A computing device that has a network interface that performs a subset of possible networking functions while the computing device is in a sleep mode. The subset of functions may be simply implemented on the network interface, yet to substantially reduce the frequency with which the computing device has to wake up to perform networking functions. The subset of functions may be selected to maintain a network presence of the computing device while the device is in sleep mode, and may include responding to requests for MAC information, sending keep-alive messages or exchanging security information that, in accordance with network protocols, has a limited lifetime that would otherwise expire while the computing device is in sleep mode.

To reduce energy consumption, computing devices support sleep mode in which they consume less power than in active modes of operation. When a computing device is not actively in use, a power management system on the device may transition to a sleep mode by turning off components of the device. In sleep mode, the computing device cannot respond to user inputs. To support response to user inputs, some components of the computing device stay active to monitor input devices. When a user input is detected, those components can trigger the computing device to transition back to an active mode of operation for response to the user input.
A device connected to a network that is in sleep mode similarly cannot respond to requests directed to the device over the network. The computing device may support a Wake-on-LAN (WoL) mechanism that monitors messages received over the network. When the WoL mechanism detects a message directed to the computing device, it may wake up the computing device. The computing device can then respond to a request for information or other command in the received message.
WoL functionality is implemented using hardware components on a network interface card in the computing device. Circuitry on the network interface card that may detect messages addressed to the computing device may stay powered on, even when the computing device is in a sleep mode. That circuitry, upon detecting a message directed to the computing device, may assert a hardware signal line that triggers the processor or other components of the computing device to wake up to process the packet.
In some cases, the network interface card may contain circuitry implementing essentially all the functionality of a network stack. In this scenario, the network interface card itself may process received messages without waking other components of the computing device. However, offload of a network stack has not been widely implemented in network interface cards because of the cost and complexity of designing and manufacturing such network interface cards and integrating them into a computing system.

Network presence offloads to network interface


An intraocular lens having a lens base and a coating layer disposed on or otherwise operably associated with a first surface of the lens base. The coating layer is formed by, for example, plasma polymerization of a monomer gas while simultaneously sublimating or evaporating an ultraviolet absorber, thereby forming an intraocular lens which absorbs ultraviolet rays and prevents any free monomer or other substance from oozing out of the lens base and permeating the eye. The properties of the intraocular lens can be readily varied by selecting different monomer gases.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an intraocular lens (substitute for human lens) having a coating layer formed on its surface and to a method of manufacturing this type of lens.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, in the treatment of cataracts, the clouded lens is enucleated by surgery, and an artificial lens is implanted in the capsula lentis, thereby enabling recovery of vision after the operation. Use of the in-the-bag method which is considered to enable implantation of such an intraocular lens with fewer complications, namely, the method of inserting the intraocular lens in the capsula lentis, is now becoming a mainstream practice.
Ordinarily, this type of intraocular lens is formed of a material constituted mainly by polymethyl methacrylate, while a lens support called harptic is formed of a material such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinylidene fluoride or the like.
With respect to this conventional intraocular lens, problems are encountered due to a free monomer of polymethyl methacrylate which oozes out and permeates the eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,575 is directed to an intraocular lens designed to form a coating on its surface by plasma polymerization in order to prevent the flow of a free monomer into the eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,575 also states that a coloring material may be mixed in the base material of an intraocular lens before application of the coating layer in order to adapt the lens to absorb ultraviolet rays harmful to the retina.
However, mixing an ultraviolet ray absorbing substance in the base material of the intraocular lens reduces the mechanical strength of the lens.

Intraocular lens having a coating layer and a method for manufacturing the same


A microfluidic device for isolating particles of at least one given type of a sample; the device is designed to be connected to an apparatus through a plurality of electrical connectors and comprises a system of microfluidic channels and a flash memory, which contains information on the structure (arrangement and geometry of the various components) of the system of microfluidic channels, a map of non-functioning parts of the device, the maximum number of uses and the maximum time of use of the device; the memory has portions allocated for storing the number of times and the time of use of the device.

The patent application PCT/IB2010/000615 discloses a microfluidic device for manipulating particles of a sample (in particular, for isolating a given type of particles from other particles). Such a device has relatively small dimensions and can be thrown away after use so as not to contaminate a possible further sample to be manipulated subsequently. Said device is typically used in combination with a fixed apparatus of larger dimensions, which comprises an electronic control unit and governs the various components of the device. The device is provided with a separation chamber, within which, in use, manipulation of particles takes place according to what is described in one or more of the patent applications with publication numbers WO0069565, WO2007010367, WO2007049120, and WO2007116312.
One and the same apparatus may be able to use different devices for different uses.
Since the devices described above are frequently used in the diagnostic field, it is very important for them to be managed with the maximum precision and care. Currently, no system is envisaged to prevent human-error in management of the devices and/or for driving different components of the devices so as to optimize operation even in the case of defects of the devices themselves that are relatively small (and hence negligible for normal operation thereof).
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,820 describes a microdevice equipped with an integrated readable, writable, and rewritable memory.
The patent document No. DE10352887 describes a DNA-Chip-Array-Processor equipped with a memory containing some information.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,893 describes an analyser equipped with a non-volatile memory containing a condition of analysis.
The patent document No. US2004092024 describes a plurality of supporting plates for samples with a resettable memory.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,028 describes a biosensor equipped with a memory for storing data that include data regarding fabrication of the biosensor.
The patent document No. WO2005064325 describes a reusable cartridge for bio-analyses including a rewritable non-volatile memory.
The patent document No. WO2009137415 relates to droplet actuators.
The patent document No. WO0047322 describes an apparatus for moving elements (packets) along given paths. It does not describe memory media on devices of the disposable type.
None of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,820, DE10352887, U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,893, US2004092024, U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,028, WO2005064325, WO2009137415, and WO0047322 envisages a system for driving different components of the devices so as to optimize operation also in the case of defects of the devices themselves that are relatively small (and hence negligible for normal operation thereof).
The aim of the present invention is to provide a device and uses of said device that will enable the limits of the prior art to be overcome, at least partially, and that will, at the same time, be easy and economically advantageous to produce.

Microfluidic device for the manipulation of particles


Techniques for retransmitting data via RLP in a CDMA (e.g., cdma2000) system with a first retransmission mechanism provided by the RLP and a second retransmission mechanism provided by an HARQ-CF. In one method, missing RLP frames are first detected (e.g., by a receiver RLP). A dynamic timer is then maintained (e.g., by a receiver HARQ-CF) for each RLP frame detected to be missing. The dynamic timers are event-driven and have variable time durations. Each dynamic timer is updated based on events known to the receiver HARQ-CF. Fixed timers with fixed time durations may also be maintained (e.g., by the receiver RLP) for the missing RLP frames. Whether or not a missing RLP frame is lost is determined based on the dynamic timer and the fixed timer (if any) maintained for the RLP frame. A NAK may be issued for retransmission of each RLP frame deemed to be lost.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to data communication, and more specifically to techniques for retransmitting packets by a Radio Link Protocol (RLP) in CDMA communication systems.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of services such as voice, packet data, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users, and may be based on code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or some other multiple access techniques. CDMA systems may provide certain advantages over other types of systems, including increased system capacity.
To improve the reliability of data transmission, many CDMA systems employ a retransmission mechanism provided by a Radio Link Protocol (RLP) that resides above the physical layer. An RLP entity at the receiver (i.e., the receiver RLP) is provided with RLP frames by a lower-level entity, with each RLP frame being uniquely identified by its assigned sequence number. Since the RLP frames to be transmitted are assigned sequential sequence numbers, the receiver RLP is able to determine whether or not any RLP frames are missing by looking at the sequence numbers of the received RLP frames. In the absence of any other retransmission mechanism, the RLP frames may be transmitted serially to the receiver, and any RLP frame detected to be missing by the receiver RLP may be immediately reported to the transmitter via a transmission of a negative acknowledgment (NAK). The missing RLP frames may thereafter be retransmitted to the receiver.
To provide improved packet data transmission capability, some newer-generation CDMA systems (e.g., cdma2000 Release C) employ another retransmission mechanism provided by a hybrid automatic retransmission control function (HARQ-CF) that resides between the RLP and the physical layer. The HARQ-CF defined by cdma2000 is able to transmit multiple HARQ packets in parallel, with each HARQ packet including one or more RLP frames. Moreover, because each HARQ packet may be transmitted/retransmitted once or multiple times by the HARQ-CF, the HARQ packets may be recovered in an unknown order by the HARQ-CF entity at the receiver (i.e., the receiver HARQ-CF). Thus, RLP frames may be provided out of sequence to the receiver RLP. In addition, because of retransmission by the HARQ-CF, the receiver RLP may have to wait a long time period before it can determine with confidence that a given missing RLP is really lost. The HARQ-CF retransmission may thus severely impact the performance of the RLP retransmission.
There is therefore a need in the art for an RLP retransmission scheme that can operate efficiently in conjunction with the underlying HARQ-CF retransmission mechanism.

