (for example, at a pressure above 60 bars). Another object of the invention is to determine the material balance of a reaction by putting into play very small amounts of catalyst, in a repeatable manner, and in minimum time. Another object of this invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above. Another object is the evaluation of the catalytic properties of laboratory preparations without any particular shaping being necessary and with the possibility of being placed under initial kinetic conditions and/or of following rapid bringing to normal operating conditions or rapid deactivation.

This invention relates to a multiplexed, absorbance-based capillary electrophoresis system and to a method of using it. The rapid development of biological and pharmaceutical technology has posed a challenge for high-throughput analytical methods. For example, current development of combinatorial chemistry has made it possible to synthesize hundreds or even thousands of compounds per day in one batch. Characterization and analysis of such huge numbers of compounds has created a bottleneck. Parallel processing (i.e., simultaneous multi-sample analysis) is a natural way to increase the throughput. However, due to limitations related to column size, pressure requirements, detector and stationary phase materials, it is very difficult to build a highly multiplexed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. The same goes for building a highly multiplexed gas chromatography (GC) system. High performance capillary electrophoresis (CE) has rapidly become an important analytical tool for the separation of a large variety of compounds ranging from small inorganic ions to large biological molecules. To perform a conventional separation, a capillary tube is filled with a buffer solution, a sample is loaded into one end of the capillary tube, both ends of the capillary tube are immersed in the buffer solution and a large potential is applied across the capillary tube. The sample components are separated electrophoretically as they migrate through the capillary tube. CE is used for general separations, enantiomeric separations, the peptide mapping of proteins, amino acid analysis, nucleic acid fractionation and the quantitative measurement of acid dissociation constants (pKa values) and octanol-water partition coefficients (log Pow values). What all these applications have in common is the measurement of the mobility of chemical species in a capillary tube. With attractive features such as rapid analysis time, high separation efficiency, small sample size, and low solvent consumption, CE is increasingly used as an alternative or complimentary technique to HPLC. For example, the use of capillary gel electrophoresis has greatly improved DNA sequencing rates compared to conventional slab gel electrophoresis. Part of the improvement in speed, however, has been offset by the inability to accomodate multiple lanes in a single run that is inherent in slab gels. Highly multiplexed capillary electrophoresis, by making possible hundreds or even thousands of parallel sequencing runs, represents an attractive approach to overcome the current throughput limitations of existing DNA sequencing instrumentation. Such a system has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,582,705 (Yeung et al.), 5,695,626 (Yeung et al.) and 5,741,411 (Yeung et al.). In this system, a fluorescent sample is separated by electrophoresis inside a capillary tube. A laser irradiates one section of the capillary tube. When the sample component migrates through the irradiated portion of the tube, the fluorescence emission is detected by an optical detector. While fluorescence detection is suitable for DNA sequencing applications because of its high sensitivity and special labeling protocols, many samples of interest do not fluoresce. UV absorption detection is useful because of its ease of implementation and wider applicability, especially for the deep-UV (200-220 nm) detection of organic and biologically important compounds. In a UV detection system, a section of capillary tube is irradiated with a UV light source. A photodetector detects the light that passes through the tube. When a UV absorbing sample component passes through the irradiated portion of the capillary tube, the photodetector detects less passed light (indicating absorbance). In this way an electropherogram, a plot of absorbance versus time, can be produced. A capillary isoelectric focusing system using a two-dimensional charge-coupled device (CCD) detector, in which one dimension represents the capillary length and the other dimension records the absorbance spectrum, has been described by Wu and Pawliszyn, Analyst (Cambridge), 120, 1567-1571 (1995). The system has been used with two capillary tubes, but is not easily adapted for three or more capillary tubes because the system requires the capillary tubes to be separated by space. Instead of providing wavelength resolution in the second CCD dimension, isoelectric focusing in two capillary tubes is simultaneously monitored. The use of optical fibers for illumination, however, has led to low light intensities and poor UV transmission. So, only visible wavelengths have been employed for the detection of certain proteins. Because the CCD has a very small electron well capacity (about 0.3 million electrons), the limit of detection (LOD) of this system is limited by the high shot noise in absorption detection. The use of the CCD produces an overwhelming amount of data per exposure, limiting the data rate to one frame every 15 seconds. Also, the imaging scan utilized is not suitable for densely packed capillary arrays because of the presence of mechanical slits to restrict the light paths. Further, in order to avoid cross-talk, only square capillary tubes can be used. Photodiode arrays (PDA) are used in many commercial CE and HPLC systems for providing absorption spectra of the analytes in real time. Transmitted light from a single point in a flow stream is dispersed by a grating and recorded across a linear array. A capillary zone electrophoresis system using a photodiode array as an imaging absorption detector has been described by Culbertson and Jorgenson, Anal. Chem., 70, 2629-2638 (1998). Different elements in the array are used to image different axial locations in one capillary tube to follow the progress of the separation. Because the PDA has a much larger electron well capacity (tens of millions of electrons), it is superior to the CCD for absorption detection. Time-correlated integration is applied to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Gilby described an absorption detection approach for the simultaneous analysis of multiple systems in U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,934. This system includes a photodetector array comprising a plurality of photosensitive elements connected to provide a serial output. The elements are typically pixels of a photodiode array (PDA). The elements are illuminated by a light source positioned to illuminate at least a portion of the photodetector array. The light source may be an AC or DC mercury lamp or other useable light source for chromatography. An array of separation channels is disclosed between the light source and the photodetector array, each of the separation channels having a lumen, a sample introduction end and a detection region disposed opposite the sample introduction end. The array is a multiple parallel capillary electrophoresis system. A mask element having at least one aperture for each associated separation channel is required. Each aperture corresponds to its associated separation channel, thereby selectively permitting light from the light source to pass through the lumen of its associated separation channel. At least a portion of the light passing through the lumen of the associated separation channel falls on the respective photo sensitive element of the photo detector array to effect measurement of absorption of light by a sample introduced into the sample introduction end of the associated separation channel. The system described by Gilby et al. has disadvantages because it limits the amount of light impinging on the separation channel, providing less than desirable light intensity to the PDA. Further, aligning the apertures and the mask elements with the separation channels, e.g., capillary tubes, is difficult for several reasons. For example, positioning the capillary tubes with equal separation there between is difficult as the capillary tubes are generally not of equal dimension, e.g., diameter tolerances very greatly. Further, for example, the mask geometry does not provide identical light paths, which leads to non-linear response. Also, a mask can produce stray light, which leads to poor detection limits, and does not completely eliminate cross-talk from the adjacent capillary tubes, since the light beams are diverging and cannot escape the detector element. In addition, a mask can be difficult to manufacture, due to the requirement of uniformity. Also, Gilby places the sample and the PDA too close together, resulting in stray light, cross-talk and the inability to use the maximum path length of light. Yeung et al., in PCT Application WO 01/18528A1, disclosed a multiplexed, absorbance-based capillary electrophoresis system for analyzing multiple samples simultaneously, without use of a mask or slit, comprising a light source, a planar array of capillary tubes and a detector positioned on-axis with the light source and positioned on-axis with and parallel to the planar array of capillary tubes at a distance of at least about 10 times a cross-sectional distance of a capillary tube measured orthogonally to the planar array of multiple capillary tubes. The system described by Yeung et al. works, but has disadvantages. In Yeung""s system, the detector is positioned on-axis with the light source. Therefore, light that passes between the capillary tubes and light that passes through the capillary tubes (and samples) both strike the detector. The light that passes between the capillary tubes is not of interest since it represents a measurement of nothing, but provides a peak that is registered by the detector and recorded by the associated software. It is preferable that light that passes between the capillary tubes never reaches the detector. In addition, the rate of sample migration in the system described by Yeung et al. is slower than ideal, especially when performing some types of separations employing high current generating buffers. This is due to the fact that the high currents generated by some buffers lead to excessive joule heating in the capillary array, which can degrade the quality and reproducibility of the separation. In such situations it is necessary to lower the operating voltage, resulting in increased analysis times. An approach is therefore desired in these situations to improve the analysis time. Some applications described by Yeung et al. using Yeung""s system, while novel, are limited due to the fact that all separations utilize the same buffer for the outlet and the inlet reservoirs. While Yeung has simultaneously performed separations using different buffers in different capillary tubes of an array, the outlet ends of the capillary tubes were bundled separately and separate buffer reservoirs were used for each different buffer. This approach also required the filling of the different capillary bundles individually by hand with a syringe which is not practical from an automation or ease of use standpoint. In summary, while other multiplexed, absorbance-based capillary electrophoresis systems exist, there is a need for a system without a mask or slit designed such that the majority of light that passes between capillary tubes in the planar array of capillary tubes does not reach the detector, such that separations can be performed at a faster rate, and, finally, so that different buffers can be examined in different capillary tubes simultaneously and in an automated fashion. The primary objective of this invention is to fulfill the above described needs with an improved multiplexed, absorbance-based capillary electrophoresis system. These and other objects, features and/or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims. The present invention is a multiplexed, absorbance-based capillary electrophoresis system. Specifically, the invention is an improvement on the system disclosed by Yeung et al. in PCT Application WO 01/18528A1, published Mar. 15, 2001, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The improvements are three-fold. First, the light source is not on-axis with the detector. This ensures that the great majority of the light that actually hits the detector passed through the capillary tube containing the sample. Second, the rate of sample migration through the capillary tubes is increased by applying a vacuum to the exit end of the tubes. Thus, speed and data processing are enhanced. Third, a single, common outlet reservoir is used in conjunction with different inlet reservoirs. This offers the ability to simultaneously evaluate different buffer conditions in different capillary tubes of the capillary array by filling the capillary tubes from the different inlet reservoirs electrokinetically or with vacuum.

Single child strollers are built and sold with the intention of conveying a single child in a seated position. Families or childcare givers that start with a stroller for one child only and then have a second child are faced with a problem of only being able to seat one of the children should they need to transport both. Similarly for families and childcare givers with multiple children, they face the dilemma of how to transport an additional child should it arrive. Solutions available to the parents and childcare givers include: obtaining a second stroller; obtaining a larger stroller to seat the extra child (a double or triple stroller); having one child walk or be carried; or obtain a wheeled device that attaches to the back of the stroller upon which the additional child can stand. Examples of the wheeled devices include the Bugaboo Wheeled Board and the Lascal Buggy Board. The mentioned solutions are not ideal. Obtaining a second stroller is expensive and excessive in terms of new materials required. As well, a second adult is now required whenever the additional child needs to be transported. Double and triple strollers are also expensive and excessive, and furthermore have reduced maneuverability. The size of the stroller can prevent access to various locations: reduced turning radius can limit steering and turning about in cramped places such as shopping aisles; increased width can prevent traversing doorways. Having the additional child walk and/or be carried can be tiring for the additional child and/or parent and can limit the distance that the family or group can travel. Finally, wheeled devices for attachment to the stroller to allow a standing child can be obtrusive for the parent pushing the stroller by disrupting their natural stride, and can limit vision for the child standing as the child may not be able to see over the stroller if the child is not tall. Although not as expensive as a new stroller, these devices involve specialized parts including linkages, casters and bearings, the wheeled devices can be relatively expensive compared to what could be spent to build a similar performing device such as the device of this invention. It is the objective of this invention to provide transportation for an additional child with the original stroller (single stroller for two children, double stroller for three, and so on) that solves the above-mentioned problems of inconvenience, excess and expense. For strollers in which there is an under-riding basket (for storage of toys, clothes, groceries and other things) or another similar structure capable of supporting a platform structure and a standing child, a platform is disclosed that allows the modification of a stroller for carrying an additional child in a standing position.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to light microscopes, including light microscopes of the kind having a trinocular head with a phototube for photographing microscope images, and in particular, to taking stereo photographs for 3-D viewing. 2. The Prior Art Although many microscopes are equipped with a binocular viewing arrangement, that alone does not produce a stereoscopic view of an object, since both of the viewing eyepieces typically see the exact same image from the same angle. Stereoscopic viewing requires that each eye see a different image of the object. This is accomplished by creating parallax (viewing the object from different angles) in much the same way that human eye pairs create stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic photography likewise requires that two cameras record the same image from different angles. At the present time, there are two types of stereoscopic microscopes widely known and used. The first of these (inclined axes type) is, in essence, two complete microscopes with their objectives close together and their major axes inclined to each other to permit object viewing from two different angles to create the parallax necessary for producing a stereo pair. An example of this type of microscope is the Nikon.RTM. model SMZ-2B/2T. The other type of stereo microscope (parallel-axis type) utilizes a single large objective lens followed by two smaller side-by-side lens groups whose axes are parallel to the objective lens axis and which share the aperture of the large objective. In this arrangement, only a small portion of the aperture of the large objective lens is used. An example of this type of microscope is the Nikon.RTM. model SMZ-10. Both of these types of stereo microscopes have the well recognized limitation in the magnification that can be achieved. This limitation, that prevents total magnification of more than 100 times (approximately), is imposed by the practicalities of size and space. As magnification increases, the size of the objective (and its focal length and working distance) decreases. In the case of the inclined type of microscope, there is insufficient space for two objective lenses when the objective magnification exceeds approximately 10 times (the centers of the lenses need to be closer together than their physical size--radii- permits). Likewise, for the parallel-axis microscope, it is not possible to physically dispose two side-by-side secondary lenses behind the primary objective when the objective is diminished beyond a certain size (i.e. as the objective magnification increases beyond 10 times--approximately).

