A computer-implemented method is for providing processed data. In an embodiment, the method includes receiving, by a first encryption entity, first plaintext data including a matrix of numbers; determining, by the first encryption entity, an encryption key including an integer matrix; homomorphically encrypting, by the first encryption entity, the first plaintext data based on a matrix multiplication of the first plaintext data and the encryption key, to generate first encrypted data; sending, by the first encryption entity, the first encrypted data to a processing entity; receiving, by a decryption entity, encrypted processed data from the processing entity, the encrypted processed data being based on the first encrypted data; decrypting, by the decryption entity, the encrypted processed data based on a matrix multiplication of the processed data and an inverse of the encryption key, to generate processed data; and providing, by the decryption entity, the processed data.

For processing large amounts of data, e.g. for training a machine learning algorithm, a common approach is to make use of external resources, in particular, cloud computing resources. For example, training data sets can be stored within cloud storage, and a machine learning algorithm can be trained by a cloud computing processor based on the training data sets.
However, using of external resources can be hampered in situations where the resource provider should not have access to the training data, for example due to data privacy regulations. In particular, this is a problem for medical data containing protected health information (an acronym is PHI).
A common approach for processing medical data at external resources is anonymizing or pseudonymizing the medical data before storing and/or processing within the external resources. This approach has the disadvantage that it might not be possible to fully anonymize or pseudonymize the data without losing relevant information. For example, if the medical data is a medical imaging dataset based on a computed tomography or a magnetic resonance imaging, the pixel alone could be used for identifying the respective patient (e.g., by volume rendering the data, reconstruction the face of the patient).
Another possibility is to encrypt the data before storing and/or processing the data within the external resources. However, the encrypting operation and the usage of the machine learning algorithm do not necessarily commute, so that it is not possible to use a machine learning algorithm trained by way of encrypted data (a synonym is "ciphertext") for drawing conclusions about unencrypted data (a synonym is "plaintext").
A potential solution for this problem is homomorphically encrypting the training data. Homomorphic encryption is a form of encryption that allows computation on ciphertexts, generating an encrypted result which, when decrypted, matches the result of the operations as if they had been performed on the plaintext. A well-known algorithm having multiplicative homomorphic properties is the RSA (acronym for "Rivest, Shamir, Adleman") public-key encryption algorithm.
However, a for decreasing the vulnerability against attacks, a homomorphic encryption scheme should be semantically secure, which in general terms relates to the fact that an adversary should not be able to discover any partial information from a ciphertext. Since RSA is deterministic in its original form, it is not semantically secure. Any attempt to make it probabilistic breaks its homomorphic properties (see e.g. C. Fontaine and F. Galand, "A Survey of Homomorphic Encryption for Nonspecialists", EURASIP J. on Info. Security 013801 (2007), https://doi.org/10.1155/2007/13801).

Anonymized generating and proving of processed data


A compound of small amounts of skin protectants and a relatively large amount of deionized water in a lightweight cellular foam or froth resulting from the introduction of gas bubbles during manufacture enables the small amounts of protectants to penetrate the surface of the skin and form an active protective film in the upper layers of the epidermis so as to provide a barrier between the skin surface and the sensitive lower layers of the epidermis. An optimum degree of protection of the skin results from the penetration of the small amounts of the ingredients of the compound which includes propylene glycol, glycerine, sorbitol, stearin, mineral oil, polydimethylsiloxane, sorbitan monostearate, POE sorbitan monostearate, triethanlomaine, and a perfume oil in a combined total of 20% or less of the compound and 80% or more deionized water. Processing the lotion-like compound with a desirable gas liquid forms a cellular foam in which bubbles of gas are contained spacing and diluting the very small amount of ingredients in the foamed lotion-like liquid which results in a quantity controlled application of the ingredients to the skin and greatly expedites the ability of the ingredients to penetrate the skin and form a barrier beneath the skin surface.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to penetrating skin protectants for application to human skin for protecting the same against aggressive, irritating and soiling agents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Skin protectants heretofore known have generally comprised emollients, ointments and creams such as used in the long term care of incontinent geriatric and para/quadraplegic skin. Such emollients, ointments and creams have also been applied to folds of skin subject to perspiration irritation, to dry or cracked skin and to pressure sensitive areas and for ostomy care. A typical emollient ointment or cream contains water and a hydrophobic lanolin, paraffin oil, beeswax and white petrolatum as they form an oily film on the skin that aids in rehydration of the epidermis by partial retention of water.
Many of the emollients include wax esters, such as lanolin spermaceti and beeswax. Others include steroid alcohols, such as cholesterol and other lanolin alcohols. Fatty alcohols are often used and include lauryl, cetyl oleyl and steryl alcohols along with triglyceride esters including animal and vegetable fats and oils. Silicone oils are generally used to modify petrolatum and mineral oil and provide a desirable emollient behavior and these materials, with the exception of water, are the major vehicles used in cosmetic emulsions and serve primarily to carry other emollients. They usually remain on the surface of the skin and cause the corneum to hydrate since water is supplied from the underlying tissues of the skin but is prevented from evaporating to the environment by the hydrocarbon barrier. The normally used quantities of hydrocarbon oils and waxes form barriers to penetration of more effective ingredients.
In all of these prior art compounds, the several ingredients treated the surface of the skin with little or no penetration and were generally capable of being removed by simple washing procedures. None of the prior art compounds known to us are capable of penetrating into the skin and forming an active protective film in the upper layers of the epidermis (corneum stratum).
The compound of the present invention provides a barrier between the skin surface and the very sensitive lower layers of the epidermis which protects the skin from most of the acid and alkaline products, alcohols and detergents in common use. The compound of the present invention enables dirt and other soil to be washed off of the skin much easier and the same is true of the removal of coloring dyes, glues, greases, oils and the like.
The compound of the present invention is completed as a gas liquid lotion foam in aerosol in which bubbles of gas are contained in a very small volume of liquid carrying the ingredients and is easily and quickly applied to the skin where it is absorbed and does not affect sense of touch and due to the small quantity of the compound applied, allows the skin to breath and perspire. The foamed gas liquid lotion of the present invention when applied to the skin is water and soap resistant during about three to four hours after application and in addition to protecting the skin against retention of dirt and soil, coloring dyes, glues, greases, oils, and the like, it additionally protects the skin against chapping, contact allergies, and mild chemical induced irritation.
The present invention may be summarized as a novel, aerated foamed lotion incorporating small amounts of ingredients including stearin, propylene glycol, glycerine and sorbitol combined in a desirable ratio with very small quantities of mineral oil, polydimethylsiloxane, sorbitan monostearate, POE sorbiton monostearate, triethanolamine, and a perfume oil that improve penetration of the active ingredients into the skin, insure emulsification and function as a ph regulator together with a very large amount of deionized water. The resulting lotion compound after mixing is then subjected to a dispersion medium such as a gas, for example 75% N-butane and 25% propane at a suitable gas pressure so as to create a lightweight cellular foam or froth which results from the introduction of gas bubbles into the largely aqueous lotion.

Protective aerated foam hand lotion and process for preparing the same


Disclosed is a parallel processor packaging structure and a method for manufacturing the structure. The individual logic and memory elements are on printed circuit cards. These printed circuit boards and cards are, in turn, mounted on or connected to circuitized flexible substrates extending outwardly from a laminate of the circuitized, flexible substrates. Intercommunication is provided through a switch structure that is implemented in the laminate. The printed circuit cards are mounted on or connected to a plurality of circuitized flexible substrates, with one printed circuit card at each end of the circuitized flexible circuit. The circuitized flexible substrates connect the separate printed circuit boards and cards through the central laminate portion. This laminate portion provides XY plane and Z-axis interconnection for inter-processor, inter-memory, inter-processor/memory element, and processor to memory bussing interconnection, and communication. The planar circuitization, as data lines, address lines, and control lines of a logic chip or a memory chip are on the individual printed circuit boards and cards, which are connected through the circuitized flex, and communicate with other layers of flex through Z-axis circuitization (vias and through holes) in the laminate.

Parallel processors have a plurality of individual processors, all capable of cooperating on the same program. Parallel processors can be divided into Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD) and Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) designs.
Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD) parallel processors have individual processing nodes characterized by fast microprocessors supported by many memory chips and a memory hierarchy. High performance inter node communications coprocessor chips provide the communications links to other microprocessors. Each processor node runs an operating system kernel, with communications at the application level being through a standardized library of message passing functions. In the MIMD parallel processor both shared and distributed memory models are supported.
Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) parallel processors have a plurality of individual processor elements under the control of a single control unit and connected by an intercommunication unit. SIMD machines have an architecture that is specified by:
SIMD processors have a large number of specialized support chips to support dozens to hundreds of fixed point data flows. Instructions come from outside the individual node, and distributed memory is supported.
Parallel processors require a complex and sophisticated intercommunication network for processor-processor and processor-memory communications. The topology of the interconnection network can be either static or dynamic. Static networks are formed of point-to-point direct connections which will not change during program execution. Dynamic networks are implemented with switched channels which can dynamically reconfigure to match the communications requirements of the programs running on the parallel processor.
Dynamic networks are particularly preferred for multi-purpose and general purpose applications, Dynamic networks can implement communications patterns based on a program demands. Dynamic networking is provided by one or more of bus systems, multistage intercommunications networks, and crossbar switch networks.
Critical to all parallel processors, and especially to dynamic networks is the packaging of the interconnection circuitry. Specifically, the interconnection must provide high speed switching, with low signal attenuation, low crosstalk, and low noise.