RLP retransmission for CDMA communication systems


There is described a substrate with a coating; the coating contains a coating matrix in whose matrix structure multilayered and/or encapsulated nanoparticles are arranged and release a dye when a limit temperature is exceeded the first time and/or trigger a color reaction which causes the color of the coating to change irreversibly.

Combined cycle power generating systems use a medium, e.g. water, whose boiling point and heat capacity are appropriate to the system's operating temperature. This medium is generally heated in a separate heat source such as a steam generator by means of concentrated solar radiation, combustion of fossil fuel, etc.
In combined cycle plants, the combustion of gaseous fossil fuels directly in a turbine is used to turn a gas turbine. The thermal energy liberated during combustion is then used as a heat source to generate steam which, as mentioned above, can drive a steam turbine. This combined gas and steam turbine cycle provides a very high degree of efficiency compared to conventional steam turbines.
In order to maximize efficiency, very exacting requirements are place on the materials used in the turbine, particularly in respect of their temperature and corrosion resistance. The gases in the turbines are very hot, very aggressive and possess high corrosion potential. Special alloys and steels therefore have to be used for the turbines or more specifically their blades in order to reduce e.g. stress crack corrosion. Another possibility for reducing stress crack corrosion and therefore increasing the service life of the turbines is to select a suitable coating for the turbine blade. Chromium-aluminum-yttrium alloys with cobalt, nickel or iron (MCrAlY alloy) or chromium carbide (Cr2C3) combined with chromium and nickel have been found to be advantageous.
It is important that these coating materials exhibit minimum ductility and very high toughness, particularly on the rotating turbine blades, in order to prevent peeling of the turbine blade coating. If the coating were to peel off, the underlying material of the turbine blade would be more or less unprotected from the aggressive gases. The turbine blade material would therefore be prone to stress crack corrosion damage. In addition, surface unevennesses would no longer ensure an optimum flow characteristic, accompanied by an undesirable loss of efficiency.
During combined cycle operation, very high temperatures occur, ranging from 800 to 1500° C. in gas turbines and from 400 to 600° C. in steam turbines depending on the system. These temperatures essentially determine the efficiency of the turbine. Even a deviation of few degrees can mean a significantly lower efficiency in the order of a few percent. However, the temperature is not only critical for the efficiency, but also determines the corrosion potential of the gases and dictates the ductility and toughness of the coating. The material properties of the coating used are therefore mainly optimized for a particular predefined temperature range. In this temperature range, reliable operation of the turbine can be guaranteed without damage to the turbine materials and in particular the turbine blade coatings. The exceeding, particularly for a long period, of a temperature limit can permanently damage the turbine. It is imperative to prevent this. It is therefore important to know whether the turbine has been operated above a specified temperature.
To this end, a plurality of methods for temperature measurement in turbines are known.
For example, various methods for measuring temperature are described in DE 197 36 276. The underlying physical measuring principles are based on, among other things, the temperature dependence of an electrical resistance, the Seebeck effect (thermocouple), a color reaction (thermopaint), the temperature-dependent speed of sound in gases or the spectral distribution of scattered or emitted electromagnetic thermal radiation.
Temperature sensors for turbines must be able to withstand extreme operating conditions in respect of temperature, pressure and vibration. Conventional thermocouples age very quickly under these extreme service conditions. In addition, the temperature often also has to be measured on rotating parts, which is mostly only possible using very complex telemetry. The use of thermopaints has hitherto been limited to experimental studies and is therefore not yet sufficiently reliable for the abovementioned operation in turbines. Although active laser measuring methods such as Rayleigh scattering or CARS (coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering) are contactless, they are technically extremely complex and difficult to implement.
EP 1 645 538 A1 discloses a material composition for producing a coating, wherein the matrix material of the composition possesses in particular glass ceramic basic properties. Nanoparticles with a particle size ≦1 μm are embedded in the matrix material as a filler.
DE 25 34 668 discloses the use of so-called thermographic paints on ceramic bodies, which are used for determining surface temperature conditions e.g. in furnaces. The exceeding of a particular temperature defined by the properties of the thermographic paint can be demonstrated by the thermographic coating changing color.
According to DE 195 37 999 A1, such thermographic paints can also be applied to the surface of gas turbine components subject to severe thermal stress in order to enable the temperature conditions present to be analyzed at the development stage. A color change e.g. during operation can be captured by a digital camera and allows conclusions to be drawn about the stress-dependent temperature profile in the turbine.

Substrate with applied coating and production method


Method of displaying a video of a scene onto a display with enhanced image quality, the video of the scene having first subframes and second subframes wherein the first subframes correspond to a first region of an image-presentation element of the display and the second subframes correspond to a second region of the image-presentation element; and selecting an access key corresponding to the first subframes. The method further includes encoding the access key into one or more of the second subframes; providing the second subframes to the display using a first data transport; the display, decoding the access key and receiving the corresponding first subframes using a second data transport different from the first data transport; and selectively providing the first and second subframes from the first and second data transports to corresponding regions in the image-presentation element of the display, whereby the displayed image has enhanced image quality.

Rapid changes in hardware capability are occurring, thus making capture systems and displays available that have the potential for presenting very high quality image and video. For example, advancements include the ability to capture and display high frame rate information for reducing motion blur, capturing and displaying images with high dynamic range or extended color gamut, and the ability to simultaneously capture and display multiple perspective views of a scene.
Once content is captured, it is distributed, often to large communities, to be displayed. This distribution step can be expensive when significant changes are made to the information that is to be conveyed, especially since the specification and adoption of distribution formats and standards are time-consuming and expensive. For example, the adoption of digital television standards in the United States required decades of work.
It is known to store a digital image having a limited color gamut and extended color gamut information separately and then to reconstruct an image having extended color gamut information from these two sets of information. For example, Spaulding, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,937,362, entitled "Method for providing access to an extended color gamut digital image and providing payment therefore" describe a method for storing a limited color gamut digital image and one or more residual images within a digital image file and later reconstructing a high dynamic range image from the limited color gamut digital image and the one or more residual images. Spaulding discusses a system in which a user is provided a preview of the image using the limited color gamut digital image and provided access to the reconstructed high dynamic range image only after providing payment for the high quality image. Such a method can provide higher quality information by encoding a lower quality image in a standard format and then encoding image enhancement information in a different format within the same file. However, as the limited color gamut image and the residual image necessary to reconstruct the image having extended color gamut information are stored in the same file, the residual images increase the size of the file containing limited color gamut image. As most standards and distribution media have fixed size or bandwidth, placing this information on the same distribution media is often not practical.
Similarly Schreiber et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,405, entitled "Receive-compatible enhanced definition television system" discusses a method of broadcasting a signal having a frequency range compatible with NTSC broadcast and a separate signal within a separate frequency range wherein the separate signal includes enhancement information. Once again, however, these two signals are provided within the same data transport mechanism and require the bandwidth of the transport mechanism be increased to support this additional information, requiring a modification of the existing standard. Lim in U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,270, entitled "Advanced television system" similarly discusses encoding HDTV resolution imagery and higher resolution imagery within different portions of a compressed file.
Tomsen et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,134, entitled "System and method for cable operator control over enhanced programming" describes a system in which standard video content is provided. However, the user can access other, non-video, content, for example, links to complimentary text or video information that is related to but not part of the video, thus providing an enhanced experience. Tomsen et al. acknowledges the source of the video can be separate from the source of the non-video content.
There is therefore a continuing need to provide a flexible and robust method for distribution of media that can be tailored to the performance characteristics of a user's display when different displays have significantly different performance characteristics. Such a method should permit the distribution of a standard quality video using standardized formats and media and simultaneously permit the video to take advantage of specialized characteristics of the user's display. This method should permit content to be distributed using standardized, backward compatible data transport mechanisms while simultaneously permitting a display capable of presenting information with enhanced image quality to access additional information and present images with enhanced image quality.

