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Packet round trip times (RTT) within a communication network are measured and from those measurements information regarding congestion conditions within the network is extracted. The RTT measurements are organized into an invariant distribution (a histogram) and an analytical tool which is designed to reveal periodicity information (such as a Fourier or wavelet transform, etc.) is applied to the distribution to obtain a period plot. From this period plot, bandwidth information (indicative of the congestion conditions and/or link capacities within the network) can be obtained.
1. A method, comprising measuring packet round trip times within a communication network, organizing numbers of occurrences of the packet round trip time measurements as an invariant distribution; applying an analytical tool to the invariant distribution to derive a plot exhibiting periodic peaks; and extracting information from the periodic peaks to evaluate regarding congestion conditions within the network, wherein the extracting the information to evaluate regarding the congestion conditions includes determining a bandwidth of one or more communication links from the periodic peaks.
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7. A method, comprising controlling inter-packet transmission times at a node of a communication network according to congestion conditions within the network, the congestion conditions being determining by measurement of packet round trip times within the network; organizing numbers of occurrences of the packet round trip time measurements as an invariant distribution; applying an analytical tool to the invariant distribution to derive a plot exhibiting periodic peaks, and extracting a bandwidth information to evaluate one or more congested links within the network from the periodic peaks.
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11. A method comprising estimating congestion conditions in a communication network from bandwidth bottleneck information obtained through a plot exhibiting periodic peaks, the plot derived from an invariant distribution of numbers of occurrences of measurements of packet round trip times within the network applied with an analytical tool, wherein the bandwidth bottleneck information to evaluate regarding the congestion conditions includes determining a bandwidth of one or more communication links from the periodic peaks.
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This application hereby claims the priority and benefit of and is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/846,451, entitled "M
The present invention relates to a scheme for determining congestion conditions in a communication network using characteristics of an invariant distribution of packet round trip times in such a network. Based on these congestion conditions, a control node of the network can be operated in such a way so as to reduce packet loss in the network.
Many communication networks, such as the Internet, rely on packet switching technologies (e.g., X.25, frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode, etc.) to transport variable or uniform blocks (usually termed packets or cells) of data between nodes. The term packet will be used herein to collectively refer to any such block of information. Such networks generally perform two major functions: routing and congestion control. The object of routing is to deliver, correctly and sometimes in sequence, the packets from a source to a destination. The object of congestion control is to maintain the number of packets within the network (or a region or sub-network thereof) below a level at which queuing delays become excessive. Due to finite resources, packets may be dropped rather than queued.
In essence, a packet switched network is a network of queues communicatively coupled together by communication links (which may be made up of various physical media). At each network node (e.g., a switch or router), there exist one or more queues of packets for each outgoing link. If the rate at which packets arrive and queue up exceeds the rate at which packets are transmitted, queue size grows without bound and the delay experienced by a packet tends towards infinity.
In an ideal case, network throughput, and hence network use, should increase to an offered load up to the physical capacity of the network and remain at capacity if the load is further increased. This ideal case, however, requires that all nodes somehow know the timing and rate of packets that will be presented to the network with no overload and no delay in acquiring this information; a situation which is not possible. If no congestion control is exercised, as the load increases, use increases for a while. Then, as the queue lengths at various nodes begin to grow, throughput actually drops. This is due to the fact that the queues are constrained to a finite length by the physical size of the memories in which they exist. When a node's memory (i.e., its queues) is full, it must drop (i.e., discard) additional incoming packets. Thus, the source is forced to retransmit these packets in addition to any new packets it might have. This only serves to worsen the situation. As more and more packets are retransmitted, the load on the network grows and more and more nodes become saturated. Eventually, even a successfully delivered packet may be retransmitted because it takes so long to get to its destination (whereupon it may be acknowledged by the destination node) that the source actually assumes that the packet was lost and tries to retransmit it. Under such circumstances, the effective capacity of the network can be virtually zero.
Contrary to what one might believe, the solution to this problem is not simply to allow the queue lengths to grow indefinitely. Indeed, it has been shown that even where queue lengths are allowed to be infinite, congestion can occur. See, e.g., John Nagle, "On Packet Switches with Infinite Storage", Network Working Group, Internet Engineering Task Force, RFC 970 (1985). One reason that this is true is that packets are often coded with an upper bound on their life, thus causing expired packets to be dropped and retransmitted, adding to the already overwhelming volume of traffic within the network.
It is clear that catastrophic network failures due to congestion should (indeed, must) be avoided and preventing such failures is the task of congestion control processes within packet switched networks. To date, however, the object of such congestion control processes has been to limit queue lengths at the various network nodes so as to avoid throughput collapse. Such non-TCP techniques require the transmission of some control information between the nodes and this overhead itself tends to limit the available network bandwidth for data traffic. Nevertheless, a good congestion control process maintains a throughput that differs from a theoretical ideal by an amount roughly equal to its control overhead.
Even these "good" congestion control processes, however, are not good enough. Studies of traffic flow across the Internet show that bandwidth of the various communication links is underutilized even in the presence of congestion. That is, even though excess capacity exists on the communication links that couple various nodes of the Internet to one another, packets are still being dropped within the network. One reason that conventional congestion control processes have failed in this fashion is that such processes do not take into account the true nature of network traffic.
Existing congestion control approaches have generally viewed network traffic (e.g., the generation of new packets to be injected into a network) as essentially random processes. However, recent work in the area of traffic modeling has shown that network traffic is in fact chaotic in nature. None of the currently proposed congestion control methodologies capture or exploit this characteristic.
Other studies from the academic community have shown that the time series of network traffic throughput is not Poisson, but fractal. Namely, the "bursty" behavior seen in a time series at a given time scale is also seen at all other time scales. This "self-similarity" is one of the signatures that characterize a fractal time series. However, as explained in the above-referenced co-pending application, the present applicants have discovered that this "self-similar" signature is not present for heavily congested network traffic. Instead, the present applicants have verified that the traffic generated without any TCP protocol exhibits a fractal time series if the files transmitted are drawn randomly from a Pareto distribution of file sizes. The Fourier power spectrum in this case is a power law that on a log—log scale is linear, as shown in
The term "chaos" is used to describe the apparently random behavior exhibited by many deterministic nonlinear dynamical systems. Such systems manifest a rather remarkable phenomenon in that their deterministic property implies that all future states are determined from the present state. Thus, on one hand there is complete future knowledge of the system, while on the other there is seemingly random motion.
Chaos then is the long-term aperiodic behavior of a deterministic, nonlinear, dynamical system that exhibits sensitivity to initial conditions. Aperiodicity is the property that orbits never repeat themselves exactly; however they may get arbitrarily close to doing so, as observed in periodic windows. The other, perhaps more important, property is the sensitivity of the system to tiny perturbations. Consider two given points in phase space that are distinct but lie arbitrarily close to each other, then one might assume that their orbits will remain close forever. In fact, just the opposite is observed; the orbits separate exponentially in a bounded region of state space.
As indicated above, current congestion control processes simply do not take the chaotic network traffic characteristics into account and, therefore, cannot be expected to be optimum solutions to the congestion problem. To understand why network traffic is chaotic in nature, consider the Internet infrastructure and a series of packet transmissions between a source and a receiver within the Internet.
The Internet infrastructure is complex, with many interconnections between routers. For a given router, there are both incoming connections from various sources and outgoing connections to various receivers. For the most part, the transmissions are controlled using the well-known transmission control protocol (TCP). Very early in the development of the modern Internet, it was discovered that some control over the manner in which packets were injected into the network by the source was needed.
Originally, TCP allowed a source to inject multiple packets into a network, up to a limit corresponding to a window or buffer size advertised by the receiver. Although such a scheme may work where the source and the receiver are connected to the same local area network, it was soon found that where routers having finite buffer sizes are disposed between the source and the receiver, problems arise as these routers soon run out of space to hold the incoming packets. To combat this problem Jacobson and Karels developed a "slow start" procedure wherein the source limits the rate at which it injects new packets into the network according to the rate at which acknowledgements of successful receptions are returned by the receiver. Van Jacobson and Michael J. Karels, "Congestion Avoidance and Control", Proceedings of SIGCOMM '88 (Stanford, Calif., August 1988), ACM.
Under the slow start procedure, a so-called congestion window is added to the source's TCP implementation. When a connection is established with a resource on another network, this congestion window is initialized to one segment (e.g., the segment or packet size advertised by the resource or a default packet size). Each time an acknowledgement is received, the congestion window is incremented and the source is allowed to inject a number of packets up to the minimum of the current congestion window size or the receiver's advertised window. Over time, the source's congestion window will grow exponentially until at some point the capacity of the intervening network is reached and some intermediate router begins dropping packets. This is an indication to the source that its congestion window has gotten too large. See, e.g., W. Richard Stevens, TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols (1994) and Gary W. Wright and W. Richard Stevens, TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 2: The Implementation (1995).
