In an image display apparatus, a video signal is divided for each field into a plurality of sub-fields, each of which is weighted according to the duration of time or number of pulses. The plurality of sub-fields are temporally superimposed for display, so that a grayscale representation is provided. A video signal for the current field is delayed by one field, and output as a video signal for the previous field. Based on the video signal for the current field and the video signal for the previous field, a luminance gradient of an image is detected. A difference between the video signal for the current field and the video signal for the previous field is calculated. Based on the calculated difference and the detected gradient, the amount of motion of the image is calculated by a detecting circuit. Based on the calculated amount of motion of the image, dynamic false contours are reduced by an image data processing circuit.

In order to meet recent demands for larger image display apparatuses, thin-type matrix panels have begun to be available such as Plasma Display Panels (PDPs), electroluminescent (EL) display devices, fluorescent display tubes, and liquid crystal display devices. Among such thin-type image display apparatuses, PDPs, in particular, are very promising as direct-view image display apparatuses with larger screens.
One method for grayscale representation on a PDP is an inter-field time division method, referred to as a sub-field method. In the inter-field time division method, one field is composed of a plurality of images (hereinafter referred to as sub-fields) with different luminance weights. The sub-field method as a method for grayscale representation is an excellent technique allowing the representation of multiple levels of gray even in binary image display apparatuses such as PDPs; i.e., display apparatuses that can represent only two levels of gray, 1 and 0. The use of this sub-field method as a method for grayscale representation allows PDPs to provide image quality substantially equal to that of cathode-ray-tube type image display apparatuses.
However, for example, when a moving image in which the gradation is gradually changing is displayed, the so-called false contour is generated that is peculiar to images on a PDP. Such generation of a false contour is due to the visual characteristics of a human, a phenomenon that seems as if grayscale had been lost, in which a color different from the original color to be represented appears as a stripe. This false contour in moving images is hereinafter referred to as a dynamic false contour.
JP 2001-34223 A suggests a method for displaying moving images and an apparatus for displaying moving images using this method, in which image correction processing is performed by detecting the amount of motion and direction of an image by a block matching method for reducing dynamic false contours. In the method and apparatus for displaying moving images, dynamic false contours are reduced by applying diffusion processing to blocks (areas) of an image for which motion vector is not accurately detected.
However, the block matching method used in the foregoing method and apparatus for displaying moving images requires determining correlations between a block to be detected and a plurality of prepared candidate blocks to detect a motion vector, which necessitates many line memories and operating circuits, and adds complexity to the circuit configuration.
It is thus desired to detect the amount of motion of an image with a simple structure. It is also desired to reduce dynamic false contours based on the amount of motion of an image without using a motion vector of the image.

Image display apparatus and image display method


Template-generated classes in program code are compiled efficiently through a process of lazy compilation resulting in improved compilation times. Lazy compilation includes the generation of objects representing a class template and a template-generated class as well as the selective compilation of class methods that are invoked in the program code. Code sharing is a further enhancement for increasing compilation speed by providing a system and method for sharing executable object code for compatible methods among different classes generated from the same class template.

Compilers typically convert source code into object code or some other intermediate code representation, such as byte codes. Source code is a set of instructions written in a programming language by a software developer. Object code, in general, is machine code or other low level code, translated from source code toward execution by a system""s central processing unit (CPU). Compilation of source code can occur either statically or dynamically.
Statically compiled programs are compiled once and the resulting binary object code is used repeatedly. Typically, static compilation occurs prior to shipping the program to the end user. Therefore, the time required to compile a program in static compilation environments does not effect the performance of the program when executed by the end user.
Dynamic compilation execution environments, such as web browsers, involve the compilation of source code simultaneously or time-sharing with the execution of a program. Dynamic compilation is advantageous because code is shipped in a platform independent form and the compilation can use information about the target machine and security environment. However, the time required to dynamically compile the source code directly impacts the speed of the program execution.
Programming and scripting languages provide the software developer with a set of features and tools for organizing source code within a program. Class templates and classes generated from class templates (hereinafter template-generated classes) are examples of tools provided by some programming and scripting languages within static compilation environments.
In object-oriented programming, a class is a descriptive tool used in source code for characterizing an object as a set of data structures (i.e. fields) or a set of routines (i.e. methods). For example, an array of integers can be represented in a class, IntegerArray. Such a class may include a field for storing the size of the array and another field comprising a data structure for representing the integers stored in an IntegerArray. In addition, the IntegerArray class may include methods for accessing the contents of the array, such as xe2x80x9cgetxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d methods.
Once compiled, the class is represented as an object defining storage allocation for the class fields and specifying the types of data that can be stored within them. In addition, the class object provides access to executable object code for executing class methods. Instances of a class are generated from this class representation.
An instance is an object that exists during program execution that functions in accordance with the guidelines specified by the class representation. An instance stores its own values in the storage allocated for the class fields and executes methods compiled and stored by the class representation. An instance is created when a class is instantiated during program execution. Instantiation is the process of creating an instance of a class, typically, by calling a special operator or function (e.g., xe2x80x9cnew { }xe2x80x9d).
Class templates are useful programming tools for generating classes that provide the same basic functionality, but differ with respect to the types of data that are stored and serviced within the class. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an object hierarchy involving class templates. A class template 10 generates class 30 which is used to declare and instantiate class instances 50a and 50b. Likewise, class template 10 generates class 35 which is used to declare and instantiate class instances 55a and 55b.
A class template has source code forming the foundation for new template-generated classes. Different template-generated classes can be generated from the same class template definition by specifying different parameters. A parameter can be a primitive data type, class, value, or other data structure. Therefore, the use of class templates facilitates the reuse of source code.
The use of class templates also leads to more robust software, because such template-generated classes can be type-checked when compiled. In addition, the use of class templates in generating classes leads to faster software, because the compiler can generate efficient code with the knowledge of the parameters defining such classes.
Using static compilation techniques for dynamically compiling a software program would be slow and inefficient. For example, compiling an entire program may be wasteful of both time and memory when some portions of a program, such as an error handling routine, may not be used.
With respect to template-generated classes, the unnecessary object code results, is in part, from compiling source code that defines the body of class methods that are never invoked during program execution. In addition, unnecessary object code results from the generation of method bindings for class methods that are never referenced in the program code. A method binding is an object that stores information about an individual class method and is used to compile instructions in the program code that reference that method. Program code is the source code for the program in general.
The excess object code results in the program requiring more space on disk and, possibly, more memory (i.e. RAM) during program execution. When a program is statically compiled, the extra compilation time is tolerated because performance, in general, is not effected during program execution. However, in dynamic compilation execution environments, the program code is compiled at execution time so that extra compilation time makes the program run more slowly. Therefore, static compilation techniques implemented to compile template-generated classes would be prohibitive in both memory use and program performance.
The Java programming language is used, in part, to develop applets (i.e. programs that only execute within dynamic compilation execution environments, such as a web browser), but does not support class templates in its current language specification. Instead a Java programmer can use the class, Object, to store different data types, values, or structures. However, a disadvantage of using the Object class is that a Java compiler can not perform type-checking on Object-based classes until the program is running. This makes the software less robust, because any type errors are detected only at runtime by a runtime type dispatch.
There is a current proposal to add class templates to the Java programming language. However, the current proposal restricts the usage of parameters within the source code definition of a class template, limiting some of its benefits.
Therefore, it would be useful to be able to compile template-generated classes obtaining the full benefits of class templates without the issues of excess code generation and compilation time in dynamic compilation execution environments.
The following description discloses embodiments of the invention providing lazy compilation of template-generated classes in dynamic compilation execution environments. One embodiment involves creating a representation of the class template, creating a representation of a class generated from the class template, and generating method bindings, stored in the class representation, for only those methods referenced in the program code. This process of generating method bindings for referenced methods decreases the amount of code generated in compiling such classes and decreases the amount of time required to perform the compilation.
In addition, lazy compilation may include delaying compilation of the body of a referenced method until the class method is invoked by the execution of a method call instruction. Embodiments of the invention which provide for the compilation of a method body include execution of stub code initially referenced through an indexed method table for the invoked method. This action occurs in response to the class method being invoked to an instance of a template-generated class. The stub code initiates the compilation of the body of the invoked method resulting in executable object code. The address of the executable code replaces the address of the stub code in the method table for future invocation of the method by other instances of the same class.
Furthermore, embodiments of the invention which decrease the time required to compile the a method body include a process of code sharing. Code sharing includes sharing executable object code for compatible methods among different classes generated from the same class template. Executable object code is stored or referenced by a cache of the class template representation. A determination is made as to the compatibility of the method to be compiled and the cached object code. If compatible, the compilation of the method is avoided by simply replacing the address of the stub code with the address of the cached code.
In general, full compilation of methods for a particular class is performed for only those methods that are referenced in the program code, invoked during program execution, and are incompatible with previously compiled methods.
Thus, certain aspects of the invention involve compiling program code which includes a class template and a template-generated class in a dynamic compilation execution environment. Such compilation involves (1) creating a representation of the class template from its definition within the program code; (2) creating a representation of the template-generated class from its declaration within the program code, such that it points to the class template representation; and (3) generating method bindings stored in the class representation for methods referenced within the program code. The method bindings generated are substantially limited to those methods referenced in the program code. In addition, the compilation may involve (4) delaying compilation of method bodies for those methods referenced in the program code until they are invoked.
Each method within a class template is represented by a method descriptor storing or referencing the source code representations of a type signature and method body for that method. The source code representation of the type signature is used in the process of generating a method binding for the template-generated class representation.
The process for generating method bindings is triggered whenever a method call instruction, referencing a class method of a template-generated class, requires compilation. It involves (1) scanning the class representation for a previously generated method binding representing the referenced method; and if not found, (2) creating a method binding; (3) scanning the class template representation for the source code representation of the method""s type signature; (4) compiling the source code representation of the type signature; (5) associating the resulting type signature object and method offset with the method binding; and (6) associating the method binding with the class representation. Once, the method binding is found or generated, the method call instruction is compiled using the type signature object and method offset.
The compiling of method bodies involves a class template representation which includes a method table mapping the methods of the template to stub code. The method table is referenced by the class template representation through a method table array. A copy of the method table is referenced by the class representation initially providing access to stub code for each method invoked on an instance of a template-generated class.
When a class method is invoked on an instance of a class representation during program execution. The method table of the class representation is referenced for the address of the stub code associated with the invoked method. The stub code is executed initiating the compilation of the source code representation of a method body such that a runtime compiler is invoked. The runtime compiler is invoked with the address of the source code representation of the method body stored within the class template representation. The address of the resulting executable code subsequently replaces the address of the stub code in the method table of the class representation.
Alternatively, the compilation of method bodies includes (1) referencing a cache of the class template representation for cached executable code for the invoked method; (2) determining whether the cached executable code is compatible with the invoked method; and if compatible, (3) replacing the address of the stub code in the method table with the address of the cached executable code.
A cache may be stored within a method descriptor of the class template representation, such that the cache includes the address of cached executable code or the address of a table mapping rules to cached executable code. The rules of the table provide criteria for determining whether the cached executable code is compatible with the invoked method.

