In order to improve a laser amplifying system comprising a solid-state member having a laser-active medium, a radiation field system determined by an optical guide means for the radiation field and an actively switchable, optical switching element arranged in the radiation field system for influencing the losses in the radiation field system in such a manner that this is suitable for low-amplification laser-active media, it is suggested that the solid-state member be designed like a thin plate, the radiation field system comprise an incoming branch and an outgoing branch which are coupled to one another, on the one hand, and between which, on the other hand, an amplifying radiation field is provided which is formed from a plurality of intermediate branches which extend between two optical beam reversing elements and, for their part, all penetrate the solid-state member in a direction transverse to its flat sides and within an active volume area, and that the active volume area have in directions transverse to beam axes of the intermediate branches an extension which corresponds at the most to three times the average extension of the radiation field cross sections of the volume sections of the intermediate branches located in the active volume area.

The invention relates to a laser amplifying system with a solid-state member having a laser-active medium and with a radiation field system determined by an optical guide means for the radiation field and an actively switchable optical switching element arranged in the radiation field system for influencing the losses in the radiation field system.
Laser amplifying systems of this type are known from the state of the art, wherein during a pass through the radiation field system not only the optical switching element but also the solid-state member having the laser-amplifying medium are normally passed through once.
Since an optical switching element can never be switched free from losses but always has a minimum loss for laser radiation passing through it, this design for laser amplifying systems with a low-amplification laser-active medium is a problem.
The object underlying the invention is therefore to improve a laser amplifying system of the generic type in such a manner that this is suitable for low-amplification laser-active media.
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention, in a laser amplifying system of the type described at the outset, in that the solid-state member is designed like a thin plate, that the radiation field system comprises an incoming branch and an outgoing branch which are, on the one hand, coupled to one another and between which, on the other hand, an amplifying radiation field is provided which is formed from a plurality of intermediate branches which extend between two optical beam reversing elements and, for their part, all penetrate the solid-state member in a direction transverse to its flat sides and within a volume area, wherein the active volume area has, in directions transverse to beam axes of the intermediate branches, an extension which corresponds at the most to three times the average extension of the radiation field cross sections of the volume sections of the intermediate branches located in the active volume area.
The advantage of the inventive solution is, therefore, to be seen in the fact that due to the provision of the amplifying radiation field with the intermediate branches a high amplification is possible with a multiple pass through the solid-state member designed like a thin plate without the respective losses of the actively switchable optical element having a negative effect on the amplification and without the beam quality suffering.
In addition, the advantage of the inventive solution is also to be seen in the fact that, with it, a large optical path length of the amplifying radiation field can be realized between the respective passes through the switching element and so, as a result, it is possible to use a switching element which operates slowly, for example, in the microsecond range with switching flanks in the range of more than ten nanoseconds.
A solid-state member which is designed like a thin plate is to be understood in accordance with the invention as a solid-state member, the flat sides of which have an extension which is at least ten times, even better one hundred times, the thickness thereof.
Solid-state members which are designed like thin plates and can customarily be used are described, for example, in European patent application No. 0 632 551.
With respect to the arrangement of the actively switchable optical switching element, the most varied of possibilities are conceivable. For example, it would, in principle, be conceivable to arrange the actively switchable optical switching element in one of the intermediate branches of the amplifying radiation field.
It is particularly favorable when the actively switchable optical switching element is arranged outside the amplifying radiation field.
One advantageous solution provides, in this respect, for the actively switchable optical switching element to be arranged in the incoming or outgoing branch of the radiation field system.
In principle, it is sufficient in the inventive solution to provide an amplifying radiation field with a plurality of intermediate branches. If, however, the optical path length of the radiation field system is intended to be maximized, it is also conceivable for the radiation field system to have at least two amplifying radiation fields and for two beam reversing elements to be associated with each amplifying radiation field, wherein both amplifying radiation fields can also extend between the same beam deflecting elements.
With respect to the number of volume areas having a laser-active medium, it is likewise advantageous when providing several amplifying radiation fields when different volume areas having a laser-active medium are associated with the different amplifying radiation fields.
With respect to the construction of the radiation field optical guide means for determining the amplifying radiation field, the most varied of possibilities are conceivable. A particularly favorable solution, in particular, with respect to the transfer properties from intermediate branch to intermediate branch provides for at least one transfer element arranged between the beam reversing elements to be associated with each amplifying radiation field, this transfer element preferably bringing the beam axes of the intermediate branches together in an area of intersection, in which they overlap with their radiation field cross sections at least by half.
It is even better when the intermediate branches overlap with their radiation field cross sections in the area of intersection by at least two thirds, even better overlap for the most part.
The transfer element may, in this respect, be a transfer element operating in transmission. It is, however, particularly favorable when the transfer element is designed to reflect the intermediate branches since such a transfer element allows operations with small losses.
A particularly advantageous variation of a transfer element designed to be reflecting provides for this to be designed as a reflector with a curved reflection surface and, therefore, represent at the same time a folding element for the intermediate branches.
The transfer element may, in principle, have different imaging properties. One particularly advantageous solution provides for the transfer element to be designed as a transfer element acting in a collimating manner for the beam axes of the intermediate branches, i.e., allowing intermediate branches proceeding from an area of intersection to extend parallel to one another following the imaging.
An alternative development likewise preferred within the scope of the inventive solution provides for the transfer element to be designed as a transfer element bringing the beam axes of the intermediate branches together twice in an area of intersection, i.e., the transfer element causes intermediate branches proceeding from an area of intersection to run together again in an area of intersection due to imaging.
The provision of one transfer element acting on the intermediate branches between the beam reversing elements is, in this respect, not a final determination; within the scope of the inventive solution it is also conceivable to provide several transfer elements, depending on the transfer to be carried out.
In the same way, the determination of two beam reversing elements is merely a minimum condition for the determination of the respective amplifying radiation field. It is also conceivable within the scope of the invention to provide additional deflecting elements, for example, multiple deflection elements.
With respect to the beam reversing elements, no further details have been given in conjunction with the preceding explanations concerning the individual embodiments.
The beam reversing elements are preferably designed such that at least some of the intermediate branches extend in the amplifying radiation field, to a great extent, spatially separated.
A favorable variation provides for intermediate branches to extend essentially spatially separate from one another.
Another solution provides for two respective intermediate branches to coincide geometrically but to extend with different directions of radiation propagation.
For example, the beam reversing elements reflect several times, i.e., for example, are designed to reflect twice and convert one intermediate branch into a next intermediate branch extending at a distance from it.
However, a particularly favorable solution provides for at least one of the beam reversing elements to be designed as a single-reflection reflector and, therefore, to convert one intermediate branch as a result of a one-time reflection into the next intermediate branch which can either coincide geometrically with the incoming intermediate branch or extend at an angle to it.
The advantage of this solution is, on the one hand, that the losses during the reflection can be minimized. On the other hand, the advantage is also that, as a result, one intermediate branch can, in a simple manner, be converted into an intermediate branch coinciding with it geometrically but propagating in the opposite direction in a simple manner.
In this respect, it is particularly advantageous when both beam reversing elements are designed as single-reflection reflectors.
In the case where the beam reversing element is designed as a single-reflection reflector, it is particularly advantageous when the intermediate branches impinge on the reflector in a surface area with their radiation field cross sections overlapping so that they are reflected back from this surface area which represents an area of intersection.
