The subject invention pertains to a modified lantibiotic containing an intact cysteine at the C-terminus, particularly, a cysteine that is not decarboxylated and that contains a free carboxyl group. Derivatives of the modified lantibiotic comprising a moiety conjugated to the carboxyl group of the terminal cysteine are also provided. A bacterium that produces a modified lantibiotic having an intact cysteine at the C-terminus are also provided, wherein the bacterium is genetically modified to inactivate a gene that encodes a decarboxylase enzyme that decarboxylates the cysteine at the C-terminus of a precursor lantibiotic. Methods of producing a modified lantibiotic having an intact cysteine at the C-terminus by culturing a bacterium that synthesizes the modified lantibiotic and purifying the lantibiotic are also provided. Mutants of lantibiotics, particularly, mutacin 1140 having higher anti-bacterial activity or higher bacterial expression compared to mutacin 1140 are also provided.

Lantibiotics are characterized by their post-translational modifications (PTMs). Dehydrations of serine and threonine residues into dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine residues, respectively, are common modifications found in lantibiotics. These dehydrated residues are cyclized with cysteines to form thioether bridges, which are called lanthionines1-2. Lantibiotics can contain other post-translational modifications, such as D-alanines in lacticin 3147, β-hydroxy aspartate in cinnamycin, 2-oxopropionyl in lactocin S, and an oxidized lanthionine in actagardine3-6.
The epidermin group of lantibiotics and other lantibiotic peptides have a S—[(Z)-2-aminovinyl]-D-cysteine (AviCys) residue at the C-terminal end of the peptide (FIG. 1a). This residue consists of a decarboxylated cysteine which forms a lanthionine ring. Several of these modifications are important for lantibiotic activity; however, the importance of the AviCys for the lantibiotic activity in the epidermin group of lantibiotics is not known.
Mutacin 1140, produced by Streptococcus mutans JH1140, is a lantibiotic that has shown promise as a potential therapeutic (FIG. 1b)7-9. It has a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-positive bacteria10. Further, mutacin 1140 has been shown to clear Staphylococcus aureus infections in rodent models with little toxicity11. The bacterium producing mutacin 1140 has been engineered into a therapy for preventing dental caries12.
Mutacin 1140 belongs to the class I epidermin group of lantibiotics and is structurally related to epidermin and gallidermin13-14. The first two lanthionine rings, rings A and B, of the epidermin group are referred to as the lipid II binding domain. The lantibiotic nisin shares structural homology to the lanthionine rings A&B. The latter half of the epidermin and nisin peptide is referred to as the lateral assembly domain, which presumably abducts lipid II into large lipid II/lantibiotic complexes15-16.
Decarboxylation of a C-terminal cysteine to form an AviCys residue occurs in several metabolites17. AviCys is present in the class II lantibiotics mersacidin and microbisporicin17-18. It is also found in non-lantibiotics, such as cypemycin. Cypemycin contains many of the lantibiotic PTM modifications; however, it does not form lanthionine rings19. The AviCys residue has also been found in the nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) produced metabolite thiovideramide. The mechanism of AviCys formation for the NRPS peptide maybe different due the nature of its biosynthesis20.
In certain lantibiotics, decarboxylation of cysteine at the C-terminus is performed by the flavoprotein LanD. This decarboxylase has been shown to be specific for C-terminal cysteines. Furthermore, LanD could not decarboxylate an ethyl-thioether mimic, suggesting decarboxylation occurs before ring D formation21. Crystal structures for both EpiD, the decarboxylase for epidermin, and MrsD, the decarboxylase for mersacidin, indicate that these enzymes form a homo-dodecamer22-23. Studies on the mechanism of activity suggest that decarboxylation produces an ene-thiol intermediate that promotes terminal ring formation24. There have been no reports of an isolated carboxylated analog of an AviCys containing lantibiotic, even in an EpiD deletion mutant of epidermin biosynthesis25.
HOAt/EDC coupling has been achieved for lantibiotics that contain a C-terminal carboxyl group. NVB302, an analog of actagardine which has undergone phase 1 clinical trials, has a diaminoheptane tail attached to the C-terminus of the lantibiotic27. Additionally, lantibiotics can be produced through solid-phase peptide synthesis using orthogonally protected lanthionine rings26-28.