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of collecting urine and conveying it from point of collection to storage. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for human urine collection, storage, and disposal, that addresses the problems associated with such devices of current art. Most particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus that addresses the problem of human incontinence. 2. Description of Related Art Apart from finding some form of medical or surgical cure, ambulatory adult human males who are urine incontinent generally are faced with two alternatives to manage their condition: using a system of devices worn on the body to collect and store the urine for periodic disposal, or wearing an absorbent pad or undergarment which they must periodically change. The “system of devices” generally consists of a device for urine collection, a device for conveying the collected urine to storage, and a device for storing the conveyed urine with periodic draining into a toilet. Current urine collection and storage technology for urine incontinent males relies almost exclusively on the use of external or sheath catheters (also called condom catheters) that surround the penis with a waterproof tube to collect the urine and that are attached to a storage bag by means of a length of standard-wall rubber or vinyl polymer tubing. Said bag is often worn attached to the user's leg. Unfortunately, these current “devices” are severely lacking in several key areas. For example, many of the current collection devices are difficult to apply and remove, and can lead to injurious and painful penile skin conditions. The conveyance tubing generally used is stiff, bulky, and often visible under clothing. Lastly, current leg-mounted storage bags are bulky, uncomfortable, and a potential source of leakage and consequent major embarrassment. Suitable solutions for these problems are not obvious. For example, the relative stiffness of the conveyance tubing renders it resistant to kinking and bending movements that could crimp the tube lumen shut. Unfortunately, the same stiffness property also does not lend itself well to comfortable, discreet use because it does not easily conform to tight bends such as are needed in fitting closely to the human body. Simply substituting a thinner-walled tube for the thicker-walled one, while providing more flexibility, conformation and movement, will likely result in significantly poorer performance with respect to collapsing and sealing off of periodic, low volume flows such as incontinence leakage. In addition, use of a simple open-lumen tube may result in drainage problems. While any open tube may be used as a conduit channel for gravity-driven, descendant fluid flow, that same tube will present difficulties in fluid transport situations where the drainage path involves some ascendant flow to a higher point prior to reverting to descendant flow to a point below the source (e.g., for a seated user, a flow path proceeding from the urethral opening up the thigh to the knee prior to flowing down to a storage vessel attached to the lower leg). In order to make the system work as described, the urine must accumulate in sufficient quantity to fill the tube to the highest point before it can overflow down to the storage bag. Such a situation is extremely detrimental to the health of the user's urethral tract as well as to the health of the penile skin, and is very likely to lead to significant leakage around the collection device and fittings. To avoid these problems, users must rise periodically to facilitate gravity flow. Collector Background Current art sheath catheters are very thin-walled tubes of latex or silicone rubber (often 0.002–0.004 inch) that are deliberately sized to be larger in diameter than the penis, have an opening in the proximal end for insertion of the penis, and have an opening in the distal end to conduct the urine away. They are usually packaged in an axially rolled condition. For use, they are unrolled directly onto the shaft of a penis that is in a flaccid condition. Virtually all current sheath catheters are attached to the penis using an adhesive that is either on a strip of double-sided adhesive tape pre-applied to the penis, or is a coating applied to a portion of the catheter's interior surface during manufacture. The adhesive is employed for two purposes; to hold the catheter in place on the penis; and to help to effect a seal between the catheter and the skin. Unfortunately, the adhesive makes the application and removal of the catheter from a flaccid organ difficult and irritating to the user. In order to reduce pain associated with removing the sheath catheter from adhered skin, users are often instructed to remove hairs in the bodily area surrounding the penis. Although the over-sized diameter is necessary for current art sheath catheters to facilitate the application method of unrolling onto a flaccid penis, it is not at all conducive to achieving a good urine seal, because folds in both the excess condom material and the loose skin of the penis can create potential urine leakage pathways along the bends and seams of folded material. Current art sheath catheters use either the attachment adhesive coating described above or a mechanical ring as a means to attempt to compress the folds and to seal off these seams to prevent urine leakage at the proximal end of the catheter. Examples of the current art include the following. A typical sheath catheter is in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,099 which describes a tubular elastic sheath catheter having a band of adhesive on the internal wall, and means for applying the adhesive layer to the internal wall. A non-adhesive catheter is in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,816 which describes a complete urine collection and containment system that includes a tubular elastic sheath which utilizes a compressive elastic rubber ring over the sheath near the proximal opening to provide an o-ring mechanical and liquid seal around the penis. Current art condom catheters can suffer from incomplete drainage of urine (also known as “pooling”). The resulting prolonged exposure of the penile skin to liquid urine, urine decomposition products (e.g. ammonia, etc), and moisture frequently leads to skin irritation and breakdown. Flow blockage due to crimping of the catheter or catheter tube is one of the main causes of pooling. The catheter is 1-inch or larger diameter, very thin-walled tubing while the conveyance tube used to transport the urine from the catheter to the storage container is almost always of 0.25–0.31-inch inside diameter, thick-walled (0.06 inch) latex or vinyl polymer tubing. In order to connect the two very different forms of tubing it is therefore necessary to make a gradual reduction in diameter and thickening of the walls resulting in a “funnel-like” shape in the transition zone that will connect to the conveyance tube. In typical current art, the distal discharge end of the sheath catheter is thick-walled (often 0.06 inch), relatively stiff, and somewhat resistant to movements that could otherwise constrict and crimp the tube lumen and, thereby, impede the urine flow. This transition zone has been addressed in various modifications made to the catheter. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,324 describes a catheter having a thicker material used at the distal end, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,816 describes multiple convolutions in the tip region of the catheter that allow limited bending at each successive convolution thus affording adequate change in direction. Unfortunately, thick-walled tubing does not lend itself well to comfortable and discreet use. Another cause for pooling in existent collection devices is their complete dependence on descending (gravity-driven) flow to convey the urine. When the wearer is in a seated position, urine must move along an ascending flow path (i.e., counter to gravity) from the collection point (i.e., the urethral opening) up the leg to the knee as a high point before flowing down to the storage bag which is generally attached to the user's calf. The conveyance tube must remain filled with urine to achieve overflow. Thus, with existent external catheters, such accumulation of urine in the existent art catheter and conveyance tube can be a major problem for a seated user because urine will completely fill the catheter-collector and conveyance tube, with serious risk of leakage and consequent embarrassment in addition to the health effects on skin. With current art devices, this problem can only be alleviated by rising from the seated position periodically to facilitate gravity drainage of the urine being held up in the collection device. Conveyance Tube Background Current devices used by ambulatory, incontinent males for collection and storage of their urine almost exclusively employ a length of a generic “laboratory-type” rubber or vinyl polymer tubing to convey the urine from the collection device (usually an external or internal catheter) to the storage bag (usually worn on the leg). The tubing used generally has a ¼- or 5/16-inch internal diameter and a 1/16-inch wall thickness, Tubing of this type depends upon wall rigidity in the radial direction combined with limited longitudinal elasticity (i.e., relative “stiffness”) to prevent the kinking, crimping or other lumen-collapsing actions that can occur during bending and that can seal off the fluid path, effectively stopping urine flow. Unfortunately, because of the same stiffness property, the tubing does not easily conform to tight bends such as are needed in fitting closely to the human body. Because the tubing does not fit closely to the body, in urine conveyance use, such tubing can be visible beneath clothing, and thus does not lend itself well to discreet use. Some prior art applications have incorporated axial pleats or convolutions into this conventional-wall tubing to aid bending movements in the regions of connection to collectors or storage bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,816 describes a complete urine collection system that includes urine conduit tubing that is circumferentially pleated to enhance flexibility. Simply substituting a thinner-walled tube for the “standard”-wall version, while possibly providing more flexibility, conformability, and movement, would likely result in significantly poorer performance because such a tube would be much more susceptible to crimping and blockage of periodic, low volume flows such as incontinence leakage. The simple, open-lumen tube in current urinary incontinence use also has other limitations that can cause problems in liquid drainage under certain conditions. One limitation lies in the open tube's complete reliance on gravitational force to promote drainage. Any open tube may be used as a conduit channel for gravity-driven, descendant fluid flow from a collector source at one level to a receiver at a lower level. However, that same tube will present difficulties in fluid transport situations when the drainage path involves some ascendant flow to a higher point before reverting to descendant flow to a receiving point below the source. For example, for an incontinent user in the seated position, such a flow path would run from the urethral opening up the thigh to the knee (a location that is higher than the urethral opening) prior to flowing down to a storage vessel attached to the lower leg. In order to make the collector-to-storage “system” work as described, the urine must accumulate in sufficient quantity to fill the tube to the highest point before it can overflow down to the storage bag. Such a situation is very likely to lead to significant leakage around the collection device and tube connections. Moreover, such constant exposure to liquid urine is extremely detrimental to the health of the user's urethral tract as well as to the health of the urogenital skin in contact with the urine. To avoid these problems, seated users must rise periodically to facilitate gravity-dependant flow. A second limitation lies in the potential for gas-bubble blockage. Drainage of liquid such as urine through a single tube lumen into a sealed, non-expandable receptor usually is expected to result in a simultaneous countercurrent flow of displaced air (atmosphere within the tube and connected storage bag) upward within the same tube lumen. The relatively narrow bore size, stiff wall structures, and wetting properties of the tube wall materials often cause conventional elastomeric urine conveyance tubes to be subject to the formation of liquid slugs where portions of the tube lumen become completely filled with urine. These slugs of urine prevent displaced air from rising in the lumen, thus creating a backpressure in the tube and storage container that slows flow into the bag. At the same time, gravitational force acting on the mass of the urine in the one or more slugs in the partially-filled column causes those slugs to be pulled further down the tube, thus creating a slight vacuum in the upper part of the tubing and in the connected collector. The slight vacuum can then result in in-leakage of air through imperfect seals in the collector with consequent formation of air bubbles and still more liquid plugs in the line. To counter this problem, means for venting the drainage tubing have been described, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,795. Other means of avoiding crimping or kinking of similar tubing products include changing the tubing wall configuration. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,579,555 and 5,776,115 disclose catheter drainage tubes having protuberances molded into the inner wall to prevent collapse of the tube lumen when the tube is crimped or kinked. Gravity is relied entirely upon for in-situ drainage. Incorporation of a protruding geometry into the inner wall of a tube requires relatively thick walls in order for the molded or extruded wall to maintain shape, and also generally implies that the resultant tube is similar to conventional tubes in terms of rigidity, weight and degree of discomfort in use. In urinary drainage applications, connections to elastomeric conveyance tubing are generally accomplished utilizing the radial elasticity and the frictional properties of the tubing wall material. The end of the conveyance tube is pushed onto and over the opening of a rigid tube (often called the “tube fitting” or “connector”) which is either a physical part of or connected to the urine collector or storage container. This fitting frequently has raised ridges (appearing on the fitting as a series of “rings” around the rigid tube circumference) and may also have an increasing outside diameter moving away from the opening. Both the ridges and the increasing diameter are intended to improve the frictional grip holding the conveyance tubing onto the fitting. Because of its frictional characteristics, the elastomer material can cause physical discomfort to the wearer during prolonged rubbing contact with the skin. As noted above, current urine conveyance devices and prior art with few exceptions depend solely upon gravity-induced flow of urine for transfer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,901 describes a urine collection device for females that includes a conveyance tube that may contain some amount of wicking material to conduct the urine away from the collection area. The conveyance tube is of sufficient rigidity to resist crimping or kinking. No mention is made or implied regarding use of the wicking to enable ascendant (counter gravity) pumping of urine or siphoning urine over a hump. Devices for removal of body and irrigation fluids during and after surgical procedures have made some use of wicking to induce fluid flow. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,966 discloses fluid irrigation drainage using wicking material. In this invention which focuses on aiding surgery on the brain and eye, the wick is placed at the site to be drained in situ, and it draws the fluid into a collection sack that, in turn, is connected via tubing to a disposal bag. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,307 discloses an eye irrigation system, one component of that is a capillary tube for withdrawing waste solution during active irrigation of the eye. Both patents are focused on the application of capillary-aided and siphon-based fluid movement to effect careful in-situ drainage of delicate regions during surgical procedures, and both reflect the efficacy of the technology when the wicks and tubes have been carefully set in place by skilled practitioners as part of the surgical procedure. However, such processes have not been described for hygiene-related devices intended for use by the patient. The patents noted herein provide considerable information regarding the developments that have taken place in this field of technology. However, improved means for conveying urine are needed, in particular because none of the prior art meets the objects of providing the following for ambulatory incontinent individuals. Urine conveyance devices that can be worn unnoticed, thus preserving privacy. Urine conveyance devices that incorporate separate components within their lumen that will ensure that the lumen cannot be completely sealed by a crimping or kinking action on the conveyance tube. Urine conveyance devices that will enable ascendant flow of urine thus enabling conveyance of urine to take place while the user is in a seated position. Urine conveyance devices that will transfer urine by means of a wicking and surface wetting action, thus enabling removal of pools and drops of liquid urine from regions within urine collection and conveyance devices that have components for such wicking or surface wetting deliberately included within them. For conveying urine from point of collection to point of storage, simple substitution of a thin-walled tube for the thicker-walled ones such as are in current use would likely result in a poorer performance with respect to collapsing and sealing off of periodic, low volume flows such as urine incontinence leakage. Additionally, while any open tube may be used as a conduit channel for gravity-driven fluid flow, in order to provide active fluid transport in circumstances where the fluid path is ascendant to a higher point prior to reaching the descendent path, a simple open tube will not work (for example, when the user is seated, urine flow proceeding from the urethral meatus “up” the thigh to a higher point near the knee and thence flowing “down” to a storage container attached to the lower leg). Different technology is needed to accomplish these ends. Storage Devices Background In terms of storing collected urine in liquid form, the most widespread means in current use is a flexible-wall storage container that is connected to the collector via a conveyance tube and either is attached to the user's leg (hence the term, “leg bag”) or is suspended from the waist. Such storage containers are designed to contain up to 450 cc of liquid urine (ca. 1-pint volume or one pound of weight). They are generally made from heavy-gauge film of latex rubber, vinyl, or similar polymer, made with a single storage chamber, and have some type of outlet valve at the bottom of the container for periodically draining the stored urine (e.g. into a toilet). They may also have a valve or inlet control at the conveyance tubing connection. The collected urine accumulates in the container to give a bulging, bulky volume of liquid that moves and sloshes around in response to the motions of the wearer. There are some containers with baffles or other internal attachments between the walls that are intended to limit the wall movement or bulging; however the overall container still bulges. In addition, the containers must be cleaned and disinfected regularly to avoid odor and buildup of microbiological contaminants when they are used for multiple collection cycles. Use patterns and user comments suggest that most containers are discarded after a short use period of 1–2 weeks. U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,816 describes a typical liquid urine storage container that is hung from the waist, and attached to the leg for stability, as part of a complete urine collection system for males. This container includes a manually operated drain valve to control urine discharge. Storage devices containing liquid-absorbent materials are found in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,901 discloses a urine collection system that includes a storage pouch container, which may be filled with a wicking material to store the collected urine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,932 discloses a disposable urine-collecting and storage device that incorporates an absorbent packed in cylindrical shapes that are packaged in a box-like container into which the user urinates. Gel-forming polymeric absorbents are used in some urine-related applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,116 discloses a urine collection container into which a healthy user may urinate and which contains a polymer to gel the urine. The polymer is initially confined in a teabag-like porous sack that will rupture and release the gel upon being wetted by the urine. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,354,132 and 5,531,724 disclose bodily fluid containment bags that contain gelling materials to absorb bodily fluids, including urine, which the user transfers directly by urinating into the bags. These bags have inlet openings that also act as flapper closure devices to limit expulsion of the contained gelled fluids. The polymer absorbent, present in an amount that is described as capable of becoming fully gelled within 30 seconds and sufficient to essentially sequester the bodily fluids and to prevent them from being expelled from the bag, is placed in the bag without confinement to any area within the bag. Both U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,724 and related World Intellectual Property Organization # WO97/39705 disclose a fluid containment bag for gelling bodily fluids which has an opening for receiving those fluids from a catheter. All of these describe the locus of the liquid absorption and gel formation in a single chamber envelope or bag with an inlet and containing gelling agent or absorbent either in a highly-confined mass or in an undefined shape. No provisions are described for deliberate distribution or mixing of the fluid to ensure rapid wetting and gel formation, nor are any provisions made for ensuring a particular shape or form of the absorbed or gelled fluid other than noting the geometrical shape of the envelope or bag. Moreover, placement of unconfined dry solids such as these absorbents in a bag with angular corners often results in accumulation in one corner or along one edge as a result of settling and movement during shipping and handling. Based on these descriptions, prior art for absorptive gelling and solidification of urine in a storage container does not appear to recognize nor to make provision for “blinding”, a physical characteristic of many chemical absorbents that can have a marked effect on their performance in the management of urine leakage for incontinent individuals. This is especially true for the gel-forming super-absorbent polymers. As absorbents begin to imbibe liquid, ones such as the gelling polymers are converted from solid particles to viscous, rubbery gels that swell as they absorb the liquid, developing an ever-thickening layer of gel that surrounds and coats the mass of as-yet unwetted material contained inside. The result is often seen as lumps or chunks of material, having an outer gel coating and containing much of the unused absorbent trapped inside, in a surrounding volume of unabsorbed liquid. Such partially or incompletely swollen gel materials take up liquid at a much slower rate than the dry materials because absorption of the additional liquid is slowed by a change in liquid absorption mechanism; the liquid being absorbed at a later time must move into the absorbent mass via diffusion, which is a much slower process than the surface absorption process initially operative. As a result, the outer layer of swollen gel absorbent becomes an impediment to rapid absorption of the liquid by the remainder of the unused absorbent, an effect frequently termed “blinding” or “blocking” of the incompletely wetted material. To a lesser extent, the same effect is seen in solid, inorganic water absorbents (such as calcium sulfate salts) which when absorbing water undergo changes in crystal structure while they remain in solid form. Such blinding can seriously delay the overall absorption of a liquid resulting in the inability of a given mass of solid absorbent to completely absorb an expected ratio of liquid, and consequently leaving free liquid remaining present for a much longer time than anticipated. This blinding problem is common when liquid is added slowly without mixing to a mass of absorbent that is piled or packed in a shape that yields a minimum surface-to-volume ratio. This is just the situation that can occur for a urine-incontinent individual whose urine flow is generally delivered in small volume increments at moderate volumetric flow rates at frequent intervals. The result of the problem as perceived by the user can be a storage container filling with a fluid mixture of liquid urine and lumps of incompletely reacted absorbent which slowly absorb the free liquid urine. If the solid and free liquid are subject to mixing, such as from mechanical stirring or even from the energy of the new liquid forcefully entering the absorption region, then the effect of blinding can be significantly reduced by the continuous break-up of the bulk of unreacted absorbent that exposes fresh dry surfaces before they become blinded. This is just the situation that occurs in single packages of absorbent materials when used by healthy individuals to collect and contain a full, forceful urination. Thus, the amount of absorbent added to the prior art urine gelling bags and the means of bringing the urine and absorbent together, while potentially sufficient to take up most of the urine from healthy individuals, may not be at all adequate to effectively immobilize the urine collected and confined in a storage container of undefined structure on the leg of an incontinent user. Based on the above, the prior art absorption systems which are intended for healthy individual users and thus may require their urine flow rate and volume to provide the mixing forces required to ensure good absorption, are inadequate to ensure effective and acceptable performance when used by incontinent persons. The urine collection/disposal devices which are single chambers containing dry absorbents either in confined porous packages or distributed as solids in an undefined distribution such as appear in the prior art are all subject to potential blinding and blocking that will result in unpredictable liquid uptake performance and under-utilization of absorbent. The prior art approaches that employ a single envelope for all of the absorbent without means to control the end location of gelling absorption process also have no control on the distribution of the gelled solids after absorption of the urine. There are no means to ensure that the gelled solids will not end up mal-distributed with more of the material in one region such as the lower portion of the envelope, thus resulting in a container that is not of uniform shape or thickness and not at all conformable to body contours. Indeed, it may be less conformable than a current liquid leg bag without a gelling compound. A lumpy, non-conforming container may be useful as a one-time urinate-and-discard device, but it will not be acceptable for wearing for a finite time period by an incontinent user. In order to ensure effective performance, urine storage devices for incontinent users require more deliberate and uniform distribution of urine and of the absorbent materials than is disclosed in prior art. Different technology is needed to accomplish these ends. Current liquid-storage leg bags rely on elasticized straps around the calf or suspension from a waist belt to maintain a desired position on the leg. Putting on these straps is tedious and time consuming. In addition, an improperly fastened leg bag may be more easily dislodged from the secure fastened position with consequent possible urine spillage. From the above, it is clear that the current-art technologies and products available to incontinent individuals who wish to use a system of devices to meet their personal urine management needs are inadequate. Improved means for storing and ultimately disposing of urine are needed. The patents noted herein provide considerable information regarding the developments that have taken place in this field of technology. However, improved means for conveying urine are needed, in particular because none of the prior art meets the objects of providing the following for ambulatory incontinent individuals. Urine collection and storage devices that accommodate the problems of ease of application, removal and changing. Urine conduit devices that can be worn unnoticed, thus preserving privacy. Urine collection, conveyance and storage devices that offer minimum potential for embarrassing leakage. Urine storage devices that afford a convenient, discrete, and sanitary means for disposing of collected urine. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a urine management system that is comprised of a collection device, a conveyance tube, and a storage container, that accommodates ambulatory use, and that, in particular, addresses the problem of incontinence, overcoming the above-described limitations and disadvantages of the prior art. A specific object of the present invention is to provide a urine conveyance tube that is readily adaptable to a range of routine human body motions and that will reliably conduct the flow of urine without blockage due to such motions. This tube connects a urine collection device with a urine storage device. A further object of the present invention is to provide a urine conveyance tube that, can collapse to a flatter geometry when no fluid urine is in the lumen of the tube, and yet can also easily change in internal shape and dimensions so as to accommodate simultaneous, countercurrent flow of urine and atmospheric gases internal to the urine collection and storage devices. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine conveyance tube whose internal lumen contains along its entire length a separating body that prevents complete blockage of fluid flow due to kinking, crimping, or otherwise collapsing. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine conveyance tube that can, when desirable, accommodate ascending flow of urine, overcoming the force of gravity for a finite distance. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine conveyance tube that will have capability for limiting the growth of microbial organisms in that urine by maintaining antibacterial conditions at one or more locations along the urine flow path within the tube. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a set of one or more devices for connecting this novel urine conveyance tube with novel collection devices and novel storage devices. These connecting devices can be combined with combinations of the novel urine conveyance tube and other urine handling devices to form kits of devices from which various urine management systems for incontinent individuals may be constructed. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide an easy-to-use, secure, minimally protruding and comfortable means to store urine that has been conveyed from urine collection means. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine storage container that is readily adaptable to human body contours and movements, and that will reliably absorb urine conveyed to it, converting the urine to a form in which the urine no longer has liquid-like flow properties. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine storage container that will provide a more uniform weight distribution than current urine storage leg bags. The container may be provided in flattened configuration which expands open only as it fills with urine. The container may be attached around the leg, worn attached and hanging from the waist, or worn attached to clothing. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine storage container that can be shape-fitted around a limb and that can be self-tightening to maintain position as the container fills with urine. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a storage container containing an absorbent or gel-forming polymer that will, when contacted with the conveyed urine, become partially or wholly filled with absorbed or gelled liquid that does not move or flow like a liquid when the container wearer moves. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a storage container that will convey and distribute liquids to be absorbed such as urine by wicking or other distributive means into the immediate vicinity of unused or partially used absorbent material so as to facilitate fluid transfer to the absorbent materials which are intended to absorb that increment of liquid. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a storage container that ill have the capability for limiting the growth of microbial organisms in that urine by maintaining antibacterial conditions at one or more locations along the urine flow path within the storage container. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a single-use storage container that may be made of lightweight materials. Without the need to withstand multiple cycles of cleaning and reuse, the wall structure of the storage container does not need to be especially heavy or rugged. A single-use storage container eliminates cleaning of the storage container and assures cleanliness and freedom from residual urine odor. The storage container may be provided in internally sterile condition, if so desired. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a storage container that, together with its content of absorbed or gelled urine, can be disposed of as sanitary solid waste. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a storage container in which no drain opening for liquids is needed, thus avoiding that significant source of accidental leakage from liquid storage containers. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a storage container that will facilitate absorption of liquids delivered from other storage containers. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a set of one or more devices for connecting this novel urine storage container with currently existent devices for collecting, conveying, and storing urine. These connecting devices can be combined with combinations of this novel urine storage container and existent urine handling devices to form kits of devices from which various urine management systems for incontinent individuals may be constructed. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use, secure, leak-free, minimally visible, and health-promoting urine collection device for human males. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine collection device for human males that is easy to put on and remove, that provides a urine-resistant leak seal, and that will reliably transfer urine emitted from the penile urethral opening to a conveyance device for transfer to storage. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine collection device that will remove residual drops and pools of urine, especially those in contact with the users skin, and will promote the exchange of atmosphere next to the penile skin, thus promoting the health of those skin surfaces. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a urine collection device for human males that can be easily and conveniently applied to the penis. A yet still further object of the present inventions is to provide a urine collection device for human males that will adhere to the penis in any condition of the organ without the need for adhesives or similar adherent materials. A yet still further object of the present inventions is to provide a urine collection device for human males that will remove any freestanding pools or drops of urine from the collection device and transport that urine to the conduit tube for removal. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device that will have the capability for limiting the growth of microbial organisms in that urine by maintaining antibacterial conditions at one or more locations along the urine flow path within the collection device. A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a set of one or more devices for connecting this novel urine collection device with currently existent devices for conveying and storing urine. The connecting devices can be combined with combinations of this novel urine collection device and the existent urine handling devices to form kits of devices from which various urine management systems for incontinent individuals may be constructed. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a novel urine management system that, in addition to performing its functions of urine collection, conveyance, and storage, will also provide capability to remove residual liquid urine remaining in the collector and conveyance devices after the aforementioned functions are completed. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a novel urine management system that will provide enhanced capability to remove residual liquid urine that is not removed from the collection device and the conveyance device by gravity drainage. Removal of this residual urine will minimize excessive exposure of penis skin to the moisture and decomposition products from this residual urine can result in injury to that skin. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a novel urine management system that will have capability for gathering residual urine and for limiting the growth of microbial organisms in that urine, thereby minimizing the potential for introduction of any system-generated microorganisms into the urinary tract of the user. By facilitating the gathering of isolated pools of residual liquid urine into the wicking, and by maintaining antibacterial conditions at one or more locations along the urine flow path within the management system, both the growth of such infectious agents and transport into the urethral region will be discouraged. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a set of one or more devices for serially-connecting the novel devices for collecting, conveying, and storing urine such that the several contiguous connections of wicking and wetting components are maintained. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male comprising means for collection of urine from a human male comprising proximal and distal ends and outer and inner surfaces; means for storage of urine before disposal of urine comprising proximal and distal ends and outer and inner surfaces; means for conveying urine from the means for collection of urine to means for storage of urine comprising proximal and distal ends and outer and inner surfaces; and means for wicking urine away from a human male wherein the means for wicking moves urine away from a human male through the means for collection and the means for conveyance, and deposits the urine in the means for storage. The system further comprises a first means of connection which connects the means for collection with the means for conveying and which comprises an outer surface and an inner surface; and a second means of connection which connects the means for conveying with the means for storage and which comprises an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the first means of connection is selected from a group consisting of fixed and removable, and the second means of connection is selected from a group consisting of fixed and removable, and wherein the distal end of the means for collection is connected to the proximal end of the means for conveyance through the first means for connection, and the distal end of the means for conveyance is connected to the proximal end of the storage device through the second means for connection. The first means for connection further comprises a collector-conveyance connector; and a conveyance-collector connector; and the second means for connection comprises a storage-conveyance connector; and a conveyance-storage connector, wherein the conveyance-collector connector forms the proximal end of the means for conveyance, the collector-conveyance connector forms the distal end of the means for collection, the conveyance-storage connector forms the distal end of the means for conveyance, and the storage-conveyance connector forms the proximal end of the means for storage. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for wicking comprises a first wicking spacer disposed within the means for collection; and a second wicking spacer disposed within the means for conveying, and a third wicking spacer disposed within the means for storage of the urine; wherein the first wicking spacer piece forms contiguous wicking connections between the first wicking spacer and the second wicking spacer; and the second wicking spacer piece forming contiguous wicking connections between the second wicking spacer and the third wicking spacer, wherein the first wicking spacer, the first wicking spacer piece, the second wicking spacer, the second wicking spacer piece, and the third wicking spacer collectively form a complete wicking path from the means for collection to the means for storage that can transmit urine both anti-gravitationally. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male comprising at least one continuous urine impervious shell disposed on the outer surface of the means for collection, the outer surface of the means for storage, and the outer surface of the means of conveying. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for wicking comprises a material selected from a group consisting of rayon acetate needled felting; single component fibers selected from a group consisting of wool, cotton, rayon, nylon, and polyester; blended fibers selected from a group consisting of wool, cotton, rayon, nylon, and polyester; the single component and the blended fibers fabricated into a form selected from a group consisting of yarns, woven fabrics, mats, and felts; open-cell foamed polymers, elastomers such as polyurethane foams; open-mesh materials such as steel wool; meshes of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene; and flexible solids such as latex. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for collection comprises a means for wicking the urine away from the penis; a thin-wall hollow conduction tube having proximal and distal ends and a cavity sufficiently large to surround the penis; and a compression tube having proximal and distal ends and sufficient size to be disposed around and provide radial compression contact upon the penis at the proximal end of the conduction tube, wherein the means for wicking is disposed within the conduction tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the compression tube for securing a liquid collection device onto the penis of a human male comprises a thin-wall material having exterior and interior surfaces from which the compression tube is constructed; means for expanding the compression tube wherein the means for expanding is attached to the thin-wall material for opening the compression tube to insert the penis; collection device interface; and wherein the compression tube is properly sized to provide an area of radial compression contact on the conduction tube that is sufficient to minimize the slippage of the conduction tube and to seal against leakage of the urine from the means for collection, and further wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the compression tube proximal end is connected to the conduction tube proximal end and is properly sized to provide an area of radial compression contact on the penis that is sufficient to minimize the slippage of the compression tube and to seal against leakage of the urine between the penis and the compression tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the conduction tube comprises a material selected from a group consisting of thin-wall PE “lay-flat” tubing, rubbery polymer, silicone rubber, latex rubber, polyolefin, flexible film material, fabrics, elastic, and elasticized fabric wherein the material is physically flexible, facilitates liquid sealing, and enables frictional stability of the collection device when worn by the human male. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the thin-wall material of the compression tube comprises at least one layer and is selected from a group consisting of woven elastomeric fabric, non-woven elastic fabric, elastic fiber-containing fabric, elastomeric sheeting made from latex rubber, and elastomeric sheeting made from silicone rubber wherein the material is adaptable to waterproof coating and wherein the material, after waterproof coating, can still allow evaporation of water vapor from the penis. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the compression tube distal end is connected to the collection device interface proximal end and the conduction tube proximal end is connected to the collection device interface distal end, the compression tube is properly sized to provide an area of radial compression contact on the penis that is sufficient to minimize the slippage of the compression tube and to seal against leakage of the urine between the penis and the compression tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for expanding the compression tube comprises at least two tube-spreading tools each having at least one leg and at least one tip; and at least two receiving openings disposed upon the perimeter of the thin-wall material for holding in place the tube-spreading tool, wherein the tool-spreading tool tips fit into the receiving openings to be used in opposition for expanding the compression tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the tube-spreading tool tip is long enough to enlarge the entire length of the compression tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the receiving openings have a form selected from a group consisting of one or more recesses along the perimeter of the compression tube and loops of fabric or fiber. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein each the tube-spreading tool is disposed with two handles that are connected to and operate in scissors-like cooperation with the tube-spreading legs in mated pair such that when one the handle is moved towards the other the handle, one the leg moves away from the other the leg. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the tube-spreading tool is an integral part of the compression tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male further comprising a human ale penis tip inserted into the means for collection wherein the first wicking spacer disposed within the means for collection is located between the penis tip and the first means of connection. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for wicking comprises first wicking spacer disposed within the means for collection; second wicking spacer disposed within the means for conveying, third wicking spacer disposed within the means for storage of the urine; first wicking spacer piece forming contiguous wicking connections between the first wicking spacer and the second wicking spacer; and second wicking spacer piece forming contiguous wicking connections between the second wicking spacer and the third wicking spacer, wherein the first wicking spacer, the first wicking spacer piece, the second wicking spacer, the second wicking spacer piece, and the third wicking spacer collectively form a complete wicking path from the means for collection to the means for storage, and further comprising a human male penis tip inserted into the means for collection wherein the first wicking spacer disposed within the means for collection is located between the penis tip and the collector-conveyance connector. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the first wicking spacer comprises a y-shape having a tail and two legs such that the legs of the y-shape lie in proximity to the interior surface of the means for collection. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for collection comprises slitted sheath tube having left and right slit flaps and a tube cavity sufficiently large to surround the penis; means for securing the left slit flap to the right slit flap; and means for wicking the urine away from the penis that is disposed within the slitted sheath tube, wherein the slitted sheath tube is held in place on the penis by the means for securing, and wherein the means for securing the left slit flap to the right slit flap comprises multiple hook-and-loop fasteners or a zip-lock-type fastener. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for collection comprises sheath tube having a tube cavity sufficiently large to surround the penis and an opening radial edge; means for covering the penis with the sheath tube; means for securing the sheath tube to the penis; and means for wicking the urine away from the penis that is disposed within the sheath tube, wherein the sheath tube is held in place on the penis by the means for securing. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for covering the penis, having tip and shaft, with the sheath tube comprises a ring of expandable tubing sized to fit the penis shaft, wherein the ring is fixedly connected to the sheath tube opening radial edge, the sheath tube is rolled upon the expandable tubing, and the sheath is rolled off of the expandable tubing starting from the penis tip and traveling up the penis shaft until the sheath is fully extended, and wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises the ring of expandable tubing. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for covering the penis, having tip and shaft, with the sheath tube comprises a rigid plastic bellows expandable to fit the penis shaft, wherein the bellows is removably connected to the sheath tube opening radial edge, the sheath tube is rolled upon the expandable bellows, the sheath is rolled off of the expandable bellows starting from the penis tip and traveling up the penis shaft until the sheath is fully extended, and the bellows are removed from the sheath tube, and wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for covering the penis, having tip and shaft, with the sheath tube comprises a spring expandable to fit the penis shaft; and a toothed plastic strap disposed within the spring that allows the spring to expand but not contract, wherein the spring/strap combination is removably connected to the sheath tube opening radial edge, the sheath tube is rolled upon the expandable spring/strap, the sheath is rolled off of the expandable spring/strap starting from the penis tip and traveling up the penis shaft until the sheath is fully extended, and the spring/strap is removed from the sheath tube, and further, the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for covering the penis having tip and shaft with the sheath tube comprises a jaw ring expander for extending the sheath the length of the penis shaft comprising hand rest having hand end and ring end wherein a user grasps the hand rest at the hand end; expandable jaw ring having means for connection to the ring end of the hand rest; and lever having means of connection to the hand end of the hand rest, wherein the expandable jaw ring expands when the lever is depressed by the user, the sheath is draped over the expandable jaw ring, the sheath is moved longitudinally up the penis shaft by the expandable jaw ring, the sheath contracts to fit the penis, and the lever is depressed to expand the expandable jaw ring sufficiently to remove the expandable jaw ring from the penis, and further, the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for conveyance comprises waterproof conveyance tube film layer; conveyance tube having an exterior surface upon which the waterproof conveyance tube film layer is disposed and a hollow interior into which the penis is placed; means for wicking the urine through the conveyance tube wherein the means for wicking prevents the interior of the conveyance tube from becoming blocked when crimped or kinked; wherein the means for wicking is disposed within the conveyance tube film layer and the combination of the means for wicking with the film layer is sufficiently flexible to conform to normal bodily movement and position. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for wicking comprises a material, having internal structure and external surface, wherein the internal structure is flexible, of low density so as not to add substantial weight to the conveyance tube, open/porous, and relatively more wettable by water than polyolefins, and wherein the surface is rough. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for wicking is selected from a group consisting of rayon felt having a width from approximately 15 to 50 mm (0.6 to 2 inch) and a thickness from approximately 2.54 to 5.08 mm (0.1 to 0.2 inch); bonded cellulose acetate fiber bundle; nylon mesh; and polyethylene films in 3- to 10-mil thickness. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the waterproof conveyance tube film layer is selected from a group consisting of a wettable material and a material that has been subjected to surface treatments to render that the conveyance tube film layer wettable for holding liquid. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the means for storage comprises means for wicking the urine into and within the means for storage; means for directing the urine into specific parts of the means for storage; means for absorbing the urine within the means for storage; and means for retaining the urine within the means for storage, the means for wicking, the transport channel, the barrier wall, and the urine absorption element are all enclosed in the urine impervious outer walls wherein the outer edges of the urine impervious outer walls are sealed by a means selected from a group consisting of folding, thermal bonding, and adhesive bonding, and further, wherein the means for directing the urine into specific parts of the means for storage comprises barrier walls and compartment-defining lines, and still further, wherein the means for storage comprises straps connected to the means for storage for mounting the means for storage onto the human male. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male further comprising means for mounting the means for storage onto the human male. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein the conveyance tube comprises thin-wall material. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide, in creating an opening for inserting a human male penis into an expandable urine collection tube disposed with receiving openings along the perimeter of the urine collection tube, a method for using a tube-spreading tool having at least two legs each attached to at least one tip comprising inserting the tips of the tube-spreading tool into the receiving openings; applying pressure to the legs to expand the expandable urine collection tube to form a cavity within the urine collection tube; inserting the penis into the cavity; releasing the pressure on the legs wherein the urine collection tube compresses on the penis; and removing the tips of the tube-spreading tool from the receiving openings. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device for collecting urine from the penis of a human male comprising thin-wall hollow conduction tube having proximal and distal ends and a cavity sufficiently large to surround the penis; means for wicking the urine away from the penis that is disposed within the conduction tube; and compression tube having proximal and distal ends and sufficient radial size at the proximal end to be disposed around and provide radial compression contact upon the penis and the proximal end of the conduction tube, and further, wherein the means for wicking is disposed primarily within the distal end of the conduction tube, and still further wherein the compression tube is properly sized to provide radial compression contact on the conduction tube that is sufficient to minimize the slippage of the conduction tube and to seal against leakage of the urine between the penis and the conduction tube, and yet still further, wherein the compression tube distal end is connected to the conduction tube proximal end and is properly sized to provide an area of radial compression contact on the penis that is sufficient to minimize the slippage of the compression tube and to seal against leakage of the urine between the penis and the compression tube, and yet still further, wherein the conduction tube comprises a material selected from a group consisting of thin-wall PE “lay-flat” tubing, rubbery polymer, silicone rubber, latex rubber, polyolefin, flexible film material, fabrics, elastic, and elasticized fabric wherein the material is physically flexible, facilitates liquid sealing, and enables frictional stability of the collection device when worn by the human male, and yet still further, wherein the wicking comprises a material selected from a group consisting of rayon felt, and yet still further, comprising a means for expanding the compression tube comprising at least two tube-spreading tools each having at least one leg and at least one tip; and at least two receiving openings disposed upon the perimeter of the thin-wall material for holding in place the tube-spreading tool, wherein the tool-spreading tool tips fit into the receiving openings to be used in opposition for expanding the compression tube, and yet still further, wherein the tube-spreading tool tip is long enough to enlarge the entire length of the compression tube, and yet still further, wherein the receiving openings have a form selected from a group consisting of one or more recesses along the perimeter of the compression tube and loops of fabric or fiber, and yet still further, wherein each the tube-spreading tool is disposed with two handles that are connected to and operate in scissors-like cooperation with the tube-spreading legs in mated pair such that when one the handle is moved towards the other the handle, one the leg moves away from the other the leg, and yet still further, wherein the tube-spreading tool is an integral part of the compression tube, and yet still further, wherein the first wicking spacer comprises a y-shape having a tail and two legs such that the legs of the y-shape lie in proximity to the interior surface of the conduction tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device for collecting urine from the penis of a human male comprising slitted sheath tube having left and right slit flaps and a tube cavity sufficiently large to surround the penis; means for securing the left slit flap to the right slit flap; and means for wicking the urine away from the penis that is disposed within the slitted sheath tube, wherein the slitted sheath tube is held in place on the penis by the means for securing, and further, wherein the means for securing the left slit flap to the right slit flap comprises multiple hook-and-loop fasteners, and yet further, wherein the means for securing the left slit flap to the right slit flap comprises a zip-lock-type fastener. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device for collecting urine from the penis of a human male comprising sheath tube having a tube cavity sufficiently large to surround the penis and an opening radial edge; means for covering the penis with the sheath tube; means for securing the sheath tube to the penis; and means for wicking the urine away from the penis that is disposed within the sheath tube, wherein the sheath tube is held in place on the penis by the means for securing, and further wherein the means for covering the penis, having tip and shaft, with the sheath tube comprises a ring of expandable tubing sized to fit the penis shaft, wherein the ring is fixedly connected to the sheath tube opening radial edge, the sheath tube is rolled upon the expandable tubing, and the sheath is rolled off of the expandable tubing starting from the penis tip and traveling up the penis shaft until the sheath is fully extended, and further wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises the ring of expandable tubing, and yet further, wherein the means for covering the penis, having tip and shaft, with the sheath tube comprises a rigid plastic bellows expandable to fit the penis shaft, wherein the bellows is removably connected to the sheath tube opening radial edge, the sheath tube is rolled upon the expandable bellows, the sheath is rolled off of the expandable bellows starting from the penis tip and traveling up the penis shaft until the sheath is fully extended, and the bellows are removed from the sheath tube, and yet still further, wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device wherein the means for covering the penis, having tip and shaft, with the sheath tube comprises a spring expandable to fit the penis shaft; and a toothed plastic strap disposed within the spring that allows the spring to expand but not contract, wherein the spring/strap combination is removably connected to the sheath tube opening radial edge, the sheath tube is rolled upon the expandable spring/strap, the sheath is rolled off of the expandable spring/strap starting from the penis tip and traveling up the penis shaft until the sheath is fully extended, and the spring/strap is removed from the sheath tube, and further, wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device wherein the means for covering the penis having tip and shaft with the sheath tube comprises a jaw ring expander for extending the sheath the length of the penis shaft comprising hand rest having hand end and ring end wherein a user grasps the hand rest at the hand end; expandable jaw ring having means for connection to the ring end of the hand rest; and lever having means of connection to the hand end of the hand rest, wherein the expandable jaw ring expands when the lever is depressed by the user, the sheath is draped over the expandable jaw ring, the sheath is moved longitudinally up the penis shaft by the expandable jaw ring, the sheath contracts to fit the penis, and the lever is depressed to expand the expandable jaw ring sufficiently to remove the expandable jaw ring from the penis, and further, wherein the means for securing the sheath tube to the penis shaft comprises elastic-like material from which the sheath tube is fabricated. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a compression tube having proximal and distal ends for securing a liquid collection device onto the penis of a human male comprising thin-wall tube having interior and exterior surfaces; means for expansion; and collection device interface, wherein the thin-wall tube surrounds the penis through the means for expansion and secures the collection device onto the penis through the collection device interface, and further, wherein the thin-wall material comprises at least one layer and is selected from a group consisting of woven elastomeric fabric, non-woven elastic fabric, elastic fiber-containing fabric, elastomeric sheeting made from latex rubber, and elastomeric sheeting made from silicone rubber wherein the material is adaptable to waterproof coating and wherein the material, after waterproof coating, can still allow evaporation of water vapor from the penis, and further, wherein the compression tube distal end is connected to the collection device interface proximal end and the conduction tube proximal end is connected to the collection device interface distal end, the compression tube is properly sized to provide an area of radial compression contact on the penis that is sufficient to minimize the slippage of the compression tube and to seal against leakage of the urine between the penis and the compression tube, and yet further, wherein the means for expanding the compression tube comprises at least two tube-spreading tools each having at least one leg and at least one tip; and at least two receiving openings disposed upon the perimeter of the thin-wall material for holding in place the tube-spreading tool, wherein the tool-spreading tool tips fit into the receiving openings to be used in opposition for expanding the compression tube, and yet still further, wherein the tube-spreading tool tip is long enough to enlarge the entire length of the compression tube, and yet still further, wherein the receiving openings have a form selected from a group consisting of one or more recesses along the perimeter of the compression tube and loops of fabric or fiber, and yet still further, wherein each the tube-spreading tool is disposed with two handles that are connected to and operate in scissors-like cooperation with the tube-spreading legs in mated pair such that when one the handle is moved towards the other the handle, one the leg moves away from the other the leg, and yet still further, wherein the tube-spreading tool is an integral part of the compression tube, and yet still further, comprising a human male penis tip inserted into the means for collection wherein the first wicking spacer disposed within the means for collection is located between the penis tip and the first means of connection. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a method for pretreating with rayon felt and liquid cleaner a urine collection tube having an interior surface for collecting urine from human males comprising wetting the rayon felt with the liquid cleaner; wiping the interior surface completely with the wetted rayon felt; and allowing the interior surface to dry for at least one hour at room temperature so that the interior surface enabled the urine collection device to draw the urine away from the point of collection of the human male, and yet further, comprising inflating the urine collection tube with air in order to break the wall-to-wall adhesion of the tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a process for rendering the interior surface of a urine collection tube wettable by water selected from a group consisting of pretreatment by corona discharge, pretreatment by flame, and retreatment by liquid cleaner. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a compression tube, having interior and exterior surfaces, for stabilizing and securing the location of a urine collection tube and liquid sealing the compression tube using liquid rubber cement, spandex fabric, latex rubber, and rayon felt comprising connecting a rectangle of the spandex fabric to itself along its short edges; lightly coating portions of the interior surface of the compression tube with the liquid rubber cement; allowing the interior surface coating to dry; coating the exterior surface of the compression tube with the liquid rubber cement; bonding a sheet of the latex rubber to the exterior surface of the compression tube where the exterior surface was coated with the liquid rubber cement; and attaching a strip of the rayon felt to the interior surface of the compression tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a method for use of a urine collection system for a human penis having a conduction tube having interior and exterior surfaces and a compression tube having interior and exterior surfaces comprising applying friction enhancer coating to portions of the compression tube; applying at least one circumferential ring of fluid impervious coating to the surface of the penis and not coincident with the friction enhancer coating wherein the coating is a material selected from a group consisting of urine resistant cream and urine resistant jelly product; extending the conduction tube proximally along the shaft of the penis; extending the compression tube adjacent to the conduction tube proximally along the shaft of the penis wherein the compression tube overlays the conduction tube for a distance sufficient such that the compression tube is completely underlain by the conduction tube and the compression tube provides compression onto the conduction tube so that both the tube and the tube remain in position on the penis, and further, wherein the friction enhancer coating is latex rubber, and yet further, wherein the fluid impervious coating is a material selected from a group consisting of silicone rubber of low durometer and foamed polymer having elastomeric properties. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a method for use of a urine collection system for a human penis having a conduction tube having interior and exterior surfaces and a compression tube having interior and exterior surfaces and proximal and distal ends comprising attaching the conduction tube to the compression tube forming a conduction tube/compression tube combination; applying friction enhancer coating to portions of the compression tube; applying at least one circumferential ring of fluid impervious coating to the surface of the penis and not coincident with the friction enhancer coating wherein the fluid impervious coating is a material selected from a group consisting of urine resistant cream and urine resistant jelly product; extending the conduction tube/compression tube combination proximally along the shaft of the penis wherein the compression tube provides compression onto the penis so that the conduction tube/compression tube combination remains in position on the penis, and further, wherein the friction enhancer coating is latex rubber, and further, wherein the fluid impervious coating is a material selected from a group consisting of silicone rubber of low durometer and foamed polymer having elastomeric properties, and yet further, comprising enlarging the compression tube to fit over the penis wherein the enlarging step is accomplished by applying outward tension forces to open the compression tube at the proximal end. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a method of use for a system for collecting, conveying through a tube, and storing urine discharged from a human male comprising collecting the urine from incontinence leakage from the human male; conveying the urine through said tube; storing said urine in immobilized form in a means for storage; filling said first means for storage to its capacity; replacing said first means for storage when it has reached said capacity with second means for storage; and disposing of said first means for storage as solid sanitary waste. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a conveyance tube for conveying urine from a human male collection device to a urine storage device comprising a conduction tube having walls of any thickness and an interior cavity within said walls; and wicking spacer disposed within said conduction tube wherein said wicking spacer wicks said urine away from said collection device and prevents said conveyance tube from completely collapsing when said interior cavity is empty, and further, wherein said conduction tube comprises a material having thin walls of varying cross-section selected from a group consisting of rubbery polymer such as silicone rubber, latex rubber, elastic or elasticized fabric coated; polyolefins; latex; and Polymeric film, and further, wherein said wicking spacer comprises knitted nylon, and further, wherein said conduction tube is flat tube when said interior cavity is empty of said urine and inflated when said interior cavity is filled with said urine, and yet further, wherein said wicking spacer is connected to said interior cavity of said conduction tube, and yet still further, wherein said interior cavity of said conduction tube comprises a wettable material. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a means for storage of liquid urine collected through a means for collection from an incontinent and mobile human male comprising storage container for said liquid urine having an outer shell and an inner cavity; and spacer wicking disposed within said storage bag to store said urine within said storage container, and further, wherein said inner cavity of said storage container is divided into areas to facilitate immobilization of said urine within said storage container and is coated with a gel selected from a group consisting of polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid: Na+ salt, polyacrylic acid: Na+ salt on starch, resin fine particles in paper fiber matrix, needled felt pads, absorbent paper towels, and gel resin combined with inorganic absorbent, and yet further, comprising absorbent material disposed within said inner cavity of said storage container selected from a group consisting of super absorbent polymers, cellulose, cellulose-derived materials, and wettable, fiberous materials, and yet still further, comprising a means for distributing said urine throughout said inner cavity of said storage container, and yet still further, comprising a means for attaching said storage container to said human male, and yet still further, wherein said means for attaching said storage container comprises leg straps attached to said outer shell of said storage container for wrapping around the leg of said human male, and yet still further, comprising a means for connecting said storage container to said means for collection, and yet still further, wherein the material of said outer shell of said storage container is selected from a group consisting of thin polymer film and heavy polymer film, and yet still further, wherein said storage container is disposable as sanitary waste. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting, conveying, and storing urine discharged from a human male wherein said urine is transported upgradient from said urine collection device through said conveyance tube. A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a method for use of a human urine management system comprising a urine collection device, a thin-walled flat tube containing wicking and spacers, a means for attaching said tube to said human, a storage container, a means for attaching said storage container to said human, and a means for presenting a fresh storage container, said method comprising attaching said urine collection device to said human; attaching said tube to said urine collection device; attaching said tube to said human via said means for attaching said tube; attaching said storage container to said tube; attaching said storage container to said human via said means for attaching said storage container; depositing urine into said urine collection device; and changing said storage container when said container is full, and yet further, wherein said storage container is disposable, and yet still further, wherein said storage container is reusable. Additional objects, advantages, and other novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