Lazy compilation of template-generated classes in dynamic compilation execution environments


In a proxy mobile IP system, a mobility anchor comprises: a proxy mobile IP registration unit effectuating proxy mobile IP registration in proxy mobile IP (Internet Protocol) communication by one or more registration notification messages from an access gateway; and a last registration time recording/management unit effectuating recording and management of time of last registration by the registration notification message. The mobility anchor, on receipt of a new registration notification message, determines, in case a receipt time difference (or a receipt time interval) between the time of receipt of the new registration notification message and a registration notification message recorded last time in the last registration time recording/management unit is within a pre-set period of time, and the access gateway has changed by switching, possibility of order reversal of the new registration notification message and the registration notification message recorded last time.

So far, a separate movement management control system has been used from one mobile phone network system to another. Nowadays, it is contemplated to render possible the application of IP in the inter-conversion among different packet networks of respective systems. In addition, such a system that allows for interoperability among different radio network mediums has been a desideratum.
It is thus contemplated to implement such system of interoperability in accordance with a proxy mobile IP system now being standardized by IFTF (Internet Engineering Task Force) for a movement management control system such as a mobile phone network or the WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network.
FIG. 4 schematically shows an example configuration of the system according to the proxy mobile IP system. Referring to FIG. 4, the system is composed of an MN (Mobile Node) 5, a MAG (Mobile Access Gateway) (1) 6-1, a MAG (Mobile Access Gateway) (2) 6-2 and an LMA (Localized Mobility Anchor) 7. The MN 5 may have communication via a radio communication domain Radio 1 and further connects to the LMA 7 over the MAG (1) 6-1. The MN 5 also may have communication via a radio communication domain Radio2, and further connects to the LMA 7 over the MAC; (2) 6-2.
With the mobile IP system, a mobile terminal registers a care of address(oA), which is dependent on the network of the movement destination, in a home agent, using a registration notification message. The home agent sends an IP packet, addressed to a home address of the mobile terminal, to the care of address.
However, in applying the mobile IP system to a mobile phone network, there is raised a problem that, since the mobile terminal needs to possess a mobile IP control function, it is not possible to perform the movement management of the mobile terminal not having the mobile IP control function. There is also raised a problem that, in the collocate care of address (CCoA) system of IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) or in the IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) system, the IP encapsulation communication is needed in the domain of the radio communication, thus wasting the radio resource in an amount corresponding to the IP header.
The proxy mobile IP system is now under study in order to meet a demand that, even though the control protocol of the mobile IP system is used, no special function is required of the mobile terminal, such that IP encapsulation communication is unnecessary in the radio communication domain. Specified systems therefor are disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 indicated below.
The proxy mobile IP system operates as follows: A mobile access gateway (MAG) is placed intermediate between a home agent and a mobile terminal. When the MAG has detected that the mobile terminal has moved into an area of an access network under the MAG's control, the MAG performs registration, on behalf of the mobile terminal, in a home agent, in accordance with the proxy mobile IP system. An IP address of the MAG is used at this time as a care of address.
An IP packet, addressed to the home address of the mobile terminal, is transmitted from the home agent to the MAG, using IP encapsulation communication established between the home agent and the MAG. This MAG takes out the IP packet, addressed to the mobile terminal, and transmits the so taken out IP packet to the mobile terminal, using a radio link communication means between the MAG and the mobile terminal.
In handover processing, performed when the mobile terminal has moved to an area of another new MAG, the new MAG detects such movement of the mobile terminal and performs registration in the home agent in accordance with the proxy mobile IP system. Since this proxy mobile IP system is such a one in which different MAGs perform the registration on behalf of the mobile terminal, there exists a plurality of sources of transmission of the registration notification messages.
Because of differential transmission delays between the respective MAGs and the home agent, there are cases where the order of the registration notification messages from the old and new MAGs is reversed when the messages arrive at the home agent. In a known manner, there persists a problem that, when the registration notification message from the old MAG has arrived at a belated timing, the IP packet is not sent to the new MAG.
In the mobile IP system, the mobile terminal appends a sequential number to the registration notification message to avoid the problem of order reversal. However, in the proxy mobile IP system, in which the scheme of global sequential number management may not be implemented, there persists the problem of order reversal.
Several solutions to overcome the problem of order reversal of registration notification messages are under study by the NETLMN WG (Network-based Localized Mobility Management Working Group) of IFTF (refer to FIG. 5). In Non-Patent Document 2, indicated below, there are proposed five concrete solutions:
According to the first solution, a plurality of MAGs is synchronized with one another, using a time server, and the timing information is appended to the respective registration notification messages. A home agent performs order decision based on the timing information entered in the registration notification messages. This solution suffers a problem that synchronization to high accuracy is necessary.
According to the second solution, it is detected whether or not a registration notification message from an old MAG arrives within a predetermined time as from end of processing of the registration notification message from a new MAG. Only the first request from the old MAG is discarded. This solution suffers a problem that it depends on timer re-send processing of the old MAG, and hence the processing is protracted, and another problem that a registration notification message from a new MAG, if any, is prioritized.
According to the third solution, the problem of the second solution that it depends on the timer re-send processing of the old MAG is to be overcome. It is thus detected whether or not a registration notification message from an old MAG arrives within a predetermined time after processing a registration notification message from a new MAG. The home agent returns explicitly an error only for the first time. The old MAG performs the registration again if a mobile terminal is connected to it under its control. This third solution suffers a problem that, if the registration notification message has arrived from the new MAG, it is prioritized.
According to the fourth solution, a new MAG performs initial registration when it has established a radio link and performs processing again after it has succeeded in the initial registration. That is, the MAG sends the registration notification message twice. This solution suffers a problem that excess registration packets are necessary.
According to the fifth solution, a home agent returns an error in response to an initial registration notification message from a new MAG. At the same time, the home agent alerts a correct sequence number to the new MAG, which new MAG again performs registration using the correct sequential number. This fifth solution suffers a problem that excess registration packets are necessary.
Referring to FIG. 7, if a registration request is made from MAG 1 and MAG 2, an IP tunnel is formed between the MAG and the LMA, as a result of the registration request, and an IP packet is encapsulate and transmitted. The IP packet, transmitted encapsulated from the LMA, is decapsulated by the MAG and transferred to the mobile terminal (MN). A packet from the mobile terminal gets to the LMA by the reverse of the sequence to that described above.    [Non-Patent Document 1] "Proxy Mobile IPv6 draft-ietf-netlmm-proxymip6-0.1.txt" (NETLMM WG, Jun. 19, 2007) (http://www.ietforg/intemet-drafts/draft-ietf-netlmn-proxymip6-0.1.txt)    [Non-Patent Document 2] "[netlmn] Issue:Timestamp vs Sequence Number based logic" (http://www1.ietf.org/mail-achive/web/netlmn/current/msg02106.html)

Proxy mobile IP system, access gateway and method for determining the order of registration notification messages used therefor


An electromagnetic actuator for an active vibration isolation system, the electromagnetic actuator includes: a fixed core; a movable core that is opposed to the fixed core and is joined to a vibration member; and a coil unit having coils that surround part of the fixed core and the movable core. The movable core and the vibration member are vibrated in a reciprocating manner by energization to the coils, and the coils include a main coil to which an alternating current with a waveform corresponding to vibrations of a vibration generation source is input and a sub-coil that amplifies magnetic flux generated by the main coil.

