An easily calibrated analytical instrument for sensing a target analyte. The instrument includes an electrochemical sensor and a switch. The electrochemical sensor includes a sensing electrode and a counter electrode. The switch is a normally open switch effective for creating a short circuit between the sensing and counter electrodes when closed. A zero calibration reading can be taken when the switch is closed.

Gas detection and measurement by means of sensors is well known in the art. There are many types of sensors available designed for various applications. One of the most common types of sensors is the electrochemical gas sensor. Such sensors are widely available and described in numerous United States patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,767,552, 3,824,168, 3,909,386, 3,992,267, 4,132,616 and 4,324,632. Electrochemical sensors are widely used for measuring oxygen concentrations and the concentration of toxic gas detection for work-place safety, emission monitoring and control of pollutants.
Most electrochemical sensors are designed such that a gas of interest is brought into reactive contact with the electrodes such that any target analyte in the gas is oxidized or reduced at a sensing electrode within the sensor. The gas typically passes through one or more diffusion barriers, such as a porous membrane, capillary sintered disk, etc. to reach the electrode. The majority of sensors are operated such that the response current is limited by the rate at which the gas can diffuse into the sensor. A diffusion limited sensor has the advantageous properties of a linear response to the gas concentration, stable output with small changes in operating potential due to environmental or instrumental changes (e.g. variations in power supply voltage), and either a small or at least well defined variation in output with temperature and pressure.
In a typical design, a sensor will contain two or more electrodes within the sensor in contact with an electrolyte. One electrode is designated the sensing electrode. The gas of interest enters the sensor and moves by diffusion through the membrane and any other diffusion barriers in the gas path to the electrode. The gas is consumed at the sensing electrode in either an oxidation or a reduction process, and the resulting electrical charge passes from the electrode, through the external circuit to the counter electrode. The magnitude of this electric current generates an output signal. At the counter electrode, which must also be in contact with the electrolyte, an equal and opposite electrochemical reaction occurs.
The magnitude of the output signal is determined by the concentration of target analyte in the gas, and by the diffusivity of the gas path through which the gas must pass to reach the sensing electrode. The diffusivity is defined here as a measure of how much gas at unit concentration will diffuse into the sensor per second. If the diffusivity of the sensor is known, then the gas concentration can be calculated by measuring the output current from the sensor.
In the operation of electrochemical sensors, it is customary to periodically calibrate the zero and span performance of the sensor in order to re-confirm or re-establish the measurement accuracy. Calibration of the sensor elements is important in achieving accurate measurement with the sensor because sensors and associated electronics tend to suffer from zero drift over time in either a positive or negative direction. In accordance with conventional practice, the zero drift of the sensor element over time is compensated for or adjusted by periodic zero calibrations utilizing a known zero calibration gas composition which contains none of the target gas. A similar problem exists with respect to the sensor and associated electronics span signal which gradually will change over a period of time due to aging of the sensor elements. This may similarly be corrected for or adjusted by periodic span calibrations of the sensor circuitry utilizing a calibration gas which contains a known quantity of test gas.
Calibration of the instrument can be a substantial operational problem as it requires the purchase, storage and use of two different calibration gasses (one with zero target analyte for obtaining a zero calibration reading and the other with a known concentration of target analyte for obtaining a span calibration reading) and the instrument is normally taken off-line for calibration. In many situations, such as in the case of industrial controls, the removal of the sensor from the control process may result in the loss of production time and considerable expense while the process is shut down until the control instrumentation can be calibrated and returned. In the alternative, to avoid shut-down of the process, substitute instruments can be used to replace instruments undergoing calibration. While generally effective for avoiding shut-down, this method requires a larger inventory of instruments.
Methods and apparatus to permit automatic in-line calibrations have been developed, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,116,612, 4,151,738, 4,322,964, 4,384,925, 4,489,590 and 5,239,492. While generally effective, such devices substantially add to the cost of the instrument. In addition, such instruments still rely on the presence of test gases of known concentration (i.e., a gas containing no target analyte and a gas containing a known concentration of target analyte). For oxygen sensors, ambient air is often used as one of the test gases as the concentration of oxygen in well ventilated areas is a constant 20.9 volume percent. However, a source of oxygen free gas is still necessary to fully calibrate an oxygen sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,809 describes a calibration method which does not require a known test gas concentration. The method passes a test gas of unknown concentration over the sensor through a calibration flow system of known volume. After flushing the system, the flow of test gas is stopped and the calibration system is sealed. The output current decays to zero as the sensor consumes target analyte in the gas. Using Faraday's Law, the sensitivity of the initial gas concentration can be found. While generally effective, the process is slow as substantial time is required for the current to decay exponentially to zero, and the process and prone to errors. A similar system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,909, but is subject to the same problems.
Other approaches have focused on the electrical properties of the sensor. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,202,637 and 5,611,909 apply a small potential to the normally constant potential between the sensing electrode and the counter electrode and monitor the electrical current response of the sensor. While providing a simple in-situ test that an instrument or controller can automatically perform on the sensor, this method will only detect those modes of sensor failure which affect the electrical properties of the working electrode, such as loss of volume due to dry-out from an aqueous based electrolyte. The test is unable to detect sensor faults resulting from other problems.
Accordingly, a need exists for an inexpensive system and method for quickly, simply, and reliably calibrating an electrochemical sensor.

Electrochemical sensor with zero calibration feature and method of calibrating


The present invention is primarily directed to a method for preventing infection of a mammalian subject with S. pneumoniae, wherein said method comprises administering to said subject an effective amount of one or more S. pneumoniae cell wall and/or cell membrane proteins and/or immunogenically-active fragments, derivatives or modifications thereof, wherein said proteins are selected from a defined group of immunogenic proteins. The present invention further provides vaccine compositions containing said cell wall and/or cell membrane proteins.

The Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of disease, suffering and death worldwide. Diseases caused by infection with this agent include otitis media, pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis and sepsis. In some cases, infected individuals may become asymptomatic carriers of S. pneumoniae, thereby readily allowing the rapid spread of this infective agent throughout the population. In view of the serious consequences of infection with S. pneumoniae, as well as its rapid spread within and between populations, there is an urgent need for safe, effective vaccination regimes.
Current methods of vaccination are based on inoculation of the subject with polysaccharides obtained from the capsules of S. pneumoniae. While these polysaccharide-based vaccine preparations have been found to be reasonably efficacious when used to prevent infection in adult populations, they are significantly less useful in the treatment of young children (under two years of age) and the elderly. One commonly-used capsular polysaccharide 23-valent vaccine, for example, has been found to be only 60% effective in preventing S. pneumoniae invasive disease in elderly subjects and completely incapable of yielding clinically-useful antibody responses in the under-two age group [Shapiro E. D. et al. (1991) N. Engl. J. Med. 325: 1453-1460].
In an attempt to increase the immunogenicity of these vaccines, various compositions comprising capsular polysaccharides that have been conjugated with various carrier or adjuvant proteins have been used. Although vaccines of this type constitute an improvement in relation to the unconjugated polysaccharide vaccines, they have not overcome the problem of coverage, since they are effective against only about 10% of the 92 known capsular serotypes. Consequently, upon vaccination, repopulation with serotypes not present in the vaccine occurs.
In the cases of certain other bacteria of pathogenic importance for human and other mammalian species, vaccines comprising immunogenic virulence proteins are currently being developed. Such protein-based vaccines should be of particular value in the case of vulnerable subjects such as very young children, in view of the fact that such subjects are able to produce antibodies against foreign proteins. Unfortunately, very little is known of the molecular details of the life cycle of S. pneumoniae, or of the nature of role of the various virulence factors which are known or thought to be involved in targeting and infection of susceptible hosts.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a method for protecting individuals against infection with S. pneumoniae by the use of a protein-based vaccine.
It is another purpose of the invention to provide a protein-based vaccine that is prepared from the immunogenic cell wall and/or cell membrane proteins of S. pneumoniae.
It is yet another purpose of the invention to provide a vaccination method that overcomes the problems and drawbacks of prior art methods.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Research and Development Authority