This invention relates generally to fluid treatment systems, and more particularly to a system, method and dual configuration check valve for the continuous cleansing of reverse osmosis membranes contained within the system. The reverse osmosis membrane is well suited to, and accepted for, purifying a variety of liquids, including sea water, ground water, and the like. However, the input surface of the membrane against which the pressurized input fluid to be purified is forced against and through becomes clogged of solid materials which have been filtered out to produce product liquid. As the deposit on the input surface of the membrane increase, efficiency of the membrane decreases rapidly. A number of U.S. patents attempt to address the issue of cleansing of the filter or reverse osmosis membrane either during use or in conjunction with the interruption of the purifying process as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,642,188 DeVisser, et al. PA1 4,629,568 Ellis, III PA1 4,632,754 Wood PA1 4,705,625 Hart, Jr. PA1 3,398,834 Nuttall, et al. PA1 3,959,146 Bray PA1 4,218,317 Kirschmann PA1 3,922,301 Shippey, et al. PA1 3,282,432 Greenleaf, Jr. PA1 4,814,086 Bratt PA1 4,744,895 Gales, et al. However, none of these references disclose the present system or method, nor do these references approach the relatively high efficiency achieved with the present system, both in terms of being devoid of downtime, as well as the unique and highly efficient and conserving arrangement of utilizing product liquid to accomplish cleansing of the membrane.