Parallel processor and method of fabrication

International Business Machines Corporation


In accordance with implementations of the present disclosure, a solution for converting a natural language query is provided. In this solution, a first natural language query and a second natural language query for one or more data tables are received, wherein semantics of the second natural language query is dependent on the first natural language query. A third natural language query for one or more data tables is generated based on the first natural language query and the second natural language query, wherein semantics of the third natural language query is identical to the semantics of the second natural language query and independent of the first natural language query. In this way, this solution can convert a context-dependent natural language query into a context-independent natural language query, thereby enabling interfacing with any semantic parsers which can convert a natural language query into a computer-executable query.

Natural Language Interfaces to Database (NLIDB) allows a user to query the database with a natural language, to relieve the user from the burden of learning the database query language. Compared with the traditional method which queries the database with Structured Query Language (SQL), NLIDB provides pbetter interactive experience. The natural language query can be automatically converted, via the semantic parsing techniques, into a computer-executable query (e.g., SQL query) to retrieve an answer from the database. At present, the technical solution for NLIDB usually assumes that the natural language query is context-independent. However, multiple rounds of interactions with NLIDB may involve multiple semantically dependent queries. In this case, it is required to combine the contextual information to correctly understand the query intent of the user.


In order to respond flexibly to various processing modes, such as forming curved surface shapes, when cutting a workpiece using a wire saw, this wire saw device (1) is provided with: a single robot arm (2) that is capable of moving freely by means of multi-axis control; a wire saw unit (3) that is detachably connected to the robot arm (2) via a tool changer (7); a wire (8) that spans a plurality of pulleys supported within the wire saw unit (3); and a workpiece cutting zone (20) that is established between the pulleys. The workpiece is cut to a prescribed shape by moving the robot arm (2) in a preset direction while running the wire (8) of the wire saw unit (3) and pressing the wire (8) against the supported workpiece.

Conventionally, a wire saw device of a fixed abrasive type that cuts a workpiece by pressing the workpiece such as silicon or sapphire onto a wire row formed by winding a wire between a plurality of groove rollers and includes a fixed abrasive wire in which abrasive grains such as diamond is fixed, on a core wire formed of a steel wire, by electrodeposition, resin, or the like is known.
In processing by a conventional wire saw device, a workpiece is processed and fed to a traveling wire by a processing feed device. This processing feed direction is a uniaxial direction, and thus cannot flexibly cope with various kinds of workpieces or various processing modes such as a curved surface shape.
Also, in the case of using a wire saw device, regardless of a type of the workpiece, how to deal with cutting waste generated during processing and heat generated by friction is an important problem.
In order to solve the above problem, the following various wire saw devices have been proposed as devices that enables cutting of various kinds of workpieces and various processing modes.
With respect to a wire suspended between two cutting rollers, a center line of rotation of the cutting rollers is maintained perpendicular to a curved surface to be processed. The center line of rotation of the cutting rollers is changed in a direction of an elevation angle/depression angle in a processing direction, and the cutting rollers follow the change of the elevation angle/depression angle of a curved surface. There is known a cutting method in which the wire suspended between the rollers is, in accordance therewith, pressed against a workpiece to form a curved surface on the workpiece (for example, Patent Literature 1).
In addition, there is also a wire saw device in which, by moving a robot arm that is provided with a chuck for holding a workpiece at an tip end of the robot arm and is multi-axis controllable, a workpiece is moved to a cutting processing region of a wire provided within an operation range of a robot arm and is pressed against and cut by a traveling wire while the workpiece is held (for example, Patent Literature 2).
Furthermore, there is also a wire saw device having wire guide heads at tip end portions of robot arms of two industrial robots. A wire is suspended between the two wire guide heads, and a workpiece placed within an operation range of the wire guide heads is pressed against the wire and cut in accordance with movement of the robot arms (for example, Patent Literature 3).
In addition, as a method of dealing with cutting waste generated during processing of a workpiece and heat generated by friction, a method of cooling a cutting portion of the traveling wire by cooling water, and washing off the cutting waste generated at the cutting portion is also performed (For example, Patent Literature 4).
Normally, in a wire saw device, if a wire is deflected as cutting of a workpiece progresses and the deflection cannot be controlled, the wire will be disconnected. In addition, processing accuracy is also reduced. Therefore, various wire saw devices as shown below have been proposed in order to control the deflection and realize a stable traveling control of the wire.
In a wire saw device which presses a workpiece against a multi-strand wire row formed between groove rollers in a single direction or in a reciprocating direction while supplying a processing liquid, a dancer roller that applies a predetermined tension to the traveling wire is provided. This device is a wire saw device that includes a load cell that detects a load applied to the dancer roller and is disposed in the vicinity of the dancer roller, and a displacement detection device that measures an amount of displacement of the dancer roller from a reference point, transmits detection results from the load cell and the displacement detection device to a control device, adjusts a feeding amount or a winding amount of a wire from a reel, and controls the deflection of a wire (for example, Patent Literature 5).
In addition, a wire saw device includes a tension sensor for measuring the tension of a wire and a mechanism for adjusting deflection of the wire by pressing the wire, and the tension sensor includes a sensor roller that constantly abuts a wire row and a load sensor that detects the amount of deflection of the wire by detecting the pressing force of the wire row via the sensor roller. The mechanism for adjusting the deflection of the wire includes an operating element, an adjusting roller that is provided at a tip end portion of the operating element and abuts the wire row, driving means that moves the adjusting roller via the operating element in a vertical direction in which the adjusting roller is pressed against the wire row and in a horizontal direction parallel to the wire row. The tension of the wire is measured by the tension sensor, and the tension of the wire is adjusted by operating the driving means for moving the adjusting roller in the vertical direction in which the adjusting roller is pressed against the wire row (for example, Patent Literature 6).
Further, for the wire saw device of Patent Literature 1 described above, a structure is employed in which, in the case where a distance between the cutting rollers is long, a guide bar is bridged between both arms so as to prevent the deflection of the wire, a guide roller for preventing deflection is provided at an intermediate position of the guide bar that is an intermediate point between the cutting rollers, an angle of the guide roller is freely changed together with the pair of cutting rollers, and thus the intermediate position of the wire is supported to suppress the deflection of the wire.
Also, conventionally, prior to cutting a workpiece by a processing device including a wire saw or the like, the workpiece is adhered and fixed to a dummy member (for example, carbon, glass, or ceramics) in advance, and this dummy member is attached to a base member and held by attaching the base member to the processing device. For example, in the case of using a wire saw as the processing device, the workpiece adhered and fixed to the dummy member is attached to the wire saw via the base member. Then, when a traveling wire of the wire saw is pressed against the workpiece, the workpiece is cut into a thin plate shape.
In recent years, lightweight and high rigidity materials have been required to improve efficiency of aircraft and automobiles, and a honeycomb core member is known as one of the materials. The honeycomb core member is formed by assembling a large number of cells formed of light weight members of, for example, a fiber reinforced resin such as aramid resin or aluminum into a honeycomb arrangement. Therefore, the honeycomb core member has a mechanical characteristic that it is high in strength with respect to weight, and as described in Patent Literature 1, the honeycomb core member is cut using a wire saw.
Further, prior to processing the honeycomb core member, it is necessary to fix the honeycomb core member, and this fixing is performed by, for example, clamping the honeycomb core member or adhering the honeycomb core member to the table. Fixing is also performed by screwing a wood screw larger than the cell diameter into a cell of the honeycomb core member (for example, Patent Literature 7).

Wire saw device, and processing method and processing device for workpiece


A solar thermal powered aircraft powered by heat energy from the sun. A heat engine, such as a Stirling engine, is carried by the aircraft body for producing power for a propulsion mechanism, such as a propeller. The heat engine has a thermal battery in thermal contact with it so that heat is supplied from the thermal battery. A solar concentrator, such as reflective parabolic trough, is movably connected to an optically transparent section of the aircraft body for receiving and concentrating solar energy from within the aircraft. Concentrated solar energy is collected by a heat collection and transport conduit, and heat transported to the thermal battery. A solar tracker includes a heliostat for determining optimal alignment with the sun, and a drive motor actuating the solar concentrator into optimal alignment with the sun based on a determination by the heliostat.

Working prototypes have demonstrated the feasibility and utility of solar powered aircraft. Many if not most solar powered aircraft, however, rely on the photovoltaic conversion of sunlight to electricity to power an electric motor-based propulsion system. Batteries (or electrolyzer, gas storage, and regenerative fuel cells) are carried onboard the aircraft to store electrical energy and keep the aircraft aloft during the night, so that flight time is not limited by fuel supply as it is on a conventional aircraft. It is widely recognized, however, that onboard voltaic batteries or electrolyzer, gas storage, and regenerative fuel cell systems impose a substantial weight burden for all aircraft, and especially for high-altitude, long range aircraft.
Another problem associated with photovoltaic power generation arrangements for aircraft, especially high-altitude, long-range aircraft, is the need to orient/point the photovoltaic solar cells to face the sun. Having wing-mounted arrays of solar panels can limit the efficiency of the collection of solar power, especially at dawn and dusk, as sunlight seldom strikes the solar panels "face on". Thus in order to achieve a direct angle of impingement, the aircraft could be "banked" (i.e. laterally incline the aircraft, such as by elevating one wing or side higher or lower in relation to the opposite wing or side) in order to face the sun. This practice is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,133 to Phillips, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,205 to Wurst, et al. Conventional aircraft, however, cannot maintain straight flight at a large bank angle for extended lengths of time. Moreover, a related problem is the significant restriction on the latitude range over which aircraft may be flow, often seen with wing mounted solar energy collection means, i.e. photovoltaic solar cells, characteristic of the prior art. During winter, at higher northern latitudes, the maximum angle of the sun above the horizon may be relatively small, and thus the effective collection area of the wing surface may be severely restricted.
While the Phillips reference alternatively suggests that solar cells may be placed on a tilting panel within a transparent fuselage structure, this arrangement would require the inclusion of a cooling system for the inner located cells, with the associated weight and aerodynamic drag penalties. The cooling requirement discussed in Phillips for maintaining high efficiency of inside-mounted cells is a generic limitation common to all photo-voltaic solar cell powered aircraft. This same limitation precludes the practical use of solar cells at the focus of a high concentration factor solar collector, since excessive heating of solar cells leads to substantially reduced efficiency.
Furthermore, the efficiency of photovoltaic electric energy collection, storage, and utilization in the prior art is relatively limited. Photovoltaic arrays of high efficiency are very expensive and tend to lose efficiency at elevated temperatures, and thus are not practical to use at the focus of a high flux solar concentrator. The prior art system of photovoltaic electric energy collection, storage, and utilization has a relatively small power to mass ratio. Thus the aircraft must typically fly at an altitude high enough to be above the clouds, and to avoid winds with velocities much higher than the airspeed of the vehicle, as described in the Phillips reference. Because of its long endurance and limited weight-carrying ability, this type of vehicle is normally considered to be a pilotless aircraft.
Various ground based solar energy collectors and concentrators, and interfaces to heat storage media and heat engines are also known. A few examples include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,334 to Nilsson, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,859 to Mehos. The Nilsson patent discloses " . . . a solar energy power generation system which includes means for collecting and concentrating solar energy; heat storage means; Stirling engine means for producing power", and " . . . the means for collecting and concentrating solar energy is a reflective dish; and the heat transfer means includes first and second heat pipes; the heat storage means is preferably a phase change medium . . . " The Mehos patent discloses: " . . . sodium heat pipe receivers for dish/Stirling systems", and cites references demonstrating: " . . .sodium vapor temperatures up to 790° C." Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,122 discloses a heat pipe receiving energy from a solar concentrator, U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,054B2 describes connecting to a Stirling engine, among other things, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,120 describes a parabolic trough with a heat pipe at the focus connected to a heat storage medium. None of these representative references, however, disclose how the solar energy generation and storage system can be made sufficiently lightweight that it would be able to provide for the overnight propulsion of a solar-powered aircraft.
In addition, the utility of LiH as a thermal energy storage medium, i.e. a "thermal battery," is known, and is based on the very high thermal energy per unit mass characteristic of LiH. For example, the specific energy released in the cooling of one kg of LiH from 1200 K to 600 K is 1900 W-hr. In contrast, lithium ion electrical storage batteries contain less than 10% as much energy per kg. Even a Hydrogen-Oxygen recyclable fuel cell with associated electrolyzer and gas storage contains no more than approximately 1000 W-hr per kg. It is appreciated that no other known solid, liquid, (or gaseous, if the mass of the requisite container is accounted for) compound has as high a specific thermal energy content as LiH for this temperature range. One example of LiH used as a thermal energy storage medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,653 to Mavleos et al. and directed to a Lithium hydride body heating device that uses LiH as a phase change medium to store heat energy for use in providing warmth to a diver. The '653 patent, however, does not disclose how highly reactive LiH may be safely contained for long periods of time. Theoretically, pure LiH has an infinite hydrogen vapor pressure just beyond the melting point of LiH. Thus, a container of LiH constructed according to the Mavleos disclosure, for example, may explode upon reaching the melting point of LiH at about 700° C.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aircraft powered by the heat of the sun.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight and highly efficient solar power plant and system for powering an aircraft by the heat of the sun.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an internally mounted solar power plant and system for powering an aircraft which does not require internal cooling.
And another object of the present invention is to provide a means for efficiently powering a solar aircraft by using a high efficiency heat engine, such as a Stirling engine.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for storing sufficient solar energy accumulated during the day to enable flight through the nighttime without excessive mass burden.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for maximizing solar energy collection and concentration by optimally aligning a heat collection element to the sun without re-orienting or otherwise changing the flight characteristics of the aircraft, e.g. banking.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for conserving heat energy during night time operation by preventing backflow of a heat transfer working fluid of a heat pipe.
These objects are achieved by the present invention described hereinafter.

The Regents of the University of California


Methods of altering substrate specificity of beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase, and engineered beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthases so produced are provided. DNA sequences and constructs for expression of engineered beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthases, as well as the novel beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthases produced therefrom are also provided. Such DNA sequences may be used for expression of the engineered beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthases in host cells, particularly seed cells of oilseed crop plants, for the modification of fatty acid composition.

A paper copy of the Sequence Listing and a computer readable form of the sequence listing on diskette, containing the file named SeqList.txt, which is 103 kilobytes in size (measured in MS-DOS), and which was created on Apr. 11, 2002.
The present invention is directed to proteins, nucleic acid sequences and constructs, and methods related thereto.
Fatty acids are organic acids having a hydrocarbon chain of from about 4 to 24 carbons. Many different kinds of fatty acids are known which differ from each other in chain length, and in the presence, number and position of double bonds. In cells, fatty acids typically exist in covalently bound forms, the carboxyl portion being referred to as a fatty acyl group. The chain length and degree of saturation of these molecules is often depicted by the formula CX:Y, where xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d indicates number of carbons and xe2x80x9cYxe2x80x9d indicates number of double bonds.
The production of fatty acids in plants begins in the plastid with the reaction between acetyl-CoA and malonyl-ACP to produce acetoacetyl-ACP catalyzed by the enzyme, xcex2-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III. Elongation of acetyl-ACP to 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids involves the following cycle of reactions: condensation with a two-carbon unit from malonyl-ACP to form a xcex2-ketoacyl-ACP (xcex2-ketoacyl-ACP synthase), reduction of the keto-function to an alcohol (xcex2-ketoacyl-ACP reductase), dehydration to form an enoyl-ACP (xcex2-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydrase), and finally reduction of the enoyl-ACP to form the elongated saturated acyl-ACP (enoyl-ACP reductase). xcex2-ketoacyl-ACP synthase I, catalyzes elongation up to palmitoyl-ACP (C16:0), whereas xcex2-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II catalyzes the final elongation to stearoyl-ACP (C18:0). The longest chain fatty acids produced by the FAS are typically 18 carbons long. Additional biochemical steps in the cell produce specific fatty acid constituents, for example through desaturation and elongation.
xcex2-ketoacyl synthases, condensing enzymes, comprise a structurally and functionally related family that play critical roles in the biosynthesis of a variety of natural products, including fatty acids, and the polyketide precursors leading to antibiotics, toxins, and other secondary metabolites. xcex2-ketoacyl synthases catalyze carbon-carbon bond forming reactions by condenisng a variety of acyl chain precursors with an elongating carbon source, usually malonyl or methyl malonyl moieties, that are covalently attached through a thioester linkage to an acyl carrier protein. Condensing enzymes can be part of multienzyme complexes, domains of large, multifunctional polypeptide chains as the mammalian fatty acid synthase, or single enzymes as the xcex2-ketoacyl synthases in plants and most bacteria.
Condensing enzymes have been identified with properties subject to exploitation in the areas of plant oil modification, polyketide engineering, and ultimately design anti-cancer and anti-tuberculosis agents. One of the molecular targets of isoniazid, which is widely used in the treatment of tuberculosis, is KAS. Cerulinin, a mycotoxin produced by the fungus Cephalosporium caerulens, acts as a potent inhibitor of KAS by covalent modification of the active cysteine thiol. Condensing enzymes from many other pathways and sources have all been shown to be inactivated by this antibiotic with the exception of the synthase from C. caerulens and KAS III, the isozyme responsible for the initial condensation of malonyl-ACP with acetyl-CoA in plant and bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis. Inhibition of the KAS domain of fatty acid synthase by cerulinin is selectively cytotoxic to certain cancer cells.
The present invention is directed to xcex2-ketoacyl ACP synthase (KAS), and in particular to engineered KAS polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding engineered KAS proteins having a modified substrate specificity with respect to the native (also referred to herein as wild-type) KAS protein. The engineered polypeptides and polynucleotides of the present invention include those derived from plant and bacterial sources.
In another aspect of the invention polynucleotide encoding engineered polypeptides, particularly, polynucleotides that encode a KAS protein with a modified substrate specificity with respect to the native KAS protein, are provided.
In a further aspect the invention relates to oligonucleotides derived from the engineered KAS proteins and oligonucleotides which include partial or complete engineered KAS encoding sequences.
It is also an aspect of the present invention to provide recombinant DNA constructs which can be used for transcription or transcription and translation (expression) of an engineered KAS protein having an altered substrate specificity with respect to the native KAS protein. In particular, constructs are provided which are capable of transcription or transcription and translation in host cells. Particularly preferred constructs are those capable of transcription or transcription and translation in plant cells.
In another aspect of the present invention, methods are provided for production of engineered KAS proteins having a modified substrate specificity with respect to the native KAS in a host cell or progeny thereof. In particular, host cells are transformed or transfected with a DNA construct which can be used for transcription or transcription and translation of an engineered KAS. The recombinant cells which contain engineered KAS are also part of the present invention.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to methods of using the engineered polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences of the present invention to modify the fatty acid composition in a host cell, as well as to modify the composition and/or structure of triglyceride molecules, particularly in seed oil of oilseed crops. Plant cells having such a modified triglyceride content are also contemplated herein.
The modified plants, seeds and oils obtained by the expression of the plant engineered KAS proteins are also considered part of the invention.

Engineering B-ketoacyl ACP synthase for novel substrate specificity


The invention relates to a compound of the formula

1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to anti-inflammatory agents. More specifically, the embodiment relates to compounds of the general formula (1), methods for their preparation, medicaments comprising these compounds, and their use for the treatment of humans and animals.
2. Background and Description of Related Art
According to a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR 2007, 56, 423), arthritis and other rheumatic conditions, e.g., gout, lupus, and fibromyalgia, affect approximately 46 million adults in the United States, resulting in substantial disability and costs of $128 billion annually. The number of U.S. adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis has been projected to reach nearly 67 million adults by the year 2030, including 25 million adults who are expected to have arthritis-attributable activity limitations. Among 48 states, the median projected increase in doctor-diagnosed arthritis from 2005 to 2030 will be 16%; a total of 14 states are projected to have increases of 30% to 87%.
The report further states that greater use of existing evidence-based interventions and development of new interventions aimed at decreasing pain, improving function, and delaying disability associated with arthritis are needed to reduce the impact of these projected increases, particularly in those states that will be most heavily affected. These statistics, together with recent studies that suggest links between chronic inflammation and many other disorders underscore the importance of anti-inflammatory drugs. Chronic inflammation may be the mediator for many adverse conditions ranging from allergies to serious health impairments such as atherosclerosis, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and immune disorders such as myopathies, often in conjunction with others, for example systemic sclerosis, and include dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and inclusion body myositis.
There are now over a 100 medications being offered for the treatment of arthritis and related conditions. Over-the-counter and prescription medications are the traditional treatment option for these diseases. With every response, inevitable drug side effects and adverse reactions are common and vary with the individual patient. Patients are often forced to change their drug regiments to minimize specific side effects. This need for change is reflected by such a large drug portfolio and mandates the search for novel drug candidates with minimal side effects. Compounds of formula (1), which are subject to this embodiment, are the result of this effort.
Arachidonic acid metabolism creates a series of prostaglandins and thromboxanes through the cycloxygenase (COX) pathway, and these products, together with leukotrienes from the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) pathways are implicated in many critical physiological events, but also in numerous pathophysiological conditions, especially inflammation and cancer (Simmons, D L, et al., Pharmacol Rev 2004, 56, 387-437).
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an inducible form of prostaglandin-H synthase and mediates prostaglandin synthesis during inflammation. It is also overexpressed in certain tumors and ascribed to carcinogenic events, (J Med Chem 2004, 47, 6195) especially colon carcinogenesis. Similarly, LOX also plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. In one of many citations, it has been emphasized that both 5-LOX and 12-LOX expression is upregulated in human pancreatic cancer cells (Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1999, 261, 218-223).
It is now recognized that controlling aberrant inflammation is a main key in preventing disease. NSAIDs, including naturally occurring substances with anti-inflammatory activity, can achieve this goal by targeting the arachidonic acid metabolizing enzymes directly, or indirectly by preventing or slowing their expression, e.g., through transcription factor NF-κB inhibition (Sethi, G., et al., Exp Biol Med 2008, 55, 629; Van Waes, C., Clin Cancer Res 2007, 15, 1076).
The embodiment relates to a compound of formula (1) with potent activity in the adjuvant-induced arthritis test in rats but weak inhibitions of isolated COX-2 and LOX5, and no discernable activity against isolated COX-1 at the levels tested. This behavior is unusual among common NSAIDs but is consistent with drugs whose prostaglandin synthesis inhibition is the result of inhibition of NF-κB activation (Plummer S M, et al. Oncogene 1999, 18, 6013).
3. Prior Art
The compounds that are subject to this embodiment are novel. The most preferred compounds of this embodiment contain three significant structural features, namely a carboxamide, a pyrimidine and a (4-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butyl)phenyl moiety. These structural elements are independently recognized in known medications, but there is no precedent that combines all three in one molecule.

Abstract: wherein the substituents are as defined herein, and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the compound of formula (1). The compounds of formula (1) and their salts possess inflammation inhibiting properties and are therefore useful in the treatment and prevention of conditions related to inflammations such as inflammatory joint diseases. The compounds of formula (1) are also useful for the treatment of diseases where chronic inflammation is the underlying cause. This application relates to compounds of formula (1), methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds, and their use for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of humans and animals.


An ultraviolet disinfection (UV) system for gases including a UV light-ready gas purifier having at least one portal in the gas purifier for receiving UV light input from a UV light source, which is removably connected to the gas purifier via a connector at the portal, and positioned to provide a focused, controllable UV light output that has at least one UV dose zone for providing effective sterilization of microorganisms and disinfection within an interior of the gas purifier. The light source is positioned within a housing that is external to the gas purifier and capable of being connected thereto via optical connectors, such as fiber optic transmission lines. A method for UV disinfection of the interior of gas purifiers is also included in the present invention.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for ultraviolet disinfection and, more particularly, to a system and method for ultraviolet disinfection of air and other gases.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art to use ultraviolet light (UV) for the disinfection treatment of air. Ultraviolet light, at the germicidal wavelength of 253.7 nanometers, alters the genetic (DNA) material in cells so that bacteria, viruses, molds, algae and other microorganisms can no longer reproduce. The microorganisms are considered dead, and the risk of disease from them is eliminated. As the air flows past the UV lamps in UV disinfection systems, the microorganisms are exposed to a lethal dose of UV energy. UV dose is measured as the product of UV light intensity times the exposure time within the UV lamp array. Microbiologists have determined the effective dose of UV energy to be approximately about 34,000 microwatt-seconds/cm2 needed to destroy pathogens as well as indicator organisms found in wastewater. Typical prior art disinfection systems and devices emit UV light at approximately 254 nm, which penetrates the outer cell membrane of microorganisms, passes through the cell body, reaches the DNA and alters the genetic material of the microorganism, destroying it without chemicals by rendering it unable to reproduce.
Ultraviolet light is classified into three wavelength ranges: UV-C, from about 200 nanometers (nm) to about 280 nm; UV-B, from about 280 nm to about 315 nm; and UV-A, from about 315 nm to about 400 nm. Generally, UV light, and in particular, UV-C light is xe2x80x9cgermicidal,xe2x80x9d i.e., it deactivates the DNA of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and thus destroys their ability to multiply and cause disease, effectively resulting in sterilization of the microorganisms. Specifically, UV xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d light causes damage to the nucleic acid of microorganisms by forming covalent bonds between certain adjacent bases in the DNA. The formation of these bonds prevents the DNA from being read correctly, and the organism is neither able to produce molecules essential for life process, nor is it able to reproduce. In fact, when an organism is unable to produce these essential molecules or is unable to replicate, it dies. UV light with a wavelength of approximately between about 250 to about 260 nm provides the highest germicidal effectiveness. While susceptibility to UV light varies, exposure to UV energy for about 20 to about 34 milliwatt-seconds/cm2 is adequate to deactivate approximately 99 percent of the pathogens.
Additionally, UV light can catalyze a variety of other chemical reactions, and the use of UV light with any one or combination of the plethora of available chemical catalyst generates numerous possible catalytic combinations that can be used to degrade organic particulate matter. A class of these photocatalyst, termed UV-activated dielectric semiconductors, includes Titanium Oxide; TiO2 (photo activation wavelength; not more than 388 nm), Tungsten Oxide; WO2 (photo activation wavelength; not more than 388 nm), Zinc Oxide; ZnO (photo activation wavelength; not more than 388 nm), Zinc Sulfide; ZnS (photo activation wavelength; not more than 344 nm) and Tin Oxide; SnO2 (photo activation wavelength; not more than 326 nm). In addition to these catalysts, other catalysts, such as PtTiO2, are known.
In prior art air purification systems, particles, including, for example, household and atmospheric dust, lint, animal dander, food particles, tobacco smoke, aerosols, pollen, plant spores, and the like are removed from the air stream by filtration, trapping, electrostatic precipitation, and other means of arrest. Chemical compounds are removed by activated charcoal filtration. Additionally, particle and chemical compounds can be degraded by UV irradiation, or by oxidation by photocatalysts such as TiO2.
While such conventional air cleaners are quite effective in arresting dust and other particles, if the filters or plates are not cleaned regularly to remove the deposited particles, there may be potential for microbial growth on the particles on the filters or collector plates. If microbial growth is present and is not removed through regular thorough cleaning, there is the possibility that bioaerosols such as fungal spores, bacteria and other allergens may be re-entrained into the air stream and circulated back into the occupied enclosure.
Several prior art inventions have used UV irradiation of the particle-arresting apparatus or the gas stream itself to sterilize resident microorganisms. These inventions, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,619, Dec. 7, 1999; Knuth, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,320; Jul. 20, 1999; Jones; U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,740; Nov. 10, 1998; Brais; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,968; Apr. 25, 2000; Miller. Although these prior art may have been adequate in arresting particulate matter and chemical compounds and inactivating microorganisms, they could not degrade them and thus needed frequent periodic maintenance to clean or replace the arresting devices.
It has now been found possible to degrade the particulate matter and other compounds by incorporating TiO2 or other photocatalyst in the arresting device and irradiating the TiO2 with UV light. The TiO2 catalyzes the breakdown of chemical molecules, both in arrested particles and in the vicinity of the arresting device. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,933,702; 5,919,422; and 5,835,840 use filters or supports charged or impregnated with TiO2, and by fitting these filters into ventilation systems in which they are also irradiated by a source of ultraviolet rays when they are not themselves exposed to a natural source of UV. Additionally, filters comprised of TiO2 may also be treated with undecylenic derivatives to aid in the decomposition of compounds. For example, Caupin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,472) teach that the functioning of filters comprised of TiO2 and undecylenic derivatives proves to be surprisingly effective from the point of view of air quality and, in parallel, a very substantial increase in the lifetime of the filter is observed, the gradual soiling of which appears to be due essentially only to the retention of inorganic particles. However, this and the other prior art require a UV light source devoted to the device, and in no way teach that the UV light may be supplied by a fiber optic transmission line or similar using optical components to focus and control the light input.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,194 generally relates to a fixed bed photocatalytic reactor system that employs optical fibers as a means of remote light transmission to and support for a photocatalyst coating. The reactor enables batch treatment or continuous flow applications, e.g., for the destruction of gas or aqueous phase waste effluents contaminated with hydrocarbons or heavy metals. The reactor utilizes one or more optical fibers or rods stiffened or under tension to form non-flexible rod-like components that are positionally secured with respect to a reactor vessel and are spaced apart with respect to each other at a miniscule distance, preferentially 1.5 mm. It is critical to have stiffened, tensioned, or rod-like fibers without flexibility in order to establish and maintain the spaced-apart configuration. The fibers have a non-catalytic portion and a catalytic portion, wherein the catalytic portion comprises a TiO.sub.2 photocatalyst coating on the exposed fibers. Photocatalytic reactions are carried out by using the noncatalytic portion of the fibers to transmit light, e.g., UV, from a light source to the catalytic portion. Because of the efficiency of the fibers in light delivery to the catalytic portion of the coating, the light source may be located a relatively long distance from the catalytic portion of the fibers.
Such a reactor is not particularly well-suited for microfiltration of gas streams, as a filter in this fashion would need to be woven from a single or few fibers. If a multitude of transmission lines were used, these would have to be connected to the light source. Although such a configuration is technically possible, the resulting filter would be relatively expensive and also cumbersome to install and remove. Additionally, the reactor described by Peill et al. requires space between individual fibers to minimize the interfiber contact, as this contact can promote TiO2 coating delamination. Therefore, spacers are employed to maintain the fibers in a spaced-apart configuration. This spaced-apart configuration prevents an adequate physical filtration of the gas stream. Additionally, Peill et al. do not teach the use of optical components to focus and control the light input. As such, this prior art reactor teaches away from the configuration according to the present invention.
Thus, there remains a need for a low-maintenance, inexpensive UV purification system of air and other gases that purifies the gas stream, deactivates microorganisms in the proximity of the device, is self-cleaning and easily handled, and utilizes a remote UV light source.
The present invention is directed to a UV purification system and method for treating gas streams.
One object of the present invention is to provide a UV disinfection system for treating a gas stream configured and arranged to function effectively with at least one UV light source or lamp.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a UV-ready gas stream purifier that is designed to accept a UV light source input for the purpose of sterilization of microorganisms arrested by the purifier, albeit temporarily.
Another object of the present invention includes presentation of the UV light source detached from and remotely connectable with the gas purifier via fiber optic, UV transmission lines.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a UV-ready gas stream purifier that is designed to accept a UV light source input for the purpose of effecting degradation of arrested particles and compounds through the UV activation of a photocatalyst incorporated into the purifier.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for providing ultraviolet disinfection (UV) within gas streams including selective activation and deactivation of at least one UV light-ready gas stream purifier having at least one portal in the particle arrestor for receiving UV light input from at least one light source, which is removably connected to the at least one UV light-ready gas stream purifier via a connector at the portal, and provides a focused, controllable UV light output that has at least one UV dose zone for providing effective sterilization of microorganisms and disinfection within an interior of the gas stream purifier.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a UV disinfection system for treating a gas stream configured and arranged to function effectively with at least one UV light source or lamp.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a UV-ready gas stream purifier that is designed to accept a UV light source input for the purpose of sterilization of microorganisms arrested by the particle arrestor, albeit temporarily.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide presentation of the UV light source detached from and remotely connectable with the gas stream purifier via fiber optic, UV transmission lines and including the use of optical components.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a UV-ready gas stream purifier that is designed to accept a UV light source input for the purpose of effecting degradation of arrested particles and compounds through the UV activation of a photocatalyst incorporated into the gas stream purifier.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for providing ultraviolet disinfection (UV) within gas streams including selective activation and deactivation of at least one UV light-ready gas stream purifier having at least one portal in the gas stream purifier for receiving UV light input from at least one light source, which is removably connected to the at least one UV light-ready gas stream purifier via a connector at the portal, and provides a focused, controllable UV light output that has at least one UV dose zone for providing effective sterilization of microorganisms and disinfection within an interior of the gas stream purifier.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention when considered with the drawings.


[Problem]

Heretofore, as the production method of 6-halogeno-3-arylpyridine derivative, (1) a method for reacting 2-halo-5-pyridyl boric acid with arylbromide (see: J. Org. Chem., 2002, vol. 67, page 7541); (2) a method reacting 2-chloro-5-bromopyridine with aryl boric acid (see: Heterocycles 1987, vol. 26, page 2711); (3) a method reacting 1,2,4-triazine prepared by the reaction of 2-chloro-5-cyanopyridine and hydrazine, with 2,5-norbornadiene (see: JP-A-2000-355581); (4) a method for chlorinating 5-arylpyridine (see: Chem. Pharm. Bull., 1988 vol. 36, page 2244) or the like are known.
However, in the method of (1) and (2), cryogenic condition is required in preparing a 2-halo-5-pyridyl boric acid or an aryl boric acid, which are raw material. In addition, in the method of (3), multistep reaction is required. And, in the method of (4), isomers having the different position of chlorination are produced as by-product, therefore, there is a problem that the isomers difficult to separate have been formed. Thus, any methods of the above-described (1) to (4) were not the industrially advantageous methods.
In addition, heretofore, as a cross-coupling process between two aromatic compound derivatives, the method for reacting Grignard compound with halogen compound in the presence of palladium compound is known (see: J. Organometallic Chem., 1976, vol. 118, page 349). However, there are few reaction examples in which arylpyridine derivative is synthesized by reacting Grignard compound of pyridine derivative with halogenoaryl derivative. There is known a method for synthesizing 2-arylpyridine derivative by reacting 2-pyridylmagnesium bromide derivative obtained from the reaction of pyridine derivative which is halogenized at 2-position regarded as generally more reactive substitution site and magnesiation reagent, with halogenoaryl derivative (see: J. Molecular Structure, 2000, Vol. 553, page 61). However, there is not known a method for synthesizing 5-pyridylmagnesiumbromide derivative and halogenoaryl derivative by reacting 5-halogenopyridine derivative having a functional group at 2-position with magnesiation reagent.

Production method of 6-halogeno-3-arylpyridine derivative

Abstract: [Problem]

Abstract: The present invention provides an industrially advantageous production method of a 6-halogeno-3-arylpyridine derivative in which cryogenic condition is not required, production step is short, and an isomer difficult to be separated is not produced as a by-product,

Abstract: [Solution]

Abstract: A production method of a 6-halogeno-3-arylpyridine derivative represented by the general formula (III) comprising: the first step reacting a 2,5-dihalogenopyridine derivative represented by the general formula (I) with a magnesiation reagent; and the second step reacting the product obtained from the above-described first step, in the presence of a palladium compound, with a halogenoaryl derivative represented by the general formula (II).


An apparatus can have a processor configured to determine a length of time that a vehicle is in a region and to determine whether the vehicle needs to be configured for the region based on the determined length of time. Configuring a vehicle can include configuring updating the software/firmware of the vehicle.

Motor vehicles, such as autonomous vehicles, (e.g., automobiles, cars, trucks, buses, etc.) can include a number of electronic control units (ECUs) coupled to a controller, such as computing device (e.g., an on-board computer). The ECUs can be used to control various subsystems of a vehicle, such as engine subsystems, transmission subsystems, power train subsystems, brake subsystems, camera subsystems, vehicle dashboard subsystems, speed control subsystems, tire pressure monitoring systems, steering control subsystems, obstacle and/or hazard avoidance/recognition subsystems, and the like.
In examples involving autonomous vehicles, the ECUs may interpret inputs from sensors and/or cameras that perceive the surroundings of vehicle so that the vehicle can operate safely. For example, the ECUs can provide speed control and steering control for the vehicle and obstacle and/or hazard avoidance/recognition. As used herein, an autonomous vehicle can be a vehicle in which at least a portion of the decision-making and/or control over vehicle operations is controlled by computer hardware and/or software/firmware, as opposed to a human operator.
The controller and each ECU can include hardware and configuration data, such as software/firmware. For example, the software/firmware can include executable code, software update version data relating to the software/firmware version levels, operating parameters, operation and maintenance manuals, emission settings, engine settings, speed settings, and the like.

Determining whether a vehicle should be configured for a different region


Methods and apparatuses for providing clientless IP services for subscribers on a network interface that does not require either explicit client subnet configurations or explicit routes from the interface to the client subnets.

In the field of communication, the need for high-speed transmission of data, including video and audio, has continued to increase. Moreover, there has been an increase in the selection of services by which users can connect to a network, such as the Internet. Specifically, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) allow for connectivity to the Internet through different types of connections at different speeds such as lower-speed connections like Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) at typically 56 kilobits/second or high-speed connections like Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Service, and Cable Modem Service over a Radio Frequency (RF) cable line. Service providers may be any of a company which provides subscribers with an Internet gateway and/or Internet content; a telecommunications company which provides network infrastructure; a company or firm which provides a virtual private network (VPN) connection to its employees; or any network-addressable entity that accepts and executes requests from consumers. It can be a mainframe system, a component, or some other type of software or hardware system that executes service requests. Further, other types of ISPs may enable subscribers to receive different types of media, such as video stream, audio stream, etc.
In a typical network, a network element (e.g., router, bridge, switch, etc.) is a piece of networking equipment, including hardware and software that communicatively interconnects other equipment on the network and supports a wide variety of features to facilitate the management, allocation, and distribution of IP addresses. Typically, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is responsible for allocating and assigning one or more Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to one or more clients. DHCP provides a mechanism for allocating IP addresses dynamically so that the addresses can be reused. The addresses are dynamically assigned from a pool of addresses maintained on the DHCP server. The DHCP server leases each of the DHCP clients one of the available IP addresses for a specified amount of time. Once the specified time has expired, the client renews the lease or requests a new IP address.
FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram showing a network configuration for processing a request for an IP address according to the prior art. In this configuration, a DHCP relay (network element) 101 serves as a relay agent with respect to a DHCP server 102 for one or more DHCP clients 103 and 104. Typically, whenever one of the clients 103 or 104 desires to enter the network, the client 103 or 104 sends a DHCP discovery broadcast to the DHCP relay 101. The DHCP relay 101 then forwards the request to the DHCP server 102. The DHCP 102 returns a response packet in the form of a DHCP offer back to the DHCP relay 101 which in turns forwards the response packet back to clients 103 or 104. When the DHCP relay 101 forwards the DHCP offer packet to clients 103 or 104, the DHCP relay 101 installs an IP-host route and Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) entry for the IP address assigned to the respective client 103/104. The IP-host route is also referred to as the default network gateway address and may be identified by a router ID (RID). The default gateway address indicates to the clients 103/104 the address of the DHCP server 102, which is needed by the client to connect to the network. ARP is an Internet Protocol used for mapping an IP address to a physical address on a local area network (LAN) such as an Ethernet LAN. That is, ARP maps an IP address to a physical machine address (such as a Media Access Control (MAC) address) that is recognized by the local network. Each device on a network has at least two addresses: a media access control (MAC) address and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, A MAC address is the address of the physical network interface card (NIC) inside the device, and never changes for the life of the device. A MAC address may also designate other physical components of a network such as a physical subnet. An IP address, on the other hand, can change if the machine moves to another part of the network or the network uses dynamic addressing such as DHCP. ARP is used to match, or resolve, an IP address to its appropriate MAC address (and vice versa). ARP works by broadcasting a packet to all hosts attached to the LAN. ARP packets contain the IP address the sender is interested in communicating with and the receiver processes the ARP packet and returns the corresponding MAC address.
Throughout this process, each of the clients 103/104 receives everything needed to connect to the network (e.g., a valid IP address assigned to the client and the default network gateway address of the DHCP server 102). As a result, further communication between clients 103/104 and DHCP server 102, such as the DHCP lease renewal and/or release, will take place between clients 103/104 and DHCP server 102 directly without substantially invoking the DHCP relay 101.
In an alternative approach, a network element may behave as a proxy for the DHCP server(s). Such a network element is said to be a DHCP proxy. In a DHCP system, when an IP address is requested from a DHCP server, the server responds by "leasing" the IP address to the DHCP client. Whenever an IP address lease times out, it is said to expire. In the case of an IP address expiration or in anticipation of the expiration, a DHCP client may obtain an IP address "renewal" if the DHCP client wishes to remain connected to the network for a longer period of time. In contrast, if a DHCP client wishes to disconnect from the network before the expiration of the IP address lease, the DHCP client may "release" the IP address back to the DHCP server. A network element acting as a DHCP proxy may facilitate the renewal and release of IP address leases. That is, the network element acting as a proxy aliases for the DHCP server. This allows the network element acting as a DHCP proxy to facilitate the handling of lease renewals and releases, and in many cases, to act as a DHCP proxy for multiple DHCP servers configured to provide redundancy.
FIG. 2 illustrates a data flow diagram showing a network configuration for processing a request for an IP address according to the prior art. In network configuration 200, the network configuration includes a DHCP Proxy (network element) 201 having an interface to serve as a DHCP proxy on behalf of the DHCP servers 202 to provide DHCP services to one or more DHCP clients 203/204. An interface such as the interfaces described herein is used to link physical ports to one or more virtual routers within a network element. The interface defines characteristics about the subscribers utilizing a particular network element port through port-interface binding. However, the virtual routers described herein are used by way of example and not of limitation. The interface can also be used to link physical ports to one or more physical routers. When clients 203/204 request DHCP service, the clients 203/204 send a DHCP discover packet to the DHCP Proxy 201 through their respective subnets. A subnet is, in general, a network that forms part of a larger network connected via a bridge or router and is defined as a portion of a network that shares a common address component. On TCP/IP networks, for example, subnets are defined as all devices whose IP addresses have the same prefix. In FIG. 2, clients 203 are connected to one subnet through DSLAM 209 and clients 204 are connected to another subnet through Ethernet switch 211. A DSLAM (digital subscriber line access multiplexer) is a device which takes a number of ADSL subscriber lines and concentrates these to a single ATM line. Similarly, an Ethernet switch is a device which provides a dedicated point-to-point connection between stations talking to each other. As such, DSLAM 209 and Ethernet switch 211 illustrate different ways of configuring client subnets to connect clients 203/204 to DHCP Proxy 201.
The DHCP Proxy 201 then forwards the DHCP discover packets to the DHCP servers 202 and the DHCP offer and request processes take place via DHCP Proxy 201. When the DHCP servers 202 assign an IP address to one of clients 203/204, one of DHCP servers 202 replies with a DHCP packet, such as a DHCP offer packet, which is received by the DHCP Proxy 201. However, prior to the DHCP Proxy 201 forwarding this DHCP reply packet to the respective client 203/204, DHCP Proxy 201 changes the DHCP IP address in the packet, from the DHCP server's 202 IP address to the DHCP Proxy's 201 TIP address. In addition, DHCP Proxy 201 installs an IP-host route and an ARP entry for the IP address assigned to the respective client 203/204. Through this process, each of the clients 203/204 have a valid IP addresses and know the IP address of the DHCP Proxy 201, therefore, the clients 203/204 now consider the DHCP Proxy 201 as the DHCP server 202. That is, DHCP Proxy 201 is now aliasing for (pretending to be like) DHCP server 202. Subsequently, clients 203/204 may further communicate with the network element 301 as a DHCP server for, among other things, the DHCP renewal or release of IP addresses. Since network element 201 serves as a proxy on behalf of one or more DHCP servers 202 having IP addresses from, for example, 188.8.131.52-18.104.22.168, network element 201 can maintain multiple DHCP servers, some of which may be used as redundant DHCP servers for backup purposes. In addition, since network element 201 knows which subscribers are assigned with the IP address from which DHCP servers, network element 201 may keep track and maintain a lease time of the IP addresses allocated to each subscriber. As a result, when a client releases its IP address back to network element 201 (since the client thinks network element 301 is the DHCP server), network element 201 knows that the IP address has been released and network element 201 does not have to keep listening to the traffic of the release IP address. In addition, where DHCP servers 202 service multiple network elements, a reloaded IP address may be reassigned to another subscriber of another network element.
In yet another alternative approach, a network element is operable to behave as both a DHCP relay agent and a DHCP proxy. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration showing alternative methods for processing a request for an IP address according to the prior art. Network configuration 300 includes a network element 301 to communicate with one or more clients 303 and 304. Network element 301 includes a DHCP relay interface 305 for clients 303 for relaying DHCP requests to one of a set of one or more DCHP servers 302 similar to the one shown in FIG. 1. In addition, network element 301 includes a DHCP proxy interface for clients 304 for serving as a DHCP proxy on behalf of the set of DHCP servers 302 similar to the one shown in FIG. 2.
When network element 301 is acting as a DHCP relay, clients 303 communicate (via DHCP relay interface 305 of the network element 301) directly with one of the DHCP servers 302. DHCP server(s) 302, in this example, are located at IP addresses 220.127.116.11-1.1.5. After acquiring IP addresses from DHCP servers 302, clients 303 directly communicate with one of the DHCP servers 302 without substantially involving the DHCP relay interface 305 of the network element 201. That is, when the respective clients 303 communicate with one of the DHCP servers 302, the client 303 specifies DHCP server's 302 IP address as its destination IP address (i.e., 220.127.116.11-220.127.116.11) in a communication packet, instead of DHCP relay's 305 interface IP address (22.214.171.124).
When the network element 301 is acting as a DHCP proxy, on the other hand, clients 304 communicate with the DHCP proxy interface 306 of network element 301, which in turn communicates with the DHCP servers 302. In this case, the DHCP proxy interface 306 serves as a proxy of the DHCP servers 302. That is, the DHCP proxy interface 306 acts as a DHCP server on behalf of one of the DHCP servers 302. When clients communicate with the DHCP server, clients 304 will specify a DHCP proxy interface, such as DHCP proxy's 306 interface IP address (e.g., 184.108.40.206) as its destination IP address instead of DHCP server's 302 IP address (e.g., 22.214.171.124-22.214.171.124), because clients 304 consider the DHCP proxy interface 306 as the DHCP server 302 they are communicating with.
FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating yet another network configuration according to the prior art having a DHCP relay network element in series with a separate DHCP proxy network element. Network configuration 400 includes DHCP proxy (network element) 401, DHCP Server(s) 402, DHCP relay (network element) 405, DHCP clients on subnets 403 and 404, relay interface I1 444, and logical interface I2 445. DHCP clients on subnets (e.g., 403 and 404) represent subnets with computer(s) or other data processing devices supporting DHCP clients like those in FIGS. 1-3. In network configuration 400, the DHCP relay 405 is positioned between the DHCP proxy 401 and the DHCP clients' 403 and 404 subnets. Such a network topology exists in many networks and must be accounted for by service providers who want to set up clientless IP services (CLIPS) for their subscribers. The basic idea behind CLIPS is to enable services without a Point-to-Point over Ethernet (PPPoE) client having to be installed on the device with the DHCP client. That is, CLIPS does not need to have a Point-to-Point connection between the service provider and the client to provide services to the client. Rather, CLIPS enables service providers to make various services available to clients without having a Point-to-Point connection between the client and the service provider network. CLIPS allows for the capture of the MAC address of a particular physical hardware device in a network, which, as discussed above, is another way to address the physical hardware within the network and is used to distinguish among different computing devices within a network whenever, for example, an IP address is not available. In order to set up CLIPS for clients in the network topology of FIG. 4A, however, the clients' subnets must be explicitly configured on the DHCP proxy 401. Specifically, in order to enable CLIPS for the DHCP clients on subnets 403 and 404 shown in FIG. 4A, there must be both explicit client subnet configurations setup on the DHCP proxy 401 for logical interface I2 445 and explicit route configurations from the relay interface I1 444 to the DHCP client subnets. The explicit configurations required for DHCP clients to connect to a network with the topology of FIG. 4A are contained within a configuration file located on the DHCP proxy 401, such as configuration file 410 shown in FIG. 4B.
FIG. 4B illustrates a prior art configuration file which includes both explicit route configurations from a relay interface to client subnets connected to a logical interface and explicit client subnet configurations on the logical interface. Explicit configuration file 410 is executed within the DHCP proxy 401 and includes both explicit routes to reach the DHCP client subnets using the interface I1 444 (IP address=192.168.1-1) as the next hop and explicit client subnet configurations on the logical interface I2 445. Specifically, in FIG. 4B the explicit route configurations from DHCP relay 405 to client subnets 403 and 404 are the explicit routes to reach subnets IP addresses 10.1.1.1/24 and 18.104.22.168/24 using 192.168.1.1 as a next hop. Similarly, the explicit client subnet configurations are the explicit client subnet configurations on the logical interface I2 445. The clients on subnets 403 and 404 are then provisioned as CLIPS subscribers by binding them together on the input of port 10/1 of DHCP proxy 401. In this way, prior art systems enabled CLIPS for DHCP clients in a network configuration where a DHCP relay is located between the DHCP proxy and the DHCP clients.

Methods and apparatuses for dynamically provisioning a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) client as a clientless internet protocol services (CLIPS) subscriber on a last-resort interface


A seat sliding apparatus for a vehicle includes a pair of lower rails for being fixed to a vehicle floor, and a pair of upper rails for being fixed to a vehicle seat each of which is slidably retained on a respective lower rail. Each upper rail includes a base plate portion for being fixed to the vehicle seat, a pair of side wall portions each of which extends from the side edges of the base plate portion in the downward direction, and a pair of engaging portions each of which is formed at the bottom edge of the side wall portion and each of which is engaged with the lower rail. A reinforcing member is also provided and is defined by at least one pair of vertical bracing walls each of which substantially intersects the space between the side wall portions of the upper rail and at least one horizontal plate connecting the top edges of the respective pairs of vertical bracing walls. The horizontal plate is fixed to the base plate portion of the upper rail such that the reinforcing member is disposed in the upper rail.

A known seat sliding apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No.5(1993)-262172. This seat sliding apparatus includes a pair of lower rails that are adapted to be fixed to the vehicle floor and a pair of upper rails that are adapted to be fixed to the vehicle seat. Each of the upper rails is slidably retained by one of the lower rails.
The lower rail of this known vehicle seat sliding apparatus includes a base plate portion for being fixed to the vehicle floor, a pair of side wall portions extending upwardly from each of the two lengthwise sides of the base plate portion, and a pair of engaging portions. Each of the engaging portions is formed at an end upper edge of the side wall portions and is engaged with the upper rail.
The upper rails of this seat sliding apparatus include a base plate portion for being fixed to the vehicle seat and a pair of engaging portions. Each of the engaging portions is formed at an end of the base plate portion and extends so as to cover the engaging portion of the lower rail. The engaging portions of the lower rails project from the top of the side walls of the lower rails, and form an inverted U-shape structure. The engaging portions of the upper rails are each formed in a generally U-shaped structure which engage with the engaging portions of the lower rails such that the side wall portions of the lower rails are located between the engaging portions of the upper rail. The base plate portion of an upper rail is connected to an anchor member of the seat belt.
With such a seat sliding apparatus, because the lower rails are disposed in the upper rails, the size of the width of the lower rail must be small relative to that of the upper rails. Therefore the lateral size (i.e., the width) of the base plate portion of the lower rails must be small. Consequently, the lower rails cannot be easily fixed to the vehicle floor. When the base plate portions of the lower rails are enlarged in an attempt to more easily fix the lower rails to the vehicle floor, the upper rails must also be enlarged so that, in effect, the entire seat sliding apparatus must be enlarged to achieve a larger base plate portion.
This problem is addressed in the vehicle seat sliding apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 9(1997)-164865. This seat sliding apparatus includes a pair of upper rails which each include a base plate portion, a pair of side wall portions (for each upper rail) which each extend in the downward direction from each side of the base plate portions, and a pair of engaging portions which are each formed at each of the edges of the side wall portions.
This vehicle seat sliding apparatus further includes a pair of lower rails, each provided with a base plate portion and a pair of engaging portions, with each engaging portion being formed at the side edges of the base plate portion and extending so as to cover each of the engaging portions of the upper rail so that each of the inside walls of the engaging portions of the upper rail is disposed within the respective engaging portions in each of the lower rails.
In this apparatus, when an upward force is applied to the upper rail from the seat belt, the base plate portion of the upper rail may be deformed upwardly such that the side wall portions of the lower rails and the engaging portions topple or bend inwardly. To prevent the upper rail from being disengaged from the lower rail, the thickness of the material of the upper rail must thus be enlarged which undesirably increases the cost and weight of the overall apparatus.
In light of the foregoing, a need exists for a vehicle seat sliding apparatus that is able to prevent the upper rail from being disengaged from the lower rail.
A need also exists for a vehicle seat sliding apparatus that tends to prevent the side walls of the lower rail from deforming, even when a relatively large upward force is applied through the seat belt.


There is provided a transmission system and method of operating thereof. The method comprises: dividing a data sequence to be transmitted into a plurality of data blocks; encoding one or more data blocks with one or more linear systematic cyclic codes thus giving rise to encoded data blocks; transmitting said encoded data blocks over an ISI transmission channel; upon receiving, applying a linear integer-forcing (IF) equalization to the received data blocks; processing the output of the IF equalization thereby detecting for each encoded data block a valid codeword with maximal likelihood of decoding; and reconstructing the data blocks using the respective detected valid codewords.

Modern digital transmission is characterized by growing signaling rates requiring using the maximum possible channel bandwidth. There are numerous known approaches offering a tradeoff between robustness to channel's noise to power level, complexity and delay. Among undesired phenomena, which increase with the growing rate of transmission, is intersymbol interference (ISI). Intersymbol interference is a common practical impairment found in many transmission and storage systems, including voiceband modems, digital subscriber loop data transmission, storage disks, digital mobile radio channels, digital microwave channels, fiber-optic channels, etc. ISI is a form of distortion of a signal in which one symbol interferes with subsequent symbols having similar effect as noise, thus making the transmission less reliable. The problem of achieving reliable transmission over an ISI channel has been recognized in the art, and has been the subject of many studies over the past decades as, for example:
G. D. Forney, Jr. and G. Ungerboeck, "Modulation and coding for linear Gaussian channels," IEEE Trans. Information Theory, vol. IT-44, pp. 2384-2415, October 1998.
Known solutions may be roughly divided into two classes: multi-carrier approaches and single-carrier approaches.
In multi-carrier transmission, the ISI channel is transformed into a set of parallel additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) subchannels, each subchannel corresponding to a different frequency bin and experiencing a different SNR. This approach has the advantage that the subchannels are (virtually) ISI free, and thus the problems of equalization and decoding are decoupled. However, it has some drawbacks: the alphabet size of the transmitted symbols is considerably enlarged, which in turn makes the approach inapplicable to some media, such as, for example, magnetic recording channels. Furthermore, when channel state information (CSI) is available only at the receiver, bit allocation is precluded, and channel coding and decoding become more difficult, due to the variation of the SNR across subchannels.
Single-carrier approaches try to eliminate most of the ISI without severely increasing noise power, for example with the help of equalization attempting to remove the ISI prior to detection.
While many kinds of equalizers exist, they can be generally divided into 2 types:                1) Linear equalizers followed by symbol-by-symbol decision elements (such as Zero Forcing Equalizers, Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) Equalizers, etc.), and        2) Decision Feedback Aided Equalizers. These are non-linear equalizers, where the detector assumes that all previous data symbols were detected correctly and uses them in order to remove all ISI from past symbols, before deciding on the current symbol, using a symbol-by-symbol decision element.
The first type usually cancels most of the ISI by roughly inverting the channel, but may suffer from poor performance due to noise enhancement that is a byproduct of the operation.
The second type is optimal in the sense of Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) before the symbol-by-symbol decision element, but has problems with combining with a forward error correcting code (FEC). These problems can be avoided if CSI is available at the transmitter, e.g. by Tomlinson-Harashima precoding which essentially moves the DFE to the transmitter, but is inapplicable if the transmitter has no knowledge of the channel.

Transmission system with ISI channel and method of operating thereof


The invention relates to an implantation device (10a-d) comprising at least one medical implant (12a-d) and at least one implantation aid (14a-d) comprising at least one expansion element (16a-d). It is provided that the expansion element (16a-d) can be inserted into at least one cavity (18a-d) of the implant (12a-d), and the at least one cavity (18a-d) can be expanded using the expansion element (16a-d), and, in the end state, the expansion element (16a-d) is disposed at least partially in the at least one cavity (18a-d), wherein the expansion element (16a-d) is designed as a solid body (20a-d).

Implants are used in medical applications for implantation in an animal body and/or human body permanently or at least for an extended period of time to perform replacement functions. Heart valve implants are known, for example, such as aortic valve implants that perform the function of the natural aortic valve. In that case, the valve implant is affixed after expansion of the implant structure immediately after implantation, and assumes the position of the natural aortic valve.


An object is to provide a semiconductor device capable of accurate data retention even with a memory element including a depletion mode transistor. A gate terminal of a transistor for controlling input of a signal to a signal holding portion is negatively charged in advance. The connection to a power supply is physically broken, whereby negative charge is held at the gate terminal. Further, a capacitor having terminals one of which is electrically connected to the gate terminal of the transistor is provided, and thus switching operation of the transistor is controlled with the capacitor.

Memory devices using semiconductor elements are broadly classified into two categories: volatile devices which lose stored data when supply of power stops, and non-volatile devices which retain stored data even when power is not supplied.
A typical example of volatile memory devices is a DRAM (a dynamic random access memory). A DRAM stores data in such a manner that a transistor included in a memory element is selected and electric charge is accumulated in a capacitor.
On the basis of the above-described principle, in a DRAM, since charge in a capacitor is lost when data is read, it is necessary to perform writing again so that data is stored again every time data is read. In addition, a transistor included in a memory element has leakage current and charge flows into or out of the capacitor even when the transistor is not selected, whereby data retention period is short. For that reason, another writing operation (refresh operation) is necessary at predetermined intervals, and it is difficult to sufficiently reduce power consumption. Furthermore, since stored data is lost when supply of power stops, an additional memory device using a magnetic material or an optical material is needed in order to hold the data for a longer period.
Another example of volatile memory devices is an SRAM (a static random access memory). An SRAM retains stored data by using a circuit such as a flip-flop and thus does not need refresh operation. This means that an SRAM has an advantage over a DRAM. However, cost per storage capacitance is increased because a circuit such as a flip-flop is used. Moreover, as in a DRAM, stored data in an SRAM is lost when supply of power stops.
A typical example of non-volatile memory devices is a flash memory. A flash memory has a floating gate between a gate electrode and a channel formation region in a transistor, and stores data by holding charge in the floating gate. Accordingly, a flash memory has advantages in that the data retention period is extremely long (semi-permanent) and refresh operation which is necessary for a volatile memory device is not needed (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
However, because a gate insulating layer included in a memory element deteriorates by tunneling current generated in writing, the memory element stops its function after a predetermined number of writing operations. In order to reduce adverse effects of this problem, a method in which the number of writing operations for memory elements is equalized is employed, for example. However, a complicated peripheral circuit is needed to realize this method. Moreover, employing such a method does not solve the fundamental problem of lifetime. That is, a flash memory is not suitable for applications in which data is frequently rewritten.
In addition, high voltage is necessary for holding charge in the floating gate or removing the charge, and a circuit therefor is required. Further, it takes a relatively long time to hold or remove charge, and it is not easy to perform writing and erasing at higher speed.
As semiconductor thin films applicable to the above-described thin film transistors, silicon-based semiconductor materials have been commonly used, but oxide semiconductors have been attracting attention as alternative materials. Transistors having oxide semiconductors can be manufactured through the same low temperature process through which transistors having amorphous silicon are manufactured, and have higher field-effect mobility than transistors having amorphous silicon. Therefore transistors having oxide semiconductors have been expected to be semiconductor elements that could replace or excel transistors having amorphous silicon.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.