Abstract: A packaging carton for wet food such as meat and fish is made of a triple ply lamination, the top and bottom plies being plastic sheet, the intermediate ply being of carton material such as paperboard but in variants the ply is made of fluted board, honeycomb matrix or side by side thin walled tubes. The intermediate ply is cruciform allowing the corners to be rectangular areas of plastic plies joined together. These form, diagonal fold flaps which are adhered to the cruciform blank to form a fold flat carton precursor. A lid is constructed in the same manner and overlies the carton to form a container which withstands tape wrapping.

Abstract: A synthetic board is made from a plastic film ply 4, 6 adhered or welded to a parallel array of thin-walled plastic tubes 2. In some versions, the tubes are spaced from each other. In others the tubes are contiguous. This allows the board to curl up more or less depending on the tube packing about the tubes axes but to resist bowing between the ends of the tubes. The board is useful for packaging, display, cladding and insulation. In some versions, a second parallel array 7 lies at 90° to the first and the board is free to fold about the boundary between the two arrays. In this way, runs of cruciform carton blanks can be manufactured. The tubes can contain particulate or gel filling.

Abstract: A packaging carton for wet food such as meat and fish is made of a triple ply lamination, the top and bottom plies being plastic sheet, the intermediate ply being of carton material such as paperboard but in variants the ply is made of fluted board, honeycomb matrix or side by side thin walled tubes. The intermediate ply is cruciform allowing the corners to be rectangular areas of plastic plies joined together. These form, diagonal fold flaps which are adhered to the cruciform blank to form a fold flat carton precursor. A lid is constructed in the same manner and overlies the carton to form a container which withstands tape wrapping.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for diagnosing a neurodegenerative disease or for determining the predisposition of a subject to a neurodegenerative disease. In particular, the methods of the present invention comprise detecting a marker linked to map position 9p21, e.g., a marker within an opioid receptor sigma 1 (OPRS1) gene or an expression produce thereof. The present invention also provides a method for identifying new markers that are associated with a neurodegenerative disease. The present invention also provides mutant forms of an OPRS1 gene or an expression product thereof and reagents for detecting those mutations.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for diagnosing a neurological disease and/or for determining the predisposition of a subject to a neurological disease and/or for determining a subject at risk of developing a neurological disease, the method comprising detecting a marker in a glycogen synthase kinase 3? gene or expression product thereof and a microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene or expression product thereof. The present invention also provides pharmacogenetic methods, e.g., for identifying a subject that will respond to treatment with a therapeutic compound.

Abstract: A synthetic board is made from a plastic film ply 4, 6 adhered or welded to a parallel array of thin-walled plastic tubes 2. In some versions, the tubes are spaced from each other. In others the tubes are contiguous. This allows the board to curl up more or less depending on the tube packing about the tubes axes but to resist bowing between the ends of the tubes. The board is useful for packaging, display, cladding and insulation. In some versions, a second parallel array 7 lies at 90° to the first and the board is free to fold about the boundary between the two arrays. In this way, runs of cruciform carton blanks can be manufactured. The tubes can contain particulate or gel filling.

Abstract: An integrated circuit having a transmit chain configured to provide direct FM modulation of a voltage controlled oscillator of a frequency synthesizer by a composite signal that includes audio and video components, and a receive chain configured to provide a television compatible modulated signal having audio and video information. The receive chain can display locally transmitted signals.

Abstract: An oriented, i.e. uniaxial or biaxial, thermoplastic article, e.g. extruded sheet, blown film, and cast film, comprising a first component comprising a continuous phase and a dispersed phase, where A) the continuous phase contains a polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of a monomer mixture containing a styrenic monomer and an alkyl (meth)acrylate monomer in the presence of the dispersed phase; and B) the dispersed phase contains one or more block copolymer selected from diblock and triblock copolymers of styrene-butadiene, styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, partially hydrogenated styrene-isoprene-styrene, wherein the oriented thermoplastic article has a thickness ranging from 0.02 mm to 0.50 mm, a tensile strength ranging from 15 Mpa to 70 Mpa as measured by ASTM D 882, an impact value ranging between 0.05 ft. lb/mil to 1.0 ft. lb/mil as measured by ASTM D 3763, and a Haze value less than 10% as measured by ASTM D 1003.