In order to increase the efficiency of airplane engines, the clearance is reduced between the rotary portions formed by bladed wheels (or rotor stages) and the stationary portions surrounding them and constituted by casings that also support series of stationary vanes (or stator stages). Nevertheless, this reduction in clearance increases the risk of contact being made between the moving blades of the bladed wheel and the facing casing segments, and some such contacts can lead to systems instabilities. FIG. 1 shows such a casing 10 provided with a layer of abradable material 12 on its inside face, shown together with a bladed wheel 20 mounted in the housing defined by the casing 10. Such contacts take place in particular at transient speeds as a result of local or continuous interference between the tip of a blade and the facing track of the casing. When such contact is made, it will be understood that the blades can be subjected to high levels of stress presenting a vibratory nature, and that under such circumstances they can be caused to vibrate in one of their resonant modes. Under such circumstances, the level of vibration increases very quickly, subjecting the blades concerned to deformations that are liable to exceed their endurance limit, thereby leading to degradation of the abradable tracks and to damage to the blades (blade tip heating, fatigue cracking, permanent deformation, . . . ) that can lead to blades breaking. As a general rule, the phenomenon is very short lived, either because some external event puts an end to it (change of speed of rotation of the rotor, thermal transient, . . . ), or else because the resonant frequency of the damaged blade is changed, thereby putting the system out of tune. The phenomenon might involve a single blade, a set of blades, or the entire wheel, i.e. all of the blades, where the all-blade phenomenon occurs rarely, simply because of dispersions in blade length due to fabrication. In general, in order to limit such damage, the leading edge and/or the trailing edge is offset so that contact does not take place in those locations but rather in zones where the blade is more robust: this is to the detriment of performance. FR 2 869 069 discloses taking consideration of the vibratory phenomenon due to the blades of a bladed wheel and avoiding resonance phenomena by deliberately de-tuning the bladed wheel. Nevertheless, under such circumstances, no account is taken of rotor and stator interactions, also known as “coupling phenomena”, that occur between the vibratory modes of the bladed wheel and the vibratory modes of the assembly formed by the casing and the bladed wheel.

In ink-jet recording, recording of images and text is performed by ejecting minute ink droplets based on various action principles to be deposited on recording materials such as paper. Ink-jet recording exhibits advantages such as relatively high speed, low noise, and easy realization of multicolor formation. In recent years, since ink-jet recording enables simple and less expensive formation of images, it has been applied to various printing fields such as photography, various kinds of printing, marking, and special printing such as color filters. Specifically, by employing ink-jet recording apparatuses which eject minute ink droplets and control them, ink-jet inks which result in an improved range of color reproduction, durability, as well as ejection adaptability, and specialized paper sheets of which ink absorbability, color forming properties of colorants and surface glossiness are markedly improved, it has become possible to result in image quality comparable to conventional silver salt photography. Improvement in image quality of the current ink-jet recording systems have only been achieved by integration of ink-jet recording apparatuses, ink-jet inks, and recording materials. In ink-jet printers employed for ink-jet recording, since recording is performed by depositing ink droplets from ink-jet heads on recording materials, the printers exhibit advantages such as easer downsizing of the recording device, capability of recording highly detailed images at a relatively high rate, lower running cost, and the ease of recording of color images. Of late, in view of highly detailed image recording, the nozzle orifice size of ink-jet heads has decreased. However, when the nozzle orifice size decreases, ink clogging and decap at the nozzle section tend to occur. “Decap” indicates a phenomenon of clogging at the nozzles caused by evaporation of a solvent (such as water) contained in the ink. In order to minimize these problems, maintenance such as suction and wiping of the nozzle section is more frequently performed, resulting in necessity of longer maintenance time in addition to image printing time. Specifically, at present, since higher printing rates are demanded, an increase in time required for the above maintenance due to the decreased nozzle orifice size has become a major problem. On the other hand, ink-jet printers are known which employ a serial printing system in which scanning is performed in such a manner that the ink-jet head moves in the direction which crosses the conveyances direction of recording materials and a line printing system in which the ink-jet head is fixed perpendicular to the conveyance direction of recording materials. In ink-jet printers employing the above line printing system, fixed type parallel recording heads are employed which are arranged at a right angle to the conveying direction of recording materials, and in that system, recording is performed employing only secondary scanning while recording materials are conveyed in the conveying direction. While ink is ejected from the ink-jet heads and over-all one-line recording is continuously performed, paper is conveyed at a specified rate, whereby images are formed on the entire area of the recording material. This method makes it possible to easily achieve a high rate of printing. On the other hand, however, since ink heads are fixed, resulting in mechanism making it difficult to perform maintenance. As a result, as noted above, demand is increasing to reduce maintenance time, due to ink clogging and decap in the nozzle section as, short as possible. On the contrary, in ink-jet printers employing the serial printing system (hereinafter occasionally referred to as the shuttle head system), while intermittently conveying the recording material, images are formed by moving ink-jet heads in the direction which crosses at right angles to the conveying direction of recording materials. In these serial system ink-jet printers, it is easy to perform maintenance, but has been difficult to consistently prepare highly detailed images. Further, since ink-jet heads are mechanically driven back and forth, there are drawbacks for enhancement of the printing rate. Proposed as a method to minimize clogging due to ink and decap, which hinder an increase in printing rate and formation of highly detailed images is, for example, one in which formation of a network and aggregates in ink is minimized by incorporating anion oxides as a surface active agent in the ink (refer, for example, to Patent Document 1). However, employed as ink solvents, proposed in the above method, are those composed of water exhibiting a high vapor pressure as a main component. Subsequently, problems are inherent in which capability capable of minimizing decap is limited due to an increase in viscosity of ink liquid caused by water evaporation. Further proposed is a method (refer, for example, to Patent Document 2), which selects ink constituting materials in such a manner that water, water-soluble organic solvents, and water-soluble dyes are employed so that even though components such as water, which have a relatively high vapor pressure, are evaporated, the resultant ink is not solidified and the variation ratio of viscosity of the ink liquid is within a factor of ten, compared to the initial viscosity. However, in this method, it becomes necessary to select dyes which are highly soluble in solvents which did not evaporate. As a result, diffusion of dyes after being printed on recording materials increases, resulting in bleeding. Further, disclosed is ink in which specified latex polymers, 3-hexyl-2,5-diol, and 1,2-octane-diol are simultaneously used (refer, for example, to Patent Document 3). However, in this method, since an excessive added amount of 2-octanediol results in feathering, its amount is limited with in the range of 0.01–0.5 percent by weight. Due to that, currently, decap is not minimized as desired. Further, in this method, water at a relatively high vapor pressure is employed as a major solvent. As a result, problems are inherent in which decap minimizing effects are limited due to an increase in viscosity caused by water evaporation. As noted above, currently, a method has not been discovered which simultaneously achieves formation of highly detailed images, high rate printing, and minimization of decap. On the other hand, in ink-jet image recording systems which necessitate specialized paper sheets, problems occur in which recording materials are limited and the cost of recording materials increases. Specifically in offices, a system is increasingly demanded which is capable of performing full-color printing at a high rate without any limitation to recording materials (e.g., plain paper, coated paper, art paper, or double sided printing on plain paper). Various studies have been conducted with regard to compositions of ink-jet inks capable of achieving higher speed printing, desired text reproduction on plain paper, resulting in no ink penetration to the back surface during printing (being the phenomena in which printed ink passes through the recording material and a printed image appears on the rear surface), no feathering, and no image bleeding, as well as resulting in quick penetration into the recording paper and rapid drying of the image. As one of these methods, so-called water-based ink-jet inks are widely employed. When images are recorded on plain paper such as copy paper for electrophotography, high quality paper or medium quality paper, in addition to problems such as image penetration to the rear surface and feathering due to penetration, curling and cockling of images recorded on plain paper result in major problems. In order to overcome the above drawbacks, an ink-jet recording method is disclosed (refer, for example, to Patent Document 4) which employs a penetration-improved ink by specifying the wetting time and the absorption coefficient of recording materials in the Bristow method. However, since colorants in the ink simultaneously penetrate into plain paper, this method results in problems, in which a decrease in image density as well as penetration to the rear surface is enhanced, resulting in unsuitability for both sided printing. Further, ink-jet ink is disclosed (refer, for example, to Patent Document 5) which incorporates specified amide compounds, pyridine derivatives, imidazoline compounds or urea compounds as an anticurl agent. However, this method results in problems in which clogging of the nozzle of a recording head tend to occur due to drying of liquid ink. Still further, proposed is an ink-jet recording method to minimize the above curling (refer, for example, to Patent Document 6), in which curling balance is optimized by providing a solution containing water on the side opposite the image printing surface. However, this method results in problems in which along with an increase in the adhered amount of ink as well as curl balance liquid onto plain paper, its strength is deteriorated, whereby jamming tends to occur during conveyance. Still further, instead of using the water-based ink-jet ink, a solvent-based ink capable of achieving printing at a high rate has been studied. Namely, by employing an oil-based ink (being a solvent-based ink-jet ink), even though printed on plain paper, it is possible to achieve high speed printing due to quick penetration into recording materials, shorter drying time, and no curling of recording materials. However, problems occur in which text is not reproduced as desired and penetration to the rear surface results due to the fact that the solvent based ink easily penetrates plain paper. (Patent Document 1) Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP-A) No. 11-172174 (Patent Document 2) JP-A No. 2000-95983 (Patent Document 3) JP-A No. 2000-239591 (Patent Document 4) JP-A No. 10-316915 (Patent Document 5) JP-A No. 9-176538 (Patent Document 6) JP-A No. 10-272828

Fishing reels have been used on fishing poles for many years. A drag system on a fishing reel is a means of applying pressure to the turning spool in order to act as a friction brake. It is used as an aid for a fisherman when a fish is tugging on the line. The present invention features a fishing reel drag indicator system for numerical quantification of tension applied to fishing line on fishing reels equipped with a drag system. Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.

(1) Field of Invention The present invention relates to an instrument stand and, more particularly, to an instrument stand having multiple legs and stabilizers. (2) Description of Related Art Instruments stands have long been known in the art and are commonly used to hold and/or elevate a variety of instruments. For example, microphone stands are commonly used to hold a microphone at mouth level. As another example, guitar hangers are often used to hang a guitar by its neck for both storage and easy retrieval. Such a guitar hanger was disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No 2008/0060498 (the '498 publication). The '498 publication discloses a traditional guitar hanger stand that includes a tri-pod like device with a pair of prongs for hanging the guitar. While functional for simple display and storage, the tri-pod style (as disclosed in the '498 publication) is not stable and could result in damage of the instrument if tipped over. Thus, a continuing need exists for an improved instrument stand.

The invention relates to a spring-loaded safety valve for gases and vapor. The valve of the foregoing type includes a valve disk, which is arranged on the valve seat, supports a deflecting collar which acts as a means for assisting lift, outwardly overlaps the cross section of the valve seat and is shaped in the manner of an inner cone. The purpose of such means for assisting lift is, on the one hand, to increase the forces acting in the valve opening direction by means of the deflection at the disk edge so as to overcome the valve spring force which increases with the opening lift. On the other hand, the increase in force per lift unit should be as constant as possible, that is, the safety valve should have a force-lift characteristic line which is as straight as possible so that the opening pressure differential and the closing pressure differential are as small as possible. A spring-loaded safety valve is known from DE-GM No. 1 965 020, in which the deflecting collar provided at the enlarged valve disk edge is constructed as a continuous inner cone. When this safety valve is opened the lower part of the deflecting cone is still located far below the valve seat, so that the outflowing medium at the conical flow conducting surface of the deflecting collar is deflected downward relatively powerfully opposite the inflowing direction. As the lift increases, the deflecting cone, together with the valve disk, continues to move in the valve opening direction, causing the action of the diagonally extending flow conducting surface of the deflecting collar on the outflowing medium to become weaker. Thereby the increase of force per lift unit decreases, and the force-lift characteristic line flattens. Moreover, it was recognized that, with this conical flow conducting surface at the deflecting collar, the force-lift characteristic line has a break approximately in the first third of the lift, which break acts in the direction of the force reduction. Because of this flattening and this break of the force-lift characteristic line, there is a large working pressure differential which is equal to the sum of the opening and closing pressure differentials. Moreover, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,057 to guide the valve disk in a stationary deflecting cylinder and to arrange a threaded adjusting ring at the valve seat. Because of the stationary lower edge of the deflecting cylinder, the degree of deflection of the outflowing medium is maintained approximately until the full valve opening position; however, this valve disk sliding guide in the deflecting cylinder is relatively costly and involves the particular risk that dirt particles will be jammed in the guide gap, thereby jeopardizing the safety function. The height of the valve outflow edge can be varied by means of the adjusting ring at the valve seat and the outflow can accordingly be adapted to the operating conditions, but an improvement of the opening pressure differential always involves a worsening of the closing pressure differential, and vice versa. Moreover, the adjusting ring can be adjusted and stopped only when the system to be secured is taken out of operation.

1. Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates generally to toner cartridges used in electrophotographic imaging devices such as printers or multifunction devices having printing capability and more particularly to a volumetric toner cartridge having a driven platform. 2. Description of the Related Art In toner cartridge design, it is now common practice to separate the longer lived components from those having a shorter life. This has lead to having the longer lived developing components, such as the developer roll, toner adder roll, doctor blade, the foregoing are also referred to as a developing unit, photoconductive drum, cleaning and charge rollers and a waste bin, to be in separate assemblies from the toner cartridge. The toner supply, which is consumed relatively quickly in comparison to the previously described components, is provided in a reservoir in a separate toner cartridge that mates with the developer unit. The toner cartridge has a reduced number of components and is often to referred to as a toner bottle even though it is more than a mere bottle for holding toner. To deliver the toner from the toner cartridge to the developer unit, an auger in the toner cartridge may be used to feed toner from the toner cartridge via an exit port on the toner cartridge into an entry port on the developer unit and into a second auger that disperses the toner within the developer unit. As the toner is drawn out of the cartridge unit, it is augured through a shutter used for sealing the exit port of the toner cartridge when it is not inserted in the imaging apparatus. While moving toner through the restriction formed by the shutter, auger and exit port, the opening from the exit port into the toner reservoir in the toner cartridge is relatively air tight. A low pressure condition or vacuum-like condition is created in the toner cartridge as toner is removed, as air cannot enter to fill the void. If the toner cartridge were viewed as being a pump supplying toner from the toner reservoir, this low pressure condition would be analogous to cavitation in a pump. The number of rotations of the auger is used to estimate toner delivery from the toner cartridge. However, low flow due to the discussed pressure differential may lead to inaccuracies in using this approach. It would be advantageous to have a toner feeding system that provides for more accurate toner delivery and helps to avoid a number of previously mentioned toner delivery failures.

This invention relates to improved suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride. The invention more specifically relates to the production of vinyl chloride resin having an excellent porous granular structure and high workability or processability and containing little residual monomer. The expression "polymerization of vinyl chloride" herein denotes homopolymerization of vinyl chloride and copolymerization of vinyl chloride and another ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable therewith, vinyl chloride being predominant. The expressions "vinyl chloride resin" and "vinyl chloride polymer" herein denote homopolymer and copolymers of vinyl chloride, vinyl chloride being predominant. Suspension polymerized vinyl chloride resins have been widely used as materials in the form of rigid or non-or little plasticized resins as well as of soft or plasticized resins to be molded into various articles. However, the polymers and copolymers thus obtained have been accompanied by problems such as low absorption rates of stabilizers and plasticizers in the polymer or copolymer and, moreover, differences in these absorption rates within each grain and between grains, whereby the workability of these polymers and copolymers deteriorate, even causing fish eyes. Furthermore, these problems are aggravated when a low degree of polymerization is selected in order to obtain high workability. In other words, the grains of a polymer obtained by suspension polymerizing at an elevated temperature are less porous and frequently are very nearly transparent. Such vinyl chloride polymers of a low degree of polymerization are used for blow molding because of their high workability as rigid resins and are useful in the production of packaging containers for commodities such as wines, cooking oils, sauces, and the like. However, from the view-point of food sanitation, a slight content of residual vinyl chloride monomer or chain-transfer agents of the order of p.p.m (part per million) of the thus polymerized polymer has recently become a problem. Although the residual content of the monomer depends on the drying condition of the polymer, and also with the compounding conditions of the polymer, the content is further affected by the granular structure of the polymer beads and by microporosity which constitutes an important factor for evaporating the monomer. With respect to the suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride, there have been proposed various procedures which are directed to producing polymer beads or grains which have granular homogeneity or improved porosity in beads thereby to improve the workability of the polymer and also to minimizing the quantity of scales which are frequently deposited in a polymerization vessel. In these procedures, there is ordinarily used a suspending agent such as polyvinyl alcohol, a copolymer of vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride, a cellulose derivative, a polyethyrene oxide, gelatine, and also various combinations of two or more of these materials. The suspending agent may further be combined with a nonionic surfactant or with an anionic surfactant plus a water soluble inorganic polyvalent salt. However, for evaluating these polymerizing procedures from the viewpoint of elevating the average porosity of the thus polymerized resin, the bulk density of the resin, quantity of plasticizer retention in the resin, rate of absorption of a plasticiser in the resin, feasibility of gelation, and the like have been used as reference criteria, but since these reference criteria are not necessarily suitable for nonuniformity between the beads of the polymer thus produced, the aforementioned procedures cannot be said to be satisfactory in reducing the residual monomers and eliminating fish eyes. This is particularly true when the monomers are polymerized at an elevated temperature for reducing the degree of polymerization, and therefore it has been difficult to obtain a polymer which has sufficient porosity and minimal quantity of a residual monomer.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for addressing liquid crystal devices. More particularly the present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for addressing high information content, direct multiplexed, rms responding liquid crystal displays. 2. Discussion of the Prior Art Examples of high information content direct multiplexed, rms-responding liquid crystal displays are systems that incorporate twisted nematic (TN), supertwisted nematic (STN), or superhomeotropic (SH) liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. In such panels, a nematic liquid crystal material is disposed between parallel-spaced, opposing glass plates or substrates. In one common embodiment, a matrix of transparent electrodes is applied to the inner surface of each plate, typically arranged in horizontal rows on one plate and vertical columns on the other plate to provide a picture element or "pixel" wherever a row electrode overlaps a column electrode. High information content displays, such as those used in computer monitors, require large numbers of pixels to portray arbitrary information patterns in the form of text or graphic images. Matrix LCDs having 480 rows and 640 columns forming 307,200 pixels are commonplace, although it is expected that matrix LCDs may soon comprise several million pixels. The optical state of a pixel, e.g. whether it will appear dark, bright or an intermediate shade, is determined by the orientation of the liquid crystal director within that pixel. In so-called rms responding displays, the direction of orientation can be changed by the application of an electric field across the pixel which field induces a dielectric torque on the director that is proportional to the square of the applied electric field. The applied electric field can be either a dc field or an ac field, and because of the square dependence, the sign of the torque does not change when the electric field changes sign. In the direct multiplexed addressing techniques typically used with matrix LCDs, the pixel sees an ac field which is proportional to the difference in voltages applied to the electrodes on the opposite sides of the pixel. Signals of appropriate frequency, phase and amplitude, determined by the information to be displayed, are applied to the row and column electrodes creating an ac electric field across each pixel which field places it in an optical state representative of the information to be displayed. Liquid crystal panels have an inherent time constant .tau. which characterizes the time required for the liquid crystal director to return to its equilibrium state after it has been displaced away from it by an external torque. The time constant .tau. is defined by .tau.=.eta.d.sup.2 /K, where .eta. is an average viscosity of the liquid crystal, d is the cell gap spacing or pitch length and K is an average elastic constant of the liquid crystal. For a conventional liquid crystal material in a 7-10 .mu.m cell gap, typical for displays, the time constant .tau. is on the order of 200-400 ms. If the time constant .tau. is long compared to the longest period of the ac voltage applied across the pixel, then the liquid crystal director is unable to respond to the instantaneous dielectric torques applied to it, and can respond only to a time-averaged torque. Since the instantaneous torque is proportional to the square of the electric field, the time-averaged torque is proportional to the time average of the electric field squared. Under these conditions the optical state of the pixel is determined by the root-mean-square or rms value of the applied voltage. This is the case in typical multiplexed displays where the liquid crystal panel time constant .tau. is 200-400 ms and the information is refreshed at a 60 Hz rate, corresponding to a frame period of 1/60 s or 16.7 ms. One of the main disadvantages of conventional direct multiplex addressing schemes for high information content LCDs arises when the liquid crystal panel has a time constant approaching that of the frame period. (The frame period is approximately 16.7 ms). Recent technological improvements have decreased liquid crystal panel time constants (.tau.) from approximately 200-400 ms to below 50 ms by making the gap (d) between the substrates thinner and by the synthesis of liquid crystal material which has lower viscosities (.eta.) and higher elastic constants (K). If it is attempted to use conventional addressing methods for high information content displays with these faster-responding liquid crystal panels, display brightness and contrast ratio are degraded and in the case of SH displays, alignment instabilities are also introduced. The decrease in display brightness and contrast ratio occurs in these faster panels because with conventional multiplexing schemes for high information content LCDs, each pixel is subjected to a short duration "selection" pulse that occurs once per frame period and has a peak amplitude that is typically 7-13 times higher than the rms voltage averaged over the frame period. Because of the shorter time constant .tau., the liquid crystal director instantaneously responds to this high-amplitude selection pulse resulting in a transient change in the pixel brightness, before returning to a quiescent state corresponding to the much lower rms voltage over the remainder of the frame period. Because the human eye tends to average out the brightness transients to a perceived level, the bright state appears darker and the dark state appears brighter. The degradation is referred to as "frame response". As the difference between a bright state and a dark state is reduced, the contrast ratio, the ratio of the transmitted luminance of a bright state to the transmitted luminance of a dark state, is also reduced. Several approaches have been attempted to reduce frame response. Decreasing the frame period is one approach, but this approach is restricted by the upper frequency limit of the driver circuitry and the filtering effects on the drive waveforms caused by the electrode sheet resistance and the liquid crystal capacitance. Another approach is to decrease the relative amplitude of the selection pulse, i.e., decreasing the bias ratio, but this ultimately reduces the contrast ratio. Other matrix addressing techniques are known which do not employ high-amplitude row selection pulses and therefore would not be expected to induce frame response in faster-responding panels. However, these techniques are applicable only to low information content LCDs where either there are just a few matrix rows or where the possible information patterns are somehow restricted, such as in allowing only one "off" pixel per column. One advantage of the faster responding liquid crystal panels is that it makes video rate, high information content LCDs feasible for flat, "hang on the wall" TV screens. However, this advantage cannot be fully exploited with conventional direct multiplexing addressing schemes because of the degradation of brightness and contrast ratio and the introduction of alignment instabilities in these panels caused by frame response.

1. Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates generally to an electronic device, and more particularly, to an electronic device that includes an antenna device. 2. Description of the Related Art Electronic devices, including mobile terminals such as “smart phones” and wearable electronic devices to be worn by people, have been made lighter, slimmer, shorter, and smaller, and at the same time, have more functions to meet consumers' purchasing needs. As the functional differences between electronic devices of respective manufacturers have recently been greatly reduced, the manufacturers have been making an effort to increase the rigidity of the electronic devices, which are being gradually slimmed in order to satisfy consumers' purchasing needs, and to strengthen the design features of the electronic devices. Reflecting this trend, elements (e.g., housings) of electronic devices have been made of metal in order to increase rigidity and achieve a high quality and appealing external appearance of the electronic devices. Antenna radiation performance may be significantly degraded if a metal case is used in a situation where the thickness of an electronic device becomes smaller in terms of design and a mounting space for an antenna radiator is insufficient. For example, if metal components and internal and external mechanical parts exist around the antenna radiator, the performance of the antenna radiator may be significantly deteriorated by various phenomena caused by the metal, such as a scattering effect, an electromagnetic field trapping effect, mismatching, etc. It is not difficult to manufacture most electronic devices with an antenna radiator since a mounting space for the antenna radiator and a separation distance between the antenna radiator and metal components are sufficient and the exterior of the product is mainly made of a dielectric material, such as plastics. However, since currently used portable electronic devices are made smaller and slimmer in order to appeal to consumers and more frequently uses metal exterior parts, the separation distances between an antenna radiator and metal components and mechanical parts gradually decrease so that it is difficult to obtain sufficient performance using existing antenna technology. In a case where various electronic devices utilize antennas for wireless Internet, mobile payment, a global roaming service, and the like must be mounted in a wearable electronic device, the device may become thicker, and it may be difficult to make the device compact. Although attempts have been made to ensure a sufficient separation distance from metal parts in order to prevent the problem, mechanical parts may be excessively deformed, the cost may increase due to additional materials, or the thickness of an electronic device may increase.

One of the most common practices for controlling undesirable plant species is the use of herbicides. However, it is known that when certain herbicides are applied in effective amounts they may also damage the crop plants. For example, certain herbicides which are effective against certain annual and perennial grass weeds cannot be used in all crops, especially cereal crops such as corn, sorghum, oat, wheat, barley and rice because the herbicide injures the crops as well as controlls the weeds. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for protecting crops from injury caused by an herbicide which comprises applying to the crop plant, the seed of the crop, or the soil or water surrounding the crop or crop seed an effective antidotal amount of a substituted benzopyran or tetrahydronaphthalene compound. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a safened herbicidal composition comprising a herbicide and a substituted benzopyran or tetrahydronaphthalene compound. It is a further object of this invention to provide compounds useful as safeners. These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description thereof set forth below.