With respect to the course of the intermediate branches in the active volume area, no further specific details have been given in conjunction with the preceding embodiments. It is particularly favorable when the intermediate branches essentially overlap with their volume sections penetrating the active volume area in order to achieve as effective a coupling as possible to the same excited volume area in the solid-state member as a result.
This coupling may be brought about in a particularly favorable manner when the optical guide means for the radiation field is designed in such a manner that the intermediate branches each have an approximately similar radiation field geometry in the active volume area and, therefore, are coupled to the laser-active volume area in as efficient a form as possible.
In order to achieve transfer ratios in the radiation field system which are as good as possible, the optical guide means for the radiation field is preferably designed in such a manner that the beam axes of the intermediate branches penetrate a volume of intersection which is located in a spatial area comprising the active volume area, is smaller than the active volume area by at least a factor of 10, even better a factor of 100, and the extension of which in the individual spatial directions is preferably smaller than the extension of the active volume area in the individual spatial directions by a factor of 10, even better 100.
This means that the volume of intersection is intended to be located either in the active volume area or close to it.
In order to limit the spatial area, in which the volume of intersection is preferably located, it is preferably provided for the spatial area to have in every direction a maximum extension which corresponds to double the maximum extension of the active volume area so that the active volume area is always located close to the volume of intersection.
A particularly favorable solution provides for the solid-state member having the laser-active medium to be arranged directly in front of the beam reversing element, on which the intermediate branches overlap in the surface area with their radiation cross sections.
In order to obtain conditions which are as optimum as possible, it is preferably provided for the optical guide means for the radiation field to be designed in such a manner that the intermediate branches with approximately the same beam propagation direction have an identical symmetry with an identical alignment of symmetry within the active volume area.
This means that the amplifying radiation field is designed in this case such that each intermediate branch has the same symmetry within the active volume area and is also aligned such that the directions of symmetry essentially coincide.
Furthermore, an advantageous solution provides for the optical guide means for the radiation field to be designed in such a manner that the intermediate branches with approximately the same beam propagation direction have approximately the same phase curvature in the active volume area so that phase distortions from intermediate branch to intermediate branch are avoided.
In this respect, it is particularly favorable when the optical guide means for the radiation field is designed in such a manner that the intermediate branches with approximately the same beam propagation direction have conjugated surfaces located in a spatial area comprising the active volume area.
In this respect, the spatial area is preferably defined in such a manner that this has in every direction a maximum extension which corresponds to double the maximum extension of the active volume area in this direction.
Particularly favorable imaging conditions result, in addition, when the optical guide means for the radiation field is designed in such a manner that the amplifying radiation field behaves like an afocal system within the active volume. In order to achieve distortions in the radiation field which are as slight as possible, it is preferably provided for the optical guide means for the radiation field to be designed in such a manner that a different intermediate branch with an imaging magnification of approximately one is formed from each of the intermediate branches.
Since, in the case of the inventive solution, the number of intermediate branches determines the optical path length in the amplifying radiation field and pulse duration and repetitive frequency influence this optical path length in pulsed operation for the propagating times, it is preferably provided for the number of intermediate branches to be adjustable due to adjustment relative to one another of the elements of the optical guide means for the radiation field defining the amplifying radiation field.
This may be realized particularly favorably when the number of intermediate branches can be adjusted due to adjustment of one of the beam reversing elements relative to the other, stationarily arranged elements of the optical guide means for the radiation field.
No further details have so far been given with respect to the path of the incoming branch relative to the elements of the optical guide means for the radiation field. One advantageous embodiment provides, for example, for the incoming branch to extend between an end element of the optical guide means for the radiation field and one of the two beam reversing elements.
Also with respect to the arrangement of the outgoing branch, no further details have so far been given. It is expedient when the outgoing branch extends between an end element of the optical guide means for the radiation field and one of the beam reversing elements.
A particularly expedient solution provides for the incoming branch and the outgoing branch to extend towards the same beam reversing element.
No further details have so far been given with respect to the coupling between the incoming branch and the outgoing branch. The coupling can be realized, for example, in the most varied of ways.
One advantageous possibility provides for the incoming branch and the outgoing branch to be coupled directly by means of the end elements, i.e., the end elements are arranged such that they transfer the incoming and the outgoing branches directly into one another.
For example, this is possible due to the fact that the end elements couple the outgoing branch and the incoming branch by way of reflection.
This is possible, on the one hand, due to the fact that the incoming branch and the outgoing branch extend at a distance to one another and are coupled by means of reflecting end elements arranged in a suitable manner.
Another possibility provides for the incoming branch and the outgoing branch to extend towards the same end element and to be arranged such that they coincide geometrically so that the incoming branch results again due to reflection back of the outgoing branch.
No further details have so far been given with respect to the design of the radiation field system and the propagation of the laser radiation in the radiation field system.
One advantageous embodiment, for example, provides for laser radiation to be able to pass through the radiation field system several times in the same direction of pass.
An alternative solution to this provides for the radiation field system to be designed such that laser radiation can pass through the radiation field system in opposite directions due to a reversal of direction in the incoming and/or outgoing branch.
No further details have so far been given with respect to the coupling of the laser radiation out of the radiation field system. One advantageous embodiment, for example, provides for part of the laser radiation to be constantly coupled out in the radiation field system, i.e., for the laser radiation coupled out to always correspond to an approximately constant proportion of the laser radiation in the radiation field system.
This may be achieved, for example, due to the fact that the laser radiation can be coupled out by an element of the optical guide means for the radiation field which is designed, for example, as a partially transparent mirror.
Another advantageous solution provides for laser radiation to pass through the radiation field system for such a time until an active coupling out is brought about by means of the optical switching element.
In this case, the optical switching element serves not only to influence the losses in the radiation field system but, at the same time, to couple laser radiation out of the radiation field system in an actively controlled manner.
For this purpose, the actively switchable optical switching element may be designed in the most varied of ways.
One advantageous possibility provides, for example, for the actively switchable optical switching element to be a switching element influencing polarization.
In this case, the switching element influencing polarization preferably carries out a change in the polarization which then causes a complete or partial, actively controlled coupling of laser radiation out of the radiation field system in combination with a reflector dependent on polarization.
Another advantageous solution provides for the actively switchable optical switching element to be a switching element diffracting radiation, i.e., the laser radiation is coupled out of the radiation field system by way of diffraction.
For example, the actively switchable optical switching element is designed in this respect as an acousto-optical modulator which acts in a manner diffracting radiation by means of a sound wave field.
The solid-state member designed like a thin plate can, furthermore, be advantageously defined by the fact that this has a thickness which corresponds at the most to a tenth, even better one hundredth of its smallest extension in the direction of a flat side.
With respect to the arrangement of the solid-state member itself, no further details have been given in conjunction with the preceding explanations concerning the inventive solution. One particularly favorable solution, for example, provides for the solid-state member to be cooled via a flat side by means of a heat sink in order to prevent thermal tensions and a thermal formation of lenses in it.
For example, the heat sink is a cooling medium or a cooling member. In this respect, the solid-state member is preferably arranged on a cooling member and supported by it.
The laser-active medium in the solid-state member is preferably a laser-active material with a low amplification, as described, for example, in European patent No. 0 632 551.
Furthermore, the solid-state member preferably has a laser-active material with a high saturation intensity, as described, for example, in European patent No. 0 632 551.