In the elemental analysis of an analyte present in a sample by optical or mass spectrometry, a nebulizer sprays the liquid sample into a chamber which has a wall transparent to infra-red radiation. Infra-red radiation from a heater external to the chamber is focused on to the droplets of sample as they emerge from the nebulizer, disrupting the droplets into smaller ones and evaporating solvent from them as they pass through the chamber. The thus desolvated sample stream is delivered into a plasma and the reaction accuracy within the plasma is qualified by the spectrometer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for elemental analysis, in particular to pre-treatment of a sample to be analysed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Elemental analysis encompasses a variety of techniques which involve the qualitative and/or quantitative determination of the elemental composition of a sample based on the atomic properties of the constituent elements.
One such form of elemental analysis is atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), which involves exciting the chemical elements in a sample to emit light of one or more specific wavelengths (spectral light). Atomisation and excitation of the sample occurs in a suitable source, for example, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The technique is conventionally applied to a fine dispersion of the sample under investigation. The dispersion may be prepared by various means; spray generators, thermospray systems, pneumatic nebulisers or ultrasonic nebulisers (USNs) may be used in the case of liquid samples; and electric arc heating or laser ablation used in the case of solid samples.
By liquid sample is meant any sample for analysis in which the analyte(s) are present in a liquid carrier, for example, solutions, dispersions, suspensions, colloids and slurries.
In practice it is found that the quality of the analysis depends strongly on the particle size distribution of the dispersion, the presence of larger particles being deleterious in that the atomisation and excitation of such larger particles is less efficient.
In the case of liquid samples it is also desirable that the liquid carrier is evaporated from the dispersed droplets so that the analyte enters the plasma source as an essentially dry aerosol. Evaporation of the liquid is advantageous because it cancels the cooling effect on the plasma caused by the injection of large volumes of liquid, meaning more energy is available for atomisation and excitation; it also reduces other carrier effects such as plasma instability and spectral interferences, for example, oxide interferences when the carrier is water.
Conventional methods of evaporation involve passing the dispersed sample, in a flow of carrier gas, through a heated tube, at for example, 130.degree. C., to evaporate the liquid carrier and then through a refrigerated tube to condense and separate the liquid from the analyte aerosol. In such a process the sample is heated, by conduction, to the boiling point of the droplet over a period of about one second, liquid evaporates leaving the analyte contained therein as a single particle. The resulting particle size is therefore defined by the droplet size and the concentration of analyte in the sample. Thus, even with the fine dispersions produced by, for example, USNs the analyte particles left after evaporation of the liquid may still be larger than is desirable for efficient atomisation and excitation.

Method and apparatus for analytical sample preparation


In an example implementation of the disclosed technology, a method includes predicting, by a computing device, a destination server that is predicted to be the destination of a message from a sending device connected to the computing device. The method also includes determining whether a connection exists between the computing device and the destination server. The method also includes, responsive to determining that no connection exists, determining a connection and caching the connection at the computing device. The method also includes, responsive to receiving a message for dispatch to the destination server, dispatching the message to the destination server via the connection.

Mobile messages are critical and are used by, among others, email, calendar, chat, and social network applications. Conventional messaging systems dispatch mobile messages in real time from thousands of source messaging servers to thousands of destination messaging servers, each of which is connected to hundreds of thousands of mobile devices. These messaging systems result in large numbers of source/destination server pairs, each of which represents a dispatching route, that continuously change and have to be updated as servers go on and off line. Maintaining this large number of connections is inefficient and unnecessarily ties up resources as not all source/destination server pairs are necessary at all times. In an effort to avoid the large number of source/destination server pairs, messaging systems may incorporate intermediary servers to manage message dispatching. Using intermediary servers reduces the overall number of source/destination server pairs (i.e., connections), but it makes the dispatching routes longer because it leads to additional hops from server to server as opposed to a direct route from source server to destination server, thus increasing latency and complexity. Accordingly, what is needed is a direct message dispatching system that reduces the number of unnecessary source/destination server pairs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for direct dispatching of mobile messages


A storage system includes operational control information stored in RAID disk drives for higher access performance over the case where control information is stored in shared memory. The operational control information includes monitor information, log information, and copy difference management information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage system, a storage system control method, and a storage controller. In particular, this invention is suited for use for a storage system having a storage controller.
2. Description of Related Art
These days in storage systems that deal with data on a large-scale, it is necessary to extend the functionality of the storage system itself and increase the number of logical volumes (hereinafter referred to as "logical volumes") formed in physical storage areas provided by multiple hard disk devices arranged in arrays, in order to store massive amounts of data that increase from day to day in the multiple hard disk devices. Accordingly, the amount of control information for controlling the storage system has also increased. It has therefore become necessary to take measures to increase the capacity of the shared memory required to store the control information.
However, if the power for a storage system that has a backup function stops, the control information stored in the shared memory will be lost after a certain period of time has elapsed. In order to prevent such loss of control information, the control information is stored, not in the shared memory, but in nonvolatile semiconductor memory or hard disk drives mounted on a service processor.
JP-A-2005-196673 discloses a technique for storing operation information, such as operation rates and operation times for a storage system, on multiple hard disk drives configured to be operated according to RAID (Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Disks) methodology. Also, JP-A-2005-258918 discloses a technique for hierarchizing cache memory in a storage system and storing host data from a host computer in the cache memory.
It is necessary to increase the capacity of the shared memory in order to extend the functionality of the storage system itself or to increase the number of logical volumes. However, there is the problem of high cost, because shared memory is expensive.
If the control information is stored in semiconductor memory instead of shared memory, the control information will not be lost, but the amount of control information stored in the semiconductor memory will be less than the amount of control information stored in the shared memory. Accordingly, if the same amount of control information as that stored in the shared memory were to be stored in the semiconductor memory, the semiconductor memory itself would be too expensive.
If the control information is stored in hard disk drives mounted on a service processor, instead of in the shared memory, since not many hard disk drives are configured to be operated according to the RAID system, it is difficult to restore the control information stored in the hard disk drives if a failure should occur in the hard disk drives.
Furthermore, if the control information is stored in any storage device other than the shared memory of the storage system, that storage device needs to have access performance equal to or better than the shared memory.

Storage system utilizing improved management of control information


Disclosed is an anionic shampoo-conditioning composition comprising an oily conditioning agent, a shampooing agent, a carboxyvinyl polymer, a cationic conditioning agent, and water. The carboxyvinyl polymer has a large proportion of carboxyl monomeric groups and a small proportion of long-chain alkyl monomeric units, and is crosslinked to a small degree. Further disclosed is a process for making the above composition and a method for applying it to hair. The composition provides enhanced conditioning properties utilizing both oily and cationic conditioning agents in combination with an anionic carboxyvinyl polymer while maintaining stability and dispersion.

Hair care compositions which claim to impart both shampoo and conditioner properties to the hair at the same time are well known in the art. Such compositions typically contain one or more surfactants for shampooing or cleaning purposes and one or more "conditioning" agents for the purpose of making hair easier to comb when wet, and more controllable, that is less static and more manageable, when dry. Typically, these conditioning agents are either water-insoluble oils or cationic resinous materials or surfactants.
Prior art shampoo-conditioning compositions however, exhibit stability and performance problems because the shampooing agents and the conditioning agents may interfere with the performance of each other. This interference has required that tradeoffs be made between shampooing and conditioning.
A problem with prior art shampoo-conditioning compositions is that cationic resinous materials and surfactants commonly employed as conditioning agents may inactivate or be inactivated by anionic surfactants commonly employed as shampooing agents; thus, the performance of either or both of the shampooing or conditioning agents may be negatively affected by the other. The prior art has attempted to solve this problem by incorporating the cationic materials or surfactants in shampoo systems utilizing nonionic, amphoteric, or cationic cosurfactants as shampooing agents, but these systems do not deliver as desirable a level of cleaning or foaming as do anionic shampoo systems. The prior art has also attempted to solve the problem of incompatibility of the shampooing and conditioning agents by limiting the concentration of cationic conditioning agents to levels in which such problems are minimized; this limitation impedes the conditioning efficacy of prior art compositions.
Another problem associated with prior art shampoo-conditioning compositions is that cationic resinous materials and surfactants commonly employed as conditioning agents may be inactivated by or be incompatible with anionic carboxyvinyl polymers commonly employed as thickening and suspending agents. The prior art has attempted to solve this problem by limiting the level of cationic conditioning agents to a level in which inactivation or incompatibility problems are minimized; this limitation impedes the conditioning efficacy of prior art compositions.
Another problem associated with prior art shampoo-conditioning compositions is that waterinsoluble oils such as vegetable oils commonly employed as conditioning agents are incompatible with surfactants, especially anionic surfactants, utilized as shampooing agents. This incompatibility may be manifest in a lack of homogeneity in the composition or in inadequate shelf life for the same.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,686,254, 4,788,006, 4,491,539, 3,964,500 and 3,969,500 are representative of prior art compositions which attempt to address the problems described above, but which fail in some aspect of conditioning performance, shampooing performance, or shelf-stability. None permit the combination of oily conditioning agents, cationic conditioning agents, anionic carboxyvinyl polymers, and shampooing agents particularly anionic surfactants, to form a composition having the desired characteristics described above.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a shampoo-conditioning composition providing both enhanced shampooing and conditioning without compromising shelfstability. Further, desirably, the composition utilizes both oily conditioning agents and cationic conditioning agents to provide enhanced conditioning. Further, desirably, the composition utilizes an oily conditioning agent which is natural, biodegradable, inexpensive, and readily available. Further, desirably, such oily conditioning agent will be suspendable and stabilizable with an anionic carboxyvinyl polymer commercially available at uniform activity levels. Further, desirably, the carboxyvinyl polymer will be compatible with and not inactivate the cationic conditioning agent or agents. Further desirably, such conditioning agents may be incorporated into an anionic shampoo system.
Heretofore, compositions utilizing cationic conditioning agents and anionic carboxyvinyl polymers as thickening and suspending agents have been difficult to prepare due to the incompatibility of the two substances as discussed above. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a process for preparing such compositions wherein the incompatibility problem is circumvented.