This invention provides compounds which are a taxane to which an acyl chain has been attached; the acyl chain has been derivatized by the stereospecific attachment thereto of a hydrolysis-promoting group. Also provided herein are compositions comprising such compounds and racemic mixtures thereof, including lipid carrier-containing pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of administering such compositions to animals, such as humans afflicted with cancers or certain inflammatory conditions. Taxanes can be isolated from natural sources, and can also be prepared synthetically from naturally occurring precursors. Paclitaxel (TAXOL(copyright), Bristol-Myers Squibb), for example, can be prepared from baccatin by attachment of protecting groups to the hydroxyl groups of baccatin that are to become the hydroxyl groups of paclitaxel, converting the precursor baccatin to paclitaxel, and then removing the protecting groups from the hydroxyl groups to obtain paclitaxel. In addition, paclitaxel has recently been synthesized from simple precursors. (See, e.g., WO93/10076, int. pub. date May 27, 1993; K. V. Rao, U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,534; R. A. Holton, U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,744; PCT/US92/07990; V. J. Stella and A. E. Mathew, U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,790; K. C. Nicolau, Nature 364 (1993), pp. 464-466; Nicolau, K. C. et al. Nature 367 (1994) pp.630-634; Holton, R. A., et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 116 (1994) pp. 1597-1600; WO93/16059, int. pub. date Aug. 19, 1993; EP 528,729, published Feb. 24, 1993; EP 522,958, published Jan. 13, 1993; WO91/13053, int. pub. date Sep. 5, 1991; EP 414,610, int. pub. date Feb. 27, 1991; the contents of these documents are incorporated herein by reference). Taxanes can be used effectively to treat a variety of cancers and recently has been reported to have therapeutic effects in treating certain inflammatory diseases. Paclitaxel, for example, has been found to have activity against ovarian and breast cancers, as well as against malignant melanoma, colon cancer, leukemias and lung cancer (see, e.g., Borman, Chemical and Engineering News, Sep. 2, 1991, pp. 11-18; The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (Goodman Gilman et al., eds.), Pergamon Press, New York (1990), p. 1239: Suffness, Antitumor Alkaloids, in: xe2x80x9cThe Alkaloids, Vol. XXV,xe2x80x9d Academic Press, Inc. (1985), Chapter 1, pp. 6-18: Rizzo et al., J. Pharm. and Biomed. Anal. 8(2):159-164 (1990); and Biotechnology 9:933-938 (October, 1991). Paclitaxel has been hypothesized to act against cancer cells by binding to tubulin in the cells"" nuclei, thereby blocking the disassembly of microtubules and consequently, inhibiting cell division (Schiff et al., Nature 277:665 (1979). However, formulation of taxanes in therapeutically useful carriers, so as to enable the taxanes to be administered to animals, is made difficult by the nature of the taxane molecules, which can be poorly soluble in both aqueous and lipid carriers. Paclitaxel, for example, is currently supplied as a formulation of polyoxyethylated derivative of castor oil, Cremophor EL(copyright) and ethanol (50:50) because of its lack of significant aqueous or liposome solubility. However, the Cremophor EL(copyright) carrier itself can cause toxic side effects or increase the side effects caused by the taxane when administered to animals. Thus, administration of the Cremophor EL(copyright): ethanol -based paclitaxel formulation generally entails premedication with other drugs, as well as a slow infusion of a large volume of the formulation, thus often necessitating over night hospital stays and their attendant costs. Alternatively, a stable formulation of a taxane with a lower concentration of a polyoxyethylated derivative of castor oil could be important in reducing the toxic side effects of the drug product. Compositions provided herein provide taxanes in the form of compounds which are taxanes to which an acyl chain has been attached. The acyl chain enhances the taxane""s lipid solubility. Thus, the taxane can be stably associated with a lipid-based carrier such as a liposome, for an extended period of time. However, the compositions provided herein may also be administered in non-liposomal carriers, such as USP/NF Polyoxyl 35 Castor Oil. The acyl chain itself has been derivatized by the attachment thereto of a hydrolysis-promoting group, which is a chemical moiety that promotes hydrolysis of the derivatized acyl chain from the parent taxane, once the taxane has been disassociated from the lipid-based carrier, so as to give the parent taxane in a therapeutically useful form. The hydrolysis-promoting group may take the structure of a single enantiomer or may be administered as a mixture of (S) and (R) enantiomers. There may be a stereospecific difference in the biological and pharmacological activity attributable to the enantiomeric form. While not being limited to this explanation, it is possible that in vivo cleavage may favor one enantiomer. Thus, by providing a method to deliver the preferred enantiomeric form of the hydrolyzable hydrophobic taxane of the present invention, administeration of lower dosage than with mixed racemic forms may provide equivalent therapeutic effect. The present invention, therefore, additionally provides methods for preparing single enantiomeric forms of the hydrolyzable hydrophobic acyl chains and methods for synthesizing the hydrolyzable hydrophobic taxane having a single enantiomeric substituted fatty acid or at least enriched in a single enantiomeric form. The compounds provided herein can be administered to animals as such, or may be formulated together with a lipid-based carrier prior to administration. Such formulations may enhance delivery of the taxane to its intended site of action in an animal and may alter the pharmacological action by delaying the release of the therapeutic agent in the animal or may delay the clearance of the therapeutic agent from the animal. These formulations may therefore allow increased time of exposure of the animal to the therapeutic agent. However, the drug compound comprising the HPG must be stable in formulations until administration. This invention provides a taxane having the formula: wherein: A1 is H or a group having the formula Zxe2x80x94C(O)NHCH(C6H5)CH(OR)C(O)xe2x80x94; Z is C6H5xe2x80x94, C6H5CH2Oxe2x80x94, (CH3)3Cxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or CH(CH3)=C(CH3)xe2x80x94; A2 is H or CH3C(O)xe2x80x94; and A3 is H or OH. Each of R and R1 is H or a group having the formula Y1Y2, provided that at least one of R and R1 is not H, and provided that when A1 is H, R1 is not H. Y1 is a group having the formula xe2x80x94C(O)CHX1(CH2)n1(CHxe2x95x90CH)n2(CH2)n3(CHxe2x95x90CH)n4(CH2)n5(CHxe2x95x90CH)n6(CH2)n7(CHxe2x95x90CH)n8(CH2)n9xe2x80x94. The sum of n1+2n2+n3+2n4+n5+2n6+n7+2n8+n9 is an integer of from 1 to 21, with each of n2, n4, n6 and n8 being independently zero or 1. n1 is equal to zero or an integer of from 1 to 21, n3 is equal to zero or an integer of from 1 to 18, n5 is equal to zero or an integer of from 1 to 15, n7 is equal to zero or an integer of from 1 to 12, n9 is equal to zero or an integer of from 1 to 9, and each of n 1 to n9 can be the same or different at each occurrence. Y2 is xe2x80x94CH3, xe2x80x94CO2H or xe2x80x94CH2OH. X1 is a hydrolysis promoting group (xe2x80x9cHPGxe2x80x9d) including, but not limited to: F, Cl, Br, I, the group xe2x80x94OC6H4X2 or the group xe2x80x94C(O)X2, wherein X2 is F, Cl, Br, I, NH3+, NO2 or CN. Most preferably, X1 is F, Cl, Br or I. The X1 in CHX1 could have (R) or (S) configuration or could be a mixture of (R) and (S) configurations. Preferably, A1 is the group Zxe2x80x94C(O)NHCH(C6H5)CH(OR)C(O)xe2x80x94; Z is preferably C6H5 and A1 is more preferably the group C6H5C(O)NHCH(C6H5)CH(OR)C(O)xe2x80x94. Most preferably, A1 is C6H5C(O)NHCH(C6H5)CH(OR)C(O)xe2x80x94, A2 is CH3C(O)xe2x80x94 and A3 is H, that is, the taxane is a paclitaxel. When R1 is a hydrogen, R is then xe2x80x94Y1Y2, and when R is a hydrogen, R1 is xe2x80x94Y1Y2. The group xe2x80x94Y1Y2 preferably has the formula xe2x80x94Y1CH3, more preferably, the formula xe2x80x94C(O)CHX1(CH2)n1CH3; still more preferably, n1 is then 3, 5, 9, 11, 13 or 15. Taxanes with xcex1-substituted carbonyl compounds esterified to the 2xe2x80x2 or 7 hydroxy position have therapeutic activity. xe2x80x9cHydrolysis-promoting groupsxe2x80x9d (HPG) that facilitate chemical hydrolysis by means of a redistribution of electronic density may be important in conversion of substituted taxanes to paclitaxel or other therapeutic taxanes. This conversion may also be important to their biological activity. However, the substituted taxane may itself have biological activity without being converted to the parent compound. The biological activity of paclitaxel is known to be sensitive to the chirality of paclitaxel chemical moieties and therefore, the stereochemistry of xcex1-substituted carbonyl compounds esterified to the 2xe2x80x2 or 7 hydroxy position of taxanes may be important to the biological activity of the compound. Ester cleavage of xcex1-substituted carbonyl compounds has been shown to be selective for a single enantiomer for many enzymes (xe2x80x9cLipases for Resolution and Asymmetric Synthesisxe2x80x9d Amano Enzymes USA Co. Lombard, Ill., December 1998.). Although chemical hydrolysis of taxanes with xcex1-substituted carbonyl compounds esterified at the 2xe2x80x2 or 7 hydroxy position due to HPG is not stereoselective, biologically mediated cleavage could be stereospecific, as judged by the selectivity of many enzymes. The stereospecific cleavage of xcex1-substituted carbonyl compounds esterified to the 2xe2x80x2 or 7 hydroxy position of taxanes could be a factor affecting conversion of the pro-drug. Thus, the chirality of the linkage at the xcex1-substituted carbonyl group may have pharmacological implications. Thus, in one embodiment, the invention provides hydrophobic taxane compositions having a preponderance of (S) or (R) xcex1-substituted carbonyl groups, preferably xcex1-substituted fatty acids, for instance, (S) and (R) 2-bromohexadecanoic acids substituted at the 2xe2x80x2 or 7 hydroxy position. Methods for preparing these single enantiomers and for separating them from an enantiomeric mixture is also provided. Also provided herein are compositions comprising the taxane of this invention. Such compositions can also comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable medium which may be selected from the group consisting of a polyoxyethylated derivative of castor oil, polysorbate (Tween) 80, dimethyl sulfoxide, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, polyethylene glycols (PEGs) including PEG-400 and PEG-hydroxystearate, triacetin, soybean oil, lecithin and soy lipids or combinations thereof. Preferably, the pharmaceutically acceptable medium is a polyoxyethylated derivative of castor oil. More preferably, the pharmaceutically acceptable medium is USP/NF Polyoxyl 35 Castor Oil. Most preferably, the pharmaceutically acceptable medium is Cremophor-ELP(copyright). The pharmaceutically acceptable medium may also be a lipid carrier and may be any composition which maintains the chemical integrity of the HPG containing taxane throughout an acceptable pharmaceutical shelf life, effectively delivers the derivatized taxane of this invention to an animal in need of such treatment wherein the side effects due to the carrier are within acceptable medical limits. The compositions may comprise a lipid-based carrier, e.g., a fatty acid, phospholipid, lipoprotein, micelle, lipid complex or liposome, with which the taxane is associated so as to deliver the taxane to a site in the body where it can be therapeutically effective. The lipid carrier may be a liposome or non-liposomal lipid carrier. If the lipid carrier is a liposome, it is most preferably, a multilamellar liposome. The liposome preferably comprises a lipid component which comprises a saturated lipid, more preferably, a saturated phosphatidylcholine such as dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine, dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine or distearoyl phosphatidylcholine. Most preferably, the saturated lipid is dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine. The liposomal lipid component can consist essentially of a saturated lipid, e.g., dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine. For taxanes associated with lipid carriers, the sum of n1+2n2+n3+2n4+n5+2n6+n7 +2n8+n9 is preferably an integer of from 3 to 21, more preferably an integer of from 9 to 21, and most preferably, an integer of from 13 to 21. That is, in compositions comprising taxanes associated with liposomal lipid carriers, the carrier has a lipid component comprising or consisting essentially of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine and the taxane is derivatized with xcex1-substituted carbonyl compound. If the carrier is not a liposome, then preferably, it is the polyoxyethylated derivative of castor oil (USP/NF Polyoxyl 35 Castor Oil). Further provided herein is a method of administering a taxane to an animal, which comprises administering a taxane-containing composition of this invention to the animal. Preferably, the taxane thus administered is associated in the composition with a lipid carrier, more preferably, a liposome or the polyoxethylated derivative of caster oil (USP/NF Polyoxyl 35 Castor Oil) and most preferably, if a liposome, a multilamellar liposome and if a non-liposomal carrier, then the polyoxyethylated derivative of castor oil (USP/NF Polyoxyl 35 Caster Oil). The animal can be afflicted with a cancer, e.g., a brain, stomach, lung, colon, prostate, breast or ovarian cancer, cancers of the head and neck, or a leukemia, lymphoma, carcinoma or sarcoma. The compounds of the present invention may also be administered to an animal afflicted with inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. (Arsenalt, A.L., et al. (1998) Clin Immonol Immunopathol, 86(3):280-9.) Cancer treatment by this method involves administering an anticancer effective amount of a taxane to the affected animal. Typically, this anticancer effective amount of the taxane is from about 0.1 mg per kg of body weight of the animal to about 1000 mg per kg. For such anticancer treatment, the composition administered preferably contains a lipid carrier. Preferred anticancer taxanes are paclitaxels, i.e., taxanes wherein A1 is C6H5C(O)NHCH(C6H5)CH(OR)C(O)xe2x80x94, A2 is CH3C(O)xe2x80x94 and A3 is H. More preferably, R or R1 is xe2x80x94C(O)CHX1(CH2)nl CH3, and most preferably, nl is then 3, 5, 9, 11, 13 or 15. Further provided are taxane derivatives wherein the X1 in CHX1 could have either (R) or (S) configuration or could be a mixture of (R) and (S) configurations. Furthermore, an additional bioactive agent can be administered to an animal as part of administration of a taxane to the animal. Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention given for the purpose of disclosure when taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flat panel display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device with a reduced size and number of parts. 2. Description of Related Art Various flat panel display devices such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) device, a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), and an ELD (Electro Luminescent Display) are used as display devices in different types of equipment. The LCD device is most widely used as a portable image display device due to its excellent image quality, its light weight, its slimness, and its low power consumption. The LCD device is used as a television monitor, a monitor of a notebook computer, etc. The LCD device displays an image using the optical anisotropy and the polarity of a liquid crystal. That is, the liquid crystal molecules included in the liquid crystal can be arranged in a predetermined (constant) direction. Further, the direction of the liquid crystal molecule arrangement can be controlled by applying an electric field to the liquid crystal. Therefore, when the molecule arrangement direction of the liquid crystal is arbitrary, the molecule arrangement of the liquid crystal can be changed by applying an electric field. In addition, image information can be displayed by changing the polarization of light in the molecule arrangement direction of the liquid crystal using the optical anisotropy. Also, the LCD device includes a liquid crystal panel displaying an image and a drive section for driving the liquid crystal panel. The drive section includes a gate driver driving a plurality of gate lines on the liquid crystal panel and a data driver driving a plurality of data lines on the liquid crystal panel. Further, the drive section also includes a timing controller controlling the gate and data drivers and a voltage generating section generating drive voltages required for the liquid crystal panel, the gate driver, the data driver, and the timing controller. In addition, the voltage generating section generates a gate low voltage VGL and a gate high voltage VGH for driving the gate lines and supplies the gate low and high voltages to the gate driver. The voltage generating section also supplies at least two drive voltages (e.g., Vdd and Vcc) used for driving the circuit devices to the gate driver, the data driver, and the timing controller. In addition, the voltage generating section supplies a common voltage Vcom used as a reference voltage to the liquid crystal panel. Also, the voltage generating section is mounted on a printed circuit board together with the timing controller. In addition, the printed circuit board including the mounted timing controller is individually provided with a gate low voltage generating circuit for generating the gate low voltage VGL, a gate high voltage generating circuit for generating the gate high voltage VGH, a drive voltage generating circuit for generating the at least two drive voltages, and a common voltage generating circuit for generating the common voltage. Further, wires for transferring voltages from the voltage generating circuits to the liquid crystal panel, the gate driver, the data driver, and the timing controller are formed on the printed circuit board. Thus, because the voltage generating circuits for generating voltages required for the liquid crystal panel, the gate driver, the data driver, and the timing controller are individually formed on the printed circuit board, a large number of devices are mounted on the printed circuit board. Accordingly, the size of the printed circuit board is larger. Therefore, the size and thickness of the related art LCD device is also increased and the manufacturing time and cost is increased.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sapphire single crystal growing apparatus using the Kyropoulos method, and more particularly, to a Kyropoulos sapphire single crystal growing apparatus using an elliptic crucible, which can increase the recovery rate by the elliptic crucible and anisotropic heating. 2. Description of the Related Art A sapphire single crystal substrate is an alternative substrate for gallium nitride (GaN), and is used as basic elements, including data storage devices, such as a blue or green light emitting diode (LED), a blue laser diode (LD), a DVD, etc., and various optical devices, such as a white light emitting device, a photo-detectors (PD), etc. In addition, a sapphire single crystal is an a-alumina single crystal, and is also used as biomaterial for artificial joints, artificial tooth, etc because causing no harm to human bodies. However, since sapphire is an a-alumina single crystal having a rhombohedral structure, the sapphire has the optical and thermal anisotropy. Therefore, it is impossible to make an ingot from a sapphire polycrystal and, although possible, it is impossible to obtain a superior property, so that it is urgently required to develop a method of economically growing a sapphire single crystal. Until now, the Czochralski method, the Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) method, the heat exchanging method, the Kyropoulos method, etc. have been known as the growth methods which make it possible to obtain such a sapphire single crystal. The Czochralski method is called a rotation pulling method, which is to bring a seed crystal into contact with the surface of alumina solution and then to grow a single crystal by rotation pulling. Such a growth method makes it possible to produce a single crystal having a relatively high etch pit density (EPD), but limits the shape of the single crystal to a cylinder shape. Also, in the case of using the growth method, a vibration caused by the puller or shaking in the crucible may cause a defect in a crystal, and a high temperature gradient may cause a crack on a crystal when the crystal has a diameter of 5 cm or more. The EFG method, which is intended to solve the defect of the Czochralski method, is to grow a single crystal with a desired shape in such a manner as to deposit a molybdenum die with the desired shape in alumina solution, to bring a seed crystal into contact with melted alumina rising to the surface of the die due to surface tension, and then to pull up. This method also does not make it possible to lower the defect density. The heat exchanging method is to grow a single crystal in such a manner as to install a heat exchanger on the lower part of a growth furnace having a uniform temperature, and to precisely control the amount of flow of helium gas passing through the heat exchanger and the temperature of a heating element (e.g. heater). The growth method does not require a crucible to move a crystal itself, and thus it is possible to obtain a single crystal of good quality. However, since helium gas used as a heat exchange medium is high-priced, there is a fatal defect in that production costs are high. The Kyropoulos method is similar to the Czochralski method, but does not rotate a single crystal and performs only a little pulling to grow the single crystal. This growth method has advantages in that a grown crystal has a few defects, the growth of a large-sized crystal is possible, and the equipment costs thereof are lower than those of the Czochralski method. Recently, it has been known that 60% of produced sapphire single crystals have been grown in the Kyropoulos method. However, the Kyropoulos method has a disadvantage in that the recovery rate is low. That is to say, a sapphire single crystal substrate for deposition of GaN thin film generally requires a c-plane, while a sapphire crystal by the Kyropoulos method has a characteristic that the growth rate of a-plane is two or more times faster than the growth rate of c-plane. Therefore, there is an inconvenience in that an ingot grown into an a-plane has to be processed into a c-plane, which process is called “core drilling”. In addition, since the Kyropoulos uses a cylindrical crucible, a grown crystal also has a cylindrical shape. Therefore, the cylindrical crystals are disadvantageous in terns of the cylinder recovery rate in comparison with rectangular block-type crystals. Moreover, the Kyropoulos method has a problem in that, when the diameter is raised, a crystal extension region is formed and the region is not used for good cylinders.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a piezoelectric composite material and more particularly to a piezoelectric material obtained by compounding a ferroelectric ceramic powder and a polymeric binder. 2. Description of the Prior Art General attemps to obtain piezoelectric materials by compounding polymers and ferroelectric ceramic powders have been known [Mat. Res. Bull., Vol. 13, pp. 599-607, (1978), Pergamon Press Inc. (U.S.A.)]. However, ferroelectric ceramic powders prepared by conventional processes such as those described below have been attended by conspicuous difficulties. That is to say, ferroelectric ceramic powders prepared by grinding ferroelectric ceramics prepared by a solid phase reaction under applied heat such as titanium-containing ceramics (e.g., BaTiO.sub.3, PbTiO.sub.3, PbZrO.sub.3 -PbTiO.sub.3 solid solutions, etc.) or single crystals such as potassium sodium niobate (PSN) and the like, using a ball mill, an oscillation mill or the like, and adjusting the resulting powders so as to obtain a desired size distribution barely provide even low piezoelectric properties in a composite material which is quite contrary to what one would expect based on the piezoelectric characteristics of the ferroelectric ceramics themselves. In addition, this type of composite material is fragile and hard to mold because it lacks pliability, and moldings thereof are heavy and expensive. As a result of these drawbacks the point at which the use of composite materials of this type is practical has, for all intents and purposes, not yet been reached. Extensive research directed to determining the origin of the deterioration in properties as described above has lead to the conclusion that in the crushing process (pulverization) carried out after the solid phase reaction or the preparation of single crystals, structural fractures arise in the microcrystals resulting in the formation of numerous domains and subsequently to the formation of distorted phases. It is almost impossible to force all the resulting domains and distorted phases to line up in the same direction as that of the applied electric field even when a voltage close to the maximum voltage which the composite material can resist without dielectric breakdown is applied to polarize the composite material. This is because the electric field capable of acting effectively upon the individual ceramic grains compounded with the polymer is markedly reduced to several tenths or several hundredths of the electric field in the compounding state, taking into account the ratio of the dielectric constant of the polymer to that of the ceramic. Therefore, admixing of ceramic powders or single crystals with polymers cannot impart piezoelectric properties to the resulting composite materials to an appreciable extent.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device employing a liquid ejection head for ejecting a liquid, such as an ink or so forth. More specifically, the invention relates to a printing apparatus for performing printing on a printing medium, such as paper, cloth, non-woven fabric, an OHP sheet and so on. The present invention is particularly effective for a printing apparatus which performs printing for a long period or performs continuous printing on a cloth having printing width of 1 m or more. In concrete, the invention is applicable for office use devices, such as a printer, a copy machine, a facsimile and so forth, a mass-production apparatus, such as a textile printing apparatus, a device for driving an article by an ejected liquid, and so forth. It should be noted that throughout this specification and drawings, the wordings "print" or "record" means not only the operation for adhering ink on a recording medium, such as paper or the like, but also the operation applying an appropriate liquid for a medium in a broader sense, and includes textile printing for applying dye or the like on cloth, and so forth, for example. 2. Description of Related Art As conventional liquid ejecting devices, there are devices for performing recording by ejecting a liquid or for ejecting a special liquid and utilizing the ejected liquid. In general, since an ejecting portion for ejecting the liquid is quite small, it tends to cause failure of ejection by causing solidification of dye or pigment contained in the liquid or by adhering of foreign matters to make it difficult to effectively use the ejected liquid. For example, in a recording apparatus, failure of ejection of the liquid results in failure of recording. Normally, in order to avoid such problems, forced ejection of the liquid by suction, pressurization or so forth, cleaning of an ejecting region including an ejecting portion, or ejecting gas or liquid to the ejecting portion in the ejecting region is performed at an appropriate intervals as recovery process. While ejecting liquid to the ejecting portion by a recovering means to solve ink of increased viscosity or solidified ink and so forth, and washing out the adhering matter with the liquid is effective for avoiding failure of ejection, such method may cause sucking of a washing liquid into an ejection nozzle in the vacuum condition to lower ink concentration and thus causes lowering of printing density. On the other hand, with a recovering means not employing the washing liquid, the ink of increased viscosity may adhere in the vicinity of the nozzle of the ejection head to cause plugging or ink ejection failure. Moreover, in the case where the liquid is forcedly discharged from the ejecting portion by sucking, if the ejection head having a plurality of ejection nozzles is employed, an internal volume of a cap to be tightly fitted to the ejection head upon suction becomes large to make vacuum control difficult. Also, in the method simply contacting a sponge onto the ejection head, if the ejection nozzle with a fine nozzle, such as for 400 dpi, it possibly causes foreign matters to be pushed into the nozzle resulting in causing failure. Furthermore, in order to avoid accumulation of a mist splashing upon ejection of the ink on the surface of the head to block the ejecting orifice to cause ejection failure or to make ejection impossible (referred to as wet non-ejection), it may be considered to wipe off the surface of the head by a blade. However, when industrial operation is continued for a long period, the wiped ink may have no way to be discharged and thus accumulated and increase viscosity. Therefore, the ejection head may be wiped with the blade on which the high viscous ink is adhering to increase possibility of causing ejection failure. Particularly, in the case of a color recording apparatus, mists from four heads can be collected to make this problem, significant. In addition, since the head and the wiping means are repeatedly worn, it is desired to take a measure for avoiding shortening of the life. Also, it is desired to perform wiping process efficiently to improve throughput in printing operation. Furthermore, in the construction where a blade formed of an absorbing body is employed, if ejecting operation or wiping operation is not performed for a long period, or the apparatus body is rested for a long period, the blade may be dried completely so that desired wiping effect cannot be achieved and may affect to the ejecting surface of the head by the wiping operation.