A self-engaging touch fastener, separable by peeling, includes portions with a generally thin shell structure and a closely spaced array of bilaterally undercut generally convex protrusions which are directed by proximate oblique stem walls into an interlocking relationship with corresponding receptors when the portions are compressed. Touch fastening products have a non-grabbing non-abrasive texture and may be manufactured of thin plastic films or similar low cost materials using a simple die-cutting/forming method, thus providing a user friendly reliable and economic alternative to hook-and-loop and other presently available fastening systems for connecting flexible materials for applications including packaging, apparel, and disposable products. The device may be furnished as an independent product, as an integrally formed or molded segment of a primary product, or attached to rigid or flexible substrates. An apparatus and method for economically manufacturing such device is also provided.

The field of Touch fasteners includes many well known products manufactured under the trade names of Velcro®, Aplix®, YKK®, 3M®, and others. Generally these systems include hook-and-loop types with differentiated portions, or self-engaging types with hermaphroditic portions, each type having well known attributes as well as known drawbacks. Abrasion, clogging, noise, lack of durability, failure when wet, loss of strength, indiscriminate grab, profile thickness, and relative cost are all frequently cited negative attributes of hook-and-loop systems. Mushroom systems and others share similar negative attributes and are limited by the excessive force needed for disengagement and limited cycle life. With regard to disposable products in particular, cost and type of material are significant factors. Abrasion, relative to products in contact with skin, as well as noise are also significant issues for many applications such as personal care products.
Examples of fabric based hook-and-loop fasteners include: DeMestral U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,437; Erb U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,863, Zinke et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,062, and Brumlik, U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,637. Examples of molded hook-and-loop hooks include: Kayaki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,210, Berger et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,531; and Provost, U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,633. Examples of self-engaging undercut mushroom-like fasteners include: Flanagan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,113; Hall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,733; and Tuma US2009/0126166 A1. Examples of interengaging bulbous shapes include: Batrell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,527, Petersen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,876; Clume, U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,040. Chesley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,747 disclose hooks and mushrooms of various profiles. The prior art also includes other types of interengaging three dimensional shapes, examples of which include: Rouser, U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,101; Murasaki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,856; McGanty, U.S. Pat. No. 5,212 855; Berg, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,516; and Appledorn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,259. Ausen, U.S. Pat. No. 7,241,483, more recently discloses a reticulating web with hooks formed by a multiple step process. All typically include a plurality of male to male members locking with multidirectional undercuts or by friction.
Several examples of prior art include relatively thin structures which are formed into fastening elements. Zimmerman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,145, discloses a strip of sheet material formed into nesting frictionally connected pins/receptors. Spier, U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,792, discloses a sheet formed uni-directionally undulating structure which is self-engaged by friction along its alternating undulated edges. Cohen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,721, discloses hollow pyramids with barbs for fastening with a second receiving structure. Battrell, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,527 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,276, presents interengaging portions with pluralities of three-dimensionally bulbous shapes with hollow inner cores, apparently formed from a sheet material: the portions are interengaged by compression causing respective bulbous heads to deform and then expand so that their inclined underwalls interface.
Fastening Technologies, including slidingly engaging fasteners and several improvements thereto were introduced by the present inventor, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,983,467, 7,245,416, AU Patent 60/034,096, EPO Patent 1,011,362, CA Patent 2, 311,306, and other patents pending including Published US application 2008/0018025 A1 concerning methods of making fasteners including die forming methods. Slidingly engaging fasteners (SEFs) comprise generally hermaphroditic arrays of islands with undersides and corresponding receiving apertures between adjacent islands. The islands are connected by sliding correspondent undersides beneath each other until they are stopped at the narrow end of an effectively tapered chamber. Some of the previously disclosed embodiments of SEFs also have included three-dimensional surface modeling to enhance self-alignment, spacing of islands to prevent back sliding, as well as three dimensional aspects to enhance initiation of engagement by compression. However, the thickness of islands is generally equal to the depth of corresponding apertures so that at least minimal shear pressure is required to achieve engagement. For some applications requiring significant flexure, low cost production, relatively small scales, and engagement by simple compression (touch), these previous SEF systems may be less than fully adequate. In particular, an SEF system which is fully self-aligned, which can be engaged solely by touch, which has a generally undulating texture with no exposed edges, and which can be produced of inexpensive materials by die forming would be particularly useful.
A pressure activated self-adhering device also by the present inventor has been published as US 2008/0034560 A1. It includes a plurality of nodules protruding from the interstices of a structural matrix which define receptors for receiving like modules to effect a very low-profile self-engaging fastener with no additive thickness. This system however requires relatively significant compressive engagement pressure and is preferably manufactured by a relatively expensive molding process.
There appears to be a continuing significant need and market for an improved type of self-engaging touch fastener which is easy to use, relatively durable, quiet, non-abrasive to skin, and which could be manufactured at low cost by die cut and formed materials including plastic films.


In a method for producing a scale in the form of a phase grating, the scale itself, and a position measuring device including the scale, the scale includes two reflection layers located at a distance from one another on either side of a spacer layer. The production of the scale includes the following steps: provision of a first reflection layer, which is unbroken over its entire surface and fulfils the relationship A=R/η≧3, where R represents the degree of reflection and η represents the backscatter coefficient for electrons; application of the spacer layer to the first reflection layer; application of the second reflection layer to the spacer layer; and structuring of the second reflection layer by an electron beam lithography process.

An incident-light phase grating may be used in a photoelectric position measuring device for measuring the relative position of two objects that are movable in relation to one another. The incident-light phase grating should have a high diffraction efficiency and thus the highest possible reflectance of the reflector layers therein, so that the measurement signal is as large as possible in relation to the noise signals in the corresponding position measuring devices.
European Published Patent Application No. 0 160 784 by the applicant hereof describes a phase grating composed of two reflective layers spaced a distance apart, situated on both sides of a transparent spacer layer, with at least one reflective layer being designed as an amplitude grating. In one exemplary embodiment, a reflective layer is a continuous layer. In the publication cited above, chromium and gold are proposed as conventional materials for the reflective layers.
The incident-light phase grating described in European Published Patent Application No. 0 742 455 by the applicant hereof also discloses chromium or gold as the material for the reflective layers. In addition, it is pointed out there that the corresponding incident-light phase grating can also be manufactured by electron-beam lithography.
European Published Patent Application No. 0 773 458 by the applicant hereof mentions the use of gold, silver, copper or aluminum as materials for the reflective layers in conjunction with conventional photolithographic methods.
Because of the steady increase in requirements pertaining to the resolution, i.e., measurement accuracy of such scales designed as incident-light phase gratings, it has become necessary to further reduce the periodic graduations or structures of these incident-light phase gratings. In certain industrial fields, it is even possible to replace complex laser beam interferometry with position measuring devices using incident-light phase grating with suitably finely structured graduations.
However, there are physical limits to the photolithography methods with regard to the fineness of the structures to be manufactured. The reason therefor is diffraction effects during exposure of the photoresist.
These unwanted diffraction effects are minimized in the manufacture of such scales designed as incident-light phase gratings by the electron-beam lithography method, but a satisfactorily fine and sharp graduation cannot be produced using conventional materials such as gold for the reflective layers.

Method for manufacturing a scale, a scale manufactured according to the method and a position measuring device


A data processing method and a related device are provided. The method comprises: a user equipment receives control information from a first network node; and the user equipment determines a data replication behavior of the user equipment according to the control information of the first network node and a set rule.

Under a Dual Connectivity (DC), a data duplication and transmission mode adopts a split bearer protocol architecture. For uplink and downlink, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer is located in a certain Cell Group (CG), such as a Master Cell Group (MCG) or a Secondary Cell Group (SCG), and the CG is an anchor CG. The PDCP layer of a sending end device duplicates a PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDU) into two same PDCP PDUs, for example, one is the PDCP PDU and the other is a Duplicated PDCP PDU. The two PDCP PDUs pass through Radio Link Control (RLC) layers and Media Access control (MAC) layers of different CGs, and reach a corresponding MAC layer and RLC layer of a receiving end device through an air interface respectively, and finally are converged at a PDCP layer. When the PDCP layer detects that two PDCP PDUs are the same PDU, the PDCP layer discards one of the two PDCP PDUs and submits the other PDU to a higher layer.

Data processing method and related device

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


Methods for extracting data from a source file using a copy template and writing data to a target file using a paste template are described. The copy template may provide grammatical rules for parsing the source file in order to extract tokens corresponding with a plurality of data fields. The paste template may provide a mapping of extracted tokens into the target file. In some embodiments, a source file may comprise a word processing document, spreadsheet, or webpage that includes data displayed in a grid, list, or other structured format. Each row of a grid or list may display a limited number of properties or data values associated with the row. In some embodiments, additional information not displayed in the row may be extracted without having to manually select the additional information.

The present disclosure relates to methods for automating the transfer of data within a data file or between different data files.
Home and business productivity applications typically include word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, presentation facilitation applications, database applications, publishing applications, web browsing applications, email applications, and personal information management applications. These applications typically allow an end user of a computing device to compose, manipulate, edit, organize, and format data stored in files (e.g., a file readable by a word processing application). Some home and business productivity applications allow for copy-and-paste and/or cut-and-paste operations to be performed when an end user enters key combinations (e.g., Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V) or selects the desired functionality using a pulldown menu or toolbar button. Copy-and-paste functionality allows for the copying of selected data (e.g., text) from a source to a clipboard, and then from the clipboard to a destination. The clipboard may comprise a software utility or application running on an operating system that facilitates data storage and/or data transfer between documents and applications running on the operating system (e.g., acting as a temporary buffer for copying-and-pasting data between a spreadsheet application and a word processing application). The source and destination may be located in the same file or in different files. Copy-and-paste functionality may also allow formatting styles to be copied and pasted along with selected text.