Modified lantibiotics and methods of making and using the modified lantibiotics


There is provided an information processing device which is capable of suppressing generation of stray light at the time of recording and reproduction of information, thus enabling quality information recording and reproduction. The information processing device includes: a radiation light source 2; and a converging section for converging rays emitted from the light source toward an information recording medium having a photosensitive layer 11b, wherein the converging section splits the rays into first and second rays 3′ and 3 respectively traveling through first and second spaces as divided by a plane at least containing a point optical axis L, and converges the first and second rays 3′ and 3 onto first and second points 12′ and 12 in the information recording medium 11, the photosensitive layer 11b being interposed between the first and second points 12′ and 12. Between the first and second points 12′ and 12, the first and second rays 3′ and 3 interfere with each other to form interference fringes, the interference fringes representing information to be recorded in the photosensitive layer 11b of the information recording medium 11.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to: an information recording medium on which to record information; and an information processing device for recording information on an information recording medium, or reproducing information which is recorded on an information recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
As techniques for recording a large amount of information, information recording or reproduction techniques employing an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD have conventionally been used widely. According to such techniques, as shown in FIG. 10A, information to be recorded is converted into a sequence of one-bit digital data 101 consisting of "0" and "1". Then, by modulating light based on the digital data sequence 101, and irradiating an information recording medium 100 with the modulated light, spaces and recording marks 102 corresponding to the digital data sequence 101 are formed on the information recording medium 100. Such techniques make it possible to record information on an information recording medium 100 having a capacity of several tens of Gbytes, or reproduce information from the recording medium 100.
On the other hand, as methods for recording even greater amounts of information, information recording/reproduction technique utilizing holography have been attracting attention in recent years. According to such techniques, as shown in FIG. 10B, for example, page data 111 which is in a two-dimensional arrangement can be recorded in a predetermined three-dimensional region 112 on the recording medium 110, by utilizing interference of light. Since the page data 111 may be of a capacity of e.g. several tens of Kbytes, by forming a multitude of three-dimensional regions 112 so as to overlap the tracks of the information recording medium 100, it becomes possible to record terabytes of data on the recording medium 110. Hereinafter, a conventional information recording/reproduction technique utilizing holography will be described.
FIG. 11 schematically shows an essential portion of an information recording/reproduction apparatus proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-311938, which utilizes holography. First, P-polarized laser light which is emitted from a radiation light source such as a semiconductor laser (not shown) is converted into parallel light by a collimating lens (not shown), and after being split into two paths by a half mirror (not shown), one of the split portions of light is led through a ½ wavelength plate (not shown) to become S-polarized rays 3′. The other split portion of light becomes P-polarized rays 3.
The rays 3′, also called "information light", are modulated by information to be recorded during recording of information, as described below. On the other hand, the rays 3, also called "reference light", interfere with the information light during recording of information, whereby the information carried by the information light is recorded on the information recording medium in the form of interference fringes. During information reproduction, the interference fringes having been formed on the information recording medium is irradiated with the reference light, whereby diffracted light which is modulated in accordance with the recorded information is obtained.
After being led through a spatial modulator 5, the rays 3′ are made slightly convergent by a convex lens 20, as shown by the broken lines. The rays 3′ enter a polarization beam splitter 19, and are reflected from a polarization plane 19a thereof, so as to be led through a joint gyrator 18 in a direction along an optical axis L. Furthermore, the rays 3′ are converged by an objective lens 10 onto a point 12′ which is before a reflective layer 11d of an information recording medium 11.
The joint gyrator 18 is formed by attaching together two optical rotators of different optical rotation directions. Specifically, on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis L, the joint gyrator 18 is split into two regions 18a and 18b by a line extending through the optical axis L. In the region 18a, an optical rotator for rotating the polarization direction of the transmitted light by 45° in a clockwise direction is provided. In the region 18b, an optical rotator for rotating the polarization direction of the transmitted light by 45° in a counterclockwise direction is provided.
The spatial modulator 5 may be composed of a ferroelectric liquid crystal panel, for example. A region of the spatial modulator 5 which the rays 3′ are led through is divided in a lattice fashion. The spatial modulator 5 is driven so as to cause an independent change in each split region, such as: shifting of the phase of the transmitted light by π (phase modulation), or providing a zero light transmittance (amplitude modulation). Thus, a modulation pattern representing the aforementioned page data is formed through the spatial modulator 5. The modulation pattern is to be updated based on an external signal.
On the other hand, the P-polarized rays 3 enter the polarization beam splitter 19 along the optical axis L, and are transmitted through the polarization plane 19a thereof, so as to be led through the joint gyrator 18 along the optical axis L. Furthermore, the P-polarized rays 3 are converged by the objective lens 10 onto a point 12 on the surface of the reflective layer 11d of the information recording medium 11. Since only the rays 3′ are transmitted through the convex lens 20, the rays 3 have a different converging point from that of the rays 3′.
The information recording medium 11 includes a transparent substrate 11a, a photosensitive layer 11b (e.g., photopolymer), a transparent layer 11c, and the reflective layer 11d. The photosensitive layer 11b is located substantially in the middle between the point 12 and the point 12′.
FIG. 12A shows optical paths within the information recording medium 11 of the rays 3 and the rays 3′, which are radiated toward the information recording medium 11. At the point 12′, the rays 3′ are inverted with respect to the optical axis L. As a result, the bundle of rays 3 and the bundle of rays 3′ intersect or overlap each other within a circle 13a in the photosensitive layer 11b. The rays 3 in the circle 13a are rotated counterclockwise by 45° with respect to the P-polarized light, due to an optical rotary action of the region 18b of the joint gyrator 18. On the other hand, the rays 3′ are rotated clockwise by 45° with respect to the S-polarized light, due to an optical rotary action of the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18. As a result, within the circle 13a in the photosensitive layer 11b, the rays 3 and the rays 3′ have the same polarization direction. In a circle 13b within the photosensitive layer 11b, the circle 13b being in a symmetrical position from the circle 13a with respect to the optical axis L, the rays 3 and the rays 3′ similarly have the same polarization direction.
Thus, since the rays 3 and the rays 3′ have the same polarization direction, these two bundles of rays interfere with each other within the photosensitive layer 11b, thus forming interference fringes. In the case where the output from the laser light source is large, the photosensitive layer 11b is exposed, whereby an interference pattern 13 having a refractive index distribution corresponding to the optical intensity distribution of the interference fringes is formed. The interference pattern 13 varies in accordance with the modulation pattern (page data) of the spatial modulator 5.
The information recording medium 11 is mounted to a disk motor, and is rotated in the direction of an arrow 14 shown in FIG. 11. On the surface of the reflective layer 11d, guide grooves (grating) having periodicity in the radius direction and extending along the direction of rotation are formed with an equal pitch, such that the converging point 12 of the rays 3 will be located on a guide groove. Therefore, with the disk rotation, the converged positions of the rays 3 and the rays 3′ also make a relative rotary movement along a plane which is parallel to the guide grooves on the surface of the reflective layer 11d and to the reflective layer 11d. In the case where a spiral guide groove configuration is adopted, it would be possible to cause the converging point 12 of the rays 3 to a "next" guide groove with each rotation.
FIG. 12B illustrates optical paths within the information recording medium 11 in the case where the rays 3 and the rays 3′ are reflected from the reflective layer 11d of the information recording medium 11. The rays 3′ are reflected from the surface of the reflective layer 11d to become reflected rays 3a′ (shown by broken lines), which may be regarded as originating from an imaginary emission point which is at a conjugate converging point 12″ (which in itself is a conjugate image of the point 12′ with respect to the reflection surface). The rays 3 are reflected from the surface of the reflective layer 11d, upon which the point 12 is located, to become rays 3a (shown by solid lines) which are inverted from the rays 3. Some of the reflected rays 3a′ and some of the reflected rays 3a are led through the interference pattern 13.
After being transmitted through the information recording medium 11, the reflected rays 3a are led through the objective lens 10 so as to become parallel light, and then enter the joint gyrator 18. In principle, light which is led through the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18 in the forward path and whose polarization direction is thus rotated clockwise by 45° will restore its original polarization direction in the return path, by being led through the region 18b. Similarly, light which is led through the region 18b in the forward path and is thus rotated counterclockwise by 45° will restore its original polarization direction in the return path, by being led through the region 18a. Accordingly, after being led through the joint gyrator 18, the reflected rays 3a revert to P-polarized light, and are transmitted through the polarization plane 19a of the polarization beam splitter 19, so as to be led to a detector (not shown) via a splitting means such as a hologram. The detector receives the reflected rays 3a and generates a detection signal. By using this detection signal, a focusing error signal for controlling the focusing state of the rays 3 upon the reflective layer 11d and a tracking error signal for controlling the rays 3 so as to follow along the guide grooves are generated. On the basis of these signals, the objective lens 10 is driven so that the converging point of the rays 3 is controlled so as to follow along the guide grooves on the surface of the reflective layer 11d.
Next, referring to FIG. 13 and FIGS. 14A and 14B, a method for reproducing information which is recorded on the information recording medium 11 by using the information recording/reproduction apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-311938, supra, will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, when reproducing a signal, only the P-polarized rays 3 which have been generated by using a semiconductor laser in the aforementioned manner are utilized. The rays 3 enter the polarization beam splitter 19 in the direction along the optical axis L, and are transmitted through the polarization plane 19a thereof and led through the joint gyrator 18 along the optical axis L. As described above, the rays 3 will have their polarization directions rotated at the regions 18a and 18b of the joint gyrator 18, and be converged by the objective lens 10 onto the point 12 on the surface of the reflective layer 11d of the information recording medium 11.
As shown in FIG. 14A, a ray 3 is reflected from the surface of the reflective layer 11d to become a reflected ray 3a. The reflected ray 3a propagates through the circle 13a in the interference pattern 13, thus producing diffracted light 3A. The polarization state of the diffracted light 3A is the same as that of the input light 3a. After converging on the point 12′, the diffracted light 3A is inverted with respect to the optical axis L, and made slightly divergent by the objective lens 10. The polarization state of the diffracted light 3A is changed, when the diffracted light 3A is led through the joint gyrator 18.
Thus, among the rays 3, those which have passed through the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18 are P-polarized light which has been rotated clockwise by 45°, and produce diffracted light 3A in the circle 13a while maintaining its polarization direction. After converging on the point 12′, the diffracted light 3A again passes through the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18. Since the polarization direction of the diffracted light 3A is further rotated clockwise by 45° at the joint gyrator 18, the polarization direction of the diffracted light 3A transmitted through the joint gyrator 18 has been rotated clockwise by 90° from that of the P-polarized light; thus, the diffracted light 3A has become an S-polarized ray 3B (FIG. 13).
Similarly, those rays 3 which have passed through the region 18b of the joint gyrator 18 are P-polarized light which has been rotated counterclockwise by 45°, and produce diffracted light 3A in the circle 13b while maintaining its polarization direction. After converging on the point 12′, the diffracted light 3A again passes through the region 18b of the joint gyrator 18. Since the polarization direction of the diffracted light 3A is further rotated counterclockwise by 45° at the joint gyrator 18, the polarization direction of the diffracted light 3A transmitted through the joint gyrator 18 has been rotated counterclockwise by 90° from that of the P-polarized light; thus, the diffracted light 3A has become an S-polarized ray 3B (FIG. 13).
The rays 3B are reflected from the polarization plane 19a of the beam splitter 19, converted by the convex lens 20 into parallel light, and are transmitted through the spatial modulator 5. As described earlier, the spatial modulator 5 is composed of a ferroelectric liquid crystal panel or the like, and during information reproduction, allows the rays 3B to be transmitted therethrough (without applying modulation), based on an external signal. The light 3C which has been transmitted through the spatial modulator 5 is in accordance with the reproduced information from the interference pattern 13, so that the modulation pattern on the spatial modulator 5 at the time of recording is reproduced as a distribution pattern of optical intensity. By means of a hologram and/or a half mirror, etc., the rays 3C are deflected from their optical paths in the forward path, so as to be led to a photodetector. The detector, which comprises a detection region corresponding to the lattice division pattern of the spatial modulator 5, detects the rays 3C, and reproduces the modulation pattern (page data) at the time of recording.
On the other hand, the remaining component of the reflected rays 3a, i.e., those which have not become diffracted light 3A during propagation within the region 13 of the interference pattern, is transmitted through the information recording medium 11, thereafter converted by the objective lens 10 into parallel light, and enters the joint gyrator 18. In principle, light which is led through the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18 in the forward path and whose polarization direction is thus rotated clockwise by 45° will restore its original polarization direction in the return path, by being led through the region 18b. Similarly, light which is led through the region 18b in the forward path and is thus rotated counterclockwise by 45° will restore its original polarization direction in the return path, by being led through the region 18a. Accordingly, after being led through the joint gyrator 18, the remaining component of the reflected rays 3a reverts to P-polarized light, and is transmitted through the polarization plane 19a of the polarization beam splitter 19, so as to be led to a detector (not shown) via a splitting means such as a hologram. As in the case of information recording, this remaining component of the reflected rays 3a is detected by means of a detector. By using this detection signal, a focusing error signal and a tracking error signal are generated. On the basis of these signals, the objective lens 10 is driven so that the converging point of the rays 3 is controlled so as to follow along the guide grooves on the surface of the reflective layer 11d.
With such a conventional information recording/reproduction apparatus, there have been problems as follows which are associated with information recording and information reproduction.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12B, at the time of information recording, some of the reflected rays 3a and some of the reflected rays 3a′ are transmitted through the region 13 of the interference pattern. Therefore, in the circle 13a, not only the rays 3 and the rays 3′, but also the reflected rays 3a and the reflected rays 3a′ exist. The optical intensity of each of the bundle of rays 3, the bundle of rays 3′, the bundle of reflected rays 3a, and the bundle of reflected rays 3a′ is in inverse proportion with the total area of the rays. Therefore, assuming that the point 12′ and the conjugate converging point 12″ are each at a distance of d from the reflection surface and that the center of the circle 13a is at a distance of d′ from the reflection surface, an optical intensity I1 of the rays 3 is in inverse proportion with (d′)2; an optical intensity I2 of the rays 3′ is in inverse proportion with (d−d′)2; an optical intensity I3 of the rays 3a′ is in inverse proportion with (d+d′)2; and an optical intensity I4 of the rays 3a is in inverse proportion with (d′)2. In the case where d′=d/2, for example, eq. 1 below is true:I1:I2:I3:I4=1:1:1/9:1  (eq. 1).
Since the reflectance of the reflective layer 11d never exceeds 100%, the actual optical intensity I3 will be even smaller; however, the optical intensity I4 is still as strong as the optical intensities I1 and I2. Therefore, the interference within the circle 13a is, in effect, interference among three bundles of rays: the rays 3, the rays 3′, and the reflected rays 3a. Since the reflected rays 3a serve as noise components, by principle, the conventional information recording/reproduction apparatus allows substantial noise to be contained in the recorded interference fringes.
At the time of information reproduction, as shown in FIG. 14B, any ray 3 entering the circle 13a satisfies the phase matching condition with the interference pattern 13, and therefore generates diffracted light 3A′, which may be regarded as originating from an imaginary emission point which is at the point 12′. The diffracted light 3A′ has the same polarization state as that of the ray 3 (i.e., the P-polarized ray 3 having been transmitted through the region 18b of the joint gyrator 18 and thus rotated counterclockwise by 45° in polarization direction), and therefore is reflected from the surface of the reflective layer 11d, thus becoming a reflected ray 3A″ (shown at the lower half of FIG. 14B). Thereafter, the reflected ray 3A″ is converged by the objective lens 10, and transmitted through the region 18b of the joint gyrator 18. As a result of all this, the polarization direction of the reflected ray 3A″ has been rotated counterclockwise by 90°; that is, the lower reflected ray 3A″ now is S-polarized light.
On the other hand, the diffracted light 3A′ which has been produced from any ray 3 entering the circle 13b, which is at a symmetrical position from the circle 13a with respect to the optical axis L, has the same polarization state as that of the ray 3 (i.e., the P-polarized ray 3 having been transmitted through the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18 and thus rotated clockwise by 45° in polarization direction), and therefore is reflected from the surface of the reflective layer 11d, thus becoming a reflected ray 3A″ (shown at the upper half of FIG. 14B). Thereafter, the reflected ray 3A″ is converged by the objective lens 10, and transmitted through the region 18a of the joint gyrator 18. As a result of all this, the polarization direction of the reflected ray 3A″ has been rotated clockwise by 90°; that is, the upper reflected ray 3A″ now is S-polarized light.
Therefore, the reflected rays 3A″ are reflected from the polarization plane 19a of the beam splitter 19, and follow the same paths as those of the rays 3C, thus being projected onto the photodetector. As a result, the reflected rays 3A″ serve as noise components during signal detection.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 14A, in order for the reflected rays 3a to be transmitted through the interference pattern 13 and generate the diffracted light 3A′, it is necessary that the wave fronts of the reflected rays 3a be aligned. However, the reflected rays 3a (as rays 3) have once been led through the circle 13b in the interference pattern 13; during propagation through this region, the reflected rays 3a attain a phase match with the interference pattern 13, as a result of which their wave fronts are disturbed. Therefore, the phase matching condition (i.e., the condition for producing the diffracted light 3A) within the circle 13a is not completely satisfied, so that the optical quality of the generated diffracted light 3A is degraded, resulting in intensity unevenness and phase unevenness. Such degradations in optical quality present themselves as noise components on the photodetector. Thus, with the conventional information recording/reproduction apparatus, the reproduced information also contains noise, thus leading to a degraded information quality.

Information processing device and information recording medium


Generally, this disclosure describes systems (and methods) of moderating interrupts in a virtualization environment. An overflow interval is defined. The overflow interrupt interval is used to trigger activation of an inactive guest so that the guest may respond to a critical event. The guest, including a network application, may be active for a first time interval and inactive for a second time interval. A latency interrupt interval may be defined. The latency interrupt interval is configured for interrupt moderation when the network application associated with a packet flow is active, i.e., when the guest including the network application is active on a processor. Of course, many alternatives, variations, and modifications are possible without departing from this embodiment.

In a virtualization environment, a processor and/or a device and/or interface may be shared by a plurality of guests. A single physical processor may be configured as a plurality of virtual CPUs. Each virtual CPU may be configured to share the physical processor resources with other virtual CPU(s). A guest may include a virtual CPU and a guest process configured to execute on the virtual CPU. Similarly, a single physical device and/or interface may be configured as a plurality of virtual devices and/or interfaces, with each virtual device and/or interface configured to share the resources of the device and/or interface with other virtual device(s) and/or interface(s).
One technique for sharing resources includes sharing processor resources in "time slices". In other words, for a plurality of guests, a subset of the plurality may be active at any point in time. As used herein, "active" means executing on at least a portion of a processor. A virtual machine monitor ("VMM") may be configured to manage scheduling guest access to the processor. The VMM may schedule a guest in ("active") or schedule a guest out ("inactive") based on time, e.g., at particular time intervals. The VMM may also be configured to schedule a guest in or out in response to an "event", e.g., an interrupt from the device.
Interrupt frequency may depend on the type of device and/or interface and/or the number of virtual devices and/or interfaces active on the device and/or interface. For example, a network adapter may be configured to interrupt a host to indicate that packets have been received. Depending on the speed of the adapter and/or the number of active virtual devices and/or interfaces and network traffic, i.e., frequency at which packets are received, a network adapter may interrupt relatively frequently.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Cooperated interrupt moderation for a virtualization environment


This invention discloses an analog/digital converter including comparator groups in which each comparator is constituted by bipolar transistors, for comparing reference voltages with an analog input voltage, and means for obtaining a digital converted value corresponding to the analog input voltage, in accordance with comparison results of in the comparator groups.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-speed/high-precision analog/digital converter having low power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional low power-consumption analog/digital converters, for converting analog signals into digital signals, are taught in, for example, "An 8 MHz 8b CMOS Subranging ADC", Andrew G. F. Dingwall, ISSCC 1985, Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 72-73, and in "Analysis and evaluation of CMOS chopper-type comparator", Kuboki et al., Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineers of Japan, 84/5 Vol. J67-C No. 5, pp. 443-450.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an arrangement of the CMOS chopper-type comparator disclosed in the former of the above two papers. A reference voltage Vref obtained by a resistor ladder circuit is supplied to one terminal of a capacitor 152 through a CMOS transfer gate 151. When the CMOS transfer gate 151 is kept enabled, the input and output terminals of a CMOS inverter 153, the input terminal of which is connected to the other terminal of the capacitor 152, are short-circuited through a CMOS transfer gate 154, and an operation point of the CMOS inverter 153 is determined. Then, a CMOS transfer gate 155 is enabled, and an analog input voltage Vin is supplied to one terminal of the capacitor 152. At this time, the CMOS transfer gate 154 is disabled, and an output from the CMOS inverter 153 is determined on the basis of a comparison result between the reference voltage Vref and the analog input voltage Vin. Thereafter, the output from the CMOS inverter 153 is latched by a CMOS latch circuit 156, in synchronism with a clock signal .phi.. The number of CMOS chopper-type comparators is the same as that of the reference voltages obtained by the resistor ladder circuit.
However, even if an optimum circuit constant is set, in the case of the CMOS chopper-type comparator having the above arrangement, as disclosed in the former paper, the operation speed of the device is nevertheless limited. When the number of reference voltages Vref compared with the input voltage Vin is increased and bit precision is improved, the operation speed of the device is limited much more. For this reason, the conventional low power-consumption CMOS analog/digital converter is not suitable for performing digital conversion of a high-frequency analog signal such as a video signal, because a very low input voltage cannot be amplified to a CMOS level without an offset error. Therefore, although low power consumption can be realized in the conventional analog/digital converter having the CMOS arrangement, a very low analog input voltage having a high frequency cannot be digitally converted with high precision.

High-precision and high-speed analog/digital converter having low power consumption


An optoelectronic device having a semiconductor laser diode and a grating structure for stabilizing the optical wavelength of optical radiation generated by the laser diode.

Many optoelectronic systems require a single-mode source of optical radiation. For example, optical communications systems typically require a source of optical radiation at wavelengths around 850 nm, 1310 nm or 1550 nm.
A laser diode used in a transmitter unit as part of a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) fibre optic communications system may need to have a wavelength stability of within ±2 nm or better, depending on the number and spacing of different optical wavelengths to be carried by the fibre optic system. If wavelengths drift outside the specified ranges, then there will be cross-talk between adjacent channels in the WDM system.
However, the gain peak of a semiconductor laser may not coincide with a single optical mode and will, in general, change with both carrier density and temperature of the active semiconductor medium. For example, the Fabry-Perot (FP) gain profile of a typical III-V material semiconductor laser diode will have a maximum at a particular wavelength λ0FP, and the value of λ0FP will normally vary by an amount ΔλFP=0.5 nm/° C.
It is therefore often necessary to stabilize the operation of a semiconductor laser to suppress FP side modes, and to stabilize the wavelength of the optical radiation generated by the laser diode on a single generated mode.
One way of stabilizing the wavelength is to incorporate a grating structure with the laser diode. One example of a grating structure is a Distributed Feedback (DFB) grating. A DFB grating normally extends the length of a laser diode cavity, being integrated in an epitaxially grown cap layer above a waveguide layer and extending longitudinally between end facets that define the laser cavity. A DFB grating is normally a passive non-tuneable structure that stabilizes to some degree the laser wavelength, but without affording the ability to tune the laser wavelength
Another type of grating which can be used to tune the laser wavelength is a Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) structure. A DBR structure is usually incorporated in a waveguide that is separate from the waveguide containing the semiconductor lasing medium. A DBR structure may also be monolithically integrated with a laser diode structure on a common semiconductor substrate, or may be a discrete device that is integrated with a discrete laser device, for example being bonded to a common substrate.
In some applications, the temperature of the laser diode may also need to be stabilized, for example with an electrical heater if the laser diode is to be used at low operating temperatures (for example between 0° C. and −40° C.), or with a thermoelectric cooler if the laser diode is to be used at high operating temperatures (for example between 30° C. and 60° C.). This, however, adds complexity and cost to an optoelectronic component that includes such a temperature stabilized device. For these reasons it is desirable in low cost applications not to have temperature stabilization of the laser diode. The invention is particularly concerned with such low cost devices, but is also applicable to devices having temperature stabilization where such stabilization is not fully effective in all operating conditions to control the operating temperature of the laser diode, particularly at low temperatures of operation.
An advantage of incorporating a grating structure in an optoelectronic component having a laser diode is that the wavelength selected by the grating is more stable to temperature variations than the Fabry-Perot (FP) gain profile of the laser cavity itself. For example, in a device in which the FP profile may have a central peak λ0FP which varies by an amount ΔλFP=0.5 nm/° C., the grating wavelength λ0 G may vary by only ΔλG=0.08 nm/° C.
As is well-known, laser diode devices become more efficient at lower operating temperatures, which is to say that the threshold current for laser operation is reduced at lower operating temperatures. In a grating-stabilized laser diode, one facet of the laser cavity is made highly reflective and the other facet is made anti-reflective and functions as an output facet for the generated optical radiation. As compared with a cavity in which both facets have moderate or high reflectivity, this has the effect of raising the threshold current for the FP modes of operation. Compared with the FP modes of operation, the threshold of the single grating mode is substantially independent of the reduced facet reflectivity, since the grating stabilization is dependent on the interaction of the optical radiation on the multiple regularly spaced elements that form the grating. The threshold current of the single grating mode is therefore lower than any of the FP modes of operation. The result is that the anti-reflection coating has the effect of suppressing FP modes of operation relative to the single grating mode. The output optical radiation is then stabilized by the grating mode.
As the operating temperature of the laser diode and grating structure is changed, the grating wavelength ΔλG shifts at ΔλG=0.08 nm/° C. owing to a change in the refractive index of the lasing medium. Therefore, the grating wavelength ΔλG drops as the temperature drops. The threshold current of the single grating mode therefore also drops, but not as quickly as the threshold current of the suppressed FP modes of operation, because these have a higher wavelength/temperature coefficient ΔλFP=0.5 nm/° C. Therefore, at a sufficiently low temperature the threshold current of the suppressed FP modes will have dropped to the level of the grating threshold, and at this point the output of the laser diode will switch to operation at the shorter FP modes. This instability limits the low temperature operation of the laser diode.
Apart from temperature stabilization, a number of prior art approaches have been suggested to dealing with this problem. One is to decrease the output facet reflectivity and/or to extend the anti-reflection bandwidth to shorter wavelengths in order to further suppress the gain of the FP modes of operation at shorter wavelengths and hence lower operating temperatures. This approach suffers from the disadvantage that such higher performance anti-reflection coatings are more expensive to produce.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,776 B1, in which the growth structure and hence band gaps of the semiconductor materials in the laser active medium and the grating structure are modified to change the values of ΔλFP and ΔλG so that the FP and grating gains do not converge at low temperatures. This, however, requires precise control of the growth of the semiconductor layers forming the active medium and grating structure, which adds to manufacturing cost, and also compromises the general device performance by reducing the overall efficiency of the device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient optoelectronic device having a semiconductor laser and a grating structure for stabilizing the optical wavelength of optical radiation generated by the laser.

Semiconductor laser with grating structure for stabilizing the wavelength of optical radiation

Avago Technologies Fiber IP (Singapore) Pte Ltd


A control valve and a fuel injection valve provided with same should be produced, in which it is possible to switch from a first operating state to a second operating state inexpensively and with short switching times, without requiring a hydraulic control line. To this end, a control valve is provided, which has a valve housing, a pressure chamber filled with electrorheological fluid, a displacing element that can slide in the valve housing and protrudes into the pressure chamber, and two electrodes that can apply an electrical field to the electrorheological fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control valve and a fuel injection valve provided with same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A fuel injection valve is disclosed in DE 197 35 232 in which a damping chamber is provided, which can damp an opening motion of the nozzle needle of the injection valve. The damping chamber is filled with an electrorheological fluid and has an outlet around which two electrodes are disposed. By applying an electric field to the electrorheological fluid in the vicinity of the electrodes, the viscosity of the fluid there can be varied. Correspondingly, the flow resistance changes, which counteracts an escape of the electrorheological fluid from the damping chamber and consequently counteracts an opening of the nozzle needle. In this manner, by suitably producing the electrical field between electrodes as a function of operating parameters of an internal combustion engine in which the injection valve is used, influence can be exerted on the injection behavior of the injection valve.
The object of the invention is comprised in producing a control valve in which different injection cross sections can be produced in a fuel injection valve.
A control valve according to the invention makes it possible to slow or completely inhibit the movement of the displacing element in a virtually arbitrary manner after it travels a particular distance. In this way, the opening behavior of the nozzle needle of a fuel injection valve can be influenced in the desired manner, either directly or indirectly, for example by means of an interposed fluid chamber, without requiring an additional hydraulic control line; only one electrical connection is required for triggering the control valve according to the invention.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the displacing element is a plunger rod which protrudes into the pressure chamber. In this embodiment, when the plunger rod is displaced, only a very slight volume of electrorheological fluid is displaced. For this reason, it is no longer necessary for there to be a buffer chamber with a variable volume which receives the displaced volume; solely the compressibility of the electrorheological fluid makes the corresponding volume displacement possible.
In another embodiment of the invention, the displacing element is provided with a piston which closes the pressure chamber at one end, a buffer chamber is formed on the rear end of the piston, and the pressure chamber is connected to the buffer chamber by means of an overflow conduit. With this embodiment, when there is a small movement of the displacing element, a comparatively large volume of electrorheological fluid is displaced because the piston acts more or less as a booster. Conversely, this means that a relatively small flow resistance and attendant relatively low compressive forces in the electrorheological fluid suffice to produce a high resistance force counter to the movement of the displacing element.
A fuel injection valve according to one embodiment of the invention offers the advantage that a switching between different operating states can be achieved for a low cost, in particular without a separate hydraulic control line. In particular, the electrically switchable control valve makes it possible to brake or stop an opening stroke of the nozzle needle in a virtually arbitrary manner. This is particularly advantageous when the injection valve provides injection orifice selectability so that by selecting the opening stroke, different injection cross sections can be used.

Control valve and fuel injection valve provided with same


Systems and methods for detecting and mitigating cyber-attacks directed to connected vehicles. A method includes classifying a behavior of a connected vehicle into at least one classification with respect to a location of data transmission relative to the connected vehicle, wherein the at least one classification includes any of local and remote; determining a plurality of vehicle-related cyber-attack indicators related to the behavior of the connected vehicle; performing risk analysis based on a first combination of vehicle-related cyber-attack indicators and the classification, wherein performing the risk analysis further comprises matching the first combination to a plurality of second combinations of cyber-attack indicators of a plurality of known attack patterns, wherein each of the plurality of known attack patterns has at least one classification matching the at least one classification of the connected vehicle; and performing at least one mitigation action based on the risk analysis.

With advances in computer technology, computerized navigation and control systems in vehicles have been created to improve drivers' experiences and to allow for remotely controlled transportation of people and goods. To this end, computerized control and management services may collect data remotely from systems deployed in vehicles. For example, a navigation system installed in a vehicle may collect and upload (e.g., via a cellular network) telemetry data such as mechanical data related to components of the vehicle, location data, functional data related to vehicle activities (e.g., movements, use of horn, etc.), and the like. Prior to introduction of such computerized control and management systems, collection of such data was not possible.
While computerized vehicle systems can be incredibly useful for vehicle operators, these systems leave vehicles exposed to new dangers. Specifically, malicious entities can control or disrupt vehicle functions and, therefore, may misappropriate the vehicle for their own purposes. This opens the door to vehicle failure, theft, and other malicious activity, which can lead to death, injury, and financial damage. In-vehicle cyber attacks may originate, for example, by a malicious entity (for example, a hacker) connecting to a vehicle either physically or through a wireless interface (for example, a local wireless interface such as Bluetooth).
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a solution that would overcome the challenges noted above.

Centralized detection techniques for cyber-attacks directed at connected vehicles


An electronic device includes a backplane including a set of slots configured to receive user-removable modules; a printed circuit board, coupled to the backplane; and a set of interface blocks, electrically connected to the printed circuit board, that enable power and data transfer between modules coupled to the set of interface blocks.

There are many types of mobile telephones today. Some phones are configured to provide basic telephone features, and may be referred to as feature phones. Other phones may be configured to provide more functionality, and may be referred to as smartphones. Smartphones may be configured to operate according to a mobile operating system, and generally provide more advanced computing capability and connectivity than feature phones. Many smartphones combine functions of a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a mobile phone. Some smart phones add functionality of portable media players, compact digital cameras, pocket video cameras, GPS navigation units, etc., to form one multi-use device. Typical phones (either smartphones or feature phones) include multiple internal hardware components enclosed within a housing, a battery, and a display.

Modular devices and systems configured to receive a plurality of removable modules and to enable data transfer between the modules


Methods and systems for sending marketing messages to mobile-device users from a mobile-commerce platform are described. In various illustrative embodiments, a marketing message is transmitted to a mobile-device user before, during, or after a transaction between the mobile-device user's mobile device and the mobile-commerce platform. The marketing message can be generated and timed based on rules input to the mobile-commerce platform by a merchant and can be based on historical transaction data associated with the mobile-device user, transaction parameters associated with a current or a most-recently-completed transaction involving the mobile-device user, a transaction type of a current or a most-recently-completed transaction involving the mobile-device user, or a combination thereof, depending on the particular embodiment.

Merchants are always looking for new channels through which to market their products to potential customers. Marketing channels such as newspapers; magazines; television; radio; posters; signs on bus-stop benches; signs on taxi cabs, buses, and other forms of public transportation; and so-called "junk mail" have been in wide use for many years. One marketing channel that has come along more recently is the portion of the Internet known as the World Wide Web (the "Web").
The Internet also supports a wide variety of electronic-commerce systems, including secure wireless-payment systems that permit a user to pay for goods and services using a mobile device such as a cellular telephone. Though such mobile electronic-commerce systems are increasing in popularity, such systems have significant untapped potential as channels through which marketing messages can be transmitted to mobile-device users.

Method and system for sending marketing messages to mobile-device users from a mobile-commerce platform


A method of manufacturing a die package structure includes steps described below. A conductive substrate with a plurality of trenches is provided. A die is disposed in each of the trenches. A conductive layer is formed covering the dies and the conductive substrate. A patterned photoresist layer with a plurality of openings is formed exposing a plurality of areas of the conductive layer. A mask is formed on each of the areas of the conductive layer. The patterned photoresist layer is removed after forming the masks. By using the masks, the conductive layer and the conductive substrate under thereof are selectively etched to a predetermined depth to form a plurality of conductive bumps and a plurality of electrodes, in which a remaining of the conductive substrate includes a bottom substrate, the electrodes and the conductive bumps. An upper sealing layer is formed covering the bottom substrate and the dies.

When consumer electronics goods such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops are widely used, the demands for electronic products made with high functionality and small size has risen. Die packaging is one of crucial steps in forming electronic products. Decreasing the size of a die package and further improving the performance of the die package have now become important topics.
It's time-consuming to perform conventional packaging process which includes processes of die bonding, wire bonding and molding for the dies that cut one by one from a wafer. In addition, wire bonding is used in the conventional process to provide electrical connection for the power chip in the power module but resulting in difficulties of heat dissipation of the power chip.
In view of above, one of the objectives of the present invention is providing a method of manufacturing die package structure to solve the mentioned problems.

Method of manufacturing die package structure


Provided is a substrate processing apparatus for loading substrates such as solar cell substrates on a tray in substrate processing equipment for processing a large number of substrates. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a tray carrying unit configured to receive and carry a tray; a substrate loading conveyor unit on which substrates to be loaded on a tray are arranged in a line; a substrate unloading conveyor unit on which substrates unloaded from a tray are arranged in a line; a first substrate carrying robot configured to pick up substrates from the substrate loading conveyor unit and carry the substrates to a tray placed on the tray carrying unit; and a second substrate carrying robot configured to pick up substrates from a tray placed on the tray carrying unit and carry the substrates to the substrate unloading conveyor unit.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a substrate processing apparatus and method for processing a large number of substrates such as solar cell substrates, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and method for loading substrates on a tray.
Concern on environment and energy depletion has made people interested in inexhaustible, clean, and efficient solar energy.
Applications of solar energy can be classified into solar thermal systems that generate steam using solar energy to rotate turbines; and solar cells that convert sunlight (photons) into electric energy by using semiconductors. Particularly, much research is being conducted on solar cells that convert solar energy into electric energy by absorbing light and producing electrons and holes using the absorbed light.
In a manufacturing process of solar cells, thin films such as p-type or n-type semiconductor layers, anti-reflection layers, and electrodes are deposited on substrates such as silicon wafers. In a thin film deposition apparatus for performing such a manufacturing process of solar cells, trays are used to process many solar cells at a time.
However, in a substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing solar cells, it takes much time to load and unload many solar cells on a tray. Therefore, due to low work efficiency, tact time is increased, and thus productivity is lowered.

Substrate processing apparatus and method for loading and unloading substrates


A compressible seal member is provided with peripherally distributed and axially spaced lubricant retaining grooves, or with radially extending lubricant channels in communication with a central lubricant reservoir. The sealing member has land portions and groove portions on the outer periphery, with the lubricant grooves or channels located along the groove portions. The seal member is installed within a pharmaceutical container with the tool having a working end received within a central aperture formed in the seal member so that the insertion forced is applied near the bottom end of the seal member to prevent compression during installation. When the pharmaceutical is expelled from the container, a plunger pushes on the accessible end of the seal member to compress the seal member axially and force the lubricant out of the grooves or channels and into contact with the inner wall surfaces of the container. The seal member provides a good friction fit during storage of the container to prevent leakage of the pharmaceutical and provides low sliding friction to permit smooth translatory motion of the seal member during expulsion of the pharmaceutical.

This invention relates to pharmaceutical containers of the type having a seal for retaining a pharmaceutical within the container during storage and shipment and for expelling the pharmaceutical when ready for use.
Containers are known for packaging pharmaceuticals for storage, shipment and later use. In many such containers, one end of a typically cylindrical glass or pharmaceutically compatible plastic housing is sealed with a septum and closure band, while the other end is initially open to permit the container to be filled with the appropriate pharmaceutical. After filling, a piston-like seal is installed in the open end of the container in order to seal to the inner volume thereof. When the pharmaceutical is to be administered, the septum is typically penetrated with a needle and the pharmaceutical is expelled from the inside of the container by translating the seal along the axis of the container in the direction of the septum end using an appropriate tool, such as a push rod.
One of the problems encountered with pharmaceutical containers of the above type lies in the contrasting requirements for the seal: during storage and shipment, the seal must provide a tight seal to prevent leakage of the pharmaceutical outside of the confined volume of the container, while during expulsion of the pharmaceutical the seal should permit smooth translation along the inner wall surfaces of the container so that the pharmaceutical is evenly expelled without abrupt changes in the flow rate through the needle. Attempts to alleviate this problem and provide smooth translatory motion of the seal include coating the inside wall surfaces of the container with a lubricant. This solution suffers from the disadvantage that the lubricant contacts the pharmaceutical and may cause contamination, depending on the nature of the lubricant and the type of pharmaceutical stored in the container.

Self-lubricating piston for pharmaceutical container


An encoding device and methods for point cloud encoding are disclosed. The method for encoding includes generating, using a processor of an encoder, a first frame and a second frame that include patches representing a cluster of points of three-dimensional (3D) point cloud; identifying a patch to segment in the patches of the first frame and the second frame; determining, in response to identifying the patch, a path representing a boundary between segmented regions within the patch; segmenting the patch along the path into two patches for the first frame and the second frame; encoding the first frame and the second frame to generate a compressed bitstream; and transmitting, using a communication interface operably coupled to the processor, the compressed bitstream.

Three hundred sixty-degree (360°) video is emerging as a new way of experiencing immersive video due to the ready availability of powerful handheld devices such as smartphones. 360° video enables immersive "real life," "being there" experience for consumers by capturing the 360° view of the world. Users can interactively change their viewpoint and dynamically view any part of the captured scene or object they desire. Display and navigation sensors can track head movement of the user in real-time to determine the region of the 360° video that the user wants to view. Multimedia data that is three-dimensional (3D) in nature, such as point clouds are can be used in the immersive environment.
Point clouds are a set of 3D points that represent an objects surface. Point clouds are common in a variety of applications such as gaming, 3D maps, visualizations, medical applications, augmented reality, virtual reality, autonomous driving, multi-view replay, 6DoF immersive media, to name a few.
Video/Image-based point cloud compression systems, such as the MPEG-I Video-based Point Cloud Compression (VPCC) reference model, project points from 3D space to 2D spaces creating patches (for both geometry and texture), which are stored in video frames and encoded using codecs for regular video/image compression. The video/image frame size is determined by the size of the patches and how tightly they can be packed in the video frame. Large size patches lead to inefficient packing and increased frame size. The increase in frame size, in turn, increases the codec complexity. Additionally, the increased frame size also increases the encoded bitstream size. Both of these effects are undesirable from compression systems' standpoint. Moreover, the increase in complexity and bitstream size is even more objectionable for video-based point cloud compression systems, since the added complexity and bitstream size does not add to any significant increase in quality of the reconstructed point cloud.

Patch splitting for improving video-based point cloud compression performance


A gesture control method applied to a virtual reality (VR) device, where gesture location information of a user of the VR device is obtained, a depth distance from a depth sensor to a hand of the user is detected using the depth sensor, and a hand movement area of the user is divided into a selection area and a command area based on a result of comparing the depth distance with a preset depth threshold. When the detected depth distance is not greater than the preset depth threshold, the user may select a to-be-operated object on a current display page, and when the detected depth distance is greater than the preset depth threshold, the user may perform a command operation on the to-be-operated object.

A virtual reality (VR) technology and an augmented reality (AR) technology are emerging multimedia technologies in recent years. The VR technology is a computer simulation system that can provide establishment and experience of a virtual world. The AR technology is a technology that can superimpose VR and real world for interaction.
In a VR scenario or an AR scenario, a user obtains interactive immersive experience by integrating a graphics system, an optical system, a gesture tracking system, and a control system. The VR scenario is usually implemented using a head mounted display (HMD) device. As shown in FIG. 1, an HMD includes a processor (including a central processing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), a cache, a register, and the like), a display element, an acoustic element, a memory, physical hardware, and the like.
Most existing HMD products use physical hardware such as a handle or a touchpad, or a head aim system to perform an interface control operation, and the interface control operation is used as user input of an entire HMD device.
Handles generally include one or more keys including up, down, left, right, tap and exit. Some handles include a location tracking function for detecting rotation and displacement of the handles. Touchpads generally support an upward instruction, a downward instruction, a leftward instruction, a rightward instruction, and a tap instruction, and an extra key needs to be disposed to implement an exit instruction. The head aim system tracks a head gesture using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. A viewpoint location in the middle of two eyes is used as an aim point, and a tap command is implemented after the aim point hovers over an icon for a period of time. All operation instructions need to be implemented by setting keys using software.
The other approaches mainly have three disadvantages.
(1) A control function is limited and instruction implementation efficiency is low, instructions include only an upward instruction, a downward instruction, a leftward instruction, a rightward instruction, and a tap instruction, which hardly support a complex operation. A plurality of operations usually needs to be performed to position and select content.
(2) A control operation is not user-friendly, easily causing fatigue, a control operation using a touchpad requires holding a hand for a long time, and an operation performed in a head aim manner requires frequent head-turning.
(3) After an HMD device is worn, a user cannot see an external environment. Consequently, it is difficult to find a handle or a touchpad, usually causing incidental touch.

Gesture control method applied to VR device, and apparatus


Aspects relate to a photonic processing system, a photonic processor, and a method of performing matrix-vector multiplication. An optical encoder may encode an input vector into a first plurality of optical signals. A photonic processor may receive the first plurality of optical signals; perform a plurality of operations on the first plurality of optical signals, the plurality of operations implementing a matrix multiplication of the input vector by a matrix; and output a second plurality of optical signals representing an output vector. An optical receiver may detect the second plurality of optical signals and output an electrical digital representation of the output vector.

Conventional computation use processors that include circuits of millions of transistors to implement logical gates on bits of information represented by electrical signals. The architectures of conventional central processing units (CPUs) are designed for general purpose computing, but are not optimized for particular types of algorithms. Graphics processing, artificial intelligence, neural networks, and deep learning are a few examples of the types of algorithms that are computationally intensive and are not efficiently performed using a CPU. Consequently, specialized processors have been developed with architectures better-suited for particular algorithms. Graphical processing units (GPUs), for example, have a highly parallel architecture that makes them more efficient than CPUs for performing image processing and graphical manipulations. After their development for graphics processing, GPUs were also found to be more efficient than GPUs for other memory-intensive algorithms, such as neural networks and deep learning. This realization, and the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence and deep learning, lead to further research into new electrical circuit architectures that could further enhance the speed of these algorithms.


A portable pet bed apparatus is provided that can be selectively side mountable to a bed assembly. The pet bed apparatus includes a carrier device that defines a bedding space thereof sized and dimensioned to accommodate a domestic pet therein. The pet bed apparatus further includes a mounting assembly having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion that lies closely adjacent to the bed assembly, and a connector assembly on the side of the carrier device for detachably connecting the carrier device to the vertical portion of the mounting assembly. The carrier device can be removed from the mounting assembly, which enables independent functionality as a pet carrier.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to in-home bedding for domestic pets, and more particularly relates to a portable pet bed apparatus mountable to a side of a conventional bed.
(2) Description of the Related Art
It is quite common for pet owner's to share their beds with their beloved pets, especially cats and dogs. Such bed sharing, however, is not true for every pet owner, whether they are allergic to pet dander, or whether they simply do not wish to. Such non-sharing of the owner's bed may especially be true when traveling or when not sleeping in one's own bed.
Accordingly, it is therefore highly desirable to provide an improved pet bed apparatus that can be side mounted to a bed assembly.

Portable, bedside-mountable, pet bed apparatus


A light projector, including an elongate housing assembly and a tubular light chamber assembly that comprises a plurality of tubular components and is coaxially enclosed by the housing assembly, with optical devices positioned within the light chamber assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light projectors that produce light beams for specialty lighting effects. More particularly, the present invention pertains to light projectors that can produce light beams of selected cross-sectional contours, or profiles.
2. Description of Related Art
Specialty light projectors are known for use in illuminating objects and scenes. Such light projectors may be used in lighting landscape features, architectural features, items displayed in cabinets or the like, art works, including pictures and sculpture, and scenes on a theatrical stage. Various techniques may be employed to affect a projected light beam, selectively blocking, or masking, a portion of the beam, to produce a desired cross-sectional beam contour.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,845, wherein one of the present inventors is identified as a co-inventor, discloses a light projector that includes an optical bench mounted within a housing assembly and comprising an elongate base. One or more clamps are attached to the base to hold optical devices such as a lamp and a condensing lens. Several masking devices are shown to be usable with the disclosed light projector, including an array of shutter blades having concave light beam profiling edges, a thin metal plate with one or more openings cut to determine a contour for a light beam, and a glass plate on which photosensitized tape is used to produce one or more openings to determine a contour for a light beam.
It is advantageous and desirable to provide a contour light projector of improved construction wherein optical devices are held in place within a tubular light chamber which is anchored within a housing assembly.


A telephone call initiating system according to the invention is provided in order to make it possible to control telephone call initiation from an extremely small mobile communication terminal. This is accomplished with a key input section, a speech recognition section, a data base and display section, and a data base input control section for forming a record. The record consists of telephone number data from the key input section and data including family and given names from the speech recognition section. The record is stored into the data base. A search parameter accepting section searches the data base for the record according to data including the family and given names, and stores the retrieved record into a work area. A scroll control section scrolls, in predetermined units, the retrieved record and displays the data on the display section. A call initiation accepting section supplies a call initiating instruction according to the telephone number in the scrolled record, and a call initiation processing section responds to the call initiating instruction to initiate a call according to the telephone number.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a call initiating system for mobile communication terminals including portable telephone units.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today, the dissemination of mobile communication terminals including car telephones and portable telephones is truly significant, and their use is expanding, especially in big cities, from the business community to common house-holds. Supported by the remarkable development of LSI technology and digital processing technology, these mobile communication terminals are becoming ever more compact and more sophisticated functionally. In terms of compactness, units comparable to ordinary telephone sets are already available, and their unit size is predicted to be reduced to about 100 cc in the near future and further to a wrist watch size eventually. In the functional aspect, existing models already have the abbreviated dialing or one-touch dialing function for use with frequently accessed communication partners and the automatic redialing function for use when the other party's line is found busy at the first call attempt, and an even greater variety of functions are likely to be added in the future along with the further sophistication of networks.
Although progress is recognized in these aspects of mobile communication terminal technology, it seems difficult to introduce a fundamental renovation in the technique for call initiation by the calling subscriber, i.e. in the currently used call initiation by dialing. However, as the use of telephone communication will further expand along with the development and globalization of economic and business activities, the current method of searching a personal memo or the telephone directory for the other party's telephone number and the dialing on that basis will become too inefficient, and are likely to be replaced in the future by retrieval from a data base within the mobile communication terminal itself, utilizing LSI technology and data base technology.
In order to enable the telephone number to be retrieved from the data base within the mobile communication terminal of the aforementioned wrist watch size and a call to be initiated by the retrieved number, the space occupied by the data display means, such as an LCD display, and the call initiating means, such as dialing keys, should be minimized.

Call initiating system for mobile telephone units


A two-layered metal oxide film resistor having a ceramic substrate which has on its surface a first thin (0.1-5 .mu.m) metal oxide film that is based on tin oxide and which has a minor proportion of at least one auxiliary component selected from iron, indium, nickel, phosphorus, zinc, cadmium and antimony, and a second thin (0.003-1 .mu.m) metal oxide film superposed on the first film that is also based on tin oxide but which contains a minor proportion of at least one auxiliary component selected from antimony, nickel, chromium, fluorine, phosphorus, arsenic, iron, manganese, barium, bismuth, cobalt, zinc, copper, boron, cadmium and vanadium.

The present invention relates to a metal oxide film resistor having a tin oxide based metal oxide film coated on the surface of an electrically insulating substrate.
Conventional metal oxide film resistors are fabricated by the following procedures: a tin oxide based metal oxide film is formed on the surface of a typically rod-shaped ceramic substrate 1.5-2 mm in diameter and 5-6 mm in length); a metallic terminal cap is fitted over each end of the coated substrate to provide a connecting terminal; a wire lead is attached to each terminal cap; and the entire assembly except the leads is encapsulated by an electrically insulating and moisture-proof protective sheath. In order to reduce the temperature coefficient of resistance, antimony oxide is usually added to the tin oxide based metal oxide film.
In forming a metal oxide film on the surface of an insulating substrate in the manufacture of conventional metal oxide film resistors, a "spray method" is commonly employed. In the "spray method", a feed solution having stannic chloride (SnCl.sub.4) and a small amount of antimony trichloride (SbCl.sub.3) dissolved in a mixed solvent of water, HCl, alcohol, etc. is prepared and rods of a mullite-corundum ceramic substrate are supplied into a film depositing apparatus, the essential part of which is shown in FIG. 3, and a metal oxide film is deposited on the surfaces of the substrate rods to make metal oxide film resistors.
The apparatus shown in FIG. 3 comprises a furnace 6 that has a heat-resistant drum 7 mounted rotatably around a shaft and which has a heating element fitted in the furnace wall to ensure uniform heating of the drum. Outside the furnace are provided a feed solution supply unit 8 and an air compressing unit 9. The feed solution supply unit 8 and the air compressing unit 9 are connected to the drum 7 via pipes 11 and 12, respectively. The pipes 11 and 12 end with a nozzle 10 through which the feed solution is sprayed towards the drum.
Film deposition with the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will proceed as follows: the feed solution is charged into the unit 8 and the mullite-corundum ceramic rods a are charged into the rotating drum 7; as the temperature in the furnace is elevated to 500.degree.-800.degree. C., the feed solution carried with compressed air is sprayed through the nozzle 10 to be deposited on the surfaces of the ceramic rods; thereafter, the spraying and heating operations are turned off and the substrate rods are taken out of the furnace. The recovered rods are transferred into a separate furnace where they are given a heat treatment at 200.degree.-300.degree. C. for a period ranging from several tens of minutes to several hours to form a thermally and electrically stable metal oxide film.
Subsequently, a metallic cap is fitted over each end of the substrate and a helix is cut through the film into the substrate to obtain a desired value of resistance. A wire lead is then welded to each cap and a protective coating is applied to make a final product of metal oxide film resistor.
The prior art metal oxide film resistors fabricated by the process described above have had the disadvantage that because of problems such as low stability and reliability of coated films, the values of resistance that can be attained before cutting the helix are only up to about 200 ohms. In the absence of helical cuts into the film on a substrate having dimensions comparable to those employed previously, higher values of resistance could be attained by decreasing the thickness of a metal oxide film to be formed on the substrate. However, this approach suffers from the disadvantage of variations in other characteristics of the resistor such as the increase in the temperature coefficient of resistance and the decrease in thermal stability, which lead to increases in the amount of change in resistance as a result of soldering of wire leads or exposure to high temperatures. Because of these limitations, the method of increasing the value of resistance by reducing the thickness of a metal oxide film has been unable to produce commercially acceptable high-resistance metal oxide film resistors.