The present invention relates to keyless systems for gaining entry and starting motor vehicles. Automobiles traditionally were vulnerable to theft by a criminal forcibly removing the ignition lock cylinder thereby being able to start the vehicle without a key. With the advent of microprocessor based engine control systems came the ability to provide more sophisticated ignition control. Today many ignition keys have different types of electronic devices embedded in them which contain a special code for the key. When the key is inserted into the ignition lock, the vehicle reads the code from the key and the on-board computer system only responds to operation of the ignition switch by a properly encoded key. Thus the motor vehicle can not be started without that key, even if the ignition switch is turned somehow. The advent of more sophisticated electronics in motor vehicle also has enabled remote keyless vehicle entry (RKE) systems to be provided to the driver. These commonly take the form of a fob which is attached to the driver's key ring. The fob houses a radio transmitter which sends a digital numerical value via a radio frequency (RF) signal to the vehicle when the driver pressing the appropriate switch on the fob. The digital numerical value prevents spurious radio frequencies from activating the motor vehicle circuitry, as well as making it difficult for unauthorized persons to gain access to the motor vehicle. The RF signal also encodes whether the user wishes the doors to be locked, unlocked or the trunk to be unlatched. A receiver mounted in the motor vehicle detects the transmission from the fob and decodes the RF signal to determine whether it is valid for that vehicle and which of the various functions is to be performed. The receiver then activates the appropriate components within the motor vehicle to perform that function. Although the digital numerical value make it very difficult for unauthorized persons to gain access to the motor vehicle, concern has been expressed that some one with a radio receiver and a digital signal analyzer could eavesdrop on the radio transmissions and learn the security numbers. Thus a thief could "stake out" a valuable vehicle to await the return of the driver and learn the security numbers. Those security numbers then could be utilized to steal that vehicle at a later point in time. To improve the security of remote keyless entry systems and deter eavesdropping, a "rolling code" security number is transmitted between the fob and the motor vehicle. In this technique both the motor vehicle and the fob were encoded with the identical initial security number during manufacture. Thereafter, each time a button on the fob was pressed, the previous security number is incremented by a value which is derived using a predefined algorithm. The resultant new security number then is transmitted to the motor vehicle and stored in the fob in place of the previous security number. Upon receipt of a security number from the fob, circuitry in the motor vehicle retrieves the previously valid security number which it had stored. The motor vehicle circuitry then employs the same algorithm to increment the retrieved security number to produce its own new security number. In theory, both the fob and the motor vehicle should be synchronized so that their respective execution of the algorithm will produce identical new security numbers. Thus, a match between the security number received from the fob and new security number derived in the motor vehicle indicates a signal has been received from an authorized fob. This rolling code technique provides a greatly enhanced level of security and operates extremely well as long the security numbers in both the fob and the motor vehicle remain synchronized. However, if a button on the fob is accidentally pressed when the motor vehicle is beyond the fob's transmission range, the rolling security number in the fob will be incremented without a corresponding incrementation of the security number in the motor vehicle. As a consequences, matches between the two codes will no longer occur and the authorized fob will not be recognized by the motor vehicle. One solution to this non-synchronization problem is for the motor vehicle to generate multiple subsequent security numbers using the rolling code algorithm and accept a fob signal as valid if any one of those subsequent security numbers matches the one received from the fob. However, this technique greatly reduces the number of possible security numbers since during each validation test the motor vehicle will accept multiple security numbers as being valid. Furthermore, the rolling code technique precludes the use of multiple authorized fobs for the same motor vehicle. It is desirable to provide the remote keyless entry system with the ability to start the motor vehicle by adding another button to the fob. However, this latter function requires a higher level of security than that which is presently used to guard against unauthorized opening of the doors and trunk of the vehicle. In addition, the security provided for the ignition feature must also prevent an unauthorized person with the appropriate electronic equipment from being able to eavesdrop on the radio transmissions and learn the security numbers utilized to operate the vehicle. Thus, it is desirable to provide a key fob with more activation features and a higher level of security.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates generally to improvements in circuit boards useful for supporting and interconnecting computer devices, such as disk drives and processors. More specifically, the invention pertains to multi-layered circuit boards including differential buses and special via fields, to provide high speed signal transfers between and among electronic devices. 2. Description of the Prior Art Modern computer systems use high speed digital buses to connect high performance computer devices, such as disk drives and processors. Generally, these buses comprise a plurality of parallel, conductive wires or traces. The bus wires are typically arranged on a printed circuit board, which may have inner or outer traces of bus wires separated by non-conductive core material. Active terminating loads, designed to match trace characteristic impedances, are provided at the end of each wire or trace. These loads include a load resistor, and may also include a voltage source or a current source. The computer devices are connected to traces in the intermediate portion of the bus by means of wire stubs. The wire stubs extend across the bus, providing a parallel electrical connection for the transversely positioned device. Because stubs are transverse to the bus, stubs introduce signal perturbations and noise artifacts into the data transmitted through the bus of the computer system. The use of stubs creates other problems in the design of circuit board layouts. It is typical to plug the computer devices into connectors or sockets, mounted to the printed circuit board. The stubs or other connection traces lead from the pins of the connectors to the bus. As the complexity of the computer system increases, the number of devices which must be connected to the bus also increases. However with a greater number of devices to mount on the board and to interconnect to the bus, the circuit layout of the board becomes increasingly difficult to implement. The long, parallel traces between devices must be routed to maintain a specific trace impedance, minimize crosstalk, minimize consumption of circuit board space, equalize the trace lengths, and use the least number of board layers. As a result, compromises are made in the performance of the computer system, so that all the devices can be interconnected as required. Buses used for interconnecting devices may be either of single-ended or differential design Single-ended buses rely upon circuits comprised of a plurality of single conductors, spaced and insulated from a ground plane which is common to all conductors. Although single-ended buses are relatively easy to implement, they have significant limitations in data transfer rates, and are subject to adjacent channel noise interference, as well. Differential buses, in contrast, use a pair of conductors, or trace-pairs, arranged in spaced relation and insulated from a ground plane. The predetermined spacing between the two conductors, in conjunction with the insulating dielectric and the ground plane, provide a controlled impedance layer for the rapid and efficient transfer of digital data. Both of the conductors are electrically above the ground plane at all times. Transmitters and receivers are employed at each end of the trace-pairs to encode and decode a predetermined signal differential between them. Consequently, differential buses provide the advantages of increased data rate transfer and greater immunity from noise, when compared to single-ended buses. However, because differential buses require two traces, they further restrain the options for circuit board layout and design. In view of the above-noted difficulties in prior art designs, the need exists for a circuit board construction which allows the use of differential buses, and permits connectors for electronic devices and cables to be conveniently and efficiently located on the board. The apparatus of the present invention employs a four-layered printed circuit board, for the purpose of mounting and electrically interconnecting two or more computer devices. These devices may include disk drives, processors, and external cables. Each of these devices is adapted to plug into a conventional device connector, such as a four row, twenty column SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) disk drive connector. The connectors may be located where desired on either side oft he circuit board, for example, in a line along one edge, or on opposing edges of the board. Each connector includes at least one connector trace field, for connection to a differential bus. If the connector is to be connected to two connectors, then it includes two connector trace fields. The connector trace field provides a conductive transition between the pins of the connector and the bus. The differential bus is comprised of a plurality of trace-pairs of conductors, extending between adjacent computer devices. The first length of the differential bus is on a top side of the board, and the second length of the bus is on the bottom side of the board. A via trace field is provided to interconnect the first and second lengths of the bus. The via trace field includes a top via field and a bottom via field. These via trace fields are substantially identical in configuration and size to the conductor trace fields. Vias, providing a conductive path through the circuit board, interconnect the top and the bottom via fields. The via trace fields may include slight undulations so as to equalize the overall lengths of the trace-pairs in each differential bus. The via trace fields are also used selectively to reverse the trace or conductor order of groups of the trace-pairs, so that induced currents between the traces will cancel, minimizing crosstalk between them. This trace order reversal feature is also employed in the connector trace fields, to minimize crosstalk in an identical fashion. The via fields may be oriented parallel with respect to collinearly arranged devices, or orthogonal with respect to devices or connectors which are parallel. Where a connector has laterally offset groups of pin connections, a via field may also include offset groups of vias to provide trace length equalization. These orthogonally oriented via fields also have the capability of equaling the lengths of the buses, and reversing the conductor order of the traces within the buses, to ensure the integrity of signal transfer between computer devices. In the preferred microstrip construction, the trace-pairs are on the outside layers of the board, and the ground planes for each set of trace-pairs are buried in the board. Alternatively, in a stripline construction which is also disclosed, the trace-pairs are buried in the board, and the outer board surfaces are ground planes These and other objects of the apparatus of the present invention will be apparent in the drawings and in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, to follow.

Embodiments of the invention relate to tissue images and more specifically to classification of objects in the tissue images to extract content from the images. Tissue classification at a cellular level is desirable for medical diagnostic or prognostic purposes. Typically, for diagnostic or prognostic purposes pathologists acquire tissue samples through biopsy, view them with microscopes at high resolutions, and manually analyze the images. Pathologists rely on training and experience to determine tissue types or obtain diagnostic or prognostic information from the tissue images. Depending on the type of information desired by a pathologist, different biomarker stains are used to view a tissue sample. Each stain provides a distinctive view of the tissue and contains distinct information about a portion of the tissue. Differences in the uptake of the biomarker stains by different types of cells and cell parts are used for differentiating and quantifying cells in the tissue. While the methods for tissue classification performed by the user (i.e., the pathologist) on images requiring analysis may be effective in classifying basic tissue types, these methods suffer from high inefficiency and user variability. Also, the manual method is unable to utilize the complex information that can be gained from viewing the tissue across multiple stains, and may lack reproducibility. Digitization of images is used to reduce some of the inefficiency problems; however, despite the digitization of the images, the methods depend primarily on the ability of the user to produce fast, accurate, complex results. By combining the information gathered using different stains, a more comprehensive picture of the tissue sample may be obtained. With image registration, images of different staining of the same tissue may be aligned to form a multiplex image. Using all of the distinctive data content from each stain, image segmentation may be performed at the intercellular and intracellular levels. The result of this process may provide a dataset containing quantitative information on the size, shape, and staining level of each cell, cell membrane, cell nucleus, and cell cytoplasm, for every stain. However, the image segmentation process may occasionally fail or misclassify cells, or may not be able to handle artifacts or out of focus images. Given sufficient labeled training data, traditional classification techniques may be capable of developing classifiers that may be patient, gland, and tissue specific. With a proper annotation tool and real time classification, these classification techniques along with machine learning techniques may perform specific tasks in the clinical setting. However, these classification techniques are unable to manage the wide variety of gland configurations and tissue types. Therefore, it is desirable to have an enhanced method of tissue segmentation and classification that is automated and more reliable, to enhance diagnostic and prognostic information and subsequent treatment and to reduce costs and errors in tissue classifications

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus with partial load control of internal combustion engines with internal combustion in several working spaces, in which with a decreasing load, the number of working or power strokes with internal combustion is reduced per time unit. With a known method of this type (German Offenlegungsschrift No. 18 06 695), certain cylinders, for the purpose of control in the partial load range, are cut off from the fuel supply in a predetermined cycle sequence depending on the magnitude of the desired partial load. As a result thereof, the charge exchange work which is unfavorable from a fuel consumption point of view, can be reduced overall. However, in that case also the cylinders which are not supplied with fuel have to produce charge exchange work. In order to reduce the proportion of the charge exchange work which fall on the latter cylinder, methods are known in the prior art in which the valves of the corresponding cylinders are rendered inoperable, i.e., are halted. The present invention is concerned with the task to further improve the efficiency with a method of the type described hereinabove. The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that an increasing part of the working spaces are changed-over to an after-expansion operation which includes a number of displacement- and after-expansion cycles divisible by two, whereby the operating gas which is only incompletely expanded in the non-changed-over working spaces in a respective working cycle, is fed to the changed-over working spaces instead of a fresh mixture and is continued to be expanded within the same or in that with a decreasing load all working spaces are changed-over increasingly to a higher number of cycles or strokes, whereby an increasing number of after-fill and after-expansion stroke pairs follows a respective operating cycle containing a power stroke with internal combustion engine. The method according to the present invention is preferably suitable for internal combustion engines with quantity control. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the partial load control of internal combustion engines which avoids by simple means the aforementioned shortcomings and drawbacks encountered in the prior art. Another object of the present invention resides in a method for the partial load control of internal combustion engines in which the efficiency is improved. A further object of the present invention resides in a method for the partial load control of internal combustion engines in which wasted charge-exchange work is minimized. Still another object of the present invention resides in a method for the partial load control of internal combustion engines which is highly reliable in operation, yet is simple and can be realized by controls known as such in the prior art. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of two preferred methods for the partial load control of internal combustion engines in accordance with the present invention. The method for the partial load control of internal combustion engines with quantity control and with internal combustion in several working spaces essentially consists in that with a decreasing load the number of working or power strokes with internal combustion is increasingly reduced per time unit in favor of subsequent after-expansion strokes. In one method of this type according to the present invention, an increasing number of the working spaces is changed-over with a decreasing load to an at least two-cycle after-expansion operation whereby the working gas which is only incompletely expanded in the non-changed-over working spaces is fed to the changed-over working spaces in lieu of a fresh mixture and is continued to be expanded within the same. Either two or more working spaces thereby operate directly together or an intermediate storage device is used by way of which the working spaces cooperate. Depending on the construction of the internal combustion engine, the possibility of a single or multiple after-expansion with corresponding higher stroke numbers exists with the present invention. In a second method of this type according to the present invention, all working spaces are changed-over with a decreasing load to an increasing stroke or cycle number, whereby each working cycle or power stroke is enlarged by a number of refill and after-expansion strokes divisible by two. Preferably both methods can be carried out by separate valves by means of a separation of the exhaust into high pressure pre-exhaust and low pressure exhaust. Therebeyond, the exhaust gas emission can be reduced in that during the working strokes with internal combustion engine, a rich mixture is used for the NO.sub.X decrease and additional air is blown in for the after-expansion so that simultaneously an after-oxidation of the uncombusted components takes place which is favorable from an efficiency point of view. The present invention is also concerned with the internal combustion engine apparatus for carrying out the above-discussed novel methods of engine operation. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention, and wherein:

The present invention relates to an electric double layer capacitor which employs polarizable electrodes comprising well-integrated polarizable electrode and collector layers, and to a method for manufacturing such a capacitor. Conventional electric double layer capacitors come in various types. Examples are coin and button types, in which the separator is interposed between the pair of electrodes, and this, together with the electrolyte, is sealed within a metal case, a sealing plate, and a gasket that insulates the two from each other; coil types, in which the electrodes and separator are coiled to produce an electric double layer capacitor unit, which is then placed in a metal case and impregnated with the electrolyte; and stacked types in which a plurality of rectangular electrodes and separators interposed between the electrodes are superposed in alternating fashion to produced an electrode laminate, a positive electrode lead is connected to the positive terminal and a negative electrode lead is connected to the negative terminal to produce a electric double layer capacitor unit, which is then placed in a metal case, impregnated with the electrolyte, and sealed. Electric double layer capacitors for use in power applications such as automobiles must possess energy densities so as the achieve both high capacitance and low internal resistance, and must also exhibit high output densities. With the goal of meeting these requirements, research is being conducted into ways to produce thinner films and increase surface area so as to increase the opposing electrode area. It is also necessary for the electrodes to have integrated collectors. Mass production is a further requirement of electric double layer capacitor. The electrodes used in conventional electric double layer capacitors are ordinarily manufactured by (1) a process in which a mixture of paste or ink form containing the electrode material is applied to the collector by coating or other means, dried (solvent removal), and then calendered or the like, or (2) a process in which a sheet which will serve as the electrode material is first prepared, and this is then integrated with the collector using a calender roll or the like. The largest drawback of these methods is the questionable ability to produce good contact between the collector and the electrode material powder. Techniques effective for producing an electric double layer capacitor having good contact between the collector and the electrode material and exhibiting low internal resistance include increasing the contact area and creating adequate interpenetration between the collector and the electrode material. Specific examples of processes falling under (1) are a method in which a paste consisting of activated carbon powder, a fluoropolymer, and methyl alcohol is coated onto an aluminum net which serves as the collector (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 4-162510); a method in which a slurry prepared by adding an aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose to a mixed solution containing activated carbon powder, acetylene black, water, and methanol is applied to the roughened surface of aluminum foil serving as the collector (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 4-162510); and a method in which a mixture of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and an aqueous dispersion of polytetrafluoroethylene is added as a binder to activated carbon powder and acetylene black, and this is applied to aluminum expanded metal which serves as the collector (U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,400). Specific examples of processes falling under (2) are a method in which an electrode material sheet is prepared from activated carbon powder, a conductive agent, and polytetrafluoroethylene used as binder to bind, the electrode material sheet is superposed on a collector consisting of a metal foil with a surface roughened by etching, an expanded metal, or other material, and is then fed through a calender roll to produce a thin electrode (Japanese Patent Publication 54-12620). Since the electrode material is actually a powder aggregate, its surface may be imagined as having extremely tiny peaks and valleys. Accordingly, contact between the collector surface and the electrode surface occurs in a point-contact configuration. Where the surface of the metal foil serving as the collector has been roughened, the increased surface area reduces the internal resistance of the electric double layer capacitor. However, contact area cannot be considered to reach adequate levels, even where the collector surface has been roughened. The bonding strength between the electrode material sheet and the collector is not adequate to withstand the feed tension and winding during conenuous production of electrodes in roll form, and contact tends to weaken over time. In a collector consisting of expanded metal or the like provided with openings, contact is improved by causing the electrode material to penetrate into the openings provided in the collector. However, increasing the opening size to facilitate penetration has the effect of reducing strength and reducing the unit cross section of the collector, thereby increasing resistance of the collector. Thus, the effect in reducing the internal resistance of the electric double layer capacitor is less than anticipated. The present invention was developed with the foregoing in view, and is intended to provide an electric double layer capacitor exhibiting low internal resistance, provided with polarizable electrodes in which the collector and the electrode material are securely integrated in such as way as to produce adequate bonding strength and good contact. The electric double layer capacitor which pertains to the present invention is an electric double layer capacitor provided with a plurality of polarizable electrodes disposed in a row arrangement, a collector layer laminated to a polarizable electrode layer that is fabricated from a porous sheet consisting principally of activated carbon; a separator being interposed between said polarizable electrodes; and an electrolyte being packed between said polarizable electrodes and said separator; characterized in that a carbon-based conductive material is interposed while laminating said collector layer and said polarizable electrode layer; and said carbon-based conductive material penetrates into the voids in said polarizable electrode layer. Preferably, the polarizable electrodes disposed in a row arrangement, excepting the two terminal members thereof, include a carbon-based conductive material interposed at both faces of the collector layer while laminating the polarizable electrode layers thereto, and the carbon-based conductive material penetrates into the voids of the polarizable electrode layers. Preferably, the porosity of the polarizable electrode layer is 40 to 90%, and the maximum pore size is 0.5 to 20 xcexcm. The collector layer preferably consists of at least one type of metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and tantalum, and taking the form of a foil, plate, sheet, expanded metal, punched metal, or mesh. The carbon-based conductive material preferably consists of a conductive material and a binder. The conductive material is preferably graphite or carbon black. The graphite or carbon black preferably has an average particle size of 0.5 to 50 xcexcm. The binder preferably consists of at least one selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins, cellulose derivatives, and water glass. The method for manufacturing an electric double layer capacitor which pertains to the present invention is characterized by comprising a step in which a carbon-based conductive material solution prepared by dispersing a carbon-based conductive material in a dispersion medium is applied to the polarizable electrode material sheet and/or collector surface; a step in which said polarizable electrode material sheet and said collector are laminated to produced a laminate sheet in which said carbon-based conductive material solution is interspersed; and a step in which the dispersion medium is removed from said carbon-based conductive material solution layer in said laminate sheet.