Template-driven data extraction and insertion


An object of one embodiment of the disclosed invention is to provide a semiconductor device having a novel structure in which stored data can be held even when power is not supplied and the number of times of writing is not limited. The semiconductor device is formed using an insulating layer formed over a supporting substrate and, over the insulating layer, a highly purified oxide semiconductor and single crystal silicon which is used as a sililcon on insulator (SOI). A transistor formed using a highly purified oxide semiconductor can hold data for a long time because leakage current thereof is extremely small. Further, by using an SOI substrate and utilizing features of thin single crystal silicon formed over an insulating layer, fully-depleted transistors can be formed; therefore, a semiconductor integrated circuit with high added values such as high integration, high-speed driving, and low power consumption can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed invention relates to a semiconductor device using a semiconductor element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Memory devices using semiconductor elements are broadly classified into two categories: a volatile device that loses stored data when power supply stops, and a non-volatile device that holds stored data even when power is not supplied.
A typical example of a volatile memory device is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). A DRAM holds data in such a manner that a transistor included in a memory element is selected and electric charge is held in a capacitor.
When data is read from a DRAM, electric charge in a capacitor is lost according to the above-described principle; thus, another writing operation is necessary whenever data is read. Moreover, a transistor included in a memory element has a leakage current and electric charge flows into or out of a capacitor even when the transistor is not selected, so that the data holding time 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 power supply stops, an additional memory device using a magnetic material or an optical material is needed in order to hold the data for a long time.
Another example of a volatile memory device is a static random access memory (SRAM). An SRAM holds stored data by using a circuit such as a flip-flop and thus does not require refresh operation. This means that an SRAM has an advantage over a DRAM. However, cost per memory capacity 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 power supply stops.
A typical example of a non-volatile memory device is a flash memory. A flash memory includes a floating gate between a gate electrode and a channel formation region in a transistor and holds data by holding electric charge in the floating gate. Therefore, a flash memory has advantages in that the data holding time is extremely long (semi-permanent) and refresh operation which is necessary in a volatile memory device is not needed (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
However, a gate insulating layer included in a memory element deteriorates by tunneling current generated in writing, so that 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 deterioration. In other words, a flash memory is not suitable for applications in which data is frequently rewritten.
In addition, high voltage is necessary for injection of charge in the floating gate or removal of the charge, and a circuit for generating high voltage is also necessary. Further, it takes a relatively long time to hold or remove electric charge, and it is not easy to perform writing and erasing at higher speed.

Semiconductor device using oxide semiconductor

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method for determining information parameter(s) useful in processing a digital image having color values with an extended color gamut, includes the steps of: adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within a limited color gamut to form a limited color gamut digital image; determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image; and analyzing the residual image to determine one or more image information parameter(s) related to the information contained in the residual image such parameter(s) being useful in processing the digital image.

The present invention relates to the field of digital imaging, and more particularly to representing an extended color gamut digital image.
In digital imaging systems, there are many ways to represent images in digital form. Not only are there many different formats of digital files, but there is also a large variety of different color spaces and color encodings that can be used to specify the color of digital images.
In some cases, the color encoding may be in terms of a so-called device independent color space, such as the well-known CIELAB color space. In recent years, this color space has been used extensively to specify the color of digital images in color-managed digital imaging systems. In some cases, the image may actually be stored in the CIELAB color space. More commonly, the color space may be used to connect device profiles, which can be used to describe the color characteristics of various color imaging devices such as scanners, printers, and CRT video displays. The KODAK PhotoYCC Color Interchange Space is another example of a device independent color space that can be used to encode digital images.
In other cases, the color-encoding may be in terms of a device dependent color space. Video RGB color spaces and CMYK color spaces are examples of this type. When a color image is encoded in a device dependent color space, it will have the desired color appearance when it is displayed on the particular output device associated with that color space. The advantage of a device dependent color space is that the image is ready to be displayed or printed on the target device. However, the disadvantage is that the image will necessarily be limited to the color gamut of the target device. The color gamut of an imaging device refers to the range of colors and luminance values that can be produced by the device. Therefore, if the target device has a limited dynamic range, or is incapable of reproducing certain saturated colors, then it is not possible to encode color values outside of the range of colors that can be produced on the device.
One type of device dependent color space that has become quite widespread for use as a storage and manipulation color space for digital images is the video RGB color space. In reality, there are many different video RGB color spaces due to the fact that there are many different types of video RGB displays. As a result, a particular set of video RGB color values will correspond to one color on one video display and to another color on another video display. Therefore, video RGB has historically been a somewhat ambiguous color representation because the color values can not be properly interpreted unless the characteristics of the target video display are known. Nonetheless, video RGB color spaces have become the defacto standard in many applications because the creation, display and editing of images on video displays are central steps in many digital imaging systems.
Recently, there have been efforts to standardize a particular video RGB color space in order to remove the ambiguity in the interpretation of the color values. One such proposed standard color space is known as xe2x80x9csRGB.xe2x80x9d (See xe2x80x9cMultimedia Systems and Equipment-Colour Measurement and Management-Part 2-1: Colour Management-Default RGB Colour Space-sRGB, xe2x80x3IECxe2x80x9d61966-2-1) This color space specifies a particular set of red, green, and blue primaries, a particular white-point, and a particular non-linear code value to light intensity relationship. Together, these tightly define the overall relationship between the digital code values and the corresponding device independent color values.
Although the use of a standard video RGB color space eliminates much of the ambiguity usually associated with video RGB color spaces, it does nothing to address the fact that this color space has a limited color gamut relative to other output devices. Additionally, any output device will have a limited color gamut relative to that of an original scene. For example, a scene may have a luminance dynamic range of 1000:1 or more, whereas a typical video display or reflection print will have a dynamic range on the order of 100:1. Certain image capture devices, such as photographic negative film, can record dynamic ranges as large as 8000:1. Even though this is larger than the luminance dynamic range associated with most scenes, the extra dynamic range is often useful to provide allowance for exposure errors, light source variations, etc.
In order to encode images from various sources in a video RGB representation, it is necessary to discard information that is outside the color gamut of the video RGB color space. In some cases, such as when it is desired to encode the appearance of colors in an original scene or the colors captured by a photographic negative, a great deal of information will typically need to be discarded due to the large disparity in the dynamic ranges. For the case where it is desired to scan a reflection print and store it in a video RGB color space, it is still necessary to discard a substantial amount of information due to the mismatch in the color gamuts, even though the luminance dynamic ranges may be quite similar.
For example, FIG. 1 shows a comparison of a typical Video RGB Color Gamut 10 and a typical Reflection Print Color Gamut 12. In this case, a*-b* cross-sections of the color gamuts are shown in the CIELAB space at an L* of 65. The colors that are inside the boundary are within the gamuts of the respective devices, while those that are outside the boundary cannot be reproduced, and are therefore referred to as xe2x80x9cout-of-gamutxe2x80x9d colors. It can be seen that there is a large set of color values with a b* value larger than 60 that can be produced on the printer, but are outside the color gamut of the video display. As a result, if the reflection print were scanned and stored in a video RGB color space, it would not be possible to encode this color information.
The mismatch between the video RGB color gamut and the color gamuts of other output devices and image sources represents a serious limitation on the usefulness of the video RGB color space. However, in many cases, the convenience of storing the image in a color space that is ready for direct display on a computer video CRT has been the over-riding factor in the determination of the preferred color space. This has come at the expense of applications that can utilize the extended color gamut information that may have existed in an input image. This extended color gamut information can be useful for many different types of image processing operations.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the limitations of the prior art by using a residual image to store the information that is lost during the process of forming a limited color gamut digital image from an extended color gamut digital image. The residual image can then be analyzed to provide image information parameters that can be used in the process of applying one or more image processing operations to the digital image.
These objects are achieved by a method for determining information parameter(s) useful in processing a digital image having color values with an extended color gamut, comprising the steps of:
a) adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within a limited color gamut to form a limited color gamut digital image;
b) determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image; and
c) analyzing the residual image to determine one or more image information parameter(s) related to the information contained in the residual image such parameter(s) being useful in processing the digital image.
In another aspect of the present invention, the image information parameter(s) are used in the process of applying one or more image processing operations to the extended color gamut digital image or a derived digital image formed from the extended color gamut digital image to form a modified digital image.
The present invention has an advantage in that a digital image can be stored in a color space convenient for a particular application while overcoming the color gamut limitation associated with that color space. Associated image information parameter(s) can then be used to select or modify image processing operations to be applied to the digital image.
The present invention has an additional advantage that it can be used to determine what image processing operations should be interactively presented to a user.

Method for processing an extended color gamut digital image using an image information parameter


Techniques are described for enabling real-time database performance measurement and tuning in a service provider network. To efficiently test one or more proposed configuration changes to a database in a service provider network, a database service is able to create a replicated copy of the database in an environment that mirrors that of the primary database. The database service then automatically causes database traffic destined for the primary database to be routed to both the primary database and the test database. Once the test database is created and traffic is routed to both databases, the database service obtains performance data by monitoring performance of both the primary database and the test database over a period of time. Based on the obtained performance database, the database service can automatically determine which of the primary database and the test database is exhibiting better performance.

Databases and the software that supports database operation are among the most complex types of software created to date. In addition to the sophisticated functionality that enables the storage, retrieval, and updating of the data stored in databases, there are typically hundreds or even thousands of database configuration choices that can be made by users. Each of these configuration choices, ranging from choices related to the way in which data is stored in a database to configurations associated with a database engine or underlying computing resources, potentially affects a database's performance with respect to particular workloads. Due in part to this immense complexity, it is often difficult to reliably assess or have confidence about whether any given configuration choice will improve, degrade, or have a negligible impact on a database's performance before the configuration modification is applied.


A modular system for organic sample analysis is disclosed which includes a sample stage including a support platform and a motorized positioning mechanism mounted on the support platform, and a sample holder mounted on the motorized positioning mechanism upon which a sample is placed. A probe support rack is mounted on the support platform and two or more bio-imaging probes mounted on the probe support and arranged in a pre-defined geometry with respect to each other, and at least one bio-imaging probe has a field of view independent of all other bio-imaging probes. The system includes a computer controller connected to the motorized positioning mechanism and the two or more bio-imaging probes. The computer is programmed for controlling motorized positioning mechanism to move the sample holder having the sample located thereon to positions in the field of view of each bio-imaging probe where the sample can be analyzed individually by each of the bio-imaging probes. The computer includes a storage medium for storing an imaging data from each bio-imaging probe. The computer is programmed for spatially correlating imaging data of the selected volume of interest with the imaging data obtained from at least one other bio-imaging probe and storing the spatially correlated imaging data in the computer storage medium.

During a surgical procedure, there is a need for intra-operative pathology consultation to guide immediate surgical decisions such as establishing or confirming a diagnosis; or delineating margins of diseases. These pathological assessments are vital for successful surgical outcomes. Yet, typical intra-operative pathology procedures are time-consuming since tissue biopsy samples have to be transferred to a pathology lab where they have to be correctly prepared and analyzed following which the results need to be adequately communicated to a remote operating room. This long process may cause discontinuities in surgical workflows and delays in surgical actions. Under ideal circumstances, it typically takes approximately 20 minutes to perform a biopsy analysis. However, this interval is usually longer during a surgery and waiting times of more than 60 minutes are not unusual for a variety of reasons. Reasons for delays may include a large distance between the operating room and the pathology lab, limited capacity of the pathology lab to analyze the biopsy sample(s), or inefficient setup of the pathology equipment.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a biopsy analysis system that can be placed in an operating room, easily operated, and which can provide fast and reliable relevant pathological assessments.
Further, various types of optical imaging can provide information about tissue disease states. Examples of such optical imaging modalities include optical coherence tomography (OCT), incoherent Raman spectroscopy, coherent Raman spectroscopy, auto-florescence intensity imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging, diffuse optical imaging, confocal microscopy, super-resolution microscopy, second harmonic imaging microscopy, third harmonic imaging microscopy, dark field imaging, phase-contrast microscopy, and white light imaging (e.g. traditional microscopy).
The imaging information can be further improved by injecting imaging contrast agents into an examined tissue. It has also been realized that insights about a tissue can be enhanced if the tissue is probed with several optical imaging modalities and the data from different imaging modalities are correlated. The reason for the success of such multi-modal imaging approaches is that these optical imaging techniques examine different tissue properties, so they are complimentary in nature. Several embodiments of multi-modal optical imaging systems have been reported in academic literature such as the reference Egodage, Kokila, et al. "The combination of optical coherence tomography and Raman spectroscopy for tissue characterization." Journal of Biomedical Photonics & Engineering 1.2 (2015): 169-177, and disclosed in patents DE19854292C2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,747B1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,508,524B2, which are herein incorporated by reference.
A shared feature of all the reported multi-modal optical systems for tissue imaging is that their optical sub-systems related to individual imaging modalities (e.g. OCT, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, etc.) share a certain number of optical elements such as optical beam splitters, lenses, or mirrors. Such design approach has its advantages since it leads to compact optical systems. However, there is also a potential disadvantage since the performance of individual imaging modalities is usually sub-optimal since the choice of the characteristics of shared optical elements is a compromise between different requirements for individual imaging sub-systems. For example, in Raman spectroscopy, signals are very weak compared to background and the pump laser power, so optical elements with sharp optical filtering characteristics are required. However, such optical filtering characteristics may not be optimal for other imaging modalities for which excitation and signal spectra may partially overlap with the Raman ones.
An optical multi-modal imaging platform in which various optical imaging modalities don't share common optical elements may provide individual optical imaging data with better quality and thus improve overall information content of the multi-modal imaging process.

Multi-modal optical imaging system for tissue analysis


The present invention provides a method to rapidly screen tumor cells for invasive and metastatic characteristics, heterogeneity and their response to therapeutic agents, and provides a multi-well microinjection system for the automated imaging and microinjection of zebrafish embryos.