The following electromagnetic actuator for an active vibration isolation system is known due to Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2010-196758 ("JP '758"). Specifically, the electromagnetic actuator eliminates high-order components of a vibration force generated when a pulse voltage with a predetermined frequency is applied to only one coil by controlling a pulse voltage applied to each of first and second coils that are disposed to overlap with each other in the axial direction and configure a coil unit.

Electromagnetic actuator for active vibration isolation system


A modular mailbox housing assembly includes at least one hollow unitary base module for being positioned on a supporting surface. A hollow unitary mailbox-holding module is positioned on top of the at least one base module. The mailbox-holding module has an opening formed in a sidewall thereof of a size and shape to receive and enclose into the hollow area of the mailbox-holding module the top, bottom and closed end of a standard roadside mailbox with the door of the mailbox exposed on a sidewall of the mailbox-holding module for access by users. A cap is positioned on top of the mailbox-holding module for enclosing the top of the mailbox housing assembly. A locking flange locks the at least one base module and the mailbox-holding module in vertical registration with each other.

This invention relates to a modular mailbox housing assembly. The invention is designed to improve the appearance of standard roadside mailboxes by providing a decorative housing for enclosing the mailbox. Additionally, the invention serves to shelter the mailbox from adverse weather conditions and other potentially damaging occurrences, such as vandalism.
Mailbox housings are known in the art, and are commonly constructed of laid brick or stone. These such custom-built housings ordinarily cost hundreds of dollars to construct, and often require the employ of a skilled professional. Damage to the mailbox housing is difficult to repair, and in extreme cases, complete reconstruction of the housing is required.
The present invention eliminates the high cost and skill associated with laid brick or stone constructed mailbox housings by providing a mailbox housing which is relatively inexpensive, and easy to construct. Additionally, the mailbox housing of the present invention may be easily repaired or reconditioned.


An event recorder includes an outer case, and a first memory module including a first amount of data storage capacity contained within the outer case. The first memory module is configured to receive and store multiple types of data including at least two of: video data; audio data; locomotive data indicative of one or more locomotive operating parameters, locomotive control signals, and locomotive performance characteristics; engine operating parameter data; exhaust characteristics data; electrical data; and positive train control data. A controller contained within the outer case may be configured to associate a universal time stamp with each of the multiple types of data stored in the first memory module. An inner, crash-hardened case may be contained within the outer case, containing a second memory module including a second amount of data storage capacity that is smaller than the first amount. The controller may be further configured to periodically transfer a portion of the time-stamped data stored in the first memory module to the second memory module.

Event recorders provided on various mobile vehicles such as planes and trains are generally designed to record data associated with an event during operation of the vehicle. The event recorders are typically designed and built to store that recorded data in a crash-hardened memory unit. A crash-hardened memory unit is configured to withstand the severe conditions that may occur during an accident. The memory units for these event recorders are contained within enclosures that allow the stored data to remain intact after accidents or other abnormal events. An important purpose of the event recorder is to provide a source of data that can be retrieved from the event recorder after an event such as an accident, and provide a detailed and accurate accounting of exactly what happened leading up to and during the event.
On-scene investigations after events involving mobile vehicles are time consuming and are not always accurate. Often, investigators must rely on witness statements and approximations to assess the events and the relative timing of the events leading up to the accident and to determine who is at fault. It is therefore difficult to guarantee the correctness of these assessments. Insurance companies use these assessments to determine who must pay for the damage after an accident has occurred. Incorrect assessments lead to money being spent unnecessarily by the insurance companies whose clients were not at fault.
A system capable of recording, reproducing and analyzing information pertaining to an accident is very valuable. Traffic delays caused while an accident is being investigated could be decreased since less investigation time at the scene of the accident would be required. Investigations would be more accurate since the system will provide precise data prior to, during, and after the accident. Additionally, insurance companies will benefit due to improved investigation assessments. Existing event recorders often are capable of recording only specific types of data such as limited amounts of video and/or audio data, or data provided by sensors that measure vehicle operating characteristics. During accident reconstruction, the various types of data must be synchronized after the fact by stitching together the different types of data relative to different time sources associated with each of the different types of data. This process requires complex software and may lead to inaccuracies in the perceived relative timing of different recorded data.
One attempt to record video information at each signaling device positioned along a train track is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,718 of Kull that issued on Nov. 2, 1999 (the '718 patent). The '718 patent provides a rail vision system employed to visually read signal aspect information from each signaling device. The '718 patent also warns a train operator of restrictive signal aspects and, if the train operator fails to acknowledge the warning, imposes a brake application.
Although the system of the '718 patent may improve safety and aid in investigations regarding the operation of a locomotive, it may be less than optimal. In particular, the disclosed system of the '718 patent does not provide a system for recording multiple types of data to a crash-hardened memory. Moreover, the '718 patent also does not provide a system for associating a universal time stamp from a single time source with all of the different types of data that are being written to the crash-hardened memory in order to facilitate accurate synchronization of the data for event reconstruction.
The system and method of the present disclosure solves one or more problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.


Methods and systems for characterizing and managing plots of land is provided. Information related to elevation, soil conductivity, crop yield, and grower history is organized into profiles to generate a management zone profile. The management zone profile divides the plot of land into agronomy zones having attributable characteristics related to the elevation, soil conductivity, crop yield, and grower history information. The management zone profile is utilized to create a variable prescription of items, such as fertilizer, seed and pesticides, to be applied to the plot of land.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for the management of agricultural plots of land. More specifically, information related to elevation, soil conductivity, satellite imagery, and grower yield history is extracted from the plots of land. The extracted information is used to generate a management zone profile and create a prescription for the plot of land.
As the demand on the food supply increases and the total viable farmland decreases, methods and systems are needed that maximize crop yields. Maximum crop yields result in increased production of agricultural products and more value per acre of land. However, the effort in maximizing crop yields is difficult, time consuming, and costly because the characteristics of farmland vary from acre to acre. This variance is due to factors such as the conditions of the soil and topography. Further, a field may include significant acre-to-acre variations in nutrients, quality of crop produced, and ultimately crop yield.
For example, residual soil nutrients can vary considerable. Nitrate nitrogen can vary from about 15 lbs/acre to 150 lbs/acre. Quality of the crop can also show significant variability. For example, protein and test weight for wheat can range 2.5 percent in a single 40-acre field. The yield can vary as well. Typically, yields range from 50 percent less than the mean to 50 percent greater than the mean. Most applied nutrient amounts are determined by the expected yield of the crop. Therefore, it is important to determine yield potentials prior to application of fertilizers.
The soil type can also significantly affect crop yields. Agricultural lands are typically comprised of several different soil types, each of which may be categorized according to differences in soil texture, soil depth, and soil chemistry. Soil texture can be measure by examining the relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay contained within the soil.
Although any given plot of land or field may include many different soil types, it would be unusual if it did not include at least two substantially different soils having substantially different fertilization requirements. Some fields contain one dominant soil type that covers the majority of the field area with the remaining area made up of other different soil types. These other areas of different soil type are distributed around the field in various locations and have irregularly shaped boundaries, which often, but not necessarily, correspond to low or high spots. Often, a field contains a number of soil types. Ideally, each of the individual areas of different soil should be treated independently for the purpose of applying seed, fertilizer, or other items to the field.
Present methods determine nutrient requirements by taking soil samples from different areas of the field in a grid configuration. Characteristics such as soil composition and type can be assessed from the soil samples. Additionally, topography can be ascertained. Determining the soil characteristics from samples taken throughout a plot of land, particularly when the farm is thousands of acres, would require analysis on hundreds if not thousands of samples. Extracting and analyzing this multitude of soil samples is cost prohibitive and does not provide a viable method for maximizing agricultural output. Furthermore, the grid method may allow a varied number of soil types and elevations to be included within a single area due to the irregularity in shape of the different areas of the field. This is also problematic.
The current practice is to prescribe items, such as seed and fertilizer, to the entire plot of land or section of the land, if using the grid method, according to the needs of the most deficient soil, or according to the averaged requirements of the different soils. The result is that a substantial area of the field receives either more or less of the item being applied, resulting in significant waste of expensive of materials, such as fertilizer, and potentially lowering yields. In the field averaging method, only those sections which fall under average field characteristics will receive the proper field prescription leaving the remainder of the field without the correct seed, fertilizer, or chemical treatment. Both the deficient soil and field average methods fail to maximize field yields and output.
It would be desirable to develop system and methods that manage farmland to increase crop yields, maximize output per acre of land, and reduce costs associated with managing and assessing the crop yield potential for a field. The present invention addresses these needs.
Generally, the present invention relates to methods and systems for providing a prescription of at least one item to a plot of farmland. In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by creating a management zone profile that is based upon information extracted from the plot of land.
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for A method for characterizing a plot of land, the method comprising the steps of: generating an elevation profile for the plot of land; generating a soil conductivity profile for the plot of land; generating a satellite image profile of the plot of land; and analyzing the elevation profile, the soil conductivity profile, and the satellite image profile to generate a management zone profile.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a method for characterizing a plot of land, the method comprising the steps of: collecting elevational information on the plot of land; collecting soil conductivity information on the plot of land; collecting satellite imagery information on the plot of land; correlating the elevational information, the soil conductivity information, and the satellite imagery information to a latitude and longitude to produce an elevation profile, a soil conductivity profile, a satellite imagery profile, and a grower history profile; and providing the elevational profile, the soil conductivity profile, and the satellite imagery profile for analysis to generate a management zone profile.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a method for characterizing a plot of land, the method comprising the steps of: providing elevational information on the plot of land; providing soil conductivity information on the plot of land; providing infrared satellite imagery information on the plot of land; correlating the elevational information, the soil conductivity information, and the satellite imagery information to a latitude and longitude to produce an elevation profile, a soil conductivity profile, a satellite imagery profile, and a grower history profile; and providing the elevational profile, the soil conductivity profile, and the satellite imagery profile for analysis to generate a management zone profile.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a method for managing a plot of land, the method comprising the steps of: generating an elevation profile for the plot of land; generating a soil conductivity profile for the plot of land; generating an satellite image of the plot of land; analyzing the elevation profile, the soil conductivity profile, and the satellite image profile to generate a management zone profile, wherein the management zone profile is divided into two or more agronomy zones; obtaining at least one soil sample from each of two or more agronomy zones; analyzing the at least one soil sample obtained from each of the two or more agronomy zones; and applying a prescribed amount of at least one item to the plot of land based upon based upon the analysis of the at least one soil sample obtained from each of the two or more agronomy zones and the management zone profile.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a method of analyzing information organized into a profile and for transforming the profile into a management zone profile, the method comprising: storing the profile into a memory; analyzing attributes of the profile; mapping analyzed attributes of the profile into a management zone profile, wherein the management zone profile comprises two or more agronomy zones; and whereby a user can extract meaning from the management zone profile by comprehending the relationships between the two or more agronomy zones.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a method of analyzing information organized into at least two profiles and for transforming the profiles into a management zone profile, the method comprising: storing the at least two profiles into a memory; analyzing attributes of the at least two profiles; mapping analyzed attributes of the at least two profiles into a management zone profile, wherein the management zone profile comprises two or more agronomy zones; and whereby a user can extract meaning from the management zone profile by comprehending the relationships between the two or more agronomy zones.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a system for analyzing an elevational profile, a soil conductivity profile, and a satellite image profile, and for transforming the profiles into a management zone profile, the system comprising: a memory configured with a data structure for maintaining an arrangement of the profiles; and a processor configured to map attributes of the profiles into the management zone profile.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a computer-readable medium encoded with data representing a computer program which can cause a computer, having a processor, a memory and an output device, to analyze data organized into at least two profiles and for transforming the at least two profiles into a management zone profile, the computer program comprising a method for: storing the at least two profiles into a memory; analyzing attributes of the at least two profiles; mapping analyzed attributes of the at least two profiles into a management zone profile, wherein the management zone profile comprises two or more agronomy zones; and whereby a user can extract meaning from the management zone profile by comprehending the relationships between the two or more agronomy zones.
In accordance with other aspects, the present invention relates to a system for determining agricultural yield potentials for a plot of land comprising: an elevation profile for the plot of land; a soil conductivity profile for the plot of land; a satellite image profile for the plot of land; a memory configured with a data structure for storing the elevation profile, the soil conductivity profile, and the satellite image profile; and a processor configured to analyze the elevation profile, the soil conductivity profile, and the satellite image profile to generate a management zone profile.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The Figures and the detailed description, which follows, more particularly exemplify these embodiments.

Methods and systems for managing farmland


A DMOS device having a trench bus structure thereof is introduced. The trench bus structure comprises a field oxide layer formed on a P substrate, and a trench extending from an top surface of the field oxide layer down to a lower portion of the P substrate. A gate oxide layer and a polysilicon bus are formed to fill the trench as a main portion of the bus structure. In addition, an isolation layer and a metal line are formed atop the polysilicon bus and the field oxide layer. An opening is formed in the isolation layer to form connections between the polysilicon bus and the metal line. In specific embodiments, the bus trench and the gate trenches of the DMOS device are formed simultaneously, and the polysilicon bus and the gate electrode are formed simultaneously as well. Therefore, the bus structure is able to form the DMOS transistor without demanding any lithographic step for defining the position of the polysilicon bus.

This invention relates to a DMOS device, and more particularly relates to a DMOS device having a trenched bus structure.
The diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (DMOS) transistor, one of the important power transistors, is widely used in high-voltage systems such as power suppliers and power control devices. Among many reported power transistor structures, a trenched power transistor is a notable design. Some reports have suggested a trenched power transistor has better performance than a planar power transistor in both efficiency and density.
As shown in FIG. 1, a known trenched DMOS device and its gate bus are illustrated. A typical trenched transistor is illustrated on the left side of FIG. 1, comprising (1) a plurality of trenches 220 formed in a P substrate 210, (2) a gate oxide layer 230 in the device region, lining the surface of the trenches 220 and extending to cover the top surface of the neighboring P substrate (or body) 210, (3) a plurality of N+ source regions 250 encompassing the DMOS trenches and extending to the top surface of the P substrate 210, and (4) a plurality of P+ regions 251 formed between two adjacent N source regions 250. The DMOS trench 220 has a bottom penetrating through an area below the P substrate 210. The inner part of the DMOS trench is filled with a gate polysilicon 241 to form a gate for the power transistor. A first isolation layer 261 and a source metal contact layer 270 cover in sequence over the gate polysilicon 241 and the gate oxide layer 230 in the device region. The source metal contact layer 270 has connections with the N source regions 250 and the P+ regions 251.
A typical gate bus is shown on the right side of FIG. 1, comprising (1) a polysilicon bus 242 formed over the P substrate 210 covered by a bus gate oxide layer 232 and (2) a second isolation layer 262 overlying the polysilicon bus 242 and the adjacent bus gate oxide layer 232 in the neighborhood and having an opening to expose the top surface of the polysilicon bus 242. Meanwhile, a gate metal conductive line 271 is connected over the polysilicon bus 242.
According to the abovementioned known trenched DMOS transistor and its gate bus structure, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a lithographic process is used, after the deposition of the polysilicon layer 240, to form a photoresist 245 for defining a location of the polysilicon bus 242 in order to form the polysilicon bus 242. Then an etching process is performed. As shown in FIG. 3, during the etching process to form the polysilicon bus 242, the charges and etching solution accumulate easily at the interface A of sidewalls of the polysilicon bus 242 and the adjacent gate oxide layer 230. Therefore, the gate oxide layer 230 at the interface A often suffers a severe etching action, so as to form micro trenches 300. Due to the formation of the micro trenches 300, more charges accumulate between the polysilicon bus 242 and the P substrate 210. It results in electric field breakdown of the gate oxide layer 230 at the interface A and the increase of current leakage.
FIG. 6 illustrates a DMOS transistor and its bus structure described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,265. The bus is formed from a trenched structure instead of a conventional planar one. The bus trench 221 and the DMOS trench 220 are formed in the same etching. With the subsequent blanket deposition, the polysilicon layer 240 fills the DMOS trench 220 and the bus trench 221. Then, an etchback process is directly performed with the gate oxide layer 230 as an etching stop layer. Therefore, a gate polysilicon 241 and a polysilicon bus 242 are formed respectively in the DMOS trench 220 and the bus trench 221.
According to the abovementioned bus structure design, there is no need for an additional lithographic process to form the polysilicon bus 242. However, due to the easy accumulation of the etching solution and charges on the top surface of the polysilicon bus 242 during the etching process of forming the polysilicon bus 242, the micro trenches 300 are easily formed in the gate oxide layer 230 of the adjacent bus.