Method for displaying a video of a scene


The present invention provides a hemostatic composite sponge comprising a porous matrix of a biomaterial and a material enhancing the adherence of said sponge to the applied tissue stably associated with at least one surface of said sponge, a method of producing these sponges and their use in hemostasis.

Biological glues based on coagulation factors of human or animal origin have long been known. A method for producing tissue adhesives based on fibrinogen and factor XIII has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,567, U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,598 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,572. The tissue adhesives are usually applied together with a separate component containing thrombin, which is enzymatically acting on fibrinogen to form fibrin, and on factor XIII to form the active factor XIIIa, which cross-links the fibrin to obtain a stable fibrin clot.
Collagen pads have been used for many years to improve wound healing or to stop bleeding. Their mechanism of action in hemostasis is based on platelet aggregation and activation, the formation of thrombin on the surface of activated platelets and the formation of a hemostatic fibrin clot by the catalytic action of thrombin on fibrinogen. To improve the hemostatic action of collagen pads or sheets it has been suggested to include factors of hemostasis within such pads.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,574 a tissue adhesive based on collagen combined with fibrinogen and factor XIII is described. This material is provided in the lyophilized form, ready for use. The fibrinogen and factor XIII are combined with the collagen by impregnating the collagenous flat material with a solution comprising fibrinogen and factor XIII, and lyophilizing said material.
The WO 97/37694 discloses a hemostatic sponge based on collagen and an activator or proactivator of blood coagulation homogeneously distributed therein. This sponge is provided in a dry form, which could be air-dried or lyophilized. However, it still contains a water content of at least 2%.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,587 discusses bioadhesive compositions comprising cross-linked collagen using a multifunctionally activated synthetic hydrophilic polymer, as well as methods of using such compositions to effect adhesion between a first surface and a second surface, wherein at least one of the first and second surfaces can be a native tissue surface.
Collagen-containing compositions which have been mechanically disrupted to alter their physical properties are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,024, U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,715, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,382. These patents generally relate to fibrillar and insoluble collagens. An injectable collagen composition is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,075. An injectable bone/cartilage composition is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,532. A collagen-based delivery matrix comprising dry particles in the size range from 5 μm to 850 μm which may be suspended in water and which has a particular surface charge density is described in WO 96/39159. A collagen preparation having a particle size from 1 μm to 50 μm useful as an aerosol spray to form a wound dressing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,185. Other patents describing collagen compositions include U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,336 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,614.


A method and system for dynamic redundancy in storage systems is described. The method may include receiving a data fragment from a data stream of user data to be archived. The method may further include splitting the data fragment into a first number of data chunks. The method may also include, in response to determining that the data fragment is not a last data fragment in the data stream, generating a second number of additional data chunks based upon, at least in part, the first number of data chunks. The method may additionally include, in response to determining that the data fragment is the last data fragment in the data stream, generating a third number of additional data chunks based upon, at least in part, the first number of data chunks.

Fault tolerant storage systems may split a data fragment into data chunks. The system may also generate a number of additional chunks on the basis of the data chunks. The data chunks and additional chunks may be stored on a number of servers. The number of servers may equal the number of data chunks plus the number of additional chunks. The data fragment may be considered saved when the servers confirm that each data chunk and each additional chunk was successfully saved. This process may be known as archiving and may take a very long time. For example, if one of the servers is slow or unavailable at a particular time, it may take a long time for that server to confirm that a chunk was successfully saved, and the archiving process may ultimately fail.
The present application addresses this need and others.


Novel macrolactone compounds, their methods of preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, and methods for their pharmaceutical use are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the macrolactone compounds may be useful, inter alia, for treating various cancers, inducing apoptosis in malignant cells, or inhibiting cancer cell division.

In 1995, Searle and Molinski (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 8126-8131; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 9422-9423; Tetrahedron Lett. 1996, 37, 7879-7880) isolated (+)-Phorboxazole A (1) and B (2) from a methanolic extract of the sponge Phorbas sp. In vitro bioassay against the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) panel of 60 human tumor cell lines revealed extraordinary anti-proliferative activity against the entire panel; a mean GI50 value of 1.58×10−9 M for both (+)-Phorboxazole A and B.

While (1) and (2) remain promising anticancer medicinal agents, their architectural complexity warrants exploration of simplified synthetic analogs. Initial structure activity relationship (SAR) studies conducted by Uckun (WO 01/36048 A1)and Forsyth (Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2001, 11, 1181-1183) disclosed the discovery of two (+)-Phorboxazole A analogues which displayed anticancer activity in leukemia, breast cancer, and brain tumor cancer cell lines.
Several groups have been actively involved in devising synthetic routes to Phorboxazole A and/or Phorboxazole B. Forsyth, et al. (J. Am Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 5597) have reported a linear synthetic sequence of 100 total steps to Phorboxazole A in 0.4% overall yield. Smith, et al., (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 4834) have prepared Phorboxazole A in an overall yield of 3%. Pattenden, et al., (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 1255) have provided Phorboxazole A in 0.18% overall yield. A 2.4% overall yield of Phorboxazole A was reported by Williams, et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2003, 42, 1258). Evans, et al (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2000, 39, 2533, 2536) have developed a route to Phorboxazole B of 71 total steps in 12.6% overall yield.
There is therefore a need for improved synthetic methods which provide high yield and high selectivity, and at a relatively high rate of reaction, using better, more convenient and/or less expensive process methodology than many processes known heretofore for the preparation of Phorboxazole A, Phorboxazole B, their synthetic intermediates, and for compounds, analogs or derivatives having similar chemical and/or biological activity. The present invention is directed to these and other important ends.

Phorboxazole compounds and methods of their preparation

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


Embodiments of the present invention provide optimization of telephone services through telephone calling plan/card analysis. The least expensive rate is found for telephone calls at any given time and/or date, either through static pre-entry of data, or through dynamic querying of rates via a web-based look-up table, and places calls according to an optimized calling plan. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, an outgoing/target telephone number for an intended telephone call is captured, and a corresponding destination geographic region is identified. Based on the geographic region, a calling plan resulting in a lowest price for the telephone call is identified. This is typically accomplished by consulting at least one table (e.g., call information table) that associates (among other things) calling plans and/or calling cards with geographic regions. Once a calling plan and/or calling card is identified/selected, a corresponding set of dialing instructions will be obtained from the table and used to make/place the telephone call.