At this point, and where the slow start process is run in concert with a conventional congestion avoidance procedure, the source resets its congestion window to one, and the process repeats up to the point at which the congestion window becomes half the size at which packet loss occurred previously. After this point, the congestion avoidance process takes over and begins incrementing the congestion window in a linear fashion (rather than in an exponential fashion as under the slow start process) in response to receiver acknowledgements.
This sudden change from an exponentially growing number of packets being injected to a linearly growing number of packets being injected presents a discontinuity. Such discontinuities are observed at the intervening router for each of the connections it is servicing. Moreover, the discontinuities appear at random as there is no synchronization between the different sources injecting packets into the network. It is the interaction between the discontinuities that result from the operation of the TCP and the randomness at which they are manifest at the routers within the network that gives rise to the chaotic nature of network (e.g., Internet) traffic.
In such a system it would seem that there is little or no ability to estimate congestion conditions, especially congestion conditions downstream of a point of interest. Nevertheless, in order to control congestion, the ability to accurately make such estimates is critical. The present invention addresses these needs.
Packet round trip times (RTT) within a communication network are measured and from those measurements information regarding congestion conditions within the network is extracted. The RTT measurements are organized into an invariant distribution (a histogram) and an analytical tool which is designed to reveal periodicity information (such as a Fourier or wavelet transform, etc.) is applied to the distribution to obtain a period plot. From this period plot, bandwidth information (indicative of the congestion conditions and/or link capacities within the network) can be obtained.
The bandwidth information may be used to set a control bandwidth for a node of the network. This node may be a sever, router, switch or other until/monitoring node along a traffic route within the network. The control bandwidth may be set by adjusting the inter-packet transmission times at this node. In effect, the queue depth of the node is regulated to provide an output traffic flow at a bandwidth approximately equal to an identified bandwidth bottleneck. This will help to ensure that packet loss and fetch times are minimized. Of course, as the congestion conditions change, the inter-packet transmission times (i.e., the control bandwidth) may be adjusted accordingly.
In a further embodiment, inter-packet transmission times at a node of a network are controlled according to network congestion condition determined by measurements of packet RTTs. An invariant distribution of the RTT measurements is used to provided bandwidth information regarding one or more congested links within the network. From the bandwidth information, bandwidth bottlenecks can be identified.
The bandwidth information may be extracted from the invariant distribution of RTT measurements using any of a number of analytical tools which will reveal periodicity information in the distribution. Examples of such tools include the Fourier transform and the wavelet transform. These tools may be implemented in hardware or software.
Still another embodiment provides a method of estimating congestion in a network using bandwidth bottleneck information obtained from the above-described RTT measurements. This information may be extracted from an invariant distribution of such measurements (e.g., using tools such as these discussed above), and may be subsequently used to set packet transmission times at one or more nodes of the network.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
A scheme for determining network congestion conditions is disclosed herein. As discussed in greater detail below, the present scheme allows for estimating the particular congestion conditions of downstream communication links as well as the congested bandwidth characteristics, regardless of whether the congestion is self-induced or cross-induced. Although discussed with reference to certain illustrated embodiments, upon review of this specification, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the present scheme may find application in a variety of systems. Therefore, in the following description the illustrated embodiments should be regarded as exemplary only and should not be deemed to be limiting in scope. It should also be noted that as used herein the term "packet" is meant to broadly refer to packets, cells and other forms of information units used to transport data and/or control information within communications infrastructures (e.g., computer networks, telecommunications networks, data communication networks and the like, for example, the Internet) wherein resources are shared among multiple users and multiple information or traffic streams. The present control techniques may be applied at a per connection, per traffic stream or other level.
Sources of congestion within a network can be understood with reference to
The connections that exist through router 10 generally will not have equal bandwidths. That is, some bandwidth mismatch will often occur at nodes such as router 10. Often the communication link coupling the network node to the content source (i.e., link 24 in this example) will have a greater bandwidth than the communication link coupling the node to a client (i.e., link 22 in this example).
Whenever a bandwidth mismatch of this type occurs, some packet buffering will be required. Hence, router 10 in equipped with one or more buffers (not shown), which are configured to store packets received from the traffic source until they can be transmitted on to the clients 20. These transmissions usually occur at some periodic interval, usually defined by a scheduler in router 10 (not shown). The scheduler allows packet transmissions to take place depending upon the bandwidth of the outgoing communication link, customer subscription agreements and/or other network conditions.
In addition to the traffic of interest, router 10 may also be in the communication path for one or more other traffic streams, some of which may be bound for clients 20 and others of which may be bound for other nodes in or coupled to the network. This cross-traffic (e.g., from a content source such as Web server 18) may exist on one or more communication links 26 and may also involve packets being buffered at router 10 for some period of time.
As discussed above, congestion will occur at router 10 when its buffer (and assume for the moment that all available buffers at router 10 may be regarded as a single storage unit) is full and new packets arrive before old packets can be transmitted out of the buffer. In such a case, packets will be dropped. This situation may occur for either of two reasons. First, in cases where there is little or no cross-traffic, or stated differently, where all of the traffic seen by the buffer is traffic of interest from Web server 16, then the packets that are dropped will be packets of the traffic stream(s) of interest. This is referred to herein as "self-induced congestion". That is, the congestion results primarily (or solely) as a result of traffic from the streams of interest.
The second situation involves cases where there would be no congestion but for the presence of cross-traffic from Web server 18. That is, the buffer overflows (and subsequent packet drops) are a result of heavy cross-traffic. Not only are packets from this cross-traffic dropped, but so too are packets from the traffic stream(s) of interest dropped (because all packets must use the same buffer(s) in router 10). This situation is referred to a "cross-induced congestion" to point out the fact that it is (primarily) due to cross-traffic on communication link 26.
While investigating the phenomena described above, the present applicants have discovered a technique for estimating and/or controlling congestion in such networks. In brief, a control point (such as control node 12) in a network is established and round trip packet times between the control point and some downstream point (or points) are monitored. The monitoring is performed so as to identify periodicities in the round trip times for packets transmitted in the network, and from those periodicities the nature of the network congestion may be extracted. The control point need not be a separate network node, and can often be the content server or a router or switch within the network. Indeed, the techniques discussed herein are applicable at any network node, including the client.
The present congestion estimation techniques work even in the presence of multiple congested links within a specific route. The reason for this is that the Internet, based on the TCP protocol, relies on feedback and so even if the monitoring point sits upstream of a congested link, that congestion can be discovered and characterized. Further, the existence of cross-traffic and the resultant buffer delays are used to measure the important bandwidths of the network, and hence the present methods will work in the presence of any type of bottleneck, either with severe or mild congestion.
For a congested route then, the strategy of the present method is to observe either the degree of packet loss of the route of interest or the round trip time (RTT) of packets traversing that route. Theoretically, it is expected that both characteristics need to be taken into account to characterize a congested link, and the present applicants have discovered that it is indeed so. However, the present applicants have also discovered that there is an intimate relationship between the packet loss and the RTT, such that to a first order in effect, one need only observe the RTT to obtain sufficient information for developing the congestion finding procedure discussed herein.
The essence of the present method can be described as follows. It is recognized that a congested router has packets arriving at non-uniform time intervals. However, stored packets leave the router at much more regular time intervals, which are dictated by downstream bandwidth. The present applicants have discovered that one quantity invariant to the timing of the packet arrival is the distribution of RTT values (this invariant distribution is also termed a histogram). Moreover, this invariant distribution yields physical signals that reflect the nature of the packets traversing congested links. By examining this invariant distribution, in all scales, one can extract the nature of the congestion. For example, when the packets leaving the congested link are uniform in time, then the invariant distribution of the RTT will yield a periodic occurrence of peaks.
To better understand the methodology of the present invention, consider a TCP session between a client and a server. As the server provides packets to the client, the client returns acknowledgement (ACK) packets to the server for every packet (or every n packets, depending on an ACK timer, typically n=2) it receives. All packets transmitted by the server have a sequence number included in the header of the packet and each ACK packet includes the sequence number(s) of the packet(s) for which it is an acknowledgement. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the server (or other monitoring/control node) can determine the RTT of a packet by storing the sequence numbers and transmission time stamps of packets it sends to the client and comparing these with the receive time of the ACK packet which includes the appropriate sequence number(s). The RTT will be the resulting time difference between the packet transmission time and the receipt time of the corresponding ACK packet. These monitoring operations may be carried out at the traffic stream (or any other) level, as appropriate.
The RTTs thus recorded will be characteristic of the route between the server and the client (assuming there is no parasitic delay introduced by the client in sending the ACKs). After collecting a sufficient amount of data (which can be on the order of a few seconds, or even as little as one second, worth of data), these RTT values can be used to extract information regarding the physical bandwidths of the links between the server and the client, as described below.
Recall that when a train of packets is routed through a bandwidth mismatch, from higher to lower bandwidth as typically occurs when going from a server to a client, some packets must be temporarily buffered while waiting to be scheduled out at the speed of the downstream link. Thus, a packet "n+1" is transmitted from a router at a time "Δt" (msec) after packet "n" has been transmitted, where Δt represents a time lag between packet transmissions and can be expressed as:
If the outgoing link is congested, the time lag between two packets of the train is an integer multiple of Δt, depending on buffer queue depth. For example, with a standard 12 kbit TCP packet, and a 1.5 Mbps link, time lags of 8 msec (or multiples thereof) are expected.