Proper regulation of signal transduction in cells is responsible for a variety of biological functions including normal cellular replication, growth, cell physiology and cell death. Any perturbations to normal signal transduction in cells can result in various disease states of the body and often disease states are a result of the involvement of more than one cell type and overall body physiology states. Specifically, in the case of cancer, this situation is especially intricate as there is involvement of many underlying inflammatory states of the human body. Diverse inflammatory conditions such as obesity, allergy, arthritis, and diabetes all play a huge role in how cancer progresses and how treatment may work. Therefore, creation of in vivo models that mimic complicated conditions such as cancer require animal models that have an active immune system. Without an active immune system, the dynamic cellular heterogeneity observed in cancer cannot be completely replicated. Furthermore, for clinical usefulness of such animal models of cancer, especially for prediction of the biology of each individual's cancer, organ invasion and cancer cell metastasis to other parts of the body, there should be a way of mimicking an individual patient's cancer in a very short time (before the start of chemotherapy) and predict cancer cell response to treatment.
For epithelial-based cancers, such as cancers of the breast, prostrate, lung, colon and pancreas, the need to focus therapy towards such metastasized tumors is of paramount importance. Invasive with distant metastasized stage IV carcinomas present a very low survival rate (seer.cancer.gov).
Metastatic cancer involves the detachment of aggressive malignant cells from the primary tumor into the bloodstream and/or lymphatic channels. Such circulating tumor cells (CTC) manage to reach distant organs where they develop secondary metastasis. Concordantly, the presence of these CTCs is associated with a poor prognosis (Balic M, Williams A, Lin H, Datar R, Cote R J. (2012). Circulating Tumor Cells: From Bench to Bedside. Annu Rev Med. 2012 Oct. 18.).
The treatment of patients with metastatic disease continues to be largely dependent on the information we obtain from the primary tumor in spite of frequent discordance between the biomarkers observed on primary tumors versus those observed on secondary tumors (Naoki Niikura, Jun Liu, Naoki Hayashi, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Yun Gong, Shana L. Palla, Yutaka Tokuda, Ana M. Gonzalez-Angulo, Gabriel N. Hortobagyi and Naoto T. Ueno (2011); Loss of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Expression in Metastatic Sites of HER2-Overexpressing Primary Breast Tumors. J Clin Oncol, 30:593-599; Dupont Jensen J, Laenkholm A V, Knoop A, Ewertz M, Bandaru R, Liu W, Hackl W, Barrett J C, Gardner H. (2011); PIK3CA mutations may be discordant between primary and corresponding metastatic disease in breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 17:667-77). As the circumstantial originators of secondary tumors and metastasis, understanding the biology of secondary tumors will add new perspectives in the individualized treatment of advanced cancer patients. In support of our hypothesis, the prognostic significance of CTCs has been demonstrated for several types of cancers (Cristofanilli M, Budd G T, Ellis M J, Stopeck A, Matera J, Miller M C, Reuben J M, Doyle G V, Allard W J, Terstappen L W, Hayes D F. (2004); Circulating tumor cells, disease progression, and survival in metastatic breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 351:781-91; Moreno J G, Miller M C, Gross S, Allard W J, Gomella L G, Terstappen L W. (2005); Circulating tumor cells predict survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Urology 65:713-8; Cohen S J, Punt C J, Iannotti N, Saidman B H, Sabbath K D, Gabrail N Y, Picus J, Morse M A, Mitchell E, Miller M C, Doyle G V, Tissing H, Terstappen L W, Meropol N J. (2009); Prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Ann Oncol. 20:1223-9; Krebs M G, Sloane R, Priest L, Lancashire L, Hou J M, Greystoke A, Ward T H, Ferraldeschi R, Hughes A, Clack G, Ranson M, Dive C, Blackhall F H. (2011); Evaluation and prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 29:1556-63).
Molecular and genomic profiling of cancer cells has become the new trend in targeted therapy and oncology research. However, the relevance of molecular heterogeneity of the cancer cells and their constantly changing nature, the relevance of molecular signatures of the primary tumor as well as the CTCs is limited (Powell A A, Talasaz A H, Zhang H, Coram M A, Reddy A, et al. (2012) Single Cell Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells: Transcriptional Heterogeneity and Diversity from Breast Cancer Cell Lines. PLoS ONE 7: e33788.).
Molecular and genomic profiling of cancer cells has become important because it can provide targeted therapy for an individual's particular cancer. However, profiling of the primary tumor will not represent the molecular changes that have occurred in the metastatic CTC. What is required for the targeted treatment of metastatic secondary tumors is a way to profile the CTCs.
However there are very few CTCs in a patient's blood so it is very difficult to isolate and characterize the cells. Furthermore, isolating the few CTC in a patient's blood has limited applications, unless the cells can be propagated and examined Growing the CTC in tissue culture may be possible, but in vitro culture does not fully represent the cell characteristics, in particular their ability to invade normal tissues and form three-dimensional tumors, and to recruit growth factors and blood vessels.
The zebrafish, Danio rerio, a popular fresh water aquarium fish, is an important model organism and is being increasingly used in scientific research (Lieschke and Currie (2007) "Animal models of human disease: zebrafish swims into view." Nature Reviews Genetics 8:353-367). In medicine, zebrafish has been extremely popular in the study of embryogenesis, cardiovascular research, neuronal development and retinal regeneration but recently it has been established as a great model for almost every kind of cancer as well (Stoletov and Klemke (2008) "Catch of the day: zebrafish as a human cancer model. Oncogene 27:4509-4520)".
Zebrafish are responsive to carcinogenic chemicals and form neoplasms very similar to that seen in humans (Beckwith et al (2000) "Ethylnitrosourea induces neoplasia in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Lab Invest. 80(3):379-385). It is also a fantastic model for cancer genetics (Stern and Zon (2003). "Cancer genetics and drug discovery in the zebrafish." Nature Rev. Cancer 3: 533-539). The ease of genetic manipulations in zebrafish has aided its role in being an excellent model for understanding angiogenesis, apoptosis and metastasis (Serbedija et al (1999) "Zebrafish angiogenesis: a novel model for drug screening."; Angiogenesis 3:353-359; Parng et al (2002) "Zebrafish: a preclinical model for drug screening."; Assay Dev. Technol. 1:41-48; Marques et al (2009) "Metastatic behavior of primary human tumours in a zebrafish xenotransplantation model." BMC Cancer 9:128).
Manipulations in zebrafish are performed at various stages of its growth, but 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) is frequently used and is one of the high priority stages for manipulations. The time and manpower required for the processing of many zebrafish embryos during large scale genetic, drug screening and toxicity studies, and cancer cell assays can often be the limiting factor for most laboratories. However, there are presently no commercially available multi-well microinjection systems for 48 hpf zebrafish embryos, primarily because of their elongated and odd shape.
Automated multi-well microinjection systems are well known in the field of cell biology wherein they are primarily used in intranuclear or intracytoplasmic injection of materials such as DNA, RNAi, proteins, or even other cells such as sperm. Automated systems enable a large number of microinjections with reproducible consistency and accuracy that is often hard to achieve manually.
Therefore what is needed to profile and characterize primary tumor cells and CTC is a method to establish and grow the tumor cells in vivo in an animal model. This could allow drug testing on the tumor cells and could provide targeted therapy to the tumor cells in the patient. Furthermore, what is needed in the art is a system that would enable efficient manipulation and injection of 48 hpf zebrafish embryos, for genetic, toxicity, drug, and cancer studies.

Injection and incubation of circulating tumor cells from a cancer biopsy in zebrafish for accelerated prediction of cancer progression and response to treatment


A method for sensing input signal changes at an input of an input/output module operated in an automation system in which a signal is sampled by an input/output module. A change event and a timestamp associated with the change event are generated when a change in the sampled signal occurs and a value pair comprising the change event and the timestamp is stored in a higher-ranking automation component to the input/output module. The input/output module and the higher-ranking automation component are operated clock-synchronously with respect to one another by a clock pulse, and the timestamp is calculated centrally on the higher-ranking automation component based on the clock-synchronous operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to signal sensing and, more particularly, to a method for sensing input signal changes at an input of an input/output module operated in an automation system, where a signal is sampled by the input/output module, a change event and a timestamp associated with the change event is generated when a change in the sampled signal occurs, and a value pair comprising the change event and the timestamp is stored in an automation component having a higher-ranking than the input/output module.
2. Description of the Related Art
In automation systems, i.e., in decentralized stations using fieldbus/PROFIBUS-DP or PROFINET, input/output modules are connected preferably by an interface module. It is through input/output modules that signal changes from digital or analog peripherals are sensed, analyzed and provided with a time of day. The time of day is configured as a timestamp. Making use of the timestamping of signal changes is particularly important to be able to analyze a chronological sequence of events (SOE) at a later stage. An example of such an input signal change is a change in a binary input signal, or a state change or the like. Within the meaning of the present invention, an input signal change is also to be understood as meaning that a limit value of an analog signal has been exceeded.
DE 10 2006 010 748 A1 discloses a method for recording input signal changes. On the other hand, it is known in automation devices having decentralized peripherals that are connected to the interface module to implement a function that analyzes a signal change from, for example, a digital peripheral and provides said signal change with a timestamp accordingly. This means, however, that the time instant recorded in the timestamp is the time of day of the clock in the interface module at the moment of the transfer of the user data from the peripheral module, preferably the input/output module, and as a consequence is different from the time instant of the actual recording of the signal on the peripheral module or, as the case may be, the input/output module. With the method described in DE 10 2006 010 748 A1, it is disadvantageous that in order to record the input signal change on the input/output modules each input/output module requires an implementation or hardware for a high-precision clock. On the other hand, it is a disadvantage of the known methods having the decentralized peripherals that the timestamp is not determined with a sufficient degree of precision.


In order to enable an area of each logical volume to be expanded while continuously using the logical volume and to integrate separate logical volumes in a single continuous area, a storage has logical volume control means for controlling the construction of a logical volume, a logical volume number map in which logical volume construction information is described, and copy means for copying the logical volume. By allowing two or more inner logical numbers to be described per external logical number in the logical volume number map, improved flexibility in combining the logical volumes in the storage is achieved. By copying a plurality of separate logical volumes into a physical continuous area by the copy means, the logical volumes are integrated.