Shampoo-conditioning composition and method of making


First and second sliding bodies are guided along a first axis on linear guide rails. A linkage connects a table to the first and second sliding bodies. The linkage moves the table parallel to the linear guide rails when the first and second sliding bodies are displaced the same distance. The linkage moves the table perpendicular to the linear guide rails when one of the sliding bodies is moved a different distance from the first sliding body. The perpendicular distance can be either the Z axis or the Y axis.

The present invention relates to a table positioning mechanism. More particularly, the invention relates to a table positioning mechanism designed for applications in precision measurement instruments, precision processing machines, general industrial machines, industrial robots, or similar applications.
In the prior art, table positions in equipment such as general industrial machines have been fixed by mechanisms employing a pair of single axis positioners, each positioner having a pair of linear guide rails and a driving mechanism for producing motion in the direction of the given axis.
The position of a table may be fixed on orthogonal coordinates by using a mechanism wherein each of the positioners is place orthogonally with respect to the other. Such a mechanism, however, has drawbacks in that it occupies a large space and requires the use of numerous elements, thus making it expensive to produce.


A control signal that runs a control oscillator of a signal generation circuit that generates a write clock is taken as a reference signal. That reference signal is supplied to a signal generation circuit that generates a read clock. In the signal generation circuit that generates the read clock, there is no need to generate a reference signal within its own circuits, which makes it possible to supply it to a control oscillator by adding the error timing from reading out the signal against the supplied reference signal. In this way, no means for locking the read clock into the initial frequency is needed and neither is the time for locking the read clock to the initial frequency (lock up time). This makes it possible to reduce the size of the circuit and to reduce the signal read-out time.

This invention pertains to a clock recovery PLL (Phase Locked Loop) that generates a read clock for reading signals from a magnetic recording media or similar device based on the read signals read out from a magnetic recording media, optical disk or other recording media.
The clock recovery PLL generates a frequency signal (read clock) for the purpose of reading out the data that has been written to a magnetic or other media using a specific frequency signal (write clock).
In recent years, while recording media such as magnetic recording media and optical disks have made progress toward higher performance, lower costs are being sought. To lower costs, high performance LSI's, which are used in the peripherals of the recording media, have been sought.
FIG. 1 shows a traditional clock recovery PLL.
Based on the read signals read from the recording media and the write clock WCLK from the synthesizer PLL 1, the clock recovery PLL 10 generates a read clock.
The synthesizer PLL 1 is comprised of a 1/N frequency divider 2, a phase comparator 3, a charge pump 4, a loop filter 5, a voltage control oscillator 6 and a 1/M frequency divider 9.
The reference clock CLK is supplied to the 1/N frequency divider 2 and is divided 1/N times (where N is an integer) before being supplied to the phase comparator 3. At the same time, the signal that is generated by the VCO 6 is supplied to the 1/M frequency divider 9. The signal generated by the VCO 6 is divided 1/M times (where M is an integer) and is supplied to the phase comparator 3. At the phase comparator 3, the reference clock CLK, that was divided 1/N times is compared with the signal that was divided 1/M times. The compared signal is supplied to the charge pump 4 based on the compared phase error.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the phase comparator 3.
The phase comparator 3 is made up of 8 NAND circuits 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 29, the inverters 27, 28 and 31 and the AND circuit 30. A comparison is made between the reference clock (the reference clock that is divided 1/N times) and the comparison clock (the VCO 6 output signal that is divided 1/M times). Up signals and down signals, which are comparison signals, are outputted from the phase comparator based on the phase error. The up signals raise the frequency while the down signals lower the frequency.
FIG. 1 further shows the charge pump 4 supplying a signal based on the comparison signal to the loop filter 5. The loop filter 5 removes the high frequency component noise and flattens it, thereby supplying a smooth, flat signal to the VCO 6 as a return signal.
FIG. 3 shows an example of the charge pump 4. The charge pump 4 is made up of a current supply 31, PMOS transistors 32, 33, 37 and 38 as well as NMOS transistors 34, 35 and 36. The NMOS transistor 36 and the PMOS transistor 37 constitute the output stage of the charge pump 4; and they are controlled by the up signals and down signals from the phase comparator 3.
The VCO 6 is made up of a (V-I converter) voltage current converter 7 and a current control oscillator (ICO) 8.
FIG. 4 shows an example of the V-I converter 7. The V-I converter 7 is made up of an op-amp 39, a first NMOS transistor 40, a second NMOS transistor 41 and a resistor 42. The voltage Vi of the V-I converter 7 is inputted as the op-amp 39 and the current Io is outputted from the drain of the second transistor 41. The resistance of the resistor 42 is R. The current Io that is output can be expressed by the equation Io=Vi/R. The V-I converter 7 converts the voltage signal output from the loop filter into a current signal and is outputted to ICO 8 as the control current Ic.
FIG. 5 shows an example of the ICO 8. The ICO 8 is comprised of two PMOS transistors 43 and 44, a NMOS transistor 45, three CMOS transistors 46, 47 and 48 and three inverters 49, 50 and 51. The three CMOS transistors 46, 47 and 48 and the three inverters 49, 50 and 51 constitute the ring oscillator. The control current Ic outputted from the V-I converter 7 controls the value of the current of the three CMOS transistors 46, 47 and 48 and converts the frequency of the signal that the ring oscillator generates.
In this way, the VCO 6 adjusts the frequency of the signals generated based on the return signals from the loop filter 16 and outputs the write clock WCLK.
As shown in FIG. 1, the synthesizer PLL 1 locks the write clock WCLK at its initial frequency and the locked write clock WCLK is supplied to the clock recovery PLL 10. This PLL loop is the first PLL loop.
The clock recovery PLL 10 is made up of a phase comparator 12, a phase error detector 13, a selector 14, a charge pump 15, a loop filter 16 and a VCO 17. The configurations of the phase comparator 12, the charge pump 15, the loop filter 16 and the VCO 17 are the same as that which is shown in the synthesizer PLL 1.
The clock recovery PLL 10 contains the second PLL loop, which is made up of the phase comparator 12, the selector 14, the charge pump 15, the loop filter 16 and the VCO 17, as well as the third PLL loop, which is made up of the phase error detector 13, the selector 14, the charge pump 15, the loop filter 16, the VCO 17 and an AD converter (ADC) 11.
The second PLL is the same as the first PLL loop of the synthesizer PLL 1. The second PLL Loop performs the task of locking the read clock (RCLK) that is outputted from the timing recovery PLL 10 based on the initial frequency of the write clock WCLK that the synthesizer PLL 1 outputs. After the read clock RCLK, which is outputted by the timing recovery PLL 10, has been locked to the initial frequency, the selector 14 can be used to switch the second PLL loop to the third PLL loop.
The read signal is based on the read clock RCLK that has been locked to the initial frequency and the reading out of that signal begins in the third PLL loop. The read clock RCLK corresponding to the initial frequency is taken as a sampling clock. The ADC 11 samples the read signal from the recording media. The read signal is converted to a digital signal in the ADC 11 and is supplied to the phase error detector 13. The phase error detector 13 detects errors between the read-out timing of the read signal from the recording media and the read clock RCLK corresponding to the initial frequency. The phase error signal that is outputted by the phase error detector 13 is supplied to the VCO 17 via the selector 14, the charge pump 15 and the loop filter 16. The VCO 17 is made up of the V-I converter 18 and the ICO 19 just like the VCO 6 in the synthesizer PLL 1. The VCO 17 outputs a read clock RCLK with the error adjusted based on the phase error signal. The read clock RCLK that is adjusted based on the read signal is again supplied to the ADC 11 as a sampling clock and the read signal is sampled. In the third PLL loop, the error in the timing of the read signal sampling is repeated using the read clock RCLK and the error between the read clock RCLK that was adjusted based on the previously read out read signal and the read signal that was actually read out from the recording media is detected and the read clock RCLK is adjusted. Next, a read clock RCLK is generated that conforms to the read signal that was actually read out. This is how the third PLL loop performs its role of adjusting the differences in the timing between the read clock RCLK and the read signal that is actually read out from the recording media.
In order for the traditional timing recovery PLL 10 to lock the read clock RCLK, which is output from the timing recovery PLL 10, to the initial frequency of the write clock WCLK, the first PLL loop of the synthesizer PLL 1 and the second PLL loop of the timing recovery PLL 10 are necessary. For this reason, a double PLL loop configuration must be used, which increases the scale of the circuit. Time is also required for the double PLL loops to lock on to the initial frequency (lock up time), so it takes an extremely long time for the actual reading operation to begin.

Signal generating circuit, timing recovery PLL, signal generating system and signal generating method


A waste water treatment plant includes a treatment chamber or reactor (26) containing a plurality of buoyant sludge carriers (38). In the base of the treatment chamber (26) is a biofilm collection chamber (40). Arranged coaxially within the chamber (26) is a hollow shaft (30) with an air injection device (32) arranged at the foot thereof. In use waste water is introduced into the treatment chamber through an inlet (28) and is caused to circulate around the treatment chamber through the pumping action of the shaft (30) and air injector. Treated water passes through the biofilm collection chamber (40) to an outer settlement chamber (42) having an outlet (44) for treated water.

All conventional treatment systems require an effluent collecting station of which solid particles are sediment, and the entire waste water is passed through a 25 mm screen to remove coarse, solid material. A comminutor may be applied to shed coarse materials before screening the effluent. The collection station may typically be equipped with an overflow to prevent flooding. From the effluent collection station, the waste water may be transferred to a balancing tank or directly to secondary treatment.
There is a need for a low maintenance treatment plant which provides a high degree of purification at a low energy cost and a low capital cost. Furthermore the design should be compact making it relatively easy to install with minimum disturbance to the landscape. Ideally the plant should operate without any treatment of sludge required, or produce a relatively low amount of sludge.


Techniques are presented herein to terminate output of video captured by a video camera. Detection is made whether a camera lens of a video camera has been obscured by an intentional act of a person. Video output of the video camera is terminated in response to detecting that the camera lens has been obscured. These techniques allow a user to quickly and easily terminate output of video without the need for a dedicated switch or button, or some other special procedure.

An increasing number of user devices are both audio and video-enabled. These devices allow a user to participate in a phone call, online meeting or conference session, while providing video as well as audio output to other users. Such meetings are often referred to as "video calls." Video calls have an appeal because they can be held without the associated travel inconveniences and costs of in-person meetings. In addition, video calls can provide a sense of community to participants who are dispersed geographically.
Mobile phone and other portable devices are increasingly being utilized in video calls. A problem arises with video calls made on portable devices with limited battery capacity. Video calls can dramatically increase data usage and processing requirements as compared to traditional phone calls, thus consuming more of the power supplied by the battery of a portable device. Additionally, network data usage fees may increase substantially due to video calls. Further still, a user may simply wish not to be seen on a video call.

Obscuring a camera lens to terminate video output


An image-capturing device includes a sensor, a visible-light-pixel driver, and a non-visible-light-pixel driver. The sensor is configured to have a plurality of visible light pixels having sensitivity to visible light and a plurality of non-visible light pixels having sensitivity to non-visible light. The visible-light-pixel driver controls light exposure to the visible light pixels and a reading operation for charges generated by photoelectric conversion of the visible light pixels resulting from the light exposure. The non-visible-light-pixel driver performs the light exposure to previously-set every two or more non-visible light pixels at the time of the light exposure to the non-visible light pixels and the reading operation, sums the charges generated by the photoelectric conversion of the two or more non-visible light pixels resulting from the light exposure, and creates the distance image on the basis of the summed charges.

In recent years, a technique of providing an image-capturing device that captures images with a function of acquiring a distance image has been known. For the acquisition of the distance image, for example, a TOF (Time-Of-Flight) method is used. The TOF method is a technique of measuring a distance to a target by measuring time taken from emission of pulse light from a light source toward the target to arrival of reflection light from the target at an observation point.
Regarding such a type of the image-capturing device that acquires both a normal image and a distance image, for example, a Patent Document 1 is cited. This Patent Document 1 describes that the image-capturing device includes: a light emitting device configured to emit light toward a subject; a photodiode (PD); a pixel memory connected to the PD; an image-capturing device provided with a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels each having a FD connected to the pixel memory through a switch; a driving circuit 105 configured to allow the switch to be connected in a duration from start of a charge accumulating duration including a light emitting duration of the light emitting device to predetermined time of the light emitting duration, and configured to drive the image-capturing devices so as to read a first signal corresponding to a charge accumulated in the FD after disconnecting the switch and read a second signal corresponding to a charge accumulated in the pixel memory after elapse of the charge accumulating duration; and a signal processing circuit 107 configured to calculate a distance to the subject on the basis of the first signal and the second signal.

Image-capturing device, image-capturing apparatus and method of acquiring distance image


An information reproduction apparatus includes an error corrector which performs a first error correction for correcting errors in a horizontal direction within an input data block comprised of a product code and subsequently a second error correction for correcting errors in a vertical direction within the same block is disclosed. The error corrector produces a first signal each time an uncorrectable code word is detected while the first error correction is being performed. The apparatus further includes a first counter for counting the first signal, a comparator for comparing a count value of the first counter with a predetermined value and producing a second signal when the count value reaches the predetermined value, and a determination device determining that there is an error within the data block which the error corrector cannot correct, and delivering a third signal in response to the second signal to reread the data block.

The present invention relates to an information reproduction apparatus provided with a capability of performing error correction processing and error detection processing on input data.
Random errors or burst errors often occur to data read from a CDROM, a DVD or the like due to noises or disk scratches. Accordingly, error correction processing and error detection processing are carried out by use of error correction codes and error detection codes to obtain correct data.
FIG. 9. shows a data structure in DVD. One sector is comprised of a 2366-byte code including 2048-byte main data to which a header, an EDC (Error Detection Code), and an ECC (Error Correction Code) are attached. As shown in FIG. 10, one sector consists of 26 frames. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, the period of a frame synchronization signal is one twenty sixth the period of a sector synchronization signal.
FIG. 12 shows a structure of an error correction block in DVD. As shown in this figure, one 32-KB (kilobyte) error correction block is formed as a product code from 16 sectors. The error correction processing on the error correction block is comprised of a first error correction (horizontal correction) and a subsequent second error correction (vertical correction). Even when there are some codes that could not be corrected by carrying out the first error correction, they can be corrected by carrying out the second error correction if they are smaller in number than a certain value.
After the first error correction and the second error correction are completed for the whole of the error correction block, data descrambling is carried out, and subsequently the error detection processing is carried out on a sector-by-sector basis by use of EDCs. As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 180379-97 for example, it is also known that an interval between two successive synchronization signals of two consecutive sectors is compared with a reference interval to detect errors with the aim of dispensing with a specific error detection circuit that detects errors by use of EDCs.
FIG. 13 shows a structure of an information reproduction apparatus provided with a conventional error correction/detection capability for reproducing information from a disk (DVD). In FIG. 13, 100 denotes a disk, 101 denotes a head amplifier, 104 denotes a memory, 113 denotes a controller, 114 denotes a servocontroller, and 120 denotes a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit 120 includes a demodulator 102, a memory write device 103, a block synchronization signal producing device 105, a counter 106, a sequencer 107, an error corrector 108, a first memory read/write device 109, an error detector 110, a second memory read/write device 111, a data read device 116, and a data output device 115. The functions of the above-described elements of the information reproduction apparatus will be explained below.
The head amplifier 101 reads signals from the disk 100, and converts them into digital signals. The demodulator 102 demodulates the digital signals to produce data constituting a part of a code word, and also produces sector synchronization signals. The memory write device 103 writes the demodulated data into the memory 104. The memory 104 holds the demodulated data, as well as data after the error correction processing, data that has undergone the descrambling and the error detection processing, and data to be output to the outside. The block synchronization signal producing device 105 produces a block synchronization signal from the sector synchronization signals output from the demodulator 102 for each error correction block formed from 16 sectors. The counter 106 is initialized by the block synchronization signal output from the block synchronization signal producing device 105, and updates its count value when the error corrector 108 completes error correction in each correction mode (the first error correction mode, or the second error correction mode).
The sequencer 107 sets the mode, in which the error corrector 108 operates, based on the count value of the counter 106. The error corrector 108 accesses the memory 104 by way of the first memory read/write device 109 to read or write data, and performs the first or the second error correction following instructions from the sequencer 107. The error corrector 108 also outputs a signal indicative of the error correction in each mode having been completed, this signal being counted by the counter 106. The first memory read/write device 109 accesses the memory 104 in accordance with a request from the error corrector 108.
The error detector 110 access the data that has undergone the first error correction and the second error correction and is held in the memory 104 by way of the second memory read/write device 111, and carries out the descrambling to detect errors on a sector-by-sector basis by use of EDCs. The error detector 110 outputs an error detection signal to the controller 113 when detecting an error. The servocontroller 114 performs a disk rotation control for reading data from the disk 100, and a tracking control of a pickup. The data output device 115 reads data held in the memory 104 by way of the data read device 116 in accordance with a request from the outside, and outputs the data to the outside. The controller 113, which is for controlling the entire operation of the information reproduction apparatus, commands the servocontroller 114 to read again the error correction block that has been detected to have an error, upon receipt of the error detection signal from the error detector 110.
The operation of this apparatus will be explained below with reference to a timing chart shown in FIG. 14 for a case where there exists an uncorrectable code in the M-th sector within an error correction block read from the disk 100 and written into the memory 104. FIG. 14 shows the sector synchronization signal output from the demodulator 102, the block synchronization signal output from the block synchronization signal producing device 105 for each error correction block, a logical state of the sequencer 107, a count value of the counter 106, and addresses of spaces within the memory 104 which are accessed by the memory write device 103, the first memory read/write device 109, and the second memory read/write device 111 respectively.
Signals recorded in the disk 100 are read by the head amplifier 101, converted into digital form, and supplied to the demodulator 102. The demodulator 102 writes demodulated data into the memory 104 by use of the memory write device 103, while outputting sector synchronization signals to the block synchronization signal producing device 105. The block synchronization signal producing device 105 produces the block synchronization signal from the sector synchronization signals. The counter 106 is initialized by the block synchronization signal output from the block synchronization signal producing device 105 to have the initial count value of xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d for example. The sequencer 107 outputs, to the error corrector 108, a signal which stays at xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d level during a period over which the error correction processing is performed, and a signal which is at xe2x80x9cHxe2x80x9d level when causing the error corrector 108 to perform the first error correction and at xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d level when causing the error corrector 108 to perform the second error correction. The error corrector 108 corrects errors in the data within the memory 104 by use of the first memory read/write device 109 in accordance with a signal from the sequencer 107. The error detector 110 access the memory 104 holding the data which has undergone the error correction processing by way of the second memory read device 111 to perform error detection processing.
As shown in FIG. 14, assuming that the address of the space holding the data which has undergone the error correction processing is N, the error detector 110 starts to perform the error detection processing on the space of the address N with a block synchronization signal following the block synchronization signal with which the error correction processing was started. The error detector 110 outputs, to the controller 113, a signal which stays at xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d level during a period over which the error detection processing for 16 sectors is performed, and an error detection signal which is at xe2x80x9cHxe2x80x9d level when a sector including an error (that is, the M-th sector) is detected.
It is during execution of the error detection processing following the error correction processing when the error detector 110 outputs the error detection signal to the controller 113. The controller 113 commands, upon receipt of the error detection signal, the servocontroller 114 to start the control for reading again the error correction block including the sector which has been detected to have an error.
As described above, the conventional information reproduction apparatus is configured to execute the second error correction subsequent to the first error correction irrespective of the result of the first error correction (the number of uncorrectable code words), and to check the presence or absence of errors on sector-by-sector basis by use of EDCs after completion of the entire error correction processing for one error correction block. Accordingly, there is a large time lag between a moment at which an error correction block read from the disk is written into the memory and a moment at which the block is read again from the disk because the block is recognized to include a sector that has a code word that could not be corrected by performing the first error correction. Therefore, since there are many sectors which the servocontroller has to retrace to read the block again, the control becomes difficult and a long stabilization period is required. Furthermore, when it takes a long time to read the block including a sector that has been detected to have an error for the second time, the memory runs out of data to be output to the outside through the data output device, and thereby data output discontinues.
On the other hand, in the information reproduction apparatus that is configured to measure the interval of sector synchronization signals and recognize existence of an error when the measured interval is different from a reference interval, there is a possibility that errors which could be corrected by completing the error correction processing dedicated to a product code are determined as uncorrectable, and needless rereading of data is carried out.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems with an object of providing an information reproduction apparatus capable of detecting errors at an early stage with high accuracy without using EDCs.
The object is achieved by an information reproduction apparatus including an error corrector which performs a first error correction for correcting errors in a horizontal direction within an input data block comprised of a product code and subsequently a second error correction for correcting errors in a vertical direction within said input data block,
said error corrector producing a first signal each time an uncorrectable code word is detected while said first error correction is being performed;
said information reproduction apparatus further including:
a first counter for counting said first signal;
a comparator for comparing a count value of said first counter with a predetermined value and producing a second signal when said count value reaches said predetermined value; and
a determination device determining that there is an error within said input data block which said error corrector cannot correct, and delivering a third signal to the outside in response said second signal.
The information reproduction apparatus may further include a synchronization signal producing device for producing, from input data constituting an input data block, a synchronization signal used for synchronizing elements within said information reproduction apparatus.
The information reproduction apparatus may further include a synchronizer for delivering said count value of said first counter to said comparator in synchronization with said synchronization signal.
The information reproduction apparatus may further include:
a demodulator for demodulating input data with reference to a table in which a plurality of pieces of data are registered and outputting demodulated data as a part of a code word;
a device for producing a fourth signal when said input data does not match any of said plurality of pieces of data registered in said table;
a second counter for counting said fourth signal; and
a reading device for reading a count value of said second counter and outputting said count value read from said second counter to said first counter;
said first counter counting said first signal only for code words count values on which output from said reading device exceed a predetermined value.
The information reproduction apparatus may further include a data reading device for reading data to be reproduced, said data reading device performing rereading of said input data block in response to said third signal.