The invention relates to the use of at least one compound, selected from the group consisting of tebuconazole, epoxiconazole, metconazole, cyproconazole, prothioconazole and any mixtures thereof, for increasing the resistance of plants to abiotic stress factors.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the use of particular azole compounds for enhancing the resistance of plants to abiotic stress factors. The present invention further provides a spray solution which comprises particular azole compounds and can be used for enhancing the resistance of plants to abiotic stress factors. The present invention finally also relates to a method for treatment of plants or plant parts for enhancing resistance to abiotic stress factors.
2. Description of Related Art
A fundamental distinction among possible causes of damage to plants is between biotic and abiotic causes. Most of the biotic causes of damage to plants are known pathogens, which can be controlled by chemical crop protection measures and by resistance breeding. In contrast, abiotic stress is the effect of individual or combined environmental factors (in particular frost, cold, heat and drought) on the metabolism of the plant, which constitutes an unusual stress for the organism. In this context, tolerance to abiotic stress means that plants are capable of enduring the stress situation with substantial retention of performance or with less damage than is observed with corresponding, more stress-sensitive controls.
The effect of moderate stresses over prolonged periods of time or short-term extreme stress may lead to irreversible damage, up to and including the death of the plants. Abiotic stress factors are thus responsible to a considerable degree for harvest losses, or lead to average harvests that are often distinctly below the maximum possible yield (Bray et al.: "Responses to Abiotic Stresses", in: Buchanan, Gruissem, Jones (eds.) "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants", pages 1158 to 1203, American Society of Plant Physiologists, 2000).
It is known that chemical substances may increase the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress. Such effects, which are frequently also associated with increased yields, are also observed inter alia when particular fungicides are used and have been demonstrated for the group of the strobilurins (Bartlett et al., 2002, Pest Manag Sci 60: 309).
For some azole compounds too, a stress resistance-promoting effect has already been demonstrated. However, this has to date been restricted to azoles of a particular structure type (for example methylazoles); to azoles in combination with abscisic acid (ABA); to azoles causing a significant depression of growth in the treated plants; to applications of the azoles in the treatment of seed or seedlings and to the reduction of damage caused by artificial ozone treatment (see, for example, WO 2007/008580 A; Imperial Chemical Industries PLC, 1985, Research Disclosure 259: 578-582; CA 211 98 06; JP 2003/325063 A; Wu and von Tiedemann, 2002, Environmental Pollution 116: 37-47).
In addition, effects of growth regulators on the stress tolerance of crop plants have been described, including paclobutrazole, a methylazole used as a growth regulator (Morrison and Andrews, 1992, J Plant Growth Regul 11: 113-117; Imperial Chemical Industries PLC, 1985, Research Disclosure 259: 578-582).
The effect of abscisic acid (ABA) as a phytohormone has been described in a large number of physiological processes. For example, ABA acts as a "stress hormone", the formation of which is induced inter alia by drought stress and, inter alia, mediates inhibition of stomatary transpiration (closure of the stomata) (Schopfer, Brennicke: "Pflanzenphysiologie" [Plant Physiology], 5th edition, Springer, 1999). This makes the plant more tolerant to drought stress.
It has been shown in numerous examples that exogenous application of abscisic acid can reduce the sensitivity of plants to stress, or increase stress tolerance (Jones and Mansfield, 1970, J. Exp. Botany 21: 714-719; Bonham-Smith et al., 1988, Physiologia Plantarum 73: 27-30). Furthermore, it was also shown that ABA-analogous structures are capable of triggering ABA-like plant reactions (Churchill et al., 1998, Plant Growth Regul 25: 35-45; Huang et al., 2007, Plant J 50: 414-428). The stress tolerance-enhancing action of ABA analogs in combination with growth inhibitors has likewise already been described (DE 38 215 20 A).
The fungicidal action of azoles such as tebuconazole and prothioconazole is known and is based on the inhibition of sterol C14-demethylase, a central enzyme in sterol biosynthesis (Kuck & Vors: "Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors", in: Krämer & Schirmer (eds.) "Modern Crop Protection Compounds", Vol. 2, pages 605 to 650, Wiley-VCH, 2007).
In addition to sterol C14-demethylase, however, other enzymes of the same type (known as P450 monooxygenases) are also inhibited by representatives of these substance classes. For example, many of these molecules also lead, as a result of inhibition of ent-kaurene oxidase after application, to significant stunting of the plants, since the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid is thus inhibited, a plant hormone involved, inter alia, in the regulation of growth processes (Buchenauer: "DMI-fungicides—side effects on the plant and problems of resistance, in: Lyr (ed.) "Modern Selective Fungicides", 2nd ed., p. 259-290, Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1995).
Some representatives of these substance classes have additionally also been described as inhibitors of abscisic acid catabolism (specifically of ABA hydroxylation by ABA 8′-hydroxylase) (Kitahata et al., 2005, Bioorg. Med. Chem. 13: 4491-4498; Saito et al., 2006, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 70: 1731-1739; Zhang et al., 2007, Journal of Plant Physiology 164: 709-717). The substances described therein, diniconazole and uniconazole, lead, however, to an undesired degree of stunting in some crop plants, for example oilseed rape. The use of these and some other azoles in combination with abscisic acid to increase plant resistance to abiotic stress is described in WO2007/008580 A.
JP 2003-325063 discloses the use of some azoles for treatment of seedlings, which are planted in the soil by means of a machine. The findings described therein are not applicable to a treatment of plants or plant parts to increase resistance to abiotic stress, since the substances act on different plant structures, organs and tissue in seeds and seedlings (for example, cotyledons are physiologically and morphologically different leaves) and are also absorbed via different routes (seed kernel or seedling tissue as opposed to wax layer and leaf tissue of a further-developed plant).

Use of azoles for increasing the abiotic stress resistance of plants or plant parts


Provided is a memory system that includes at least one nonvolatile memory device, a plurality of power lines and a plurality of power domains. The power lines receive a power source voltage. The power domains are respectively connected to the power lines. A reset signal is generated by using voltages which are detected from the power lines. The memory system and a reset method thereof detect the voltages of all power lines to generate a reset signal, and thus enhance reliability of data when a power is shut off.

1. Field of the General Inventive Concept
The present disclosure herein relates to a memory system and a reset method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
User devices include electronic devices such as personal computers, digital cameras, camcorders, portable telephones, MP3 players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs) and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and electronic devices such as memory cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB) memories and Solid State Drivers (SSDs). Most of the user devices internally include memory devices to store data. Memory devices can be volatile and include memories such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and Static Random Access Memory (SRAM). Memory devices can also be nonvolatile and include memories such as Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FRAM), Phase-change Random Access Memory (PRAM), Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) and flash memory. The volatile memories lose stored data when a power is shut off, but the nonvolatile memories retain data even when a power is shut off. However, if nonvolatile memories are shut off prematurely or lose power while being accessed, memory data can be corrupted or improperly read, causing data errors.

Memory system and reset method thereof to prevent nonvolatile memory corruption due to premature power loss


An embodiment includes at least one processing unit to perform at least first and second sets of diffusion-related operations to produce a resulting block from a data block, and that includes at least one stage and at least one other stage. The at least one stage is to select one of first operands and second operands input to the at least one other stage. The first and second operands are respectively associated with the first and second sets of operations, respectively. The at least one other stage involves arithmetic and logical operations common to both the first and second sets of operations. At least one other processing unit is to perform at least one set of cryptographic-related operations (different, at least in part, from the first and second sets of operations) on at least one of (1) another block to produce the data block and (2) the resulting block.

In one conventional arrangement, data is encrypted and stored in a hard disk. After being stored in the disk, the data may be retrieved and decrypted. In order to improve data security, the data also may be diffused before being encrypted, and after being retrieved from the disk and decrypted, an inverse operation may be applied to reverse the diffusion. In this conventional arrangement, the operations to carry out the encryption, decryption, diffusion, and to reverse the diffusion may consume significant processing bandwidth, especially if performed in whole or substantial part by software and/or general purpose hardware.
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. Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewed broadly.

Diffusion and cryptographic-related operations


The invention is a method for reducing the effector functions of a therapeutic neutralizing antibody by administering to the afflicted subject an effective amount of an engineered aglycosylated human monoclonal antibody containing an engineered Fc region, wherein aglycosylation of the Fc region prevents therapeutic antibody-mediated cell activation, inflammation, C1q binding to the antibody and antibody triggered classical pathway activation.