When calling long distance to different states and countries, a user is often faced with a complex decision process. For example, calling cards are often used to call foreign countries in particular since they often provide lower rates than a traditional calling plan might. The complexity of dealing with calling cards is that some cards provide rates that are best for calling one country while, when calling another country, there is often another calling card that provides a better rate. The issue is compounded by calling plan intricacies such as differing rates for differing times of day and/or geographical areas.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Telephony services optimization through calling plan analysis

International Business Machines Corporation


In an embodiment, provided is a semiconductor device in which a normally-on type FET; a capacitor having one electrode electrically connected to a gate of the FET and the other electrode electrically connected to an input terminal; and a diode having an anode electrode electrically connected to the gate of the FET and a cathode electrode electrically connected to a source of the FET are formed on the same chip on which the FET is formed. Also, the capacitor may have a structure in which an insulation film such as a dielectric substance is formed on a gate drawn electrode of the FET, and a metallic layer is formed on the insulation layer.

Wide gap semiconductors such as GaN, SiC, or diamond have the feature in which important factors such as dielectric breakdown voltage, electron mobility, and thermal conductivity in a semiconductor device are excellent compared with Si. An HEMT having an AlGaN/GaN hetero structure, which is a type of GaN semiconductor devices, has attracted much attention since the HEMT has the characteristics such as high-frequency performance and low on-resistance originated from its high electron mobility and carrier density. Further, since the HEMT having the AlGaN/GaN hetero structure has the (normally-on) characteristics that the current flows without the application of the gate voltage, a negative voltage needs to be applied to the gate in order to turn off the element, that is, to stop the current.
For this reason, the negative power supply is needed, which causes problems that the number of components of the circuit increases and the wiring of the circuit board becomes complex.
As a circuit that omits the negative power supply, for example, a circuit which includes an oscillator outputting a control signal for turning on or off the HEMT element, a capacitor disposed between a control signal output terminal of the oscillator and a gate of the HEMT element, and a diode disposed between the capacitor and a source of the HEMT element may be supposed. However, this circuit has drawbacks in which the diode and the capacitor having a large capacitance of 10 to 500 times the input capacitance of the FET are needed to be provided outside, in addition to the semiconductor device, and the number of components provided outside the switching element increases. There is also a problem that voltage oscillation (ringing) is generated by parasitic inductances produced in accordance with an increase in the wiring length from the driving circuit of the switching element to the gate of the switching element.

Semiconductor device with capacitor disposed on gate electrode


A plastic bag comprising two panels and a flap joined to one of the panels and configured for folding over the other of the panels for closure of the bag, wherein at least a portion of the flap has a tackiness which is greater than the tackiness of its associated panel. A stack of bags having a flap with greater tackiness than the tackiness of the major panels of the bags.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,605 discloses a food portion inventory system which employs a series of plastic food storage bags. The bags have a flap at 16 and a rear panel portion 12 which cooperate to provide closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,595 discloses a deli bag and stack which has adhesive strips at 32 which secure the bags in the stack and also provide closure.

Plastic food portion bag with tacky flap


Articles may be protected against halide plasma, by applying a rare earth-containing glaze to the surface of the article. The glaze may be a coating comprising; 20 to 90 mol % SiO2, 0 to 60 mol % Al2O3, 10 to 80 mol % rare earth oxides and/or rare earth fluorides (REX), wherein SiO2+Al2O3+REX≥60 mol %.

Semiconductor manufacture involves exposure to aggressive environments including, for example, exposure to fluorine or chlorine containing plasmas.
Ceramics, for example alumina and aluminum nitride, are common materials used in semiconductor chamber components such as lids, nozzles and electrostatic chucks. However, due to their high reactivity with halide (typically fluorine or chlorine) based plasma, it is known to provide protective coatings of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) or yttria (Y2O3) to ceramics used in such environments.
Dense and smooth coatings with high plasma erosion resistance are ideal for reduced particle defect on semiconductor processing; however, current coating methods for YAG and like coatings are insufficient to produce smooth coatings on all substrates.
Plasma sprayed coatings are porous and rough whatever the substrate.
Thin film deposition methods such as e-beam deposition, atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and sputtering may generate dense and smooth coatings, but to do so require a dense and smooth substrate. This is because the thin coatings tend to duplicate the substrate surface, and any defects on the substrate materials such as grain pull-out, damage or scratches, will be transferred to the coating surface and so has the potential for defects on the coating.
Therefore, there is a need for articles having a dense and smooth coating with good erosion resistance.

Yttrium aluminum silicate glass ceramic coating for semiconductor chamber apparatus


The purpose of the present invention is to provide a substance having superior antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a pharmaceutical composition for treatment and/or prophylaxis of pseudomonal infections. A pharmaceutical composition is provided, containing an antibody which specifically binds to the LPS O11 antigen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and which has superior antibacterial activity.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a species of typical resident microbiota which exists in the natural environment, and is well known as a pathogen causing opportunistic infections in immune-compromised humans. In addition, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the species that are most problematic from the high isolation rate and mortality rate in healthcare-associated infections. It has been reported that the isolation rate for Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the sixth highest out of all healthcare-associated pathogenic infections and the second highest for patients having pneumonia derived from tracheal intubation, and the mortality rate due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa is 27.6-47.9% in bloodstream infections and 42.1-87% in tracheal intubation (Non-Patent Literatures 1 to 3). Further, since Pseudomonas aeruginosa originally had a high resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics and there are many strains that have acquired drug resistance, it is often difficult to treat the pseudomonal infections. Antimicrobial agents for Pseudomonas aeruginosa include carbapenems, cephems, penicillins, quinolones, and the like, and the resistance rate against these antimicrobial agents is a high rate such as 25.3%, 11.2%, 17.5%, and 30.7%, respectively (Non-Patent Literature 1). There is therefore a demand for a new anti-pseudomonas aeruginosa drug which is also effective against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, especially since there are almost no antimicrobial agents effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria showing a resistance to the above antimicrobial agents.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium having a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the surface layer, and a sugar chain structure called O antigen outside of this LPS. The O-antigen has antigenicity and because of its diversity, it has been used as a classification method for bacterial strains (Non-Patent Literatures 4 and 5). In general 20 species of the LPS O antigen serotype of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are known, and in recent years, it has been reported that the strains having O11 antigen (O11 strains) occupy a high ratio in the multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In Japan there are reports that the isolation rates of O11 stains in the multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 99% or about 60%, and in Europe such as France, Belgium, and Czech Republic, there are also reports that a number of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were O11 strains (Non-Patent Literatures 6 to 11).
Antibodies are known to provide long-term protection against infection in vivo. Many antibodies against the LPS O antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been reported to exhibit a therapeutic efficacy by their opsonophagocytic killing activities on infections in an animal infectionmodel (Non-Patent Literatures 12 to 14). From this, such antibodies against the LPS O11 antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are expected to be a new drug against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and there are already some reports on anti-LPS O11 antibodies (Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
The present invention relates to a therapeutic and diagnostic antibody that targets the Pseudomonas aeruginosa O11 strain. The therapeutic and diagnostic antibody is desired to have a high activity, and its opsonophagocytic killing activity is important. Further, antibodies are known to have high antigen specificity, and those having a high coverage ratio capable of broadly covering the O11 strains are desired as a therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies. Since the present antibodies are antibodies to the LPS O11 antigens and show a stronger opsonophagocytic killing activity and a higher coverage ratio compared to conventional antibodies, they are more useful.