Disc and multilayer ceramic capacitors having a fine grained barium titanate body having been sintered at less than 1100.degree. C. exhibit a high dielectric constant and a smooth (X7R) temperature coefficient of capacitance. Such capacitors are made by mixing barium titanate powder of less than 0.6 micron average particle size, with around 2 weight percent of a silicate flux serving as a reactivity and sintering promoter and one weight percent Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5 serving as a reactivity and sintering inhibitor. After preparing a green body of this mixture, the body is sintered at about 1100.degree. C. In the case of making a multilayer monolithic capacitor, the buried electrodes contain no more than 30 weight percent palladium, and adjacent pairs of the buried electrodes have been spaced apart as close as 5 microns in capacitors of this fine grained high dielectric constant X7R ceramic leading to very high packing density.

This invention relates to a low-temperature sintered dielectric ceramic body compound of fine barium titanate grains and a tiny amount of cadmium silicate flux, the ceramic body having a high dielectric constant and a smooth temperature coefficient of dielectric constant, especially suitable for use in high quality multilayer ceramic capacitors.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors having a smooth X7R dielectric temperature coefficient comprise a substantial portion of the large ceramic capacitor market. Progress toward better X7R ceramic bodies having higher dielectric constants (K) has been slow. It is a well known contrariness rule that whatever is done to increase the dielectric constant, also degrades the smoothness of the dielectric temperature coefficient. However, a most striking advance that violates that rule has resulted from the discovery that capacitors with ceramic bodies of very fine grains, especially around 0.8 micron diameter, tend to have both a higher dielectric constant (K) and at the same time smoother temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) compared to large grained (above 1 micron) ceramic bodies of the same composition.
In multilayer capacitors, the fine grain structure has the further advantage that the space between adjacent layers of buried electrodes may be commensurately smaller leading to higher capacitance per unit volume, or lower cost per microfarad. Fine-grained bodies are made by sintering very fine particle (e.g. 0.2 micron) powders having a high surface energy and advantageously sinter at a lower temperature. But for such fine-grained bodies the same old contrariness rule applies. For example, fine-grained bodies of pure barium titanate hot pressed and sintered have a K of about 3700 and are far from meeting the X7R specification. To meet this X7R standard the K over the operating temperature range of from -55.degree. C. to +125.degree. C. varies no more than 15% relative to the K at room temperature. But, when sintered with 11 wt% of a sintering flux (CdBi.sub.2 Nb.sub.2 O.sub.9) at 1130.degree. C., the ceramic is densified and easily meets the X7R standard but has a room temperature K of only 1500. Alternatively, the addition of 15 wt% of a bismuth titanate flux (Bi.sub.4 Ti.sub.3 O.sub.12) and sintering at 1110.degree. C. to achieve full densification yields a K of 500 at room temperature and meets the X7R standard. Using 21/2 wt% of an additive composed of NbO.sub.2.5 .multidot.CoO with the pure fine grained barium titanate provided an X7R ceramic body with a K of 3000 but required a sintering temperature of 1300.degree. C. These results are reported by Henning et al in the paper entitled Temperature-Stable Dielectrics Based on Chemically Inhomogeneous BaTiO.sub.3, Journal of the American Ceramics Society, Vol. 67, No. 4, 1984, pages 249-254.
Another well known contrariness rule, exemplified by these examples, is that the addition of a sintering flux to the ceramic start mixture reduces the sintering temperature necessary to achieve densification, and thereby reduces the amount of precious metals needed to prevent the buried electrodes from melting during sintering. The addition of flux also tends to make the temperature coefficient smoother. However, such additions of flux tend to drastically reduce the dielectric constant of the sintered ceramic. This rule applies without exception to all dielectric ceramic materials regardless of ceramic grain size.
A third contrariness rule is that the addition of a sintering aid or flux, which leads to liquid phase sintering whereby the flux melts at sintering providing a medium in which the process of simultaneous dissolution and recrystallization of the ceramic ensues, promotes grain growth. In fact this rule was not at all contrary before only a few years ago when large grains were a goal toward achieving high dielectric constant ceramics. For example, see U.S. Pat, No. 4,266,265 May 5, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,677 Oct. 17, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,426 Jan. 3, 1978; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,941 May 27, 1975. In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,799 Jan. 25, 1966 there is disclosed the use of separate compounds of niobium and tantalum in the start materials to provide a high K body with a smooth temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC). These and other elements have been recognized as grain growth inhibitors, e.g. as in the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,677 Oct. 17, 1978 and in the pending patent application Ser. No. 06/885,509 filed July 4, 1986. The above-mentioned patents with issue dates in parentheses and the patent application. are assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention.
Mechanical comminution of ceramic powder particles to reduce particle size becomes ineffective at lower than about 1 micron and particle shapes are jagged and non-spherical. Only recently have methods for making finer powder become known. For example see U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,075 Mar. 31, 1987. Such "manufactured" fine particles are advantageously spherical, have a relatively narrow particle size distribution and have an average particle size that may be varied upward from 0.1 micron in the process of manufacture. Such particles have a very high energy density and therefore will sinter at a lower temperature than larger particles of the same composition. They also are more reactive at sintering with other compounds in a ceramic start material.
It is an object of this invention to provide a dielectric ceramic body having grains of average size less than 0.9 micron and having a high dielectric constant and a smooth X7R temperature coefficient of dielectric constant.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for making such a dielectric ceramic body wherein the body is sintered at a temperature of 1100.degree. C. or less.

Capacitor with fine grained BaTiO.sub.3 body and method for making


A piezoelectric film includes crystals of a complex oxide having a perovskite structure with (100)-preferred orientation and represented as: Pb1+δ[(ZrxTi1-x)1-yNby]Oz, where x is a value in a range of 0<x<1, y is a value in a range of 0.13≦y≦0.25, and δ and z are values within ranges where the perovskite structure is obtained and δ=0 and z=3 are standard, wherein a ratio between a diffraction peak intensity I(100) from a perovskite (100) plane and a diffraction peak intensity I(200) from a perovskite (200) plane as measured by X-ray diffraction satisfies I(100)/I(200)≧1.25.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric film and a piezoelectric device, and more particularly to a piezoelectric film and a piezoelectric device having high piezoelectric performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a piezoelectric device that is obtained by combining a piezoelectric film having a piezoelectric property of producing displacement due to application of a drive voltage, with electrodes through which the drive voltage is applied to the piezoelectric film. A piezoelectric film is a thin film, which is beneficial for achieving greater fineness and is therefore extremely useful, but does not have good piezoelectric performance and is therefore problematic in that it cannot yield sufficient device performance.
Known piezoelectric materials are PZT (lead zirconate titanate), or substituted PZT in which a portion of the A or B site of the PZT is substituted with another element. It is known that PZT that is doped with donor ions having higher valence than the valence of the substituted ions has improved piezoelectric performance compared to pure PZT.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-221037 discloses a piezoelectric film in which the B site atoms are substituted with Ta or Nb in a range of 5% to 20%, and SiO2 or GeO2 is included as an additive.

Piezoelectric film and piezoelectric device


A system on chip and associated method facilitates transfer of data between two or more master blocks through a bus on chip. The system creates a direct path for data transferring from a master port of a bus to another master port of the same bus. The bus includes a plurality of signals used to transfer data, address or control information between two or several blocks on chip. The behavior of bus connector block is controlled according to the destination of data coming from a master port. The system includes a master-connector-slave arrangement that enables the direct data communication between two or several master blocks, without taking any slave blocks as the data buffer. A bus connector block is configured to manage bus arbitrating and address decoding, and particularly to create the direct data path between master blocks.

The continued growth of the communications technologies and multimedia technologies has fueled the need for integrating more and more communication components, multimedia components, Digital Signal Processors (DSP) and general purpose processors into the System On Chip (SOC). Most of these components deal with data transferring or processing, and are operable to read data from a data pool or write data to a data pool. Such components that can initiate the transfer of data are called master blocks. Additionally, data pools, such as the memory or register groups, are called slave blocks

Multi-master bus architecture for system-on-chip


Disclosed are aqueous latex-based coating compositions which comprise a blend of an ethylene-vinyl acetate emulsion copolymer component and a selected type of acrylic emulsion copolymer component. The acrylic copolymer component comprises primarily acrylate ester co-monomers or acrylic ester co-monomers and vinyl aromatic, e.g., styrene, co-monomers. The blend of these two emulsion copolymer types also contains a specific type of hydrazine-based, water-soluble cross-linking agent which can eventually react with the acrylic emulsion copolymer component. The acrylic emulsion copolymer is one which contains minor amounts of both 1) carboxy functional co-monomers such as itaconic and/or (meth)acrylic acids, and 2) keto- or aldehyde-containing co-monomers such as diacetone acrylamide. Such latex-based coating compositions can be formulated in the form of water-based paint compositions. These paint products provide paint coatings that exhibit desirable dry and wet adhesion characteristics and desirable resistance to blocking.

Latex-based paints have captured a significant portion of the indoor and outdoor paint market as a result of the many advantages that such paints have over solvent-based products. The main advantage of latex-based paints include easy clean up, low odor and fast dry.
Two main types of emulsion polymers are employed in formulating latex paints, namely (1) acrylic emulsion copolymers, comprising of alkyl esters of acrylic and methacrylic acid, or combinations of such esters with vinyl aromatic co-monomers like styrene, along with minor amounts of acrylic and methacrylic acid, and (2) vinyl acetate copolymers, comprising vinyl acetate in combination with ethylene, vinyl chloride and/or minor amounts of softer acrylic monomers. The acrylic emulsion polymers are mainly used in premium quality paints for excellent water resistance, desired levelling, film hardness and scrub resistance. The vinyl acetate polymers exhibit toughness and scrubability but poor water resistance. Vinyl acetate polymers tend to be much less expensive than the acrylic polymers
Notwithstanding the advantages of VAE-based latex paints, it is well documented that several deficiencies exist for VAE emulsions in paint products versus solvent-based paints and acrylic-based latex paints. One such deficiency relates to wet adhesion. The term "wet adhesion" is used in the paint industry to describe the ability of a paint coating to retain its adhesive bond under wet conditions. Good wet adhesion is well known in solvent-based paints, but water-based paints tend to lose adhesion in wet or humid conditions. This inherent deficiency limits extensive use of latex paints in humid environments. For example, paints intended for exteriors are frequently exposed to moisture, due to rain and humidity, while the same harsh conditions are encountered in interior paints used in bathrooms and kitchens. Further, resistance to washing and abrasive scrubbing also is an important requirement for painted surfaces which become soiled and must be washed and cleaned.
Much effort has been devoted in the past to improving the wet adhesion capabilities of latex-based paints. This effort has involved attempts to optimize various paint formulation parameters, such as pigment types, dispersant types, surfactants and coalescing agents. The most significant improvement in wet adhesion properties has been observed through functional modification of the polymer backbone of the latex binder, to incorporate amine, amide and acetoacetate functionalities.
In particular, cyclic ureido derivatives have been described in the patent literature as imparting wet adhesion properties, and such components are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,104,220; 4,111,877; 4,219,454; 4,319,032; and 4,599,417. However, cyclic ureido-containing functional monomers are very expensive and their inclusion results in a drastic and uneconomic increase in the cost of the vinyl acetate polymers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,151 describes another approach to improving the wet adhesion properties of vinyl acetate polymers by blending into a vinyl chloride/acrylic latex a copolymer which is a vinyl-acrylic, a vinyl chloride-acrylic or an all acrylic latex containing hydroxy methyl diacetone acrylamide (HMDAA).
Another deficiency of VAE-based latex paints in general versus solvent-based paints and acrylic-based latex paints relates to block resistance. Dry paint often comes into contact with itself especially in window and door areas and, depending on its hardness, the pressure, temperature, humidity, and duration of time which the surfaces are in contact, the painted surfaces sometimes stick together. This undesirable sticking together of two painted surfaces when pressed together or placed in contact with each other is referred to as "blocking". Thus, an important characteristic of coatings is block (or blocking) resistance.
One approach for improving block resistance of paint films based on VAE latex technology has been to blend into the VAE latex-based compositions a certain type of acrylic latex particles containing trialkoxylated silane functionalities as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,960. This is deemed to be a relatively expensive route to enhanced blocking resistance performance due to the cost of the trialkoxylated silane monomer.
Notwithstanding the above-described prior art techniques for improving wet adhesion and block resistance of VAE emulsion-containing, aqueous latex paints, there continues to be a need to identify new coating formulations, especially in the form of paints, which employ VAE film-forming lattices and which also provide enhanced paint film wet adhesion and anti-blocking performance. It has been found that an improved VAE based coating composition, e.g., a latex paint, can be produced by blending into a VAE-based paint formulation an acrylic latex copolymer emulsion wherein the acrylate copolymer contains selected types and amounts of modifying co-monomers and is used with a selected type and amount of a specific cross-linking system.


A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, includes providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons; storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features that are distance measurements associated with facial features of the particular person of interest at an associated time; and providing an individual recognition classifier that uses the appearance model and the associated time to identify the particular person of interest in images from the collection of digital images.