Immmunoglobulins (IgGs) are large molecules. They are antibodies composed of two heavy chains and two light chains. Each light chain has two portions; a constant region (LC) and a variable region (LV). Each heavy chain has one variable portion (HV) and four constant portions (CH1, CH2, CH3 and CH4). Each variable portion on each chain is followed by a constant portion. Each light chain is linked to a heavy chain by one or more covalent interchain disulfide bond(s). Each heavy and light chain also contains regularly spaced intra-chain disulfide bridges. The variable domains are composed of complementarity determining regions (CDRs) and framework regions (FWs) that are specific to each antibody. The variable domains determine the function and binding of the antibody. CDRs are the primary binding segments of the antibody involved in antigen binding. The constant domain, composed of the CH1, CH2, and CH3 regions, is not involved in antigen binding. The CH2 and CH3 constitute the Fc region of the antibody. The Fc region is responsible for several "effector functions" (see below), including certain biological activities which can be unfavorable in the context of therapeutic neutralizing antibodies. Such unfavorable effector functions include C1q binding and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) response. The Fc region of an antibody, specifically the effector domain, binds to Fc receptors (Fc.gamma.Rs) on the surface of immune effector cells such as macrophages. This leads to the phagocytosis or lysis of the targeted cells. In complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), the antibodies kill the targeted cells by triggering the complement cascade, and resulting MAC formation, at the cell surface.
There are five major classes of immune-globulins: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM. The IgG(s) are further divided into four isotypes: IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4. These isotypes elicit differential responses due to the sequences located within the constant domains. The IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 isotypes are known to cause complement system activation and CDC. (See FIG. 1). The IgG1 and IgG3 isotypes are known to mediate ADCC. The four IgG isotypes vary in the compositions of their heavy chains. Among therapeutic antibodies, human IgG1 is the most commonly used isotype. Accordingly, attempts to modify therapeutic antibody effector functions have been focused on IgG1 isotypes. However, different IgG isotypes, with different inherent effector function properties, are often more useful in the context of reducing and/or exploiting effector functions. There is a need in the art to develop the use of the IgG2, IgG3, IgG4 isotypes, and isotype hybrids, with and without Fc modifications, for use as therapeutic antibodies. The present invention aims to address some of these needs.
Hybrid Isotypes—The hinge region of the IgG antibody is located between the CH1 and CH2 portions of the heavy chain, and is particularly susceptible to proteolytic cleavage. Antibodies can be recombinantly engineered to form hybrid isotypes which contain portions from two or more different isotypes. For example, the prior art includes a hybrid antibody which contains the variable portion and the first constant portion of an IgG2 isotype antibody fused to the CH2, and CH3 portions of an IgG4 isotype antibody. (US Patent Application 20070041972).
Fc Mediated Effector Functions—The Fc "effector functions" are the biological activities of an antibody (be it a natural antibody or an engineered antibody) other than the antibody's primary function and purpose. In the case of therapeutic neutralizing antibodies, the effector functions are the biological activities of the antibody other than the neutralization of the target protein or pathway. Examples of antibody effector functions include: C1q binding and complement dependent cytotoxicity; Fc receptor binding; antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC); phagocytosis; down regulation of cell surface receptors (e.g., B cell receptor); lack of activation of platelets that express Fc receptor; and B cell activation. Many effector functions begin with Fc binding to an Fc gamma receptor (Fc.gamma.R). There are three subclasses of Fc.gamma.R: Fc.gamma.RI (CD64), Fc.gamma.RII (CD32) and Fc.gamma.RIII (CD16).


An apparatus is provided for use in a vehicle having a source of pressurized fluid and a pair of hydraulic drive motors connected to the pressurized fluid source and powered thereby. First and second ground engaging devices are connected to and driven by the first and second motors, respectively. The apparatus includes first and second control members, each being positionable at a plurality of locations for indicating a desired speed and direction for a respective drive motor. First and second actuators are adapted to sense the position of the first and second control members, respectively, and responsively control the direction and rate of fluid flow to the first and second drive motors. A set switch is movable between first and second positions and is adapted to produce a set speed signal in the second position. A set speed device is provided for receiving the set speed signal and operating the drive motors at a constant speed in response to the set speed signal, wherein the speed of the motors is responsive to the position of the control members upon reception of the set speed signal.

In construction vehicles, such as track type tractors or excavators, it is common to employ separate hydrostatic transmissions for driving individual ground engaging devices such as tracks or wheels. Each hydrostatic transmission typically includes a fluid pump adapted to supply pressurized fluid to a respective drive motor for controlling the speed and direction thereof. Each hydraulic motor is in turn mechanically connected to a respective ground engaging device for propelling the vehicle.
The speed and direction of the vehicle is controlled in response to the flow rate and direction of pressurized fluid applied to the drive motors. Rectilinear vehicle travel is achieved by operating the drive motors at the same speed and in the same direction. Conversely, cornering operations can be effected by varying the speeds of the individual drive motors. Typically, separate control levers or pedals are provided for controlling the speeds of the individual drive motors. For example, in an excavator, left and right control levers are provided for controlling the speed and direction of left and right drive motors. The control levers are manually movable between a plurality of forward and reverse positions and are normally biased to a neutral position. In most applications, the control levers are connected to either electro-hydraulic or hydro-mechanical control systems which control the rate and direction of fluid flow to the motors in response to the position of the control levers.
In many instances, it is desirable to maintain the motors at a constant speed for an extended duration. In existing systems, such an operation requires the operator to maintain the control levers at fixed position for an extended period of time. As should be apparent, this can become tiresome and fatiguing for the vehicle operator.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problem as set forth above.

Cruise control for hydraulically driven vehicle


A receiver in a radio communication system and method for optimizing a use of an available dynamic range. The receiver has an automatic gain controller in an automatic gain control loop, a first measuring device, connected to the automatic gain controller, operable to measure a total received energy, a second measuring device, connected to the automatic gain controller, operable to measure the inband signal energy, wherein the automatic gain controller is operable to adjust the gain based on both the total received energy and the inband signal energy.

Wireless LAN systems have the drawback of having to operate with a strong adjacent channel energy. Due to the channel spacing it is difficult to remove all adjacent channel energy using analogue filters, causing a substantial amount of energy being present at the input of the A/D converters in a WLAN receiver in the worst case. To cope with this the A/D converters are usually run at a higher conversion rate than needed for the inband signal only. Usually 2-4 times oversampling is used in order to being able to use digital filtering to remove the 1st and possibly the second adjacent channel. A typical budget for a WLAN system A/D converters is shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1 there is disclosed a typical WLAN A/D converter dynamic range budget, wherein A represents the range required for signal energy, B represents the adjacent channel energy, C represents the crest factor headroom and D represents the inband noise etc.
When a frame is received a gain control loop (AGC) is running in order to adjust the gain in the receiver to achieve an optimal signal level at the input of the A/D converters. Here there are two possibilities:                The received signal contains adjacent channel interference.        The received signal does not contain (or only has minor) adjacent channel inference.
Since a typical AGC loop measures the received signal energy and sets the gain for maximum utilization of the available dynamic range there will be a problem if the adjacent channel interference increase after the AGC loop is finished but before the entire frame is received. If this situation occurs the signal will start to clip, producing inband noise and seriously reducing the performance. See FIG. 2.
In FIG. 2 there is disclosed the adjacent interference starting after AGC freeze, wherein E represents the start of the frame, F represents the adjacent channel transmission start causing severe clipping noise, and G represents the to end of the frame.
In FIG. 3 there is disclosed the A/D converter dynamic range budget, wherein the clip level is 54 dB, meaning that B, the adjacent channel energy will overload the A/D converter which will cause clipping. The reference signs used in FIG. 3 correspond to the reference signs used in FIG. 1.

Radio communication received having automatic gain control based on measured and received energy