The present invention relates to a method of changing the construction of a logical volume area in a storage and, more particularly, a method of expanding a logical volume area.
Conventionally, as a method of expanding the capacity in a storage, an expansion method by adding a physical disk is known. The method will be described with reference to FIG. 15. Reference numeral 100 denotes a storage and 101 indicates a physical disk area as a collection of physical disks. In the physical disk area 101, logical volumes called LU (Logical Units) designated by reference numerals 1011x (1011a, 1011b, . . . ) are constructed. In the case of expanding the capacity of the storage, by adding a physical disk to the storage 100, as shown by a broken line, an added disk area 102 is generated. When the logical volumes LU1 (1011a) and LU2 (1011b) in the physical disk area 101 become full, a new logical volume LU3 (1011c) can be generated in the added disk area 102.
However, in the case of expanding the area of an internal logical volume already allocated to increase the usable capacity of the storage, a problem occurs. For example, in the case of enlarging the LU1 (1011a) in FIG. 15, since the LU2 (1011b) immediately follows, the LU2 (1011b) has to be released. In order to enlarge the logical volume area in the storage 100, the area has to be released once and allocation of the logical volume area has to be newly defined. Consequently, an access to a logical volume has to be interrupted.

Computer system with storage system having re-configurable logical volumes


In a battery having a wound electrode element which is made contact with by means of a pin, a contact connection is fitted on the outer face and is electrically connected to the pin which is arranged in the housing. The connection between the pin and the contact connection can also be tightened mechanically. In consequence, the pin can be used at the same time as the holding element for the wound electrode, which leads to space being saved within the battery housing. Furthermore, the connection which can be tightened mechanically can be produced very easily, is robust and is scarcely susceptible to corrosion. It also allows a seal, which is impermeable to gases, for the battery interior. The battery is particularly suitable for mobile small and miniature appliances which draw a high current, so that their battery must be replaced frequently.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a battery having at least one wound electrode element and at least one pin for making contact with the electrode element in a housing, and having at least one contact connection which is fitted to an outer face of the housing and is electrically connected to the pin which is arranged in the housing.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic appliances are becoming increasingly widely used all the time. At the same time, they can be produced in an ever more compact form. In the case of miniaturized appliances such as these, for example those which a user carries with him or her over a lengthy period or all the time (such as hearing aids, insulin pumps or other medicament dispensers, etc), it is important for the battery for supplying power likewise to be as compact as possible, but at the same time also to be powerful, that is to say to have as high a ratio as possible between the capacity and the volume. Owing to the continuous use of appliances such as these, their miniaturization (and hence the batteries which can be used) and their power demand, which in some cases is nevertheless high, the batteries must be regularly (often daily) removed and charged.
EP 1100 138 discloses a wound battery which has a space-saving design and thus allows a large capacity with a small space requirement. The electrical connection is in this case formed by small tubes which project into the housing and are at the same time used as mounts for the electrode winding, which is impregnated with electrolyte.
The support for the small tubes on the battery base that is required in this case for mechanical reasons also, however, leads to more loss of space. Furthermore, the use of pins which project into the housing for making electrical contact is not suitable for appliances whose batteries must be replaced frequently, because the removal and reinstallation process is cumbersome and the mechanical loads on the battery can lead to wear after a certain time, making the battery unusable or endangering the battery safety and reliability.

Battery having a wound electrode element


The present invention relates to a tool for selecting winners and losers based on their market position using a volume/turnover filter. Using the present tool, investors may predict when to hold some stocks long and others short over various time period, thereby maximizing the profitability of a portfolio.

1.1 Technical Field
The invention relates to methods and financial systems for analyzing and predicting market winners and market losers. More particularly, the present invention allows portfolio managers to select winners and losers by using a volume/turnover filter together with price momentum and make better informed decisions regarding whether and what to trade, thereby adding value to the trading process. Traders should find the present invention useful in helping them decide what issues should be held long verses short to maximize profits.
1.2 Conventional Art
"Buy low, sell high" has been the mantra of financial traders. In general, traders attempt to buy stocks at a low price then sell at a higher price. However, predicting the best time to buy or sell a stock is difficult. It has been recognized that stocks at times follow a momentum life cycle as shown in FIG. 2 (as documented by Charles M. C. Lee and Bhaskaran Swaminathan, "Price Momentum and Trading Volume", Working Paper, Johnson Graduate School of Management—Cornell University, Jun. 23, 1998). The approach shown in FIG. 2 shows how trading of stock over time will shift from high-volume to low-volume and back again against winning and losing (increasing or decreasing stock price).
The momentum life cycle (MLC) hypothesis for price momentum, reversal and trading volume suggests that stocks and portfolios go through periods of investor favoritism and neglect. A stock or portfolio with positive price momentum (prior winners) would be on the left half of the MLC, while a stock or portfolio with a negative price momentum (prior losers) would be on the right half of the MLC.
Growth stocks with positive momentum move up the MLC but eventually become "torpedoes." Stocks that have negative momentum begin a downward slide and then may experience neglect. The price may continue to fall until investors become interested again.
Trading volume and turnover provide information useful in determining where the stock is in its MLC. When a stock becomes popular, trading volume increases. Conversely, when a stock becomes unpopular, trading volume declines. Accordingly, trading volume is a measure of the favoritism or neglect of a stock. The MLC shows that high-volume winners and low-volume losers are late-stage momentum stocks that may be close to a reversal. Alternatively, low-volume winners and high-volume losers are early-stage momentum stocks whose momentum is likely to continue in a winning direction and losing direction, respectively.
However, this conventional approach does not readily predict where a given stock is on the momentum life cycle, nor does it provide ready selection of a portfolio of stocks during which an investor may exploit the momentum life cycle.

Methods and systems for analyzing and predicting market winners and losers


A method for programming a flash memory device is provided, where the flash memory device includes a plurality of memory cells, and where a threshold voltage of each of the memory cells is programmable in any one of plural corresponding data states. The method includes programming selected memory cells in a first data state, verifying a result of the programming, successively programming selected memory cells in at least two or more data states corresponding to threshold voltages which are lower than a corresponding threshold voltage of the first data state, and verifying results of the successive programming.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor memory devices and, more particularly, the present invention relates to nonvolatile flash semiconductor memory devices.
A claim of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 is made to Korean Patent Application No. 2006-82982, filed Aug. 30, 2006, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Semiconductor memories are widely used in electronic components such as, for example, digital logic circuits and microprocessors. These and other such components may be used in a wide variety of applications ranging from satellite communications to consumer electronics. As demands such as reduction in size and increased operating speed in these applications increase, there is a corresponding demand for features such as high integration density and high frequency of operation from semiconductor devices. There is therefore a need to improve the technologies used in manufacturing semiconductor memories to fulfill such demands.
The semiconductor memory devices are generally classified into volatile memory devices and nonvolatile memory devices. In volatile semiconductor memory devices, information is stored on a temporary basis. This may be done in a number of ways. For example, in a volatile memory device, logical information may be stored by setting a logic condition of a bistable flipflop loop as in a static random access memory (SRAM) or by a capacitive charging effect as in a dynamic random access memory (DRAM.) Furthermore, the volatile semiconductor memory stores and reads data when powered on, but looses the stored data when power is cut off.
On the other hand, the nonvolatile semiconductor memory, such as, for example, MROM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM, are able to retain their data even when power supply is cut off. Furthermore, a storage condition in the nonvolatile memory may be designed to be either immutable or re-programmable in accordance with the fabrication techniques used to manufacture the semiconductor memory. Because of their ability, among other things, to retain data in the absence of power, nonvolatile semiconductor memory devices are used in a wide variety of applications. For example, nonvolatile memory devices are used for storing program files and micro-codes in applications such as, for example, computers, aerospace engineering, electronic engineering, communications, and customer electronics.
Among the nonvolatile semiconductor memories, MROM, PROM, and EPROM have features that may make it inconvenient for general users to reprogram these devices. The difficulty in reprogramming these devices lies in the design features of these devices which make it difficult to erase and write date to these devices. On the other hand, an EEPROM can be electrically erased and programmed with data. The ability to electrically erase and program an EEPROM memory makes the EEPROM memory widely popular with general users of electronic devices. Furthermore, flash EEPROMs (hereinafter, referred to as 'flash memory devices') can be fabricated with high integration density without compromising their ability to store large amounts of data. This feature makes flash EEPROMs popular as large-capacity auxiliary storage units.
Flash memories are usually divided into NOR type and NAND type flash memories. This distinction is based on the connection pattern between cells and bit lines. Specifically, the NOR flash memory is configured such that one bit line is coupled to two or more cell transistors in parallel. Furthermore, in the NOR flash memory, data is stored by channel hot electron injection and erased by Folwer-Nordheim (F-N) tunneling effect. In contrast, the NAND flash memory is configured such that one bit line is coupled to two or more cell transistors in series. In addition, in the NAND flash memory, data is stored and erased by means of the F-N tunneling effect.
In general, the large power consumption by a NOR flash memory may makes it unsuitable for high density operation. However, NOR flash memory is suitable for high frequency operation. In addition, in response to recent demands for more integrated NOR flash memories, NOR flash memories employing a multi-level cell (MLC) scheme capable of storing multiple data bits in a single memory cell are increasingly being manufactured by flash manufacturers.
FIG. 1 illustrates distribution profiles of threshold voltages for different data stored in flash memory cells using a MLC scheme. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows the distribution profiles of threshold voltages of MLCs, each storing 2 bits, and data values corresponding to the threshold voltages.
For example, in the case where a single data bit is stored in a unit cell of the flash memory, the data of the unit cell may be represented with two distribution profiles of threshold voltages. In particular, one threshold voltage distribution profile corresponds to data '0' and the other threshold voltage distribution profile corresponds to data '1'.
On the other hand, in the case where multiple data bits are stored in a unit cell of the flash memory, data stored in the unit cell may be represented by four distribution profiles of threshold voltages. These four distribution profiles correspond to data '11', data '10', data '01, and data '00'. Moreover, the data values stored in the unit cell are arranged in the order of '11', '10', '01', and '00'. That is, the stored data values are arranged in an ascending order along the threshold voltages. In particular, data '11' corresponds to an erased state from where a programming operation begins. An MLC flash memory device storing multi-bit data in a single memory cell is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,125 entitled 'ELECTRICAL PROGRAMING MEMORY AND METHOD OF PROGRAMMING'.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a conventional MLC programming method operable in a NOR flash memory device, which is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,125.
Referring to FIG. 2, the MLC programming operation of the NOR flash memory device begins from the erased state '11'. The procedure of MLC programming is carried out in the sequence of programming data '10' (S100), program-verifying data '10' (S110), programming data '01' (S120), program-verifying data '01' (S130), programming data '00' (S140), and program-verifying data '00' (S150), in this order. Moreover, the distribution profiles of the threshold voltages must be controlled accurately so as to confine the voltage distributions for each data state in well-defined windows.
In order to control the distribution profile of the threshold voltages, a programming scheme such as an incremental step pulse programming (ISPP) scheme may be used to program data onto the flash memory device. According to the ISPP scheme, a threshold voltage increases by an incremental portion of a program loop or voltage. Therefore, the distribution profiles of threshold voltages can be accurately regulated by setting the incremental portion of the program voltage to be smaller. This may make it possible to ensure sufficient margins between voltage distributions of the data states.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are waveform diagrams showing variations of word line voltages Vpgm and Vvfy and a bulk voltage VBULK that are applied to a flash memory cell during the conventional MLC programming operation.
From FIGS. 2 through 4, it can be seen that the conventional multi-bit programming operation is carried out by alternating programming and program-verifying steps with a stepped-up program voltage. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, after a first program voltage Vpgm10_step1 is applied to conduct a first programming step, a program-verifying step begins with a verifying voltage Vvfy10. Thereafter, a second program voltage Vpgm10_step2 is applied to conduct a second programming step and then another program-verifying step begins with the verifying voltage Vvfy10. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the verifying voltage Vvfy10 is higher than the program voltages Vpgm10_step1 and Vpgm10_step2.
Generally, in the conventional multi-bit programming mode where the program voltages (e.g., Vpgm10_step1, Vpgm10_step2, and so on) alternate with the verifying voltage (e.g., Vvfy10), there is a need to have recovery and setup periods. These recovery and set up periods are needed to rapidly change voltage levels when moving from a programming step to a program verifying step and vice versa. As the number of programming steps increase, there is a corresponding increase in the number of recovery and set up periods. In addition, with an increase in the number of recovery and set up periods, there is also an increase in a programming time for the memory cell. Furthermore, there may also be inadvertent overshooting of the program and/or program-verify voltages.
There is therefore a need to develop a programming method and system for programming a flash memory cell with a reduced programming time and a reduced overshooting of programming and/or program verifying voltages.
The present disclosure is directed towards overcoming one or more limitations associated with the conventional programming method of a flash memory cell.

Flash memory device and method for programming multi-level cells in the same


Disclosed herein are inventive stable homogenized biomass hetero-colloids, their production and uses. Such biomass hetero-colloids comprise biomass derived solid particle colloid matter and at least 15% (w/w) biomass derived soluble colloid matter. The novel biomass hetero-colloids provide an inventive approach for the application of biologically active compounds. Bio-actives are made available in an innovative form involving low intervention processing and enhancing the biological availability.

A colloid is matter microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. Retrieved 18 Apr. 2012). Colloidal systems consist of two separate phases: a dispersed phase (or internal phase) and a continuous phase (or dispersion medium) in which the colloid is dispersed. A colloidal system may be solid, liquid, or gaseous.
Another distinct property of colloidal systems is the size of the dispersed phase solids. They have a diameter between approximately 1 and 1,000 nanometers. Colloids of dispersed solid phases with particle sizes larger than 1 micrometer belong to the category of micro-colloidal systems.
Colloidal systems are prepared by homogenizing energy input dispersing large particles to the colloidal dimensions. Grinding and milling techniques are commonly used for subdivision of large solid particles. The methods are capable to disperse particles to a size, which is a result of equilibrium between the two processes: subdivision and aggregation under mechanical force.
The application of biomass or biomass derived products (e.g. from herbs) has become progressively more popular in animal and human nutrition as well as in cosmetics and medicine. Their use relates to the fact that biomass, in particular of microbial, fungal and plant origin, contain active ingredients, so called bio-actives, which denote substances that have an effect on living systems (for a review see Ncube et al., African Journal of Biotechnology, 7, 1797-1806, 2008).
Although the effects of bio-actives have not always been formally and scientifically researched, their popularity is based on a long track record validating their safety and efficacy. With recent advances in medical and nutrition sciences, natural products and health-promoting foods have received extensive attention from both health professionals and the general population. Increasing knowledge from food chemistry, nutritional, and clinical studies is providing more insight into our understanding of biological functions, usage, and potential adverse effects of bio-actives. This advanced knowledge also calls for standardized manufacturing processes and clinical practices and at the same time could add more value to bio-active markets.
When applying bio-actives in animal and human nutrition or in cosmetics an important issue is whether to use the whole biomass or whether to supply the bio-actives in standardized extracts from biomass. A standardized extract contains one or more bio-active components in a specific, guaranteed amount. The intention behind the standardization is to guarantee that the consumer is getting a product in which the quality is consistent from batch to batch.
Unfortunately, while scientists can isolate many constituents from biomass and discover how particular chemicals may act in the body, they inadvertently remove or overlook components that may contribute to the activity of the whole biomass. Consequently, standardization may concentrate one constituent at the expense of other potentially important ones, while changing the natural balance of the bio-actives in the entire biomass.
Standardization, therefore, is based on the idea that isolated compounds are responsible for the bio-activity of biomass. In fact, biomass contains a complex blend of bio-actives. The full bio-active value of biomass is most likely due to their internal complexity and to the interactions of the different components within the body rather than to one of its specific components.
Furthermore, many of the constituents of biomass are as yet unknown and internal chemical interactions within and among biomass are even more poorly understood. Therefore, application of isolated enriched bio-actives may not be advisable and it is doubtful that this type of standardized biomass extracts can exhibit the same full spectrum of activity as the whole biomass. However, science has proven the efficacy of some of these concentrated extracts regarding specific biological activities, so they can be very useful even if they do not work exactly like whole biomass.

Biomass hetero-colloidal systems, production and uses thereof