With the advent of digital photography, consumers are amassing large collections of digital images and videos. The average number of images captures with digital cameras per photographer is still increasing each year. As a consequence, the organization and retrieval of images and videos is already a problem for the typical consumer. Currently, the length of time spanned by a typical consumer's digital image collection is only a few years. The organization and retrieval problem will continue to grow as the length of time spanned by the average digital image and video collection increases.
One of the most fundamental subjects of consumer photography is people. Furthermore, in a given collection of digital images and videos, certain people tend to occur frequently. For example, it is common for most images captured by new parents to contain their new baby. Consumers desire the ability to find all images from their collection containing a specific person. However, this is technically a very difficult task. For example, the baby will grow from baby to toddler to child to adult and radically change in appearance.
There exists many image processing packages that attempt to recognize people for security or other purposes. Some examples are the FaceVACS face recognition software from Cognitec Systems GmbH and the Facial Recognition SDKs from Imagis Technologies Inc. and Identix Inc. These packages are primarily intended for security-type applications where the person faces the camera under uniform illumination, frontal pose and neutral expression. These methods are not suited for use in personal consumer images due to the large variations in pose, illumination, expression and face size encountered in images in this domain. Furthermore, these systems are targeted for use on adult faces and cannot successfully recognize an image of a particular person of interest at any age.
Several image processing techniques have been described for detecting the age of a person from a digital image. For example, Lobo and Kwon describe a method of classifying the age of human faces in digital images in U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,650. They perform facial measurements and a wrinkle analysis using snakes and classify the age of the person into the categories of: baby (up to about 3 years), junior (3 to 40 years), and senior (over 40 years). This method does not discuss the problem of recognizing the identity of people in the image. Other image processing techniques are known which us facial recognition. For example, U.S. Published Patent Application US 2004/0247177A1 uses eigenfaces to characterize the pixel density pattern of a subject's face. All of the above techniques suffer from problems and can misidentify persons of interest.

Using time in recognizing persons in images


Embodiments of the present invention include helical, ring bar and tunnel ladder slow wave structures (SWSs). Embodiments of methods of micro-fabricating such SWSs are also disclosed. Embodiments of high frequency electromagnetic devices including such SWSs are also disclosed. Exemplary high frequency electromagnetic devices may include a traveling wave tube, a traveling wave tube amplifier, a back wave oscillator, as part of a linear accelerator, a microwave power module, a klystron or a millimeter-wave power module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to micro-fabrication techniques for making electron beam confining structures. In particular, the present invention relates to slow wave structures (SWSs) for microwave amplifiers and oscillators and methods for micro-fabricating such SWSs.
2. State of the Art
A traveling wave tube (TWT) is generally used to provide microwave generation and microwave amplification. A conventional TWT typically includes a slow wave circuit or structure defined by a generally hollow vacuum-tight barrel with optional additional microwave circuitry disposed inside the barrel. An electron source and suitable steering magnets or electric fields are arranged around the slow wave circuit to pass an electron beam through the generally hollow beam tunnel. In a conventional TWT, an electron beam interacts with a propagating electromagnetic wave to amplify the energy of the electromagnetic wave. This interaction may be achieved by propagating the electromagnetic wave through a structure which slows the axial propagation of the electromagnetic wave and brings it into synchronism with the velocity of the electron beam. The kinetic energy in the electron beam is coupled into the electromagnetic wave, thereby amplifying the electromagnetic wave. Such a structure may be referred to as a "slow wave structure". Conventional slow wave structures may take the form of, e.g., a circular, square or hexagonal cross sectioned generally hollow structure surrounding the electron beam.
Various methods for constructing helixes for use in TWTs are known in the art. Common fabrication techniques include winding or machining. For example a thin wire or tape of conductive material may be wound around a mandrel and processed to properly shape the helix to a circular configuration. Drawbacks associated with the winding technique include placing stress on the wire or tape, which may limit stability of the helix under operating conditions. Additionally, when heated during annealing or operation, Wound helixes lack dimensional stability because of, e.g., physical distortion.
Another conventional approach to forming cylindrical helixes suitable for TWTs involves cutting a cylindrical tube into a desired helix pattern using electrical discharge machining. But, such helical structures formed according to this technique tend to be brittle and subject to cracking. Additionally, both conventional winding and machining techniques become impractical when used for high frequency applications because of the need for smaller dimensions associated with higher frequencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,438 to Bowers discloses a photolithographic method of forming helixes for TWTs. Bowers discloses the use of a mandrel on a lathe as a form for micro-fabricating a SWS. Using conventional planar processing techniques Bowers builds the SWS on the mandrel and then separates the SWS from the mandrel. However, the Bowers approach appears to require sophisticated linear and rotation control during processing.
Yet another prior art approach to forming cylindrical helixes suitable for TWTs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,675 to Rajan et al. Rajan et al. discloses a method for fabrication of three dimensional TWT circuit elements using laser lithography. According to the method of Rajan et al., a small hollow preform (square or cylindrical tube) is coated with a layer of photoresist material, patterned, stripped and etched and optionally polished. However, Rajan et al. requires an ultraviolet (UV) laser and, like Bowers, a sophisticated linear and rotation controller for processing the preform. Additionally, the method of Rajan et al. requires significant exposure time (1-2 hours) which limits its use for mass production. A similar technique is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2003/0151366 to Dayton, Jr. The Dayton, Jr. device also requires expensive laser micromachining for fabrication.
Lithographic techniques are regularly used in the electronics industry to achieve small features required for high frequency electronics. However, these techniques are generally applied to planar wafer substrates or silicon or other semiconductor materials. As such, lithographic techniques have not been readily adapted to produce the types of finely detailed three-dimensional structures called for in TWTs and other high frequency devices designed for high frequency operation.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for new micro-fabrication techniques for SWSs for TWTs and other microwave amplifier and oscillator devices that utilize lithographic techniques for mass production without the drawbacks associated with conventional methods of manufacturing SWSs.

Method of micro-fabrication of a helical slow wave structure using photo-resist processes


Automatic injection device includes a housing, a syringe, a plunger, and a syringe carrier. The housing includes a barrel between a first end and a second end. The barrel includes an elongated window to allow viewing of contents inside the housing. The syringe is disposed within the housing and has a reservoir. The plunger is at least partially disposed within the syringe and includes a visual indicator. The syringe carrier is disposed within the housing and configured to contain the syringe and displace the syringe within the housing between a first position and a second position. The syringe carrier can be substantially transparent. The syringe carrier can have first and second legs and an extension disposed therebetween, and at least a portion of the extension can be configured to align with the window and the reservoir when the syringe carrier is in the first position.

Field of the Disclosed Subject Matter
The present disclosed subject matter relates to an automatic injection device for injecting a substance, such as a therapeutic agent, into a patient.
Description of Related Art
One of the most common routes of administration for therapeutic agents, such as medications, is by injection, such as intravenous, subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. A syringe containing the medication is used for the injection, which typically is carried out by trained medical personnel. In certain instances, a patient is trained in the use of the syringe to allow for self-injection. Moreover, certain medications are formulated in pre-filled syringes for patient use, to avoid the need for the patient to fill the syringe. Some patients, however, can be averse to carrying out self-injection, particularly if the patient has a fear of needles or limited dexterity.
Automatic injection devices offer an alternative to a syringe for delivering a therapeutic agent. Automatic injection devices have been used, for example, to deliver medications under emergency conditions, such as to administer epinephrine to counteract the effects of a severe allergic reaction, for example, as caused by a food allergy. Automatic injection devices also have been described for use in administering antiarrhythmic medications and selective thrombolytic agents during a heart attack (see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,910,260; 4,004,577; 4,689,042; 4,755,169 and 4,795,433). Various types of automatic injection devices also are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,941,130; 4,261,358; 5,085,642; 5,092,843; 5,102,393; 5,267,963; 6,149,626; 6,270,479; and 6,371,939, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In general, prior automatic injection devices, when operated, have a needle of a syringe configured to move forward and project from a protective housing prior to actuation of the piston of the syringe to eject a dose of liquid through the needle. Movement of the syringe toward the patient's skin such that the needle is exposed before pressurizing a liquid charge inside the syringe can help prevent the liquid from being discharged from the needle before the actual injection takes place.
However, there remains a need for further improvement of known automatic injection devices. For example, it can be desirable to inspect the contents of the automatic injection device prior to use. Also, it can be desirable to indicate when injection is completed. Such features are available in certain automatic injection devices, the features depend upon larger volume doses. However, there remains a need for an automatic injection device suitable for different volume doses and/or a wider range of dose volumes.


A HCPS (hierarchically clustered P2P streaming system) comprising peers grouped into clusters and hierarchies. The HCPS actively balances the uploading capabilities among clusters and executes an optimal scheduling algorithm within each cluster to ensure that system resources are optimally utilized. The HCPS comprises an architecture which can be used in practical applications, yet can achieve the streaming rate close to the theoretical upper bound.