Various "split-tube" contacts of the above-specified type are known in which the tube structure makes it difficult to control the insertion/extraction force, in particular because of excessive tolerance ranges. It is therefore necessary to sort contacts so as to eliminate those which are out-of-range. In addition, presently manufactured flexible spring contacts do not provide a sufficient safety margin. This drawback is a direct result of the structure and the method of manufacture used for the flexible springs currently in use. The contact end of a spring is obtained by folding a metal part that was initially rectilinear in the longitudinal direction. When the contact end is subjected to radial resilient forces during insertion/extraction operations, it pivots relative to the fixing portion via a fold that acts as a hinge. As a result, stresses are concentrated and the metal is subjected to considerable stress at the fold, which means that its safety factor is insufficient for certain applications, such as space applications. Furthermore, in a flexible spring contact organized in that way, only the contact end is displaceable and it alone determines the force bearing against the pin of the male contact with which it is required to co-operate (the bearing force being determined in particular by its length and its slope), thereby determining the insertion/extraction force. The remainder of the spring is not involved in determining said force, and as a result, when considered overall, the spring is too rigid for it to be possible to obtain an insertion/extra ction force that is as small as could be desired for making it easy to operate connectors having a large or a very large number of contacts.

A hard disk drive (HDD), which is one of a number of information storing devices for computers that reproduces data stored from a disk or records data on the disk using a read/write head. In the HDD, the read/write head is mounted on a slider installed on an actuator. The actuator moves the head to a desired position on the rotating disk. When the hard disk drive is not in use, that is, the rotation of the disk is stopped, the read/write head is “parked” at a position outside the recording surface of the disk to prevent the read/write head from colliding against the recording surface of the disk. For this purpose, a ramp is installed outside the disk and an end-tab supported by the ramp is provided on the suspension assembly. When the power of the hard disk drive is off and the disk stops rotation, a voice coil motor rotates the swing arm in a clockwise direction so that the end-tab is moved from the disk to the ramp and supported by the ramp. During storage and/or transportation the actuator may be exposed to vibration or even worse jars caused by impact. In such a case, the sliders that are arranged to face each other may collide with each other and be damaged accordingly. To prevent this problem, a shipping comb is typically installed in the actuator. A typical shipping comb includes a frame, an installation rod and a handle provided at an end portion of the frame, and a finger provided at the other end portion of the frame. The installation rod of the shipping comb is inserted in an installation hole formed in the swing arm of the actuator while the finger is inserted between the load beams facing each other to maintain a constant gap between them. The handle is used to pivot the shipping comb. It is reported that problems can still occur when conventional shipping combs are installed to actuators because sliders facing each other can still collide with each other and be damaged thereby. United States Patent Publication No. 2006/0117558 notes that the conventional shipping combs do not have any structure that directly prevents the collision between the sliders. Accordingly, during the transfer of the actuator, when a relatively large impact or vibration is applied to the actuator, the sliders can vibrate and thus the sliders facing each other may collide with each other. In this case, an air bearing surface of each of the sliders may be damaged or the head mounted thereon may be damaged so that the lifting ability of the slider or the read/write ability of the head may be deteriorated. United States Patent Publication No. 2006/0117558 introduces a new shipping comb design that is reported to overcome these problems. More specifically, United States Patent Publication No. 2006/0117558 discloses a shipping comb for use when moving an actuator of a hard disk drive, the actuator including a swing arm installed on a base member of the hard disk drive and capable of pivoting, at least a pair of load beams coupled to an end portion of the swing arm, and at least a pair of sliders respectively coupled to the load beams to face each other, the shipping comb comprising: a frame operative to be coupled to the actuator and capable of pivoting; a first finger provided at the frame and for maintaining an interval between the load beams by being inserted between the load beams; and a second finger provided at the frame and for preventing collision between the sliders by being inserted between the sliders.

This invention relates, in general, to an improvement in wood burning stoves and, in particular, it relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the efficiency and safety of wood burning stoves. Due to the relative scarcity and high cost of petroleum products, wood burning stoves have been increasingly employed for home heating and other purposes. A reasonably air tight wood burning stove is far more efficient than a home fireplace, which may result, in fact, in a net energy loss. However, wood burning stoves presently being utilized suffer from three significant drawbacks. First, wood burning stoves represent a severe fire hazard since the wood fuel therefore contains volatile substances which are normally not oxidized during combustion. These volatiles will burn if mixed with air at temperatures in excess of 590.degree. C. However, the typical wood burning stove operates within a temperature range of between 230.degree. and 370.degree. C. At these temperatures, these volatile substances, known generally as cresote, remain unoxidized and tend to adhere to the flue pipes and are a cause of not infrequent chimney fires. Secondly, the incomplete combustion of the carbonaceous fuel in wood burning stoves leaves the unoxidized residue as a pollutant and an environmental hazard which is discharged to the atmosphere. Third, the unoxidized residue represents a loss of overall combustion efficiency. While claims have been made to efficiencies greater than 65% in some wood burning stoves, independent testing laboratories have determined that the combustion efficiency of typical wood burning stoves lies in the range of between 50 and 65%. One possible solution to the aforementioned problems is to increase the combustion temperature of the typical wood burning stove by providing additional air into the combustion chamber so as to create temperatures high enough to bring about complete combustion. Variations on this technique date back to the 18th century with the Franklin stove, wherein the volatiles are mixed with additional air in the combustion chamber in order that temperatures high enough to bring about complete combustion may be obtained. These efforts have only been partially successful.

The present invention relates generally to elastic materials and, more particularly, to an apparatus for fabricating an elastic nonwoven material. Elastic nonwoven materials are utilized in a variety of articles including personal care articles (e.g., adult briefs, baby diapers, child/adult pull-on pants, contour fit hygiene products, etc.) and medical garments (e.g., masks, caps, gowns, footwear, etc.). At least some conventional methods for fabricating elastic nonwoven materials include adhesively bonding elastic strands between layers of nonwoven fabric when the elastic strands are in tension. Once the elastic strands are permitted to contract, the elastic strands gather areas of the nonwoven fabric such that the nonwoven fabric functions with an elastic property. However, the durability of elastic nonwoven materials made by these conventional methods is less than desirable because the adhesive bonds are prone to creep, which can result in a loss of elasticity over time. Moreover, it can be overly expensive to fabricate elastic nonwoven materials using these conventional methods. It would be useful, therefore, to provide a system for fabricating a more durable elastic nonwoven material in a more cost effective manner.

This invention relates to a conventional radial type shaft seal with an elastomeric body which is supported by a rigid metallic case. The metal case is a necessary part of the seal in that it stabilizes the diameter of the seal through repeated changes in operational temperature. Without the metal case, the elastomer, having a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the bore in which it fits, becomes loose and the assembly fails with repeated temperature cycling. Heretofore the metal case has been one of the most expensive parts of a conventional shaft seal because of the large amount of waste material involved in the manufacture of this component. Present state of the art has been to form this part from a flat ring or washer which when upset by cold forming becomes generally cylindrical. Traditionally, however, the basic flat ring is cut from rectangular or strip sheet-stock so that geometrically speaking the outsides between the rings becomes scrap as well as the insides which must be removed by a piercing operation. The present invention relates to the fabrication of the generally cylindrical metal cases from small rectangular blanks of sheet stock that in turn can be cut from large rectangular or strip stock with very little waste. The small rectangular blanks, then, are formed so that the narrow ends can be fastened together to produce the desired generally cylindrical seal cases. When this is done, the flat ring phase that produces the scrap in the present state of the art is deleted from the manufacturing process and scrap production is reduced from approximately 30% to less than 5% of the original sheet stock. Such a saving would allow four seals to be made from a piece of metal that formerly produced only three seals.

A web-based application is a dynamic application that is accessed via the worldwide web. For example, these web-based applications may provide diverse services such as web mail, blogs, search engines, and discussion boards, etc. As users become more knowledgeable of web-based applications and the functionality of web-based applications, the vulnerabilities of these web-based applications are also known. With these vulnerabilities, the risk of users' sensitive information, users' computer systems, users' computer networks, and/or the worldwide web, etc., being infiltrated or compromised by malicious data, also increases. By way of example, malicious data infiltrating a web-based application may cause a significant amount of damage to other users of the web-based application and/or the web-based application itself. Therefore, detecting and/or blocking the malicious data more efficiently and efficiently is a critical task for individuals and organizations alike. One technique to detecting malicious data involves the utilization of an input filtering mechanism. An input filtering mechanism may function as a filtering layer between one or more users and the web-based application in order to help inhibit malicious data. Another technique for detecting malicious data requires the user to download a filtering program so that the data can be filtered before it is submitted. Consider the situation wherein, for example, a user wants to access a web-based blogging application, for example, www.blogwidget.com, in order to input their daily journal entries. The user first enters the URL (“www.blogwidget.com”) into the browser's address bar. In order to access the web-based application, the web-based application provider may prompt the user to login by providing a HTML input form, for example, www.blogwidget/login.html, to the user's browser. This HTML input form requires the user to input, for example, their username and password before access is granted to the web-based blogging application. After the user inputs the required login information into the provided HTML input form and hits “submit”, the login data, or the HTML input form data, is then transmitted to a target URL of a receiving module of the web-based application (for example, www.blogwidget/target.cgi) that is specified in the HTML input form. The receiving module of the web-based application would then forward the HTML input form data to the web-based application. It is then up to the web-based application provider to do his own access control, using the login data, to decide whether to grant or deny access by the user to www.blogwidget.com. If the web-based application provider decides to grant the user access to the web-based application (www.blogwidget.com), the web-based application provider in this example may provide the user with an additional HTML input form, for example, www.blogwidget/journal.html, so that the user can then enter his or her daily journal entry. Similar to the login HTML input form, once the user inputs his or her daily journal entry into the data fields provided and hits “submit”, before the daily journal entry is posted to the blog site, the HTML input form data is first transmitted to a target URL of the receiving module of the web-based application (for example, www.blogwidget/target cgi), that is specified in the journal HTML input form. The receiving module of the web-based application would then forward the HTML input form data to the web-based application. It is then up to the web-based application provider to do his or her own content filtering or malicious data detection on the entered form data in order to allow or disallow the daily journal entry to be posted on www.blogwidget.com. Traditionally, for the web-based application provider to perform data filtering of the inputted information by the user, the web-based application provider has to provision (i.e., install and/or maintain and/or update) the data filtering mechanism. Typically, the installation and maintenance of the data filtering mechanism requires specialized programmers to be hired, which can be expensive and time consuming for a typical business. As the worldwide web continues to evolve, so do the types of malicious threats. Therefore, not only does the web-based application provider initially have to install an input filtering mechanism, but also has to continuously update and maintain the filtering mechanism. The amount of resources required to properly install and maintain such a filtering mechanism may be out of reach for some entities. Similar considerations exist with respect to installing and maintaining the access control mechanism. As mentioned, an alternative approach requires the user to install and maintain client-based data filtering mechanism and/or access control mechanism to perform data filtering and/or access control at the client browser. However, this approach is not wholly satisfactory since some users may not have the expertise or be diligent in installing and/or maintaining such data filtering mechanism and/or access control mechanism.

The present invention is directed to predicting the onset of epileptic seizures, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for automatically interpreting information representing the activity of the brain so as to predict the onset of a seizure in order to alert a patient of the possibility of an impending seizure and/or to take preventative actions to avert a seizure. Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of the population in the United States and approximately 2% of the population worldwide. Of those affected by the disease, approximately one-third have seizures that cannot be controlled by medication or cured by surgery. Epilepsy surgery requires locating the region of the brain where seizure onset occurs and the pathways through which the seizures spread, a process that is not completely accurate and reliable. Moreover, epilepsy surgery is accompanied by the inherent risk of neurologic injury, disfigurement and other complications. Some individuals have epileptic seizures that cannot be controlled by standard medication, are inoperable because seizure onset is not localized, or originate from vital areas of the brain which cannot be surgically removed. These individuals may resort to high doses of intoxicating medications and/or other experimental therapies. Several prior art algorithms for seizure prediction and/or detection are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,978, to Hively et al., entitled xe2x80x9cEpileptic Seizure Prediction by Nonlinear Methods,xe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,625, to Viglione et al., entitled xe2x80x9cEpileptic Seizure Warning System,xe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,464, entitled xe2x80x9cImplantable Epilepsy Monitor Apparatus.xe2x80x9d It is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for predicting seizures with such accuracy that the activity of the brain can be monitored by an implantable device to warn a patient of the likelihood of an impending seizure, and/or to take preventative actions through application of intervention measures to abort or modulate the seizure prior to clinical onset. Briefly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for predicting the onset of a seizure in an individual. Whereas prior art systems and algorithms determine that a seizure is occurring after detection of its actual electrical onset, which may or may not occur before detectable clinical manifestations of a seizure, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for predicting that a seizure is going to occur sometime well in advance of any detectable electrical onset or clinical onset of seizure activity. The prediction achieved according to the present invention is well in advance of any electrical onset of seizures, or clinical onset, and before there are visually obvious changes in EEG patterns. The method and apparatus according to the present invention operate by monitoring signals representing the activity of the brain, extracting features from the signals and deriving a feature vector representing a combination of those features that are determined (during xe2x80x9coff-linexe2x80x9d analysis of a particular individual and/or other knowledge of seizure prediction across a number of individuals) to be predictive of seizure onset, and analyzing the feature vector with a trainable algorithm implemented by, for example, a wavelet neural network, to predict seizure onset. Features are extracted on both an instantaneous basis and a historical basis. Features are collected and analyzed in different time frames, such as over days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Preferably, the system is implemented in an implantable device that an individual or physician can interface with in much the same manner as an implantable pacemaker or defibrillator. Interface to the implantable device is by way of a body-wearable or attachable patient access unit that includes a display (such as a liquid crystal display), an audible or visible alert, a vibration alert, and a user interface (such as a button keypad). The output of the implantable device may comprise a signal(s) indicating a probability of seizure occurrence within one or more specified periods of time in parallel. The patient may program the system via the patient access unit to generate certain levels of alerts based on programmable probability thresholds. Access may also take place via connection to a local or physician""s office personal computer and to a central facility via the Internet. Programming can be done by the patients with their personal unit, or the physician may choose to completely control this process via periodic checks with an office unit, the patient""s home PC or via the Internet, portable cellular, infra-red, microwave or other communication device. In addition, the system may be programmed to automatically trigger preventative actions, such as the application of an electrical shock, the delivery of one or more drugs or the activation of a pacing algorithm which can be employed to abort the seizure or mitigate the severity of a seizure. Outputs from the device may be used to train the patient in a biofeedback scheme to learn to abort seizures themselves. A distinguishing theme of the present invention is that the most accurate seizure predictor is one based on the synergy of multiple features or a single feature artificially customized from raw data, as opposed to prior art techniques that involve reliance on a single conventional feature. Another important aspect of the invention is the generation as output of one or more probability measures, each associated with a different prediction horizon, that represent the likelihood a seizure will occur during the corresponding prediction horizon. Another aspect of the invention a method for applying intervention measures to an animal to abort or modulate a seizure comprising the step of adjusting the modality of an intervention measure and/or parameters of an intervention measure based upon a probability measure indicative of a likelihood of seizure occurrence and/or a predicted time to seizure onset.

Today's enterprises rely on a wide variety of computing systems to provide their customers with products and services. These can be programs that an end-user runs to accomplish certain tasks and can work in conjunction with one or more back-end systems, which can store the data to be worked on, such as, for example, business objects and other business data, as well as logic for manipulating the data, such as for example transactions or other business logic. Examples of back-end systems may include database systems, enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) systems, and customer relationship management (“CRM”) systems. Users can design and/or create various business process objects, such as sales orders, invoices, etc. A business object can be created using any known computing systems and languages (e.g., one such exemplary language includes advanced business application programming (“ABAP”) high level programming language, which is available from SAP SE, Walldorf, Germany). Such created objects can be stored in memory, such as in a database. An example of such database includes a High-Performance Analytic Appliance (“HANA”), which is a column-oriented, in-memory database appliance available from SAP SE, Walldorf, Germany. Computing systems process and store a significant amount of data. Access to and availability of such data is important to ensure smooth operations the businesses. Many enterprises use various backup services and/or disaster recovery structures and/or systems to substantially guarantee uninterrupted access to data, software applications, and/or other computing hardware and/or software. However, currently available disaster recovery systems are inefficient, costly, and can be unreliable.

Intracorporeal suturing of tissue during surgery presents challenges to the surgeon in that the surgeon is called upon to manipulate one or more suturing instruments within the confines of an incision formed in the patient's body. In some cases, the surgeon will use his/her finger(s) to dissect tissue or separate tissue along tissue planes to form a space within the tissue that allows the surgeon to palpate and identify a desired target location for placement of a suture. Often, the space formed in the dissected tissue is opened until it is large enough to receive both the surgeon's finger(s) and the suturing instrument(s). The space provides access to the identified target location where it is desired to place the suture. However, the target location is often disposed inside the patient's body at an angle that is difficult to reach and can have a depth that precludes visualization of the target location. Delivering surgical instruments to the target location is challenging when the target location cannot be visualized by the surgeon.

This application claims the priority of German application 198 18 125.6, filed in Germany on Apr. 23, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. The present invention relates to a supporting disc for a supporting disc bearing of open-end spinning rotors comprising a disc-like base body and a running ring made of plastic and having a running surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,932 exemplifies supporting discs of this general type. Such supporting disc bearings are not in general encapsulated towards the outside. It can occur therefore that fly, trash or avivage establishes itself at the spinning rotors in the area of the support discs, which can lead to an untrue running. In the case of certain running ring materials, it can even happen that so-called chatter marks occur on the running surfaces. It is an object of the present invention to significantly reduce the polluting of the open-end spinning rotor and also the occurrence of chatter marks. This object has been achieved in accordance to the present invention in that small, ball-shaped filling bodies are embedded in the running ring. The filling bodies give the running ring other flexible properties. The ball-shaped filling bodies can be made of plastic or preferably, of glass, and be hollow. The filling bodies are added to the liquid plastic when the running ring is cast onto the base body, namely, according to the application purpose, with a volume of between 0.1 and 10% of the total. The diameter of the ball-shaped filling bodies lies, for example, in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 mm. Although the filling bodies are distributed over the entire interior of the running ring, they are needed mostly on the running surface. Due to the usual machining of the running surface, a few filling bodies break out of the running surface, so that tiny pores arise thereon. Other filling bodies are cut off during machining, others remain anchored in the running ring and project only partly out of the running surface. The running surface gives the optical impression of being slightly porous. Surprisingly, it has been established that owing to these measures, less trash accumulates on the open-end spinning rotor, and practically no chatter marks occur on the running surfaces of the supporting discs. The applicants still have no explanation for this phenomenon. It is thought to some extent that due to the ball-shaped filling bodies on the running surface, the heat transfer from the open-end spinning rotors to the running ring is reduced, so that less or even no chatter marks occur. Another explanation could be that a hard skin, which usually forms on the running surface when the plastic cools, does not quite assert itself due to the effect of the filling bodies, so that chatter marks arising as a result of the hard skin do not now occur anymore. As for the reduced soiling of the open-end spinning rotor, the applicants presume that the filling bodies have an erasing effect and thus keep the open-end spinning rotor constantly clean. The altered temperature and flexing work caused by the filling bodies could also have a positive influence. This seemingly does not involve an increase in wear of the bearing points, as the shafts of the open-end spinning rotors are usually coated against wear. It is known from German published patent application 19 62 247 to provide the plastic supporting rollers of false twist spindles with hair-like reinforcing elements made of carbon. The aim thereof, however, is to improve the poor heat conducting properties of the plastic, so that the heat can be better conducted to a base body supporting the plastic running ring.