Abstract: A foam thermoplastic container e.g. cup, bowl molded from expandable thermoplastic particles e.g. expandable polystyrene, has a film made of a thermoplastic resin e.g. solid polystyrene, rubber-modified polystyrene, PET, polyethylene, polypropylene, fused to its inner sidewall surface by heat and pressure to create a barrier to resist the leakage of liquid and food with oil and/or fatty components and to increase the rim strength of the container. The thermoplastic resin film can be fused to the outer surface of the container for printing purposes and/or to create a barrier and/or can be fused to the base surfaces of the container. The molding machine used to form the foam container is used to fuse the film to the container.

Abstract: A thermoplastic sheet that includes a continuous phase and a dispersed phase, where A) the continuous phase contains a polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of a monomer mixture containing a styrenic monomer and an alkyl (meth)acrylate monomer in the presence of the dispersed phase; and B) the dispersed phase contains one or more block copolymer selected from diblock and triblock copolymers of styrene-butadiene, styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, partially hydrogenated styrene-isoprene-styrene. The thermoplastic sheet is formed by extruding a thermoplastic composition that is cut to desired dimensions to form thermoplastic items, e.g. identification cards, credit cards, bank cards, key cards, gift cards, phone cards, playing cards, menus, and the like. Indicia and/or printing can be applied to the items to provide for commercial applications. The sheet may be opaque or may be relatively clear to transparent with a Haze value of 0.01% up to 10%.

Abstract: Styrenic resin composition comprising a rubber modified styrene maleic anhydride copolymer and polybutene. The resin is prepared by several methods including adding polybutene into the reactor, or adding polybutene to the syrup exiting the reactor and prior to entering the devolatilizer, or compounding polybutene into the polymer in an extruder after the polymer exits the devolatilizer. The polybutene ranges from 0.1 to 8% by weight and has a number average molecular weight from 900 to 2500. The rubber ranges from 4% to 20% by weight and has a particle size from 0.1 micron to 11 microns. The resin can be extruded into sheet and thermoformed into an article or can be coextruded to produce a laminated article, which may be a container for packaged foods that can be heated in microwave ovens and which container has improved toughness, elongation, and heat distortion resistance properties.

Abstract: A water soluble laminate may be prepared comprising one or more relatively water insoluble layers of polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol or crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol and one or more relatively more water soluble layers such as linear uncrosslinked sulphonated vinylaromatic polymers.

Abstract: High molecular weight polylactic acid is generally produced by the polymerization of lactide. Lactide is prepared by the depolymerization of low molecular weight polylactic acid. There are difficulties in the preparation of high molecular weight polylactic acid and high purity lactide isomers due to the equilibrium between lactic acid, low molecular weight polylactic acid, high molecular weight polylactic acid, lactide and water. Further it has never been proposed to provide a continuous process to produce high molecular weight polylactic acid from lactic acid. The present invention overcomes the equilibrium problem and provides a continuous process.

Abstract: Generally, polylactic acid is prepared by the ring opening polymerization of lactide. However, to obtain a high molecular weight polylactic acid it is necessary to start with a lactide having a high degree of purity. Lactide may be economically brought to the required degree of purity using melt recrystallization techniques.

Abstract: Foamable photodegradable suspension polymers of vinyl aromatic monomers may be prepared by dissolving a copolymer of a vinyl aromatic monomer and a vinyl ketone in the vinyl aromatic monomer and suspension polymerizing the resulting mixture. The resulting polymer may be foamed and used in the manufacture of food containers.

Abstract: Foamable photodegradable suspension polymers of vinyl aromatic monomers may be prepared by dissolving a copolymer of a vinyl aromatic monomer and a vinyl ketone in the vinyl aromatic monomer and suspension polymerizing the resulting mixture. The resulting polymer may be foamed and used in the manufacture of food containers.