This invention relates to a method for creating a network from technical devices, such as digital electronic consumer devices and/or computers.
In computer technology it is well known to build up a network of connected devices for exchanging data and sharing hardware resources. The separate devices are commonly called nodes. At the time being, nodes are usually computers, but can be other technical devices, such as set top boxes, cellular telephones, mobile electronic devices or the like. The interconnections between the nodes are mainly electrically, optically or wireless radio connections. Networks can be classified as being based on either client-server or peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures. In P2P based networks a node is also referred to as a peer. While in client-server architectures each node is defined to be either client or server, there is no such differentiation in P2P networks. Instead, peers include both, server and client functionalities. P2P technology enables each node to be capable of providing services or resources to any other node in the network, or use services or resources provided by any other node in the network.
P2P networks are usually not restricted to any special applications or underlying network topologies, but can be understood as a set of nodes, or peers, which rely on certain sets of specific protocols. It is characteristic for a P2P network that the peers communicate directly with other peers, so that no central network organization is required. Most P2P networks support that peers can be connected to the network or disconnected from the network at any time.
The mentioned P2P protocols are required for basic network organization, such as for example, discovery of other connected peers, offering own services or resources to other peers (advertising), understanding other peers' advertising messages, or allocating connection capacity for establishing certain connections to other peers. Also, there are protocols that enable a group of peers to cooperate, and thus form a peer-group. Such peer-groups are usually used for providing a common set of services within the peer group. Nevertheless, the purpose of a peer-group is not generally defined. A peer belonging to a peer-group normally has access to, and can be accessed from, all other connected peers of the same group. Additionally, each peer may be a member of further peer-groups. For adding or removing peers to or from a peer group, the user is always required to perform certain administrative activities.
Stochastic Fluid Theory for P2P Streaming Systems (R. Kumar, Y. Liu, and K. Ross, in Proceedings of IEEE INFOCOM, 2007) teaches that the maximum video streaming rate in a P2P streaming system is determined by the video source server's capacity, the number of the peers in the system, and the aggregate uploading capacity of all peers. A perfect scheduling algorithm is also proposed to achieve the maximum streaming rate. In such a scheduling algorithm, each peer uploads the video content obtained directly from the server to all other peers in the system. To guarantee 100% uploading capacity utilization on all peers, different peers download different content from the server and the rate at which a peer downloads content from the server is proportional to its uploading capacity.
A perfect scheduling algorithm achieves the maximum streaming rate allowed by the system. Assuming n peers in the system, and peer i's upload capacity is ui, i=1, 2, . . . , n. There is one source in the system with the upload capacity of us. Denoted by rmax the maximum streaming rate allowed by the system is:
                              r          max                =                  min                                {                                          u                s                            ,                                                                    u                    s                                    +                                                            ∑                                              i                        =                        1                                            n                                                                                u                      i                                                                      n                                      }                                              (        1        )
The value of
      (                  u        s            +                        ∑                      i            =            1                    n                                  u          i                      )    /  nis the average upload capacity per peer. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system (100) according to the prior art demonstrating how the different portions of data are scheduled among three heterogeneous nodes with perfect scheduling algorithm. There are three peers (120, 130, 140) depicted in the system. Assuming the server (110) has capacity of 6 and the upload capacities of a (130), b (120) and c (130) are 2, 4 and 6 respectively, and that that all peers have enough downloading capacity, the maximum video rate that can be supported in the system is 6. To achieve that rate, the server divides video data into portions of 6 (151, 152, 153). A (130) is responsible for uploading 1 portion out of video data while b (140) and c (120) are responsible for upload 2 and 3 portions within each video data. This way, all peers (130, 140, 120) can download video at the maximum rate of 6. To implement such a perfect scheduling algorithm, each peer needs to maintain a connection and exchange video content with all other peers in the system. In addition, the server needs to split the video stream into multiple sub-streams with different rates, one for each peer. A real P2P streaming system can easily have a few thousand of peers. With current operating systems, it is unrealistic for a regular peer to maintain thousands of concurrent connections. It is also challenging for a server to partition a video stream into thousands of sub-streams in real time. Thus it is desirable to have a P2P streaming system which can achieve the streaming rate close to the theoretical upper bound, and the scheme is practical enough to use in practice.

Hierarchically clustered P2P streaming system


The present embodiment relates to a coil device.

A portable terminal such as a mobile phone or a notebook computer includes a battery for storing electric power and a circuit for charging and discharging the battery. In order to charge the battery of such a terminal, electric power should be supplied from an external charger.
Generally, as an example of an electrical connection method between a battery and a charging device for charging electric power to the battery, there is a terminal supply method in which commercial power is supplied and converted into voltage and current corresponding to the battery to supply electric energy to the battery through a terminal of the battery. Such a terminal supply method requires use of a physical cable or an electric wire. Therefore, when a lot of devices of the terminal supply method are used, a lot of cables occupy a considerable work space and are difficult to organize, and are not good in appearance. Further, the terminal supply method may cause problems such as instantaneous discharge due to different electric potential differences between terminals, occurrence of burnout or fire due to foreign matters, spontaneous discharge, and deterioration in lifespan and performance of the battery, etc.
Recently, in order to solve such problems, a charging system (hereinafter referred to as "wireless charging system") using a method of transmitting power wirelessly and control methods have been proposed. In addition, in the past, wireless charging systems were not standard on some portable devices, and consumers had to purchase separate wireless charging receiver accessories, so that the demand for wireless charging systems was low. In the future, it is expected that the number of users using wireless charging will increase rapidly and terminal manufacturers will basically be equipped with a wireless charging function.
In general, a wireless charging system includes a wireless power transmitter that supplies electric energy by a wireless power transmission method, and a wireless power receiver that receives electric energy supplied from the wireless power transmitter and charges a battery.
Meanwhile, in order to transmit wireless power, the wireless power transmitter includes a transmission coil, and in order to receive wireless power, the wireless power receiver includes a reception coil. The transmission coil or the reception coil may include a plurality of cables for input/output of AC signals, for example, input/output wires. As the number of input/output wires increases, there is a problem that a process for connection to an external configuration becomes complicated or the number of processes increases. In addition, there is a problem that the durability of the transmission/reception coil is lowered due to the movement of the input/output wires.
Meanwhile, as an output amount of wireless power transmitted from the wireless power system has increased, heat generated in the transmitting/reception coil has increased. When heat is increased in the transmission/reception coil, there is a problem that the transmission efficiency of the wireless power decreases.

Abstract: The coil device according to the present embodiment includes: first to third coils including a connecting portion; and a coil frame including an upper receiving portion for housing the first coil, a lower receiving portion for housing the second and third coils, and a cable fixing portion for fixing each connecting portion of the first to third coils.


Densities of water vapor can be detected and quantified at a high sampling rate for a gas. The gas can be contained within a sample chamber within or outside of an instrument enclosure. A first split beam passes through the enclosure and the sample chamber while a second split beam that passes only through the enclosure provides a reference that can be used to correct for ambient humidity in the instrument enclosure.

The performance of fuel cells using a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) or other comparable means of controlling the flow of ions in an electrolytic reaction can be quite sensitive to the moisture level of the membrane. Proper hydration of the membrane can be necessary for the membrane to conduct protons and thereby create the movement of charged particles that creates an electric current. Moisture can be provided by water vapor in the incoming air or fuel stream (for example hydrogen) to maintain the membrane at an appropriate and desirable level of hydration. Accurate, reliable, robust, real time measurement of water vapor concentrations is necessary to assure reliable and efficient operation of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell and product of combustion humidity sensor


All available timeslots for interconnecting a circuit between two endpoints in a telecommunications network are considered for selecting and establishing the path wherein the selecting step may be carried out according to the rule of first feasible timeslot and wherein bandwidth may be determined as being equal to the lowest count among the timeslots determined to be feasible in each network element in a given path and wherein the total bandwidth in the network between two endpoints is determined by adding the bandwidths determined for each possible path.

Telecommunication network planners often need to know how much bandwidth is available between selected points for capacity planning purposes.
Telecommunications Operations personnel need to determine which timeslots to use for interconnecting a particular type of signal circuit between two end points.
There are some known methods for circuit planning and circuit set-up. For example, a Trunk Integrated Record Keeping System (TIRKS.RTM.) has a method of finding bandwidth and finding timeslots for circuits. This method is explained in an article appearing in an IEEE GLOBECOM publication entitled "SONET Add/Drop Multiplex Equipment Administration Using the TIRKS.RTM. Provisioning System" by Dianne E. Bailey.
However, this known method does not take full advantage of the cross-connect capabilities of today's network elements. Although it alludes to a future development in which the TIRKS.RTM. system will be able to automatically rearrange time-slot assignments to optimize utilization of the SONET carrier system, no detailed teachings are provided.

Apparatus and method for finding bandwidth and making circuits in a telecommunications transport network


A scraping apparatus, including: a gripping assembly, for gripping a stick of a cleaning tool; a bar, extending from the gripping assembly, the bar shaped to include a first section being adjacent and parallel to the broom stick, and a second section being adjacent and parallel to a brush of the broom; a scraping tip disposed at an end of the bar; and a location disposition mechanism, for manually allowing sliding the bar in relation to the broom stick and for manually disallowing the sliding against pressure applied on the scraping tip.

There are many different types of brooms available for cleaning floors. Most have a relatively soft brush which frequently cannot remove debris which is stuck to the floor while sweeping. A scraper must then be used to loosen the debris from the floor prior to sweeping.
Connecting a scraping element requires significant force of holding together with providing friendly moving of the scraping element.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to the abovementioned problems.