Given the above, the round trip time (RTT) for packets traveling through a link with a time lag Δt can be expressed as:
The consequence of the buffering is that the RTTs actually measured on the different packets of the packet train will differ from one another by an integer multiple of Δt as well. In effect, the buffering provided by the routes at points of bandwidth mismatches has quantized the value of the RTT. Moreover, the histogram of these RTT values, instead of showing a single peak, will yield a series of peaks, each peak being separated from its nearest neighbors by an average value of Δt msec (i.e., the time characteristic of the bandwidth of the outgoing communication link). An example of such a histogram is shown in
A distribution of RTTs, such as is shown in the histogram of
The use of an FFT in this fashion is not a trial exercise. FFTs and other, similar analysis tools, are usually employed to analyze periodicities of a time series. Here, however, the FFT is used to analyze periodicity in a distribution.
After locating the most significant peaks in this power series, one can then obtain the corresponding bandwidth of the communication links, given the size of the packets, according to the following:
In performing the above-described analysis, care must be taken to choose an RTT bin size much smaller than the delay between two histogram peaks in order to ensure proper resolution of the power series. However, one must be aware that this distribution is more or less affected by the jitter and biases introduced by the routers and the communication links (with their corresponding transmission delays) and that such artifacts affect mainly the accuracy of high bandwidth measurements (when the RTT lag is below 1 msec, typically). The present methods remain valid whether packet loss is being experienced or not; indeed, the packets which have been retransmitted due to packet loss and for which there has been an ACK returned may be discarded from the data used for this monitoring (Karn's algorithm). Perturbations may be introduced into the RTT measurements in cases where the return route (for the ACK packets) is congested.
The present method becomes even more powerful when a significant amount of data needs to be analyzed. In such cases, it is possible to distinguish between several period peaks (or bandwidth peaks) corresponding to the bandwidths of different network segments linking the two endpoints of interest. For example, two or more different bandwidths (ignoring, for the moment, harmonics thereof) may be extracted for each analyzed route. In these more complex cases, one may express the RTT as:
Under certain circumstances, properties of the cross-traffic can be inferred from the RTT histogram. For example, consider an (large) addition to the RTT from a delay at a router feeding a small bandwidth connection. The buffer occupancy at the moment of arrival of a packet dictates the total wait time for that packet at the router. Thus, the RTT histogram will exhibit a series of peaks corresponding to each additional wait cycle. The time delay between peaks will be a measure of the bandwidth of the bottleneck and will be evident in the FFT or other transform. An example of such a histogram is shown in
In addition, the variation in height of the peaks shown in the histogram of
As indicated above, the FFT is not the only means of extracting information from an RTT histogram. A wavelet transform may be used to extract the types of information discussed above. In fact, wavelet transforms perform better than FFTs if the traffic flow is stationary. An example of a wavelet transform useful for the types of analyses described herein has the kernel:
The value of "s" can be considered as the scale of the time series f(t) that one wants to examine.
Using the above analysis technique, one can thus extract information regarding a bandwidth bottleneck. Returning to
Under the present scheme, the end-to-end packet losses of one or more traffic streams transmitted across a congested network may be reduced by controlling the bandwidths (i.e., the inter-packet delay) of the corresponding traffic streams applied to downstream node(s) of the network from one or more control points along the network topology. This reduction in packet loss results in a reduction in fluctuations or variability of the controlled traffic streams, an increase in bandwidth utilization of a congested link at downstream points and a reduction in times to transmit files (e.g., to an end-user).
To provide for reduced congestion on communication link 22, which is an output from node 10, the output bandwidth (e.g., packets/time interval) from the control node 12 is limited to a value determined from monitoring the downstream congestion conditions using the above-described techniques. That is, by varying the rate of traffic transmitted on communication link 24, which couples the output of node 12 to an input of node 10, for example by controlling the delays between packets, downstream congestion control is achieved.
Of course, because the network is dynamic in nature, the operating points change frequently, depending on the traffic conditions on the uncontrolled streams. Using the present monitoring and control techniques, traffic on the controlled streams may be throttled and/or allowed to flow accordingly, so as to maximize throughput for those streams.
The value of the controlled bandwidth can be set by controlling the buffer occupancy at node 12 (and changes thereto). When a bandwidth bottleneck is found, the corresponding value is used as the output bandwidth over communication link 24 and packets are buffered at node 12 accordingly. Periodically, node 12 can reassess whether the operating point has shifted and change the control bandwidth accordingly. In this way, downstream congestion is minimized and fewer packets are expected to be lost.
Thus a scheme for determining network congestion and link capacities in a computer network has been described. By reducing the end-to-end packet loss using the present monitoring and control mechanisms, traffic flow across the entire network topology is improved. The control methodology described herein can be applied on a port-by-port, link-by-link and/or traffic flow-by-traffic flow basis. That is, the control methods can be introduced at the physical or logical level, allowing true end-to-end quality of service (QoS) to be provided. It should be remembered that although the foregoing description and accompanying figures discuss and illustrate specific embodiments, the broader scope of present invention should be measured only in terms of the claims that follow.
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Born Feb 6, 1992 Age 23
Hometown S%C3%A3o Paulo Team Brazil national u...
Position Forward
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is a Brazilian footballer who plays in the Brasileirão Série A for Santos and the Brazilian national team, mainly as a forward. At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, by a record… Read More
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Neymar.
1992 Birth 1 More Event
In 1992, Neymar moved with his family to São Vicente, then, in 2003, they moved to Santos, where Neymar joined Santos FC. … Read More
2003 11 Years Old Neymar began playing football at an early age and he was soon spotted by Santos FC, who offered him a contract in 2003, where he was inducted into their youth academy, which has, in the past, produced Brazilian internationals like Bruno Coutinho Martins, Clodoaldo, Diego Walsh, Elano and Alex. … Read More
2009 17 Years Old 3 More Events
… He made his debut for Santos in 2009, and was voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. … Read More
2010 18 Years Old 7 More Events
Neymar continued his ascendancy in 2010, and, on 15 April 2010, he scored five goals for Santos in an 8–1 rout of Guarani in the qualifying stages of the Brazilian Cup.
2011 19 Years Old 6 More Events
He was the top scorer of the 2011 South American Youth Championship with nine goals, including two in the final, in the 6-0 win against Uruguay, helping Brazil to win their 11th title in this competition.
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Original Authors of this text are noted on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neymar.
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text: Over the last few months, the Old Spice Guy has become the most popular commercial pitchperson since the "Where's The Beef?" lady. That's why we're so excited that he decided to reply to our inquiry about whether or not he does community service wearing just a towel in video form. So, the question remains: Will he actually be attending the 2010 VH1 Do Something Awards next week? You'll have to tune in on Monday, July 19 at 9/8c to find out!


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(The following is a reformatted version of a press release issued by IHS iSuppli and received via electronic mail. The release was confirmed by the sender.) PC Shipments Set to Decline in 2012 for First Time in 11 Years El Segundo, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2012)--After entering the year with high hopes, the global PC market has seen its prospects dim, with worldwide shipments set to decline in 2012 for the first time in 11 years, according to the IHS iSuppli Compute Platforms Service at information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). The total PC market in 2012 is expected to contract by 1.2 percent to 348.7 million units, down from 352.8 million in 2011, as shown in the figure attached. Not since 2001--more than a decade ago--has the worldwide PC industry suffered such a decline. "There was great hope through the first half that 2012 would prove to be a rebound year for the PC market," said Craig Stice, senior principal analyst for computer systems at IHS. "Now three quarters through the year, the usual boost from the back-to-school season appears to be a bust, and both AMD and Intel's third-quarter outlooks appear to be flat to down. Optimism has vanished and turned to doubt, and the industry is now training its sights on 2013 to deliver the hoped-for rebound. All this is setting the PC market up for its first annual decline since the dot-com bust year of 2001." From hope to disappointment The year started off with major hope for Intel's ultrabooks at the annual Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. New and innovative form factors like convertibles, combined with the first appearance of Windows 8 demos on display, provided a fresh wave of enthusiasm for the possibility of a revitalized PC market. Even when first-quarter PC shipments came in, the less-than-stellar results were thought to be a minor setback. The high expectations continued midyear during the big PC event at Computex in Taiwan, as Intel plugged its latest Ivy Bridge processor. Shipments during the second quarter, however, once again disappointed. For now, important questions remain for the PC market and the rest of the year: - How much impact will Windows 8 really have toward boosting the PC market in the fourth quarter? - Will continuing global economic concerns neutralize whatever hype or interest has been generated by ultrabooks? - Will mobile computing gadgets such as tablets and smartphones win over PCs during the crucial holiday selling season, taking precious consumer dollars and keeping PC sales at bay? There are signs that a strong rebound could still occur in 2013. While IHS has reduced its forecast for them, the new ultrabooks and other ultrathin notebook computers remain viable products with the potential to redraw the PC landscape, and the addition of Windows 8 to the mix could prove potent and irresistible to consumers. Whether a newly configured PC space could then stand up to the powerful smartphone and tablet markets, however, remains to be seen. For more information, please contact: Jonathan Cassell Senior Manager, Editorial firstname.lastname@example.com Direct: + 1 408 654 1714 Mobile: +1 408 921 3754 Or IHS Media Relations email@example.com +1 303 305 8021 About IHS (www.ihs.com) IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information and insight in critical areas that shape today's business landscape, including energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk and security; environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting; and commodities, pricing and cost. Businesses and governments around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS employs more than 6,000 people in more than 30 countries around the world. IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2012 IHS Inc. All rights reserved. (bjh) NY #<873920.6606126.96.36.199.0.76>#
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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
Limited-time feature
40 year old man | Burr Ridge, IL, USA | Seeking women 28-36 within 5000 miles
Active within 24 hours
Well, where do I start..... I consider myself...
Well, where do I start..... I consider myself a very ambitious, friendly, unique, positive and an optimistic individual. Always have a smile on my face. I am 6'4 with fair skin and a medium build. Professionally, I recently got into commerical real estate as a owner/operator/developer. My friends describe me as attractive, confident, charming, successful, handsome, and smart. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, FUN! I am pretty damn spontaneous. I was Born in the Midwest and have lived here all my life. As for myself, I enjoy working out, movies, lounges, dining out on the town, and hanging with friends. I am involved in a non-profit called Save A Mother which I am passionate about. A connection mentally and physically are key. Honesty and sincerity go a long way in my book. As for profession, I am an Entrepeneur and I am open to anything as I look at the individual. You can be a rocket scientist and have a big title but at the end of the day, if your dull and boring, I won't enjoy your company....;) I have a wide array of friends so she would have to be able to socialize with all different types of people.
Alumni connections , Business networking , Cooking , Dining out , Movies/Videos , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Nightclubs/Dancing , Performing arts , Political interests , Religion/Spiritual , Volunteering , Watching sports , Wine tasting
Basketball, Billiards / Pool, Dancing, Football, Swimming, Tennis / Racquet sports, Weights / Machines, Yoga
I exercise 3-4 times per week.
I like Birds, Dogs, Exotic Pets, Fish, Horses, Other
Love Chicago, especially in the summer. I enjoy travelling but unfortunately haven't done much.
Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, IL
Watch CNN every morning. I keep up with world and financial events daily. Watch a bunch of sitcoms as well.
In my free time I enjoy working out, trying new restaurants and bars, going to the movies, both Hollywood and Bollywood.
Wall Street Journal
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|6'4" (193cms)
|5'2" (157cms) to 8'0" (243cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, Athletic and toned
|No preference
|No preference
|No Way
|No Way
|Social Drinker
|No preference
|Self-Employed / Entrepreneur
|No preference
I've been on a project for the last few years and have not had a chance to get out. Been focussing on work and getting things settled. Everything is coming together and now have time for myself.
|I'll tell you later
|No preference
|Never Married
|No preference
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|East Indian
|No preference
I come from a North Indian backround, I am Sindhi.
|Spiritual but not religious
|Agnostic, Atheist, Buddhist / Taoist, Christian / Catholic, Christian / LDS, Christian / Protestant, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim / Islam, Spiritual but not religious, Other, Christian / Other
|English, Hindi
|Bachelors degree
|Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral


text:
Summon Night Craft Sword Monogatari: Hajimari no Ishi
Battle the little girl and unlock robot wars!
You have to have completed the game to do this.
Go into the Omake menu (4th option in the screen after the "press start screen), and press "R, left, L, right, down, B, up, select , B, B, B ,start"
You'll hear a female voice say something ,and you will be able to fight the yellow haired girl in the village in the electric ruins. Also, you'll be able to use her in the Boss battles and EX battles and such in the Omake menu. Plus, you'll get a robot wars option in the Omake battle option.
Effect Code Unlocks stuff "R, left, L, right, down, B, up, select , B, B, B ,start" in the Omake menu
Contributed By: Seraphman.
New Game+
Complete the game and save. Now reset and you can start a new game but with your previous money, bestiary, weapon levels, special attacks, etc...
Transferring weapons for New Game+
After you complete the game go to the top right corner of the fishing area to find a person there. You can choose 6 of your current weapons to be given to him, and these weapons will be the ones transferred to you when you start a New Game+.
Know Something We Don't?
You can submit new cheat codes for this game using our Cheat Submission Form.
Have We Been Fooled?
If you see a non-working or fake code in the list above, let us know by using our Problem Submission Form.


text:
This Is The Most Outrageously Insane Feminist Expletive-Filled Attack on a Prolife Advocate Caught on Tape
We present to you a reasoned debate between a pro-abortion feminist and a pro-life demonstrator….
What the Heck? MSNBC Guest Says Supreme Court Ruling on Prolife the Same as Eugenics and Forced Sterilization?
You gotta hear this one, since no one else will watch MSNBC except to make fun of it.
Warren Buffett Has Given $1.2 Billion to Abortion Groups – Enough to Pay for Every Abortion in Two Years
Which side is the underdog here?


text:
A system employing an integrated analyte test strip including a biosensor and lancet is disclosed. The integration of lancet and the sensor elements eliminates the need to align the sensor to the biologic fluid sample after a lancet and lancing device are used in combination to pierce the skin. The system preferably includes a device comprising two body portions that slide relative to each other to both cock and fire a test strip at a target site. Meter reading and test strip disposal may be accomplished by removing the device from the target site. The device preferably employs a magazine loaded with test strips, with one strip being taken from the magazine each time the device is actuated. It preferably also includes a magazine in a cap to store spent test strips for disposal. The device may be turned on an off simply by removal and return of the cap.
1. An analyte detection system comprising:
a first body portion comprising a lancing mechanism that comprises a lever arm pivotably connected to said first body portion and operatively connected at a first end of said lever arm to a test strip interface member by a launch spring;
a second body portion slidably received by said first body portion, the second body portion comprising a cocking extension; and
a magazine adapted to receive a plurality of unused test strips;
wherein the cocking extension of said second body portion is engageable with a second end of said lever arm of said lancing mechanism to pivot said lever arm to advance said interface member to take a test strip from said magazine and advance said test strip along a lancing path.
2. The system of
3. The system of
4. The system of
5. The system of
6. The system of
7. The system of
8. The system of
9. The system of
10. The system of
11. The system of
12. The system of
13. The system of
14. A method of collecting a biological sample from a test site, said method comprising:
providing a system according to
placing said second body portion face against a tissue site; and
forcing said body portions toward each other to cock and fire a test strip into the tissue site, wherein a lance portion penetrates said tissue site and a biological sample is taken from said tissue site and transported to a biosensor portion of said test strip.
15. The method of
storing said test strip in a second magazine after use.
16. The method of
17. The method of
removing said cap to turn on said system.
18. The method of
replacing said cap to turn off said system.
19. The method of
ejecting said test strip from said system after use.
20. The method of
21. The method of
22. An analyte detection system comprising:
a housing comprising a first housing portion and a second housing portion, wherein said housing portions are slidably engageable with each other, the first housing portion comprising a lancing mechanism having a lever arm pivotably connected to the first housing portion, the second housing portion comprising a cocking mechanism operatively associated with the second housing portion;
a magazine containing a plurality of unused test strips, said magazine being removably positionable within said housing; and
a test strip interface member positioned within said housing and operatively connected to the lancing mechanism;
wherein the cocking mechanism of said second housing portion is engageable with the lancing mechanism of said first housing portion to advance said interface member to take a test strip from said magazine and pass at least a lance portion of a test strip past a face of said second housing portion to penetrate a tissue site.
23. The system of
24. The system of
25. The system of
26. A method of measuring the concentration of an analyte in a sample of biological fluid, said method comprising:
providing a system according to
placing said second portion face against a tissue site; and
moving said portions toward each other, wherein said test strip interface member removes a test strip from said magazine and advances a lance portion of said test strip past the second portion face and penetrates said lance portion into said tissue site whereby biological fluid is accessed;
taking a sample of said accessed biological fluid with said test strip; and
testing the concentration of sample of said biological fluid.
27. A method of measuring the concentration of an analyte in a biological sample, said method comprising:
providing a system according to
placing said second body portion face against a test site;
forcing said body portions toward each other to cock and fire a test strip, wherein a lance portion penetrates said tissue site and a biological sample is taken from said test site and transported to a biosensor portion of said test strip; and
detecting an analyte in the biological sample.
This invention relates to systems for obtaining physiologic fluid samples. More particularly, a test system for obtaining and testing blood samples with minimum user effort is described.
Analyte concentration determination in physiological samples is of ever increasing importance to today's society. Such assays find use in a variety of application settings, including clinical laboratory testing, home testing, etc., where the results of such testing play a prominent role in the diagnosis and management of a variety of disease conditions. Analytes of interest include glucose for diabetes management, cholesterol for monitoring cardiovascular conditions, drugs for monitoring levels of therapeutic agents or identifying illegal/illegal levels of drugs, and the like. In response to this growing importance of analyte concentration determination, a variety of analyte concentration determination protocols and devices for both clinical and home testing have been developed.
In determining the concentration of an analyte in a physiological sample, a physiological sample must first be obtained. Obtaining and testing the sample often involves cumbersome and complicated procedures. Unfortunately, successful manipulation and handling of test elements, lancing members, meters and the like is to a great extent dependent on the visual acuity and manual dexterity of the user, which in the case of people with diabetes is subject to deterioration over the course of the disease state. In extreme cases people that have significant loss of sight and sensation, testing procedures can become significantly difficult and requires additional assistance from ancillary devices or personnel.
A typical procedure involved with making a glucose measurement involves the following actions or steps (but not necessarily in the order given):
In this regard, certain test strip dispensers are configured to both store and advance successive test strips upon actuation. Examples of such devices are presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,510,266; 5,575,403, 5,797,693 and possibly in PCT Publication WO 01/63272. In addition some dispensers also include meter functionality. Examples of such of systems that integrate test strip meter and dispenser combination functions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,736,103, 5,757,666 and PCT Publication WO 99/44508. Furthermore, the device described in WO 01/23885 includes all of the above features, plus a receptacle to receive spent test strip elements that are cut off of a continuous roll of the same.
Another class of devices designed to decrease the number of steps required in test strip use includes automatic or semi-automatic lancing devices. U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,100 discloses a structure configured for sequential firing of a number of lancets, one at a time, in order to eliminate the requirement that a user remove and replace each lancet individually before and after use.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,941 attempts to combine the functionality of each of the preceding classes of test strip devices. In effort to provide an "integrated" system for sampling blood and analysis thereof, it includes a magazine of test strips, test strip advancement and dispensing features, a meter with a display and an automated lancing mechanism all housed with a single box. While presenting some measure of advance in user convenience, the test strip and lancing features are removed from each other causing the user to take two steps in lancing and transferring sample to a test strip. Furthermore, the device includes no provisions for used test strips.
While certain combination test strip and lancing systems that do not require that a subject to move the device relative to the sample site in use (e.g., the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,352,514; 6,332,871; 6,183,489; 6,099,484; 6,056,701 and 5,820,570), some of these systems are quite complex and, consequently, either difficult to operate or costly to produce. In addition, some involve changing-out spent test and/or lancet members one-at-a-time. This is true with respect to the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,027,459; 6,063,039; 6,071,251 and 6,283,926 as well as for certain embodiments disclosed in PCT Publication WO 01/64105.
However, another embodiment presented in that reference provides for multiple lancet/sensor pairs that only need to be changed out after the disks including each are spent. An exemplary number of a dozen such radially-oriented pairs is provided. PCT Application entitled "Analyte Measurement," claiming a priority of Dec. 19, 2000 from GB 0020929.4 also discloses a meter including a multiple sensor/tester element. Fluid extracted from a subject by a microneedle at a common entrance port is selectively switched between a number of microchannels by means of electro-osmotic pumps and hydrophobic gates. The present invention is distinguished from each of these inventions in terms of its modular use of combination test strip and sensor elements, in which unexposed items may be sealed-off from contamination, and possibly provided in greater number, as well as in the simplicity of the present invention which preferably involves mechanical movement for sample acquisition and handling.
Of course, such advantages may be present in systems according to the invention in various degrees. It is intended that, in one way or another, the invention is of assistance in reducing barriers to patient self-monitoring and therefore result in improved outcomes in the management of disease, such as diabetes.
A preferred variation of the invention truly minimizes the steps required for analyte test strip use as defined above. As practiced with each of the optional features, the present invention merely involves four such user steps. These include: providing a system according to the present invention, placing it against a test site, pushing the system body portions together and reading a test result. The system is then removed and put away. It may include a cap to be removed initially and replaced finally.
In a preferred variation of the invention, such a cap includes a magazine that automatically receives spent or used test strips. In another variation of the invention (one in which test strips are merely ejected) a user disposal step may be added.
The system of the present invention utilizes disposable test strip elements that include an integral lancet. Examples of such strips include those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/919,981, (now abandoned), 09/923,093, (now abandoned) 10/143,399, (now abandon). The needle may be configured to collect blood, interstitial fluid, other body fluids, or any combination thereof. Regardless of the type of strip chosen and sample to be collected, the members are stored in a magazine, from which they are fired to produce a wound to receive sample therefrom.
The action provided by the meter/dispenser of the present invention is preferably implemented by a series of links, levers and spring elements such that advancement of an upper body portion relative to a lower body portion resting against a test site causes a test strip to be taken from the magazine advanced to form a stick and collect sample. Following such action, the meter may be removed, test results are displayed and such action as desired to dispose of the used test strip occurs.
Each of the figures diagrammatically illustrates aspects of the invention. To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals have been used (where practical) to designate similar elements that are common to the figures. Some such numbering has, however, been omitted for the sake of drawing clarity.
In describing the invention in greater detail than provided in the Summary above, details of an embodiment of the invention together with aspects of system use. Two alternate variations of the invention are described in this manner, though other variations are possible. Finally, examples of a preferred test strip for use in the device are disclosed.
Before the present invention is described in such detail, however, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular variations set forth and may, of course, vary. Various changes may be made to the invention described and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, process, process act(s) or step(s), to the objective(s), spirit or scope of the present invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims made herein.
Methods recited herein may be carried out in any order of the recited events which is logically possible, as well as the recited order of events. Furthermore, where a range of values is provided, it is understood that every intervening value, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention. Also, it is contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variations described may be set forth and claimed independently, or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein.
All existing subject matter mentioned herein (e.g., publications, patents, patent applications and hardware) is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety except insofar as the subject matter may conflict with that of the present invention (in which case what is present herein shall prevail). The referenced items are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such material by virtue of prior invention.
Reference to a singular item, includes the possibility that there are plural of the same items present. More specifically, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "and," "said" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as "solely," "only" and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or use of a "negative" limitation. Last, it is to be appreciated that unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.
Device and System Use
Turning now to
Whether all or none of these optional features are included, system 2 comprises an upper body portion 14 and a lower body portion 16. As shown in
In operation, lower body portion 16 is slidingly received by upper body portion 14. The relative motion between these two members actuates the various elements within system 2. As described further below, the mechanism enables combination of two steps involved in lancing: namely the cocking of the launcher mechanism and the release of the launcher. Specifically, a single motion first cocks the mechanism and later releases the cocked mechanism. This design approach is similar to that of a center punch used in creating an indentation on a surface. In combination with a test strip integrating a biosensor and lancet, pressing system 2 against the surface of the skin leads to a single step in performing a procedure that normally involves in excess of 10 to 15 steps.
As shown in
Wound/penetration depth is preferably set to between about 0.02 mm and 2.0 mm, or more preferably set between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, by virtue of a screw-type interface 22 which advances or retracts an extension 24 carrying a stop portion 26. Such adjustment action usually accomplished at this stage is indicated by the use of bold in connection with the elements at issue.
Removal of cap 10 preferably turns the system "on" as indicated in
In any event, as shown in the other figures, various user directions or messages may be displayed by the meter. In addition to displaying test results and directions, display 6 may present information regarding the number of test strips left, time to expiration, etc.
Any form of spring may be used in this regard. The same is true for other springs employed in the invention. By varying the internal configuration of system 2 flat springs, leaf springs, coil springs, torsion springs or extension springs may be used. What is more, metal or polymer spring members may be interchangeably used.
Regardless of such constructional details, with face 20 exposed and interlock or safety mechanism 28 set free (most preferably by depressing button 12) the face is set against a target site. Such a target site might be a patient's or user's finger, forearm, palm, or elsewhere.
With system 2 so positioned an "apply" message may appear on screen 6 as shown in
Such user activity results in several actions within device 2. For one, interlock portions 28 and 32 slide past each other (instead of interfering with each other's movement). In addition, a lancing mechanism 36 within system 2 is cocked. This is accomplished by stressing launch spring 38. While this may be accomplished otherwise, in the variation of the invention shown here, a lever arm 40 driven by a cocking extension 42 of lower body portion 16 provides the input. A lance interface member 44 is held in a cocked position by a latch 46 and cooperative catch 48 at one end of the interface member.
At the other end of interface member 44, test strip interface features 50 are provided. These pick up or interface with a test strip 4. As shown, interface features advance a test strip slightly relative to other test strips contained within a magazine 52.
The magazine may be configured in any convenient manner to allow loading of a large number of test strips therein (e.g., between about 10 and 100, more preferably between 15 and 25) and release therefrom. Providing numerous test strips as possible in view of the magazine format employed by the present invention allows for greatly increased user convenience.
Magazine 52 is preferably spring-loaded in order to function properly regardless of orientation. The magazine preferably has a door 136, which remains closed except during brief periods of time when the test strip is removed, serves as a moisture barrier. (A similar door or barrier may be provided for waste magazine 22). Also, a drying agent (e.g., a desiccate) may be contained within the magazine to protect the test strips' reagent from moisture. To further preserve the integrity of unused test strips, the mechanism driving the test strip and operating the door is preferably configured so it will not leave a test strip partially advanced or the magazine open if the user were not to complete the total relative motion of sliding lower portion 16 into upper portion 14.
The magazine, may take the form of a removable cartridge or cassette as shown in
Further optional feature(s) that may be included in meter 2 include diagnosis or calibration system(s). For example, system 2 may include features to determine if it is working properly in reference to one or more control species, such as a control solution comprising glucose of a known concentration.
The relative motion between body portions 14 and 16 also results in cocking or loading a return spring 54. Its use will be described further below.
In use, since only the needle end of a test element/strip comes in contact with a user, the opposite end of the device adjacent interface member 44 does not into contact with body fluids. Accordingly, this element is not able to contaminate unused test strips upon retraction past the same. Further, magazine door 136 is opened only for a very short time period, thereby minimizing opportunity for contamination. In addition (as further described below), used test strips are ejected from the system or stored in a (sealed) magazine in the cap and are never brought near the magazine. All of these factors may contribute to maintaining unused test strip quality.
A tip 56 of the lance portion of the test strip is shown protruding slightly from the face 20 of system 2. As shown in
Following a sufficient time interval, (e.g., usually between about 0.1 and 15 seconds, preferably less than 3 seconds), as shown in
In addition to showing the movement of the body portions relative to each other in an intermediate state,
In order for the members of the disposal mechanism to reach the location shown in
The result obtained (or a result derived from the data obtained) is displayed on screen 6 as shown in
In the variation of the invention in
Whether or not manual test strip disposal features are included in system 2, it may be preferred to include waste magazine 86 in cap 10. Such a magazine is used as shown in
Alternately, the magazine itself may be disengaged from the cap and be thrown away alone. Either way, used test strips thus-packaged for disposal minimize any disposal issues that are presented.
Still, at least in connection with the system approach taught in
Furthermore, one or both of the magazines may be manually inserted and/or removed in/from their respective housing portions. In either case, a detent mechanism or finger-actuated latch (not shown) may be provided to ensure retention. Removal of an empty cartridge 52 from the upper body portion is shown in
As shown in
Test Strips
As noted above, many types of test strips which integrally include a biosensor and a forwardpointing lance member may be used in the present invention. However, of the examples given, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 10/143,399 entitled Physiological Sample Collection Devices and Methods of Using the Same, may be most preferred. Details regarding the production and use of such devices are presented therein. Regardless a brief description is provided below.
Microneedle 92 is preferably integrally formed with and extends from bottom electrode 94. The microneedle is shown with a space-defining configuration in the form of a concave recess 112 within its top surface. The recess creates a corresponding space within skin tissue upon penetration of microneedle 92 into the skin. This space acts as a sample fluid collection reservoir wherein fluid released upon penetration is pooled within the space prior to transfer into the electrochemical cell. An opening 114 to further expose the pooling area defined by recess 112 to the outside environment may also be included, thereby increasing the volume and flow rate of body fluid into the pooling area.
Biosensor device 90 further includes a sample fluid transfer or extraction pathway or channel 116 which extends from recess 112 to within the biosensor. At least a portion of a proximal end of the pathway resides within the biosensor portion of device 90, specifically within reaction zone 108, and a portion of a distal end of pathway 114 resides within microneedle 92. Pathway 116 is dimensioned so as to exert a capillary force on fluid within the pooling area defined by recess 112, and draws or wicks physiological sample to within the reaction zone. Extending laterally from proximal portion 114 of the pathway to within a portion or the entirety of the reaction zone are sub-channels 118. The sub-channels facilitate the filling of reaction zone 108 with the sampled fluid.
Microneedle 92 is preferably formed with and extends from substrate 120 and has a space-defining configuration in the form of an opening 114 which extends transverse to a dimension, e.g., width or thickness, of microneedle 92′. As with recess 112 of microneedle 90 above, opening 114 forms an open space within the tissue upon penetration of the microneedle into the skin. Such open space acts as a sample fluid collection reservoir wherein fluid released upon penetration is pooled within the space prior to transfer into the photometric/calorimetric cell. Note, however, that the needle variation shown in
Biosensor device 90′ hosts a sample fluid transfer or extraction pathway 116 having a distal end which extends within a portion of microneedle 92′ and terminates at a distal opening 114. At least a portion of the proximal end of pathway 116 resides within the biosensor portion of device, specifically within matrix area 122. Pathway 116 is dimensioned so as to exert a capillary force on fluid within the pooling area defined by opening 114, and draws or wicks physiological sample to within matrix area 122. Extending laterally from proximal portion of pathway 116 to within a portion or the entirety of matrix area 122 are sub-channels 134, which facilitate the filling of matrix or matrix area 122 with the sampled fluid.
Though the invention has been described in reference to certain examples, optionally incorporating various features, the invention is not to be limited to the set-ups described. The invention is not limited to the uses noted or by way of the exemplary description provided herein. It is to be understood that the breadth of the present invention is to be limited only by the literal or equitable scope of the following claims.
Patent Citations
Non-Patent Citations
Referenced by
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Perhaps the only thing more famous then king Arthur himself is his fabled sword, Excalibur. Mimicking the greatness of that legendary blade is the Gold and Silver Excalibur by Marto, a new sword for a new king, in an entirely new age. While this sword is neither pulled from a stone nor gifted from a lady in a lake, it has lost none of the grandness that would be expected of Excalibur. It has also not lost any of its warrior-like qualities, given that Excalibur was also a sword for battle. This beautiful sword features a gold and silver-plated pommel and guard, both of which depict a number of symbols and designs that add a complexity to the swords general appearance and character, while the stainless steel blade is etched in silver to display yet more intricate designs that further enhance the swords beauty. Absolutely breathtaking, the Gold and Silver Excalibur by Marto is perfect for display and decoration.
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text:
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism Write a Movie Review for Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
Dvd Release Date: 2004-07-13
Genre: Documentary,
Rating: NR
Duration: 1hr 17min
This documentary examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news. Media experts, including Walter Cronkite, Jeff Cohen, Bob McChesney, Phellie Pingree, Jeff Chester provide context and guidance for the story of Fox News and its effect on society.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Douglas Cheek
- Directed by Robert Greenwald
- Produced by Robert Greenwald
- Written by


text:
Reus, Spain and Canary Islands
Photos from ReusPictures of Reus (88)
Hotel Deals in Reus
Hotels in ReusReus Accommodations (4)
Hotel Gaudi Reus
C/ Arrabal Robuster 49, Reus, Spain
NH Ciutat de Reus
Avinguda Maria Fortuny, 85, Reus, Spain
Hotel Quality Reus
Ctra Salou 129, Reus, Spain
Sol Piramide Salou Hotel Reus
C/ Viladomat, 9, Reus, Spain
Travel Blogs from ReusReus Travel Blogs (16)
From wet and windy Santander to warm & sunny Med
... with wonderful views of mountains up to 2600 mts. We found it hard to believe we were in Spain while doing a trek in this region; the meadow valleys and the snowy mountain peaks reminded us of Switzerland. The next few days we drove for about 1000 kms ...
... . If the local colla uses these colours they will look pretty impressive in action. There were hours to go before we needed to be near Reus and we mused about what it might be like to follow a few of the brown tourist road signs, more or less at random. ...
Barcelona, Tarragona, Reus
... . We didn't have much to do so we sat on the beach and read our books, until it started raining. Then we headed to Reus, the airport that Ryanair flies from. (We didn't realise when we booked that the flight wasn't from Barcelona city, what a ...
Barcelona, Spain
... clouds that engulfed all of Europe. We managed to grab a glimps of some snow capped mountains. Maybe the alps? Not sure. We landed in Reus, Spain. Thanks to Ryan Air again, we were in the middle of nowhere and had to pay for a €22 taxi ride. I'm ...


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Credits & Info
- Uploaded
- Oct 9, 2007 | 10:45 PM EDT
- Weekly Users' Choice October 17, 2007
- Daily Feature October 11, 2007
If you liked this, check these out!
Plenty more like this here!
Author Comments
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Alotta fun
I got stuck on 32
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars
Great adaptation
This game finally got me on the Half-Life 2 bandwagon; after I played it, I had to run out and buy The Orange Box so I could play the 3D version of Portals. The only thing keeping me from giving this game a 10 is the glitchiness of the portals. Occasionally, going through a portal will drop you off at the beginning of the level, or outright kill you.
Rated 2.5 / 5 stars
Not bad.
It was pretty good, Level 6 pissed me of so i just said "Screw it" but still not bad.
Rated 5 / 5 stars
the game was great. even though i gave up at level nine i still liked it a lot
Rated 5 / 5 stars
a friend with weed is mistakin because this is as close as it gets compared to the 360 portal. hes trippin its a great game


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1966 Porsche 912 '66 Porsche 912 3 Gage Coupe chassis#456602 engine#746943 in black with black interior. Excellent color combination. Comes with fuchs wheels, manual transmission... More
1969 Porsche 912 LWB '69 Porsche 912 Long Wheel Base Coupe chassis#129022833 engine#836022 in its original color code#6802 polo red with black interior. A... More
1968 Porsche 912 '68 Porsche 912 chassis# 12804754 engine#754968 in orange with black interior. Comes with a 5 speed manual transmission and fuchs wheels. Lots... More
This 1967 Porsche 912 comes both complete and very solid for straightforward restoration. Red with tan interior. For only $17,500... More
Chassis# 12800554 Engine# 1280475 Gearbox# 1280701 902/02 5 speed Paint Code: 6803 (Ossi Blue) A 1968 Porsche 912 Coupe, Ossi Blue with black interior. 5 speed,73K miles showing... More
Porsche 912 1966 3 clocks matching numbers to be restored Very rare version of the Porsche 912 from 1966, the first version with 3 clocks.... More
Porsche Parade winner in 1994 Lake Placid, NY. It sports its original motor and transmission and is flawless. It was born Burgundy from the... More
Just in! Call or visit our website for more information!... More
Park Place Ltd presents this 1967 Porsche 912 in Sand Beige with Tan interior. 1,582cc 4-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual. Dual Weber carbs. This is... More
Chassis# 129022473 Engine# 4095577 Gearbox# 902/16 5192459 5 speed Paint Code: 6806-G Irish Green A1969 Porsche 912 LWB Coupe. Irish green with a black interior, all correct... More
TOP restored Porsche 912 Targa Softwindow in the very beloved colour "Signal Orange". This very special type and original in Italy new delivered car... More
Porsche 912 coupe 1968 in good driving condition 1968 Porsche 912 coupe in a good driving condition with some cosmetic works to do. The car... More
Chequered Flag International is pleased to offer this 1966 912 Coupe in its original color of Irish Green (6606) with Tan Interior (born... More
Project. Flawless and completely original 1965 912 SWB MATCHING NUMBERS! It concerns the first series with the 3 clocks, instead of the 5. The... More
1969 Porsche 912 LWB '69 Porsche 912, long wheels base, chassis#129021210 engine#4094201 in color code#6802 Polo red with black interior and equipped with a 5... More


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A true dynamic duo, Montreal's King Khan and BBQ Show dropped by the KEXP live room to flaunt their tasty brand of retro garage and doo wop ditties. Marinated in all types of awesome sauce, this gruesome twosome wet our palates with a preview of succulent songs off their upcoming We Are The Champion releaseRead more…
Listen Live:
High Quality AAC+
Excellent for PC, Mac, iPhones/iPads, Android Devices, tablets, iTunes, Winamp, and VLC. High quality audio, low bandwidth
MP3 Stream
Best for computers running OSX or Windows with iTunes or the open source VideoLAN Player installed
KEXP AND THE UWKEXP is an
affiliate of the
University of Washington
iTunes and KEXPYou can now find KEXP under "Eclectic" in iTunes after the demise of the "Public" category, to better represent the diversity of our daytime variety shows and numerous specialty programs.
KEXP Suggests


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Neoseeker : Games : Nintendo DS : DSiWare : Arcade & Retro : Flametail
BackgroundThe year is 2099, and the solar system is littered with space junk. Our best hope for a tidier cosmos is to send the Flametail incinerator pod from planet to planet for a little fiery cleanup. Take control of the Flametail pod and start winding your way through obstacles, then watch as your flaming tail ignites blocks of troublesome debris and eventually eliminates them. Be careful not to work yourself into a dead end, and don't let the hazard line that follows you catch up to your tail or reach any leftover garbage. Luckily, you can find useful items (such as bombs or score multipliers) along your path and earn special power-ups (like radar or a missile) by collecting letter panels to spell particular words. Effectively burn up the floating garbage in the game's two modes - Space Tour and Time Limit - and earn new graphics and other surprises as you progress. The straightforward controls make it possible for anyone to take on the job of restoring space to pristine condition. Do you have what it takes to make your way to the outer reaches of the solar system?
Game Play
Hardware InfoCost: 500 DSi Points
Flametail tidies up outer space in this week's Nintendo Downloads
It was bound to happen sooner or later: this week's WiiWare and DSiWare goods are aimed at casual players once... posted Jun 07, 10 5:58pm
- Genre: Arcade & Retro (DSiWare)
- Perspective(s): Flat side view
- Developer: Mindware
- Publisher: Nintendo
Released North America Jun 7, 2010 Europe Sep 10, 2010 Japan Jan 27, 2010
- Also known as:
- Moyasu Puzzle Flametail in Japan
- Trailblaze: Puzzle Incinerator in Europe


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Originally written on Pro Sports Daily | Last updated 10/4/12
Oakland A's reliever Pat Neshek will remain away from the team to deal with the death of his infant son. The pitcher had left the A's Tuesday to be with his wife, Stephanee Neshek, for the birth of their son, Gehrig John Neshek. Gehrig John died about 23 hours later. "Please pray for my family. Tonight my wife & I lost our first & only son 23 hours after he was born with no explanation," Neshek posted on Twitter. Stephanee later added: "There was no cause of death and I am having trouble understanding why God can let such a thing happen an innocent being." Neshek posted a 1.37 ERA in 24 relief appearances with the A's this season. He missed the 2009 season after Tommy John elbow surgery. "Our hearts go out to Pat and Stephanee and we share in their sorrow of losing their young son," the A's said in a statement. "The entire A's organization will keep the Neshek family in our prayers and thoughts, as they try to come to grips with this tragic occurrence in their lives."
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Paul Soldner: Trial by Fire
Form trumps function in this icon's genre-busting ceramics
By Steven Biller
Untitled (2006), low-temperature salt-fired stoneware, 26x10x18 inches (width, depth, height)
Courtesy Edenhurst Gallery
Soldner — the first and most influential student of ceramic sculpture icon Peter Voulkos (at Los Angeles County Art Institute, now Otis College of Art and Design) — worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Robert Arneson and taught generations of blue-chip artists, including Jun Kaneko and Rudy Autio. Soldner is best known for adopting and transforming 16th century Japanese raku, introducing unorthodox methods of firing and post firing, pushing the limits of form and surface design, and accepting unexpected results.
The result of his exploration was the birth of American raku. (The traditional technique involves throwing and bisque-firing vessels that are then glazed, placed in an open raku kiln, withdrawn, and plunged into water.)
Through Soldner, who had no aspirations to become a ceramic artist, raku became a strongly American art form. Soldner's Zen-like philosophy spilled into his classroom, where he encouraged students to explore. He influenced many students, who developed careers of their own.
Edenhurst Gallery — which represents Soldner exclusively — shows works selected by David Armstrong, founder and president of the American Museum of Ceramic Art, which mounted a Soldner retrospective in 2004. Soldner has exhibited work throughout Europe and the United States, as well as Latvia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Canada, and Australia. He is also the author of numerous articles and a book (Kilns and Their Construction).
This article was originally published April, 2007 and updated for the web June, 2007.
More Art


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Originally written on Fox Sports | Last updated 12/5/12
While the Atlanta Falcons wrapped up the NFC South title last week, they have their eyes set on a larger goal. Hoping to inch closer to securing the conference's No. 1 seed, the visiting Falcons try for a sixth consecutive victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. While Atlanta (11-1) is usually led by an offense that ranks seventh in the league in scoring at 26.4 points, it was a superb defensive display that helped the team pull out a 23-13 win over New Orleans last Thursday. MVP candidate Matt Ryan completed 18 of 33 passes for a season-low 165 yards and touchdown, but the Falcons intercepted Drew Brees five times to lock up their second division crown in three seasons. "We've won the division before, so it's not that big of a deal," wideout Roddy White said. "When coach said, 'Congratulations,' nobody was woo-wooing or nothing like that, which is good." The Falcons, who sit 2 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco in the conference standings, could potentially clinch a first-r...
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Highland Park Car DealerChange City
Highland Park Car Dealer
Search thousands of Highland Park car dealers across the nation online at Autobytel.com. Find your prospective new or used vehicle by brand, year, price, or category. Autobytel has a huge directory of Highland Park car dealerships with their inventories of new and used car, truck, and SUV listings online. We will help with your automobile shopping experience every step of the way. Find current prices on new and used cars, research car specs, see pictures of cars, read in-depth reviews, and get a price quote from a Highland Park car dealership.
The days of browsing cars at brick and mortar Highland Park car dealerships have long since passed. With the advent of the internet; Highland Park car dealers can now list their entire inventory online at numerous locations like Autobytel.com. There is an increasingly greater number of shoppers that use the web to explore all the vehicle choices available on the market today. When a shopper has decided on an automobile; they browse through the line-up of nearby Highland Park car dealers. It will not be long till they come to an authorative car site like Autobytel.com. Get a price quote from multiple Highland Park car dealers online at our website.
Finding one Highland Park car dealership that is trustworthy can be a huge burden off your shoulders. Do not presume that the only trip you will make to the Highland Park car dealer is to close the deal on a new or used car. Most Highland Park car dealers have automotive friendly services that will warrant your return to the lot some day. Proper Highland Park car dealerships will have more than a car sales division; they will also have on the premises: a parts and accessories department, a service and repair center, a collision shop, and a finance and lease department. Since there is a very good likelihood that in the coming years you will revisit the Highland Park car dealer for repair or a replacement part. Entering into a partnership with the Highland Park car dealership of your choice can be a major benefit to all parties involved.
Browse the Highland Park car dealerships catalogue at Autobytel.com to get information and an assessment on a perspective dealer. Read actual clientele reports on a number of Highland Park car dealers. Having these critiques from past patrons are a great resource when searching through the many Highland Park car dealerships.


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T-Mobile offers mobile broadband gift bundles
In time for Christmas, T-Mobile has unveiled mobile broadband "gift packs" with 3- and 12-month bundles available.
The bundles include a T-Mobile 150 mobile broadband USB stick and "unlimited" browsing for a single payment.
However, a glance at the small print reveals that it is of course not actually unlimited, as you'd expect, but T-Mobile goes further to say it does not include "watching videos" or any kind of downloads.
The Mobile Broadband 3 Month Gift Pack costs £44.03, which T-Mo reckons is a saving of over 25% compared to prepay.
The year-long option has a one-time cost of £146.79, again, said to be a saving, this time of 20%.


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Previous Story: Marvel Mayhem: Astonishing X-Men #1
"Welcome everyone to a new year at the Xavier Institute!I am Ororo Munroe and I will be the new headmistress for the Xavier Institute, while working alongside with Mr. Scott Summers at heading this school.Since Miss Emma Frost had left this school to teach at the new academy that has been recently established to take in more students, I will resume the duties of helping any student with their studies. I would also like to introduce Mr. Peter Rasputin, who will be teaching art education and will be apart of the senior staff along with Dr. Hank McCoy and Logan.
Now at the Xavier Institute, you will learn how to control your abilities and use them to not only defend yourselves in the face of danger, but to use them to protect the innocent. Also, it is imperative that you will learn about the importance of promoting peace and good will towards both mutant kind and humanity, for that is the main goal of the Xavier Institute. The road to success will be long and difficult, but once you all work hard in your studies, you will prevail in achieving your goals for a bright future!"
Ororo then stepped from the podium, amid the applause from the student body and went to join the other X-Men as they went backstage.
"You did a fantastic job up there, Ororo!" Piotr complemented.
"Yeah, couldn't have done it better myself," said Scott.
"Thank you all, although I do wonder about why some of the students were trembling with fear when I finally finished my speech," Ororo asked in a puzzled tone.
"That's probably because the last time Emma was headmistress of this school; she used a Danger Room session to frighten the students with the Sentinels attacking them.It appears she was trying to prove her point about how mutants will always be feared by humanity," said Hank.
"Well, that sounded like a good way to encourage the students to learn something new," said Ororo sarcastically.
"I wonder where Logan was during this whole meeting," asked Piotr.
"Well, you know Logan.Always off doing his own thing on his own time," said Scott rolling his eyes.
"I am sure that we will see him again…soon," said Ororo.
Later that night, in the woods…
Logan was sitting in a tree, staring at the sky to see if any kind of strange activity would occur.He had missed Ororo's welcoming speech at the Institute a few hours ago, since he never like to sit around for very long.Just as Logan was about to go back to the Institute, he noticed that something strange was happening around the area.Logan started sniffing the air and picked up a strange scent that made him growl softly to himself.
"Hmmm….something ain't right here."
Logan then jumped down from the tree and ran towards the Institute at break neck speed.
Piotr was sitting on a bench located in the front of the Institute, thinking about today's events.All his life, he always had a passion for painting and sketching, but he never would have thought that he would one day teach that passion to younger students.Piotr then started rubbing his head and found some more paint in his hair and then sighed to himself, "As much as I love to teach the wonder of art to the young, I do hate it when the students get so out of control with the paints."
"Mr. Rasputin!" a young voice called out from behind.
Piotr turned to see a young female student approaching him and smiled. Hisako Ichiki, also known as ARMOR, may have been just a regular student at the Xavier Institute.But, all of that changed when she "accidentally" went to the Breakworld with the X-Men and experienced the most intense fight of her life.Ever since then, her life had became much stranger yet fantastic at the same time.
"Hisako, what a pleasant surprise!" said Piotr, glad to have some company.
"What are you doing out here?" asked Hisako, sitting down next to Piotr.
"Oh, I am just thinking about the day I had as the new art teacher of this school.How are your classes coming?" asked Piotr.
"They're going great!At least I didn't have to worry about being jumped by Mr. Logan today," said Hisako.
Piotr chuckled quietly to himself and said, "Well, it seems that Logan had not showed up in any of the classes today.He would do that sometimes."
"Yeah," said Hisako.Hisako and Piotr remained quiet for a few minutes and then Hisako asked quietly, "Mr. Rasputin, do you still think about what happened to Miss Pryde?"
Piotr was silent for a few moments and then said, "Yes, I still do think about her. Even though I am glad that she had managed to save the world, I still miss her very dearly."
"Me too," said Hisako sadly.
"But do not worry, little one.I am certain that Kitty is still out there somewhere and we will find her.No matter how long and difficult that task may be," said Piotr with determination in his voice.
Hisako looked up at Piotr and smiled. "You're right. I just know that Miss Pryde will definitely find a way to get back to us.Well, I better get back to my dorm room while torturing myself in studying for my classes.Nice talking to you, Mr. Rasputin."
"Goodbye Hisako," said Piotr.
Hisako then started walking back to the Institute and Piotr went back to staring at the night sky.
"The sky looks so beautiful tonight.If only you were here to see this, Katya," Piotr thought to himself sadly.
Suddenly, Piotr spotted a star that was shining much brighter than the other stars in the sky.At first, Piotr just thought that it was just a coincidence, but then…he started to notice that the star was falling towards the Earth.
"What in the world?I must alert the others about this," Piotr said to himself and he ran quickly towards the Institute.
At that moment, Scott, Ororo and Hank were busy looking through the new system for the danger room when Piotr busted into the laboratory.
"EVERYONE! Something had just fallen out of the sky!" Piotr cried out.
"What? What did you see?" asked Scott.
"I saw what seemed like a falling star heading towards the Earth. But, there was something mysterious about it as it fell through the sky quite rapidly," said Piotr.
"Hmm…this seems like something that needs to be investigated into," said Hank and he quickly ran to the main computer to check for any strange activity.Suddenly, a red circle on the screen was flashing at the spot where the center of New York City was located at.
"That's strange…the signals are picking up an unknown force in New York City.But what does this mean?" wondered Hank.
"It means that whatever it is ain't normal."
Logan suddenly jumped through the window and landed on the floor.
"Nice entrance," commented Piotr.
"Yeah, I try," said Logan.
"So, you are saying that whatever just landed in New York City might be an alien?" asked Ororo.
"If what I just smelled out earlier don't prove that, then it might as well be an alien freak coming to take us down," said Logan.
"But what alien would want to attack us?It can't be the Shi'ar Empire since they're one of our greatest allies," said Scott.
Piotr then looked up with a shocked expression on his face and said, "You do not suppose that it is the Breakworlders plotting revenge on us?"
"Who are these Breakworlders you speak of?" asked Ororo.
"Let's just say that we are not their biggest fans at the moment.Especially since we helped overthrow their Powerlord in order to save the Earth from a giant bullet," said Hank.
"Well, if it is the Breakworlders, then we got a fight on our hands," said Scott gravely.
"Let them come. I'll rip them apart before they get a chance to take us down," snarled Logan.
"Good for you Logan.Always thinking about thrashing enemies before we have the chance to meet them," said Scott sarcastically.
"And you don't?" Logan growled.
Scott glared at Logan and then said, "Anyway, if the Breakworlders want to threaten us, then we'll give them a fight that they will never forget."
Meanwhile, in the center of New York…
Up in the sky, some unknown object was falling through the Earth's atmosphere.At first glance, it may seem like a falling star, but it was really a spaceship that ended up crashing into the streets of New York City.Startled by the commotion, many people started crowding around the street to see this strange phenomenon that had crashed on their planet. Suddenly, sirens started wailing in the distance as many police cars swerved over to the crashed spaceship to investigate.
"Alright people! Step away from the crash site! I repeat, step away from the crash site!" yelled out one of the police officers as he edged towards the spaceship.
The police officer looked around the spaceship and when everything seem fine, he called out, "Alright everyone! There's nothing to see…"
Suddenly, a large hand shot out from the spaceship and grabs the unsuspecting police officer, dragging him inside. Then, the citizens heard a horrible crack from within the spaceship and a giant alien stepped out of the spaceship, with the policeman's limp body hanging from his hands.
The people then started to run away frantically from the spaceship, screaming in terror as they witnessed the horrific murder of the police officer. Kruun just calmly walked out of the spaceship and dropped the policeman's dead body to the ground. Kruun just laughed quietly to himself and said, "Let these pathetic creatures run.My only goal is to find Colossus at all costs!"
Kruun then started walking through the terrified crowd, heading towards his destination with a mask of wicked determination.