An amusement device toy in the shape of a flying saucer disk having aero-dynamically shaped whistle structures for emitting different tones when the disk is thrown into the air, mounted symmetrically on the periphery of the disk. The size of the whistle air chambers may be varied or the openings for admitting air displaced at different angles to obtain the different tones, while the aero-dynamic shape of the whistle assures laminar flow of air over the whistle entry for increased air flow.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to amusement devices adapted to sail through the air and more particularly to such devices having a sound-emitting structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Present-day amusement devices which sail through the air, after being thrown, are generally circular and designed with aerodynamic principles in mind so that they sail with a spinning motion. One such device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,678. When properly thrown, such devices remain airborne due to lifting forces exerted by the relative movement of the air caused, in part, by the spinning action. These devices eventually settle to the ground, after being thrown, as the spinning action continues, providing amusement and delight to users.
Such amusement devices, as described, are for the most part, noise-free as they sail through the air because of the desire to keep the structure aerodynamically clean. However, if sound were to be emitted from such a device as it sails through the air and spins, it would add to the enjoyment of the user of the device. Recognizing this, there have been some attempts to provide such a circular, amusement device with sound-emitting structure. Known devices with sound-emitting structure are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,031,655 and 4,297,809.
For the most part, however, many aerodynamic devices of the type to which this invention relates are manufactured and used without sound-emitting structure of any kind because of certain undesirable characteristics. For example, some sound-emitting structures such as whistles are of such complex design that their cost of manufacture would seriously hamper the commercial aspects of marketing the device. Further, other whistle structures proposed are heavy and bulky, thereby affecting and impairing the aerodynamic capabilities of the spinning amusement device. Finally, some known whistle structures for aerodynamic devices will operate only if the device is made to spin in one predetermined direction.
In order to overcome these deficiencies and increase the enjoyment obtained through the use of such aerodynamic devices, there is provided according to the present invention, a whistle structure mounted upon a circular, thrown and spun amusement device to cause a sound to be emitted from the device as it sails through the air. The sound is generated as a function of the spinning action and horizontal travel of the device.
The device is a shallow saucer-shaped body having a central axis about which is a circular portion and an outer rim that circumscribes the circular portion. Symmetrically disposed upon the body, about the central axis of the device is a whistle structure comprising a number of individual whistles that possess a simple, clean, aerodynamic shape and are lightweight to maintain the aerodynamic capabilities of the device.
Each individual whistle has a bottom, side walls, and an apertured top portion which define an enclosure that functions basically as a resonant chamber of fixed size. Throwing the device with a motion to cause it to spin about its central axis, as it sails through the air, will generate an airstream about the device. The apertured top portions of each whistle are positioned so that the airstream blows across the aperture in the top portion, partially into the whistle""s chamber and partially away from it. The air entering the chamber causes a vibratory motion, which, in turn, produces a sound, the pitch of which is dependent upon the volume of the chamber and orientation of the aperture relative to the direction of spin imparted to the device. Thus, the whistle functions much as a simple tubular resonator with one end closed, the other end, through the aperture, being open to the atmosphere thereby producing a whistling sound.
The aperture of each whistle is positioned facing perpendicular to a tangent line on the circular central disk so as to be responsive to an airstream generated by the spinning action, as well as horizontal travel of the device. The body of the device can be of thin wall construction with an interior depth sufficient to sustain the lift of the device as it sails through the air. The device can be of one-piece or of a multiple piece construction and can be formed from a moldable, metallic, or other suitable material.

Aerodynamic sound-emitting amusement device


Disclosed is a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system and related methods that serve as a diagnostic aid for diagnosing whether a dermoscopic image correlates to a skin cancer type. Systems and methods according to aspects of the invention use as a reference a set of images of pathologically confirmed benign or malignant past cases from a collection of different classes that are of high similarity to the unknown new case in question, along with their diagnostic profiles. Systems and methods according to aspects of the invention predict what class of skin cancer is associated with a particular patient skin lesion, and may be employed as a diagnostic aid for general practitioners and dermatologists.

Skin cancer is one of the most frequent cancers among human beings, and early diagnosis of an unknown skin lesion is critical to providing treatment. However, catching a dangerous or potentially dangerous or cancerous skin lesion early enough to save a patient's life can be challenging. Classification of a particular skin lesion as potentially cancerous may require a level of skill and experience that some dermatologists might not yet have developed, and more frequently that general medical practitioners significantly lack.
As a result, certain automated tools have been developed to assist in the diagnosis of cancerous or otherwise dangerous skin lesions. For example, the rapid advancement of digital image processing and machine learning techniques have brought about computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems in which dermoscopic images are intended to be used to detect and screen skin cancers, and particularly melanomas, at an early stage of development. Unfortunately though, previously known CAD systems are typically non-interactive in nature, and the prediction represents just a cue for the dermatologist without the ability to explain the reasoning of the decision making, as the final decision regarding the likelihood of the presence of a cancerous lesion is left exclusively to the dermatologist. As a result, such CAD-based tools have had little practical benefit to dermatologists thus far.
Further, the descriptiveness and discriminative power of features extracted from dermoscopic images to effectively represent the structure and characteristics of lesions and effectively handle the within-class variation and between-class similarity are critical to achieving good classification and retrieval performances. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the field of deep learning, and the latest research in the area of medical imaging using deep learning shows promising results. Recent research in computer vision and pattern recognition has highlighted the capabilities of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to solve challenging tasks such as classification, segmentation and object detection, achieving state-of-the art performances. This success has been attributed to the ability of CNNs to learn a hierarchical representation of raw input data to capture the intrinsic image features without manual feature design. As the inputs are processed through the network layers, the level of abstraction of the resulting features increases. Shallower layers grasp local information, while deeper layers use filters whose receptive fields are much broader and therefore capture global information. Recent studies have suggested that the use of deep learning can significantly improve the performance of such CAD systems, but such methods and systems have not yet achieved widespread viability.
Various other efforts have been made to address skin lesion diagnosis through evaluation of digital images. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,415,143 to Grichnik discloses a method for observing and comparing uniformity and change over time of an image of a skin lesion. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 7,689,016 to Stoecker et al. discloses processing of digital images of skin lesions by using lesion segmentation to refine the image for purposes of detecting melanoma. Still further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,595,084 and 9,858,666 to Houjou et al. disclose a medical skin examination device and method for processing and enhancing sequential images of a skin lesion for evaluation of the progression of the lesion over time. Even further, U.S. Pat. No. 10,223,788 to Bozorgtabar et al. focusses on segmentation of a lesion image to identify pixels that are lesion and pixels that are non-lesion. However, such efforts have unfortunately not provided for sufficiently reliable and easy to use methods of diagnosing skin lesions.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for reliable and easy to use systems and methods capable of assisting a dermatologist or other medical professional in evaluating and diagnosing skin lesions as cancerous, potentially cancerous, or otherwise dangerous to the patient.

System and method for automated diagnosis of skin cancer types from dermoscopic images


A storage control system includes a prefetch controller that identifies memory regions for prefetching according to temporal memory access patterns. The memory access patterns identify a number of sequential memory accesses within different time ranges and a highest number of memory accesses to the different memory regions within a predetermine time period.

Prefetching is a caching technique used to improve the performance of disk and memory systems. Whereas nominal caching increases performance by keeping copies of accessed data in the hope that it will be accessed again, prefetching loads the caching memory before an access to data in the hope it will be accessed soon. The information required for a successful prefetch includes:                What data to prefetch        The circumstances under which the prefetch should occur        The length of time to keep prefetched data cached (if no access occurs)
The effectiveness of a disk prefetch is dependent on the correct prediction of the future read patterns over the disk. Predictions can be based on guesses or historical observation. An example of a typical guess involves the concept of "spacial locality" which predicts that a future read is likely to occur in proximity by address to the last read. Historical observations involve recognizing patterns of access, such as address B always follows A and address C always follows B.
If the wrong data is prefetched, no accesses to the data will occur and no performance improvements will be realized. Likewise, if the right data is fetched at the wrong time, it may be replaced by other caching data before the access occurs. Incorrectly specifying the "keep time" will have a similar effect.
In a storage system, defining a prefetch sequence and effectively guessing what future data accesses will be, is a computationally intensive and sometimes intractable task.

Using temporal access patterns for determining prefetch suitability


Methods and apparatus facilitate secure user subscription or registration to a service at least partly enabled in a network. The network comprises user equipment adapted to perform generic bootstrapping. A network application function provides the service. A bootstrapping server function generates a bootstrapping transaction identifier. A home subscriber system stores a user profile, comprising information relating to the user and at least one service provided by the network application function.

The 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) authentication infrastructure, including AuC (3GPP Authentication Centre), USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) or ISIM (IMS Subscriber Identity Module), and 3GPP AKA (Authentication and Key Agreement) protocol run between them, is a very valuable asset of 3GPP operators. It has been recognised that this infrastructure could be leveraged to enable application functions in the network and on the user side to establish shared keys. Therefore, 3GPP defined GBA, which is able to distribute shared secrets to a UE (User Equipment) and an authentication proxy which takes the role of a NAF (Network Application Function) using AKA-based mechanisms.
In accordance with 3GPP TS 33.220 "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA); Generic Bootstrapping Architecture" Version 8.0.0, FIG. 1 of this application shows a simple reference model for bootstrapping keys in a NAF and UE with support from a network infrastructure component, a BSF (Bootstrapping Server Function) and an HSS (Home Subscriber System).
With reference to FIG. 2, a typical flow with current GAA (Generic Authentication Architecture)/GBA specifications could be as follows:
1. A user tries to access an application via the Ua interface between the UE and the NAF.    a) The UE could have included already bootstrapping information as generated following steps 2 to 4 below. Then the flow will continue in step 5 below.    b) Otherwise, if the NAF requires the use of shared keys obtained by means of the GBA, but the request from the UE does not include GBA-related parameters, the NAF replies with a bootstrapping initiation message.
2. The UE, as redirected by the NAF or as configured prior communication with a NAF over Ua interface, contacts the BSF over Ub interface between the UE and the BSF.
3. The BSF then contacts the HSS over interface/reference point Zh between the BSF and the HSS in order to be able to execute AKA authentication towards the UE over the Ub interface. The purpose of this user authentication is solely to generate shared secrets. The BSF generates a B-TID (Bootstrapping Transaction Identifier) that will identify the credential material generated.
4. This B-TID is propagated to the NAF via Ub and Ua interfaces/reference points through the UE.
5. The NAF contacts the BSF over interface/reference point Zn using the B-TID received from the UE.
6. The BSF replies back with the credential material for NAF consumption.
At this point, the NAF is able to use the distributed credentials. In case this material should be used for further end-user authentication the NAF would initiate e.g. http-digest procedure using the distributed shared secrets as defined in 3GPP TS 33.222 "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA); Access to Network Application Function using HTTPS" Version 7.3.0. The credential can also be used for other purposes than authentication, e.g. integrity, confidentiality, key derivation.
The overall procedure is shown in more detail in FIG. 2 of this application. In Step 201, the UE sends an http request via the Ua interface to the NAF. The NAF returns an http response comprising a bootstrapping request in step 202. The UE then sends in step 203 an http request for bootstrapping service based on the user identity to the BSF. In step 204, the BSF performs a get user security settings (GUSS) with the HSS.
An http digest Authentication and Key Agreement is executed between the BSF and the UE. In step 205 the BSF may return a "401 unauthorized" message, indicating that no authorization is available for the digest, comprising RAND (Random Challenge in Authentication) and AUTN (Authentication token). Based on RAND and AUTN, the mobile equipment executes an Authentication and Key Agreement with a UICC application in the UE, which returns a response RES (Response in Authentication) to the UE.
In step 206 the UE sends an http request comprising the response RES to the BSF. The BSF generates, in step 207, a B-TID (Bootstrapping Transaction Identifier) that will identify the credential material generated. In both the UE and the BSF, keys Ks are obtained from concatenated Ck and Ik, and a key Ks_NAF for the NAF is generated (steps 208a and 208b).
TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption begins in step 209 with a TLS handshake between the UE and the NAF. The UE then sends an application protocol https request to the NAF in step 210, indicating that 3GPP GBA is supported, and comprising the B-TID.
The NAF contacts the BSF over interface/reference point Zn using the B-TID received from the UE and the NAF name in an authentication request in step 211. The BSF replies back in step 212 with an authentication answer comprising the credential material for NAF consumption: Ks_NAF, Prof, Bootstrap time, key lifetime).
At this point, the NAF is able to use the distributed credentials. In case this material should be used for further end-user authentication the NAF may initiate e.g. http-digest procedure using the distributed shared secrets (steps 213 to 215) as defined in 3GPP TS 33.222 "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA); Access to Network Application Function using HTTPS" Version 7.3.0. The credential can also be used for other purposes than authentication, e.g. integrity, confidentiality, key derivation.
Additionally, 3GPP is defining for 3GPP Release 8 an architecture and related mechanisms for GBA Push Services applicable to scenarios where the UE is not forced to contact a BSF to initiate bootstrapping. FIG. 3 shows the reference model for GBA Push according to 3GPP TS 33.223 "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA); Generic Bootstrapping Architecture (GBA) Push Function" version 8.0.0. A UE is linked with a NAF via two interfaces, Upa and Ua. The NAF is connected to a BSF via a Zpn interface. The BSF can communicate with an HSS via interface Zh, and with an SLF (Subscriber Locator Function) via interface Dz.
A typical flow with GBA-Push could be as shown in FIG. 4. The NAF generates a request for the generation of key material (Ks_NAF as in GBA) and related info, GPI (GBA-Push-Info) (step 401) and sends the request to the BSF (step 402). The BSF initially processes the GPI request in step 403 and send an AV request based on the IMPI to the HSS in step 404. The HSS returns in step 405 an AV response comprising the AV and USS to the BSF. The BSF uses this information in step 406 for the generation of the NAF SA, and sends a GPI response to the NAF comprising the requested GBA-Push-Info.
NAF then pushes the GPI (which includes RAND and AUTN) to UE over a Push channel/interface, Upa, which may be e.g. SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) (steps 408 and 409 of FIG. 4). Finally (step 410 of FIG. 4), the UE runs AKA and generates Ks_NAF (as in GBA). This results in the establishment of a shared SA (Security Association) between the NAF and the UE (Ks_NAF). When the GBA Push procedure is completed and the key material received over the Upa interface (e.g. SMS) is processed, the UE is ready to receive protected Push messages from the NAF over Ua reference point (e.g. http). After the SA establishment, the NAF can send protected Push-messages to the UE, as shown is step 411. If a return channel exists, and if provided by the application utilizing reference point Ua, the UE can also use the established SA to send protected response messages to the NAF.
3GPP TS 33.224 "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA); Generic Bootstrapping Architecture (GBA) Push Layer" Version 0.1.0. defines the typical Use Cases for GBA Push Services including NAF initiated Key Refresh, Distribution of Keys, Tokens, Vouchers and Tickets. GBA Push is also envisioned for Device Management procedures, DRM (Digital Rights Management), SUPL (Secure User Plane Location), Broadcasting and even as a means for load balancing GBA procedures.
GBA Push as currently defined in 3GPP TS 33.223 requires that the NAF is aware of certain information before the related GBA Push mechanisms can be triggered. The information comprises:                UEid (IMPI (IP Multimedia Private Identity), IMSI (International Mobile Station Identity), IMPU (IP Multimedia Public Identity), MSISDN (Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network) to use in GBA Push request to BSF;        UE Transport Id used for GBA Push service delivery method to the UE, e.g. MSISDN to send SMS;        BSF address;        and, optionally, a UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) Application to use for GBA Push service.
The 3GPP TS 33.223 does not define how the NAF gathers this information, which causes a number of issues, limitations and uncertainties. For some Push services it is assumed that the NAF and the UE have a previous relation where e.g. a user is subscribed to a NAF service. The user may provide some of the required information at subscription/registration time. For example, a user subscribing to e.g. a NAF broadcasting service, will be able to provide its MSISDN as UE Transport ID to get an SMS or MMS as Push delivery method. Furthermore the User may be able to additionally indicate its mobile and/or IMS operator provider.
Making users type personal information during subscription/registration processes is usually not very well perceived and always implies a risk to lose the customer. Furthermore, in this case, a user will not be able to provide much more information than the one indicated above during the subscription/registration process.                It is not likely that the user will know about its IMPI/IMSI, i.e. private identities, used by the system. This means that only public identities would be available as UEid for GBA Push requests to BSF. For reasons of privacy, NAFs may be restricted from accessing private identities, anyway.        With public identities it will not be possible for the NAF to discover the BSF. Especially with MSISDN where no domain name is available and mapping to IMSI is not possible. The user provided mobile/IMS operator provider may be of assistance in order to identify the right domain to address the query, but that will not provide all the required information to the NAF to discover the BSF, especially if multiple BSF instances are deployed within the mobile/IMS operator domain.        It is not likely either that the User will be aware of which UICC application to use.
Furthermore, GBA Push procedures may fail even if the NAF manages to obtain the right set of information, as it may not be authorized by the BSF for the execution of GBA-Push services for that user. It could also be the case that a particular user is not enabled for GBA-Push in the first place.

Methods, nodes, system, computer programs and computer program products for secure user subscription or registration


An openable dome-shaped roof structure is provided upon a circular side wall and comprises a crescent-shaped fixed roof section, a pair of pivotable roof sections and a pair of slidable roof sections. Each pivotable roof section is connected to a respective slidable roof section by a pivot at peripheral end portions thereof so that the pivotable roof section can rotate to a position above the slidable roof section. The slidable roof sections are each provided to be able to rotate toward the upper surface of the fixed roof section about the center of the circle of the side wall.

This invention relates to an openable dome-shaped roof structure mainly intended for application to a stadium and, more particularly, to an openable dome-shaped roof structure comprising three or more roof sections, wherein at least one of the roof sections rotates generally in a horizontal plane and at least one of the other roof sections slides along the same horizontal plane to widely open the roof.
Such a type of dome-shaped roof structure has been demonstrated at "SKYDOME" in Toronto, Canada. This roof structure comprises four roof sections in which one semi-dome shaped roof section is rotatable in a horizontal plane and the other roof sections are slidable in the same horizontal plane. In "SKYDOME", a hotel is constructed adjacent to a stadium and the slidable roof sections are moved to the top of the hotel when the dome-shaped roof of the stadium is to be opened. This means that in "SKYDOME" an adjoining building is required other than the stadium for supporting the slidable roof sections. This building has to be of a large scale enough to support the huge slidable roof sections.
Therefore, in order to construct the stadium with such a dome-shaped roof structure as set forth above, a vast amount of land is required, other than that required for the stadium, and additional investment is required for constructing the building adjacent to the stadium.
Furthermore, it is almost impossible to reconstruct an old stadium to a new one with the dome-shaped roof structure as set forth above, because the required additional land will not be available adjacent to the stadium for constructing a building for supporting the slidable roof sections.