An ablation device includes an antenna assembly having a radiating portion configured to deliver energy from a power source to tissue of a patient. The radiating portion has an outer conductor and an inner conductor extending therethrough. The inner conductor is disposed within the outer conductor and defines a longitudinal axis. One of the inner conductor and the outer conductor is movable relative to the other to cause at least a portion of the outer conductor to expand radially relative to the longitudinal axis.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to electrosurgical ablation devices and methods. More particularly, the disclosure relates to treating tissue using a deployable antenna capable of being expanded.
2. Background of Related Art
In the treatment of diseases such as cancer, certain types of cancer cells have been found to denature at elevated temperatures that are slightly lower than temperatures normally injurious to healthy cells. These types of treatments, known generally as hyperthermia therapy, typically utilize electromagnetic radiation to heat diseased cells to temperatures above 41° C. while maintaining adjacent healthy cells at lower temperatures where irreversible cell destruction will not occur. Other procedures utilizing electromagnetic radiation to heat tissue also include ablation and coagulation of the tissue. Such microwave ablation procedures, e.g., such as those performed for menorrhagia, are typically done to ablate and coagulate the targeted tissue to denature or kill it. Many procedures and types of devices utilizing electromagnetic radiation therapy are known in the art. Such microwave therapy is typically used in the treatment of tissue and organs such as the prostate, heart, and liver.
One non-invasive procedure generally involves the treatment of tissue (e.g., a tumor) underlying the skin via the use of microwave energy. The microwave energy is able to non-invasively penetrate the skin to reach the underlying tissue. However, this non-invasive procedure may result in the unwanted heating of healthy tissue. Thus, the non-invasive use of microwave energy requires a great amount of control. This is partly why a more direct and precise method of applying microwave radiation has been sought.
Presently, there are several types of microwave probes in use, e.g., monopole, dipole, and helical. One type is a monopole antenna probe consisting of a single, elongated microwave conductor exposed at the end of the probe. The probe is sometimes surrounded by a dielectric sleeve. The second type of microwave probe commonly used is a dipole antenna consisting of a coaxial construction having an inner conductor and an outer conductor with a dielectric separating a portion of the inner conductor and a portion of the outer conductor. In the monopole and dipole antenna probe, microwave energy generally radiates perpendicularly from the axis of the conductor.
Because of the perpendicular pattern of microwave energy radiation, conventional antenna probes are typically designed to be inserted directly into the tissue, e.g., a tumor, to be radiated. However, such typical antenna probes commonly fail to provide uniform heating axially and/or radially about the effective length of the probe.
It is often difficult to assess the extent to which the microwave energy will radiate into the surrounding tissue, i.e., it is difficult to determine the area or volume of surrounding tissue that will be ablated. Furthermore, when conventional microwave antennas are inserted directly into the tissue, e.g., cancerous tissue, there is a potential of dragging or pulling cancerous cells along the antenna body into other parts of the body during insertion, placement, or removal of the antenna probe.
In certain circumstances, it is advantageous to create a relatively large ablation region, which often requires multiple ablation instruments inserted into a patient.

System and method for treating tissue using an expandable antenna


In order to provide a fluid resistance device that is easily manufactured, compact, accurate, and uniform in performance, the fluid resistance device comprises two members that have facing surfaces that face each other and a downstream end of the upstream side flow channel and an upstream end of the downstream side flow channel open at positions displaced from each other on the facing surfaces, and a ring body that is arranged to surround the downstream end opening and the upstream end opening and that forms the fluid resistance channel between the downstream end opening and the upstream end opening by being sandwiched by the facing surfaces, and is so configured that the ring body is made of a material harder than that of each member, and the ring body breaks into the facing surfaces by fastening two members so as to make the facing surfaces approach each other.

A differential pressure type flow rate measuring device or a differential pressure type flow rate control device uses a fluid resistance device for producing a differential pressure. Example fluid resistance devices include an orifice member formed by opening a fine pore on a plate material and a capillary member formed by a metal fine canal.
Meanwhile, whether the orifice member is used or the capillary member is used is selected appropriately depending on a flow rate or a viscosity of a fluid. When focusing attention on the capillary member, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in the patent document 1, conventionally the capillary member is so configured that a metal fine canal is connected by being welded to a fluid flow channel formed in a block body or the like.


A method includes causing a circuit simulator to perform a circuit simulation using circuit data stored in a storage, the circuit data containing a module to be modeled and a circuit for making a change to a clock to be inputted into the module and clock setting data stored in a storage, the clock setting data being intended to, at a predetermined timing, make a change to the clock to be inputted into the module, and storing a result of the circuit simulation in a simulation result data storage; and generating a hidden markov model about input and output signals of the module from values and times of the signals in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, the values and times being contained in the circuit simulation result stored in the simulation result data storage, and storing data about the model in a hidden markov model data storage.

While the development scale of LSIs (large scale integrated circuits) has been increased in recent years, the development period thereof has been reduced. Also, reductions in power consumption of LSIs have been a major challenge. Accordingly, in designing an LSI, the performance and power consumption of the LSI must be estimated in the initial stage. In order to estimate the performance and power consumption of the entire LSI, the components of the LSI, circuit modules, are converted into performance models (hereafter referred to as "models").
Examples of the technology for modeling circuit modules include a technology that converts a low-level circuit description [e.g., hardware description language (HDL)] into a high-level circuit description [e.g., transaction-level model (TLM)]. This technology performs a simulation in a low-level circuit description and extracts a transaction from the result of the simulation. During this process, a signal pattern is mapped into a message, which is then converted into the transaction. Subsequently, a model is extracted. In extracting the model, attention is paid to the repeating mutual relationship between the input sequence and the output sequence, and a neural network is used to generate output messages and to estimate the statistic behavior of components. Data dependency is also extracted. Finally, a highly abstracted model is generated. This model is obtained by analyzing an input transaction or message and then outputting an output transaction or message. During that process, attention is paid not to the signal level or the like but to the timing of the message or the relationship. However, how the simulation is performed is not examined in detail.
In order to logically verify a digital system including an LSI, an external module communicating with the hardware to be verified is simulated using software. Used at that time is a technology for delaying the frequency at which the clock is provided to the hardware. This technology, however, has nothing to do with model generation.
There is also a technology that, in performing a simulation of cycle-accurate operation or a simulation of function and logic, explores various designs with respect to clock frequency control on each of the function blocks of an LSI design or buffer insertion while easily changing the configuration. Specifically, the technology includes frequency control means that, in verifying function and logic using data of an LSI design as an input, assigns the operating frequency to each of the function blocks constituting the LSI to be verified, clock frequency change means that changes the operating clock of each function block in accordance with the operating frequencies assigned by the frequency control means, and function simulation means that performs a function simulation of the operating clock-changed LSI. The frequency control means assigns all the function blocks the operating frequencies corresponding to the states thereof. The clock frequency change means changes the operating clock of each function block in accordance with the assigned operating frequencies. The function simulation means performs a function simulation of the LSI including the operating clock-changed function blocks. The above-mentioned process is repeated to obtain an optimum solution. As seen, an operating clock suitable for each function block is easily assigned and then the LSI is verified by performing a function simulation of the entire LSI. For this reason, this technology is believed to be capable of efficiently verifying the designs of LSIs with a short turnaround time as a whole. In this technology, however, it is not considered to generate a model.
In order to generate models accurately as described above, modules having complicated functions must be simulated under various operating conditions. However, preparing an enormous amount of simulation input data usually necessary to realize "various operating conditions" requires sufficient understanding of the function specification of each module, requiring much time and effort. That is, models are not easy to generate.

Model generating method and device and recording medium


Provided are: a geared motor with which a large torque can be obtained without an increase in size; and a method for producing said geared motor. In this geared motor (1), an output member (8) having a helical groove (83) formed in an outer circumferential section is provided between a first plate part (31) and a second plate part (32) of a frame (3), and the rotation of a motor pinion (55) is reduced in speed by a reduction gear mechanism (9) and is transmitted to a gear part (85) of the output member (8). In this geared motor (1): the output member (8) is arranged between the first plate part (31) and the second plate part (32); then, a first fixing shaft (35) is inserted from a through hole (37) in the second plate part (32) into a shaft hole (81) in the output member (8), and a first shaft end part (351) is fitted into a first fixing shaft support hole (36); and then, a second shaft end part (352) and the second plate part (32) are fixed.

As a technique for outputting a large torque from a motor, a geared motor has been proposed in which an output member whose outer peripheral portion is formed with a spiral groove is provided between a first plate part and a second plate part of a frame and a motor pinion fixed to a rotation shaft is transmitted to a gear part of the output member (see Patent Literature 1). In the geared motor, the output member is rotatably supported between a bearing provided in the first plate part and the second plate part. A large opening part is provided in the first plate part and, when the geared motor is to be manufactured, the output member is passed through the opening part between the first plate part and the second plate part.

Geared motor and manufacturing method for geared motor