A method for changing the timing of gear changes of an automatic transmission for a motor vehicle including repetitively updating a current value of a count whose value is a measure of driving behavior, performing an evaluation of driving behavior and updating the current value by a value determined from the evaluation, determining shift schedules that define the occurrence of a gear change to be produced by the transmission, and using the updated current value to establish from among the shift schedules a shift schedule that defines a gear change to be produced by the transmission.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an automatic transmission for a motor vehicle, and, more particularly, to a method for establishing a gear shift schedule that is compatible with driving behavior.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gear changes in a step-change automatic transmission are produced by a shift control system when a current operating state, defined by throttle opening and vehicle speed, crosses an upshift or downshift boundary, which can be represented in a shift schedule graph. The shift control system controls a solenoid valves of a hydraulic system such that hydraulic pressure, supplied to friction clutches and brakes, alternately cause their engagement and disengagement, resulting in the shifting of the transmission into various gears that affect the speed of the transmission output shaft relative to the speed of the input shaft.
The vehicle operator's manual control of a shift lever can be used to select operation of the transmission in a normal range, wherein the gears are produced automatically. The shift lever can also be placed in a track for manual gear selection, wherein the transmission can be upshifted and downshifted from the current gear at the driver's initiative. The shift control responds to the manual selection in a manner that is similar to its operation in the automatic mode.
The shift control system may contain multiple shift schedules each producing a desired gear change timing in a range between conservative or economy operation of the vehicle and aggressive or sporty operation, usually represented by throttle opening, i.e., the degree to which an accelerator pedal is depressed, and vehicle speed.
In the economy mode, a gear shift pattern is designed such that an upshifting operation is quickly realized to improve the fuel consumption ratio. In the sporty mode, a shift pattern is designed such that an upshifting point is moved to a high speed so that engine torque can be increased.
However, since the shift schedules are fixed in an electronic memory, a need exists in the industry to optimize the gear shifting according to variations in engine torque, and running resistance and other parameters that reflect the operator's intent and driving behavior.

Using driving behavior to determine gear changes of an automatic transmission


A gantry (A) of a CT scanner system has an x-ray tube (10) and radiation detectors (14) which produce patient diagnostic data. An operator using a keyboard (20) or other manual controls operates the x-ray tube and other components of the gantry. The operator also causes a central processing unit (C) to process the diagnostic data with a selected algorithm to provide diagnostic information for display on a display (24). The same keyboard and displays are also utilized in routine service and repair processes. A system monitor (E) compares operating conditions sensed by sensors (50), such as operating temperatures and compares them with acceptable operating conditions. When the sensed conditions are unacceptable, a timer (60) is started and shuts down (68) gantry operation after a preselected duration. The operator can override (72) the timed shut down, but each such override is recorded (74) in permanent storage (32). The comparing means also compares software identification codes either for software selected on touch sensitive areas (76) of the display screen or from new software identifications read on a disk drive (22). If the identification of the requested or received software matches an authorized software identification, the software is utilized for diagnostic or service purposes. Other use of the software is blocked and the identification of any software sought to be entered is stored in the memory (32). To initiate a CT scan, a ready button (40) starts a timer (44) which enables a start button (42) to control the power to the CT scanner for a selected short duration, e.g. 30 seconds.

The present invention relates to the art of equipment safety and protection monitoring. The invention finds particular application in conjunction with CT scanners and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the invention is also applicable to other medical diagnostic scanners, such as magnetic resonance scanners, digital x-ray scanners, and the like. Further, the present invention may also find utility in conjunction with other computer based or controlled equipment.
Heretofore, CT scanners have commonly included a gantry system in which the x-ray tube, radiation detectors, x-ray tube assembly rotation motors, cooling equipment, and other associated hardware and controls were mounted. A central processing unit was commonly mounted in another cabinet but interconnected electronically with the gantry. The central processing unit included the computer software and memory for processing radiation intensity data from the gantry to generate image representations and other diagnostic information. The central processing unit could also contain service and set-up software or memory capacity for loading such service software. An operator control panel included the appropriate control buttons, switches, disk drives, display monitors, and the like such that the operator could cause the gantry to take one or more CT scans. The operator control panel also accessed the appropriate software in the central processing unit to process the CT data and generate selected images or other diagnostic displays. For system tune-up and repair, service software could be entered through the disk drives on the console. Appropriate commands from the keyboard controlled the service software and entered software based corrections. System malfunctions or failures could be indicated on the console display or by LED lights located in the console and the central processing unit.
Although the prior art CT scanners indicated abnormal and potentially injurious operating conditions, the operator was under no compulsion to heed the warnings. Rather, the operator could continue to operate the system even under such abnormal operating conditions as overheating of the x-ray tube, overheating of the radiation detectors, and other conditions that could damage or destroy expensive hardware components. For patient safety, it was generally considered inappropriate to overrule the operation and shut-down the CT scanner system when components were operating a temperature or other range that would cause premature but not imminent failure. The patient in the scanner, in some instances, was in a life threatening situation in which the CT scans were a necessary diagnostic tool. This concern for patient safety which allowed operations of the scanners outside of normal operating parameters tended to increase requests for warranty repairs.
Another problem with the prior art CT scanners resided in the use of unauthorized software. For example, third party service technicians could enter and use their own software which improperly or inadequately diagnosed system errors. Even if the manufacturer's software was permanently stored in the CPU and could be accessed, third party technicians often misused the software, improperly diagnosed system failures or miscalibrated the system. As another example, third party image data processing software not designed for this hardware and pirate copies of software designed for this hardware could be entered into the CPU. The use of third party image or patient data software designed for other hardware could cause inaccurate and even incorrect diagnostic readings. Moreover, use of third party and pirate software caused a major financial loss to the manufacturers. The very high number of man hours that go into software development and improvement represent a high cost to the manufacturers which is amortized over copies of the software as it is sold. Pirate software not only cost sales to the manufacturers, but also reduces the number of software copies over which the development costs are amortized--hence, raises costs to honest purchasers.
Commonly, CT scanners have a single push-button for starting a scan. Once the button is pushed, the scan routine is automatically started and completed irradiating the scan circle with radiation. If the scan is inadvertently started, any portion of a patient or technician in the scan circle is needlessly irradiated.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved safety monitor system for CT scanners which overcomes the above referenced problems and others.


An array substrate and a fabrication method thereof, and a display device and a driving method thereof are provided. The array substrate includes a gate line, a data line, and a pixel electrode disposed within a pixel region defined by the gate line and the data line intersecting with each other. The array substrate further includes an additional electrode disposed between at least two adjacent pixel electrodes.

Electro Chromism (EC) refers to a phenomenon where optical properties (such as reflectivity, transmissivity, absorptivity, etc.) of a material change stably and reversibly under the effect of an external electric field, and EC exhibits in appearance as a reversible change in color and transparency. The material with electrochromic property is known as an EC material. An EC display device made of the EC material not only does not require a backlight, but also consumes no power upon displaying a static image as long as the displayed image is not changed, and thus the EC display device can save energy. In addition, the EC display device has the advantages of no blind angle, high contrast, low fabrication cost, wide operation temperature range, low driving voltage, rich in colors and the like, and thus is promising in the fields of meter display, outdoor advertisement, static display and the like.
The EC material is provided between the upper and lower electrodes of the display device, the color of the EC material changes when a voltage is applied and remains transparent when no voltage is applied. The EC display device achieves a pattern display by controlling the voltage applied to the EC material, wherein the region where the voltage is applied is a colored region, the region where no voltage is applied is a colorless region, and the colored region and the colorless region form the pattern. However, because the EC material is in a liquid state, its fluidity may render mutual diffusion between the EC material molecules in the colored region and the EC material molecules in the adjacent colorless region, and in this case a crosstalk occurs.

Array substrate and fabrication method thereof, display device and driving method thereof


A method of dispersing pigment using an amide-modified resin or an amide-modified hydrocarbyl moiety, and the resulting pigment concentrate or coating or ink composition.

Amide-modified compounds as such are known. For instance, amides of pyridylalkylamines are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,121 as products with pharmacological activity, among which are analgesic, antispasmodic, bronchodilator, antianoxic, and anticonvulsant activity. In Japanese patent application JP 50120485 piperazinylethyl lauramide is disclosed as an antistatic agent for PVC. Similar compounds were disclosed in EP 402,266 to exhibit antiseptic, antimicrobal, and disinfectant activity. Aminoalkylene amides with piperazinyl groups are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,177 as deposit-reducing additives to gasoline, and similar compounds are known from JP 10212275 to behave as lubricating substances for magnetic recording mediums.
In accordance with the invention, amide-modified compounds are used in a method for dispersing a pigment. This method can be used, for example, for producing a pigment concentrate and/or a coating composition. Popular pigment dispersing processes include flush and dry grind.
Pigments are generally produced in an aqueous medium. One of the steps in the manufacture of pigments is the precipitation from water. After precipitation of the pigment, the pigment/water mixture is filtered to provide a filter cake or presscake containing pigment and residual moisture.
When the pigment is to be incorporated in an organic or non-aqueous system for application to a substrate, it is necessary to remove the residual moisture from the filter cake or presscake. The presscake typically contains 30 to 80% by weight of water. Removal of residual water from a presscake is usually accomplished by a process of water displacement that is known as "flushing."
Flush processes are dispersion processes, such as those described in Kirk-Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Ed. M. Grayson et al., John Wiley & Sons (3rd Ed. Vol. 17) 1982, pp. Cover, Contents 838-864, 871-873; and The Printing Ink Manual, Society of British Printing Ink Manufacturers LTD, Leach, D. H., et al. (5th Ed.), pp. Cover Contents, 709-710, 373, 814.
Generally speaking, flushing is the direct transfer of pigments in an aqueous phase to an oil or non-aqueous phase without intermediate drying. Flushing of the pigment is carried out by intensely mixing the presscake with a flushing varnish and/or ink solvent. A "flushing varnish" is an ink solvent containing a resin dissolved therein. The solvent and/or flushing varnish is often referred to as a "flushing agent." The term "ink solvent," as used herein, refers to any petroleum or vegetable derived material, which may be used to hold the resin system in solution.
As the pigment is wetted by the flushing agent, the water is driven out of the presscake until only a small percentage of water remains. The last traces of water are removed by applying a sub-atmospheric pressure and/or heat to the presscake. The flushing agent in effect flushes the water from the pigment resulting in pigment dispersion in the base of a coating/ink composition. Alkyd resins are sometimes used in addition to and as the flushing agent to assist in the break-out of water from the presscake.
Pigments at the presscake stage of manufacture have a particle size that is more suitable for generating maximum gloss and color strength in formulations than pigments in their finished dry form. Accordingly, flushed pigments produced without first drying the pigment are e.g. preferred colorants for lithographic ink formulations.
Problems may occur if the flush resin is too polar and the water layer will not be separated. If the flush resin is too apolar, the pigment particles will not properly be dispersed. These problems have now been solved by using the amide-modified resin or hydrocarbyl moiety in accordance with the invention.
The amide-modified resin or hydrocarbyl moiety is also advantageously used in other dispersing processes in accordance with the invention. Another exemplary dispersing process is dry grind. Grinding reduces particle size by mechanical means. It is an example of milling which can be used to obtain paint and other pigmented products. Generally, milling or grinding proceeds first by wetting pigment particles. Usually a dispersant, such as that utilized in the claimed invention, is added at this stage. The dispersant or dispersing agent can be added alone or in combination with other materials, such as a varnish. After wetting the pigment particles, the milling/grinding process usually breaks down larger particles under shear forces and then disperses the resulting smaller particles within the medium.

Amide-modified resin or hydrocarbyl moiety for dispersing a pigment


Resources of a shared physical network element of a communications network are dynamically allocated between connection-oriented traffic and connectionless traffic. For each shared physical network element of the network, a resource requirement of the connection-oriented traffic is determined; and a respective traffic metric to be used for routing connectionless traffic is dynamically adjusted based on the determined resource requirement of the connection-oriented traffic. As a result, resources of the shared physical network element can be efficiently utilized, and congestion of connectionless traffic being routed through the shared physical network element is avoided.

In the modern network space, packetized data traffic of various different protocols (e.g. internet protocol, frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode, etc.) is transported over a common network infrastructure. Each protocol provides its own packet (or frame) size and format standards. Additionally, some protocols (e.g. IP) are specifically designed to allow packets having widely varying lengths. New routing protocols, for example the multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) protocol have been proposed to facilitate multi-protocol traffic across a common network infrastructure.
Under the MPLS protocol, label switched paths (LSPs) are propagated across the network hop-by-hop along a path that is set up at the beginning of a communications session. In a general, the label assigned to the LSP can be different for each hop, with the label conversion being performed by the node serving the respective hop. Resources of each hop (i.e. the node serving the hop) of the path are reserved during set-up of the path, and normally will not be available for carrying other traffic until the path is released.
The mapping of an end-to-end path at the beginning of a communications session characterizes the MPLS protocol as "connection oriented". Other protocols, (such as IP) which do not transport data over predefined end-to-end paths are referred to as "connectionless". Typically, connectionless traffic is routed across a network using a shortest-path or least-cost-path routing protocol, such as, for example, the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP). In general, a metric (e.g. a link distance vector, or a link cost factor) is assigned to each link and used within each router for mapping packet destination addresses to downstream links. The metric is normally provisioned for traffic engineering, and reflects not only geographic distances, but also provisioned bandwidth of each link. A higher metric on a particular link makes that link less attractive for carrying connectionless traffic, so that the IGP will normally operate to route connectionless traffic away from that link. Both connection-oriented and connectionless traffic may be carried over shared network infrastructure. This situation is normally accommodated by adjusting the provisioned IGP metric to reflect an average anticipated amount of bandwidth allocated to the connection-oriented traffic. However, this raises a difficulty in that the amount of resources (e.g. bandwidth) actually available for use by connectionless traffic, on any link, will vary with the resources reserved for connection-oriented traffic. Accordingly, during periods of heavy demand for connection-oriented traffic, the provisioned IGP metric for a link may provide an inflated indication of the amount of band-width actually available for connectionless traffic. This can easily result in undesirable congestion on the link. Conversely, during periods of low demand for connection-oriented traffic, the provisioned IGP metric for a link may provide a deflated indication of the amount of band-width actually available for connectionless traffic. This can result in undesirable under-utilization of the link.
A technique which allows connection-oriented and connectionless traffic to efficiently share network resources is therefore highly desirable.

Dynamic allocation of shared network resources between connection-oriented and connectionless traffic


A substrate loading subsystem receives substrates from an external source and delivers them to an input port. A substrate pickup transports the substrates serially from the input port to a delivery port of a processing subsystem wherein the substrates are subjected to a reactant gas in a reaction chamber. After completion of the chemical vapor deposition, the substrate pick up serially transports the substrates to an outlet port wherefrom they are off loaded.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to systems for chemical vapor deposition of materials on substrates, and more particularly to a chemical vapor deposition system having improved substrate loading, off-loading, and handling sub-systems which interact with at least one especially configured processing subsystem having a reaction chamber, susceptor and heating sub-assemblies for precision control of the deposition process.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the electronics art, it has long been a practice to employ chemical vapor deposition techniques for depositing various materials on substrates or wafers, as part of the process for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Chemical vapor deposition processes includes passing of a reactant gas, which contains the material to be deposited, over the substrates for forming, or growing a compound on the substrates as a result of thermal reaction or decomposition of the various gaseous materials.
The equipment used to accomplish such a process is of various configurations but will include the basic components of a reaction chamber, a heating system and a gas flow system. Of course these various components are configured in accordance with the tasks to be accomplished. For example, when the number of substrates to be processed is small, the reaction chamber may be in the form of a bell jar, but in high quantity production work considerably more sophisticated equipment is needed.
For some time now, batch processing equipment has been used for accomplishing the chemical vapor deposition processes in production environments and batch processing equipment may be categorized as being of two basic types, namely horizontal gas flow systems and vertical gas flow systems. A horizontal gas flow system generally includes a platform, or susceptor as it is referred to in the art, which is located in a horizontally disposed reaction chamber with the reactant gas flowing in a horizontal path across the susceptor. In a vertical gas flow system, a horizontally disposed susceptor, or an upstanding multi-surface barrier shaped susceptor, is located in a vertically diposed reaction chamber with the reactant gas being caused to flow in a substantially vertical path past and around the susceptor. In either case, these susceptors are configured to support a multiplicity or relatively small substrates, i.e. in the neighborhood of 2 to 5 inches in diameter, for simultaneously depositing materials on the multiplicity of substrates. While silumtaneous deposition of materials on a multiplicity of substrates is desirable from a manufacturing standpoint, it has some drawbacks from a quality standpoint.
The first problem associated with batch, or multi-substrate processing relates to the reactant gas, which contains the atoms of the deposition materials. As the gas flows over the surfaces of the substrates and the susceptor, deposition of the materials results in changes in the concentration of the deposition materials in the reactant gas. Consequently, as the reactant gas flows across or over the length of these relatively large susceptors, across each individual substrate and across a multiplicity of such substrates, different rates of growth of the deposited layer of material have been found. A second problem is that of temperature control which is critical at the elevated temperatures needed for proper deposition. It is difficult, if not impossible, to control the temperature within the critical tolerances at all the desired locations within the relatively large reaction chambers. This results in different deposition layer thicknesses from one substrate to another, and can even produce varying thickness within the individual substrates. Still another problem is contamination which can result from various factors such as the handling techniques used to load and unload the substrates, the introduction of the reactant gas into the reaction chamber, and the like.
These problems and drawbacks, as well as other factors, all contribute to significant problems as the semiconductor devices and the uses to which they are put become more sophisticated. As a result, many changes and improvements have been made in the equipment, that is used to simultaneously process a multiplicity of substrates. For example, some equipment manufacturers are now using automated loading and off-loading devices, as opposed to hand-loading techniques, to elimiante, or at least substantially reduce contamination resulting from human handling. Further, the second type of susceptor discussed above, i.e. the upstanding barrel shaped structure, is being rotated in some instances about its vertical axis to rotate the multiplicity of substrates about that same axis within the reaction chamber. Such barrel rotation is being done for averaging purposes, that is, temperature averaging and reactant gas flow averaging. Obviously these and other things which are being done to improve the simultaneous multi-substrate processing techniques have helped. However, there are practical limits which many feel will ultimately make the batch processing techniques unacceptable or at least undesirable. One of the limitations is that the equipment not being very well suited for handling larger diameter substrates. The economics of larger diameter substrates are causing many manufactures of semiconductor devices to use larger substrates. However, increasing the size of the substrate is causing some problems with regard to temperature differentials across the substrate, decreasing concentrations of the deposition material as it is carried across the substrate, and the like.
Therefore, steps are being taken now by some equipment manufacturers to make suitable single substrate processing equipment which is significantly simpler in so far as controlling the various factors involved in chemical vapor deposition. Single substrate chemical vapor deposition equipment becomes inherently more desirable than multi-substrate equipment as the manufacturers of semiconductor devices change to larger substrates, i.e., 6 to 8 inches in diameter or even larger. One important consideration is the cost at risk when processing one substrate as opposed to the simultaneous multi-substrate processing. That is, if something goes wrong, the monetary loss is far less with one substrate than it is with a plurality of substrates.
Various prior art components and sub-systems have been devised for use in building single substrate processing chemical vapor disposition systems. For example, loading and unloading of substrates into such systems may be handled in various ways with the most pertinent prior art structure being a cassette elevator available from the Brooks Automation Co., a division of Aeronca Electronics, Inc., One Executive Park Drive, North Billerica, Miss. 01862. The cassette elevator, which is identified as Product No. 6200, includes a vaccum chamber for receiving a plurality of substrates that are carried in a cassette with the cassette being supported on a platform. The platform is vertically movable by means of an elevating mechanism which brings the substrates one at a time into alignment with an access port. An isolation valve such as that available as Product No. 3003 from the above identified Brooks Automation Co., is located at the access port of the elevating mechanism for closing the vacuum chamber except during extraction of the individual substrates. Both the elevating mechanism and the isolation valve provide a controllable environment for receiving and loading the substrates into a processing system.
The Brooks Automation Co. also markets a vacuum transport station under the name Vacu-Tran.TM. for extracting the substrates one at a time from the elevating mechanism described above. The transport station includes a housing which is coupled to the isolation valve described above, and a robot arm structure is located in the housing. The robot arm structure includes a rotatable plate having an extensible and retractable arm arrangement thereon, with a pallet or spatula on the distal end of the arms. With the plate and arms rotated so as to align with the access port of the elevating mechanism and the isolation valve open, the arms are extended to move the pallet into position below a substrate, and then the entire arm structure is raised to lift the substrate so that it is carried on the pallet out of the cassette. The arms are then retracted to extract the substrate from the elevating mechanism, and then the arm assembly is rotated to another position and extended once again so as to pass through another isolation valve into a suitable reaction chamber. This particular handling system relies on the weight of the substrate to hold it in place on the pallet and another prior art structure includes a similar arm arrangement which further includes a vacuum outlet on the pallet for a more positive attachment to the underside of the substrates.
The operation of the above described prior art loading system can be reversed for extracting a processed substrate from the reaction chamber and returning it to the same cassette from which it was extracted, or alternatively, to another cassette provided in a second elevating mechanism provided solely for off-loading of processed substrates.
While the above described loading, handling and off-loading structures are significantly better than hand operations, and other prior art loading and handling mechanism which are not relevant to the present ivention, they are less than completely satisfactory. One of the prime considerations in modern chemical vapor deposition systems is to hold contamination to an absolute minimum, and prevent it entirely, if possible. In that the vacuum chamber of the elevating mechanism must be opened from time to time for insertion and extraction of cassettes, environmental contamination will enter the vacuum chamber. The isolation valve located at the access port of the elevating mechanism is needed to prevent contaminants from passing through the vacuum chamber of the elevating mechanism into the housing of the transport system during the time when the vacuum chamber is open to the environment, and such an isolation valve is expensive. However, the main problem with this prior art system is in the robot arm structure which slides under and carries the substrates on the pallet from the elevating mechanism to the reaction chamber and back again when processing is completed. First of all, such a substrate handling technique cannot possibly place a substrate on a flat continuous surface, such as an ideally configured susceptor, which is used in the reaction chamber, due to the pallet of the robot arms being in supporting engagement with the bottom surface of the substrate. Therefore, some sort of less than ideal susceptor configuration must be provided in the reaction chamber if is it is to be used with the prior art robot arm handling mechanisms. Secondly, damage often results from the pallet coming into mechanical contact with the substrate. Also, contaminants in the form of airborne particles can settle on the top surface of the substrate and this reduces the yield of the substrates and destroys circuit integrity.
As was the case with the above discussed batch processing chemical vapor deposition systems, the reaction chambers used in single substrate processing systems may be categorized as either a horizontal gas flow system or a vertical gas flow system. However, the susceptors being used in the single substrate reaction chambers consist essentially of a planar platform or base upon which the substrate rests during the deposition process, and those susceptors contribute nothing further to the deposition process with regard to improving the problems of depletion of the material carried by the reactant gas as it flows past and around the substrate, and with regard to improved temperature sensing and control.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved signal substrate chemical vapor deposition system which enhances the process and thereby helps in eliminating, or at least reducing, the problems and shortcomings of the prior art systems.

Substrate handling and transporting apparatus


The present invention is directed to a lens system for an optical beam scanner which scans a plurality of optical beams. The lens system comprises: a first lens group having an entrance pupil, which includes first and third lenses in the form of meniscus having a positive power, respectively, a fourth lens having a positive power, and a second lens having a negative power; and a second lens group including a fifth lens having a positive power. The first to fifth lenses are successively disposed in order from the entrance pupil side. Accordingly, the lens system has a telecentric and an f-sin.theta. characteristic.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens system, and more particularly, to a lens system which is applied to an optical beam scanner, such as a laser printer, which scans a plurality of optical beams on a recording surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazettes Nos. 195211/1984 and 267910/1988 disclose lens systems which can be applied to an optical beam scanner such as a laser printer, respectively.
FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of a conventional telecentric f-.theta. lens system, which is disclosed in the former gazette Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 195211/1984). As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional telecentric f-.theta. lens system is formed with a negative meniscus lens L.sub.12 whose concave surface S.sub.12 is directed toward an entrance pupil EP, positive meniscus lenses L.sub.13 and L.sub.14 and a positive plano-convex lens L.sub.15, and these lenses L.sub.12 to L.sub.15 are arranged in order from the entrance pupil EP side toward a recording surface RS side.
The aforementioned lens system satisfies: EQU h=f.multidot..theta.
assuming that h represents a distance from an optical axis Z of the lens system to a beam spot on the recording surface RS, f represents the focal length of the lens system and .theta. represents an incident angle of the beam upon the lens system. A laser beam is generally deflected by a polygon mirror, so that the laser beam is impinged on the recording surface RS through the lens system. Since the polygon mirror is rotated at a constant angular velocity, the beam spot moves on the recording surface RS at a constant speed.
Further, the lens system has a telecentric characteristic that all principal rays substantially vertically enter the recording surface RS, so that an image size in a main scanning direction does not vary even if the recording surface RS is displaced in the direction of the optical axis Z, for example, as is well known in the art.
Therefore, a telecentric f-.theta. lens system is employed in a laser printer etc. particularly requiring that a laser beam is projected onto the recording surface in high accuracy.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the optical path deflected by a deflector 1. A plurality of laser beams B.sub.0 to B.sub.n are projected onto a point O of the deflector 1 which rotates in the forward and reverse directions around a Y-axis, while laser beams b.sub.0 to b.sub.n deflected by the deflector 1 are directed toward a recording surface RS (X-Y plane) through a lens system 2a. In the figure, symbols i.sub.0 to i.sub.n represent beam spots of the laser beams b.sub.0 to b.sub. on the recording surface RS, respectively.
In the case that an f-.theta. lens system shown in FIG. 1 is employed as the lens system 2a, the following equation is obtained: ##EQU1##
Where y is a distance between the beam spots i.sub.0 and i.sub.n, f is a focal length of the f-.theta. lens system 2a, .alpha. is an angle between the laser beam B.sub.n and an optical axis X, and .beta. is an angle between the laser beam b.sub.0 and an optical axis Z of the f-.theta. lens system 2a.
When the deflector 1 rotates around the Y-axis, the angle .beta. varies corresponding to the rotation of the deflector 1, whereby the distance y varies with the angle .beta.. Therefore, the locus of the laser beams focusing on the recording surface RS by the f-.theta. lens system 2a will not straight as shown in FIG. 3, so that the quality of an image recording on the recording surface RS is lowered.
FIG. 4 illustrates the structure of an f-sin.theta. lens system, which is disclosed in latter gazette (Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 267910/1988). As shown in FIG. 4, the f-sin.theta. lens system is formed with a first lens group G.sub.1 having a negative focal length and a second lens group G.sub.2 having a positive focal length, to satisfy: EQU h=f.multidot.sin.theta.
where h is a distance between an optical axis Z of the f-sin.theta. lens system and a beam spot b on a recording surface RS, f is a focal length of the f-sin.theta. lens system and .theta. is an incident angle that the optical beam entering the lens system forms with respect to the optical axis Z thereof.
In the case that the f-sin.theta. lens system 2 is used instead of the lens system 2a as shown in FIG. 2, the following equation is obtained: EQU y=f.multidot.sin.alpha.
As understood the above equation, the distance y is a constant even if the deflector 1 rotates in the forward and reverse direction around the Y-axis. Therefore, the loci of the plural laser beams will be straight as shown in FIG. 5, when the laser beams are directed to the recording surface RS through the f-sin.theta. lens system.
However, the f-sin.theta. lens system shown in FIG. 5 has no telecentric characteristic, so that an image size in a main scanning direction varies with the displacement of the recording surface RS in the direction of the optical axis Z of the f-sin.theta. lens system. Therefore, the lens system can't be employed in the optical beam scanner such as a laser printer requiring that the image can be recorded on the recording surface RS in high accuracy.


In some embodiments, an electronic device displays user interfaces for viewing information about and/or for reporting information about incidents of different types associated with a (e.g., physical) location.

User interaction with electronic devices has increased significantly in recent years. These devices can be devices such as computers, tablet computers, televisions, multimedia devices, mobile devices, and the like.
In some circumstances, users wish to view and/or report information about incidents associated with a (e.g., physical) location, for example using a maps application. An electronic device can provide a user with user interfaces for performing such actions associated with a location.


A method for processing a plate workpiece supported on a workpiece support. The method includes moving a tool die and a tool punch along a stroke axis and toward a processing position above a support plane of the workpiece support. The processing position corresponds to a region of the plate workpiece having a formed shape, which extends upwardly from the support plane of the workpiece support.

Flexible processing of metal sheets by cutting and/or forming can be performed by means of punching/forming machines. Some known machines permit various workpiece processing operations to be performed on the same machine tool. For example, sheet metal parts may be cut free from a sheet metal composite and forming operations may be performed on those sheet metal parts. An example of such a machine tool is the TruPunch® 5000 punching machine offered by Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH+Co. KG which has mono-tool holders. The mono-tool holders support a single tool that includes a tool punch and a tool die. Further tools can be taken from a tool magazine and inserted as alternative tools into the mono-tool holders as and when required.
The mono-tool holders have a tool punch holder that can be raised and lowered by means of a hydraulic stroke drive, and a stationary tool die holder. A workpiece table serves to support a metal sheet that is to be processed. Workpiece processing is effected by lowering the tool punch holder together with a tool punch secured thereto onto the metal sheet supported on the workpiece table. The metal sheet is acted upon by the tool punch on the one side and by the tool die on the other.
Where a workpiece is subject to a forming operation, for example by roll-forming, in a region that was previously processed by a punching operation, the punched contour, produced by the punching operation, may change as a result of the forming operation, i.e., the punched contour may no longer correspond to the original contour produced by the punching operation.


An armrest (1) for providing wrist and forearm support during keyboard and mouse operations is provided. The armrest (1) is placed at the front edge of the keyboard and supports most of the forearm from the elbow to the wrist so that the operator can operate the keyboard and handle the mouse, with the forearm supported close to the keyboard. The armrest (1) includes an enlarged support area (12, 22), an elbow protrusion area (13) at the longitudinal ends of the armrest (1), and two mouse pads (2: 21, 22) on the same surface running from the center area (11, 21) to one of the longitudinal ends. The armrest is positioned so that the center area (11, 21) of the mouse pad (2) faces the space bar (4), and the enlarged support area (12, 22) faces the number keypad (5) and projects out to the right of the number keypad. The armrest inclines downward longitudinally from the center area in front of the space bar (4) on the keyboard (3) towards the sides and transversely towards the front edge, which faces the operator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an armrest, which is placed at the front edge of the keyboard to help in using the keyboard and mouse by supporting the forearms (i.e., the arm area from approximately the elbow to approximately the wrist, not simply the wrist or palm). More specifically, the armrest supports most of the forearm, ranging from the elbow to the wrist, and allows the operator to handle the mouse with the forearm supported close to the keyboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The operation of keyboards is involved in a large portion of manual visual display terminal (VDT) operations such as data input, for example. These operations are responsible for a high incidence of health hazards such as neck, shoulder, and arm syndrome because of the motions involved in continually maintaining the forearms in a lifted position without any support and repetitively using the arms and fingers. The inventors of the instant application have also proposed an armrest for VDT operations (Japanese Registered Utility Model Gazette No. 2505528).
Recent dramatic innovations in operating systems have brought the graphical user interface (GUI) approach into the mainstream of man-machine interface technology and enabled mouse operation to be integrated with traditional keyboard operation in almost every computing setting.
It is known that the health hazards associated with VDT operation result from muscular or nervous fatigue induced by a specific working posture in which the neck is inclined forward and the arms are held, without any support, away from the trunk. Another factor contributing to this fatigue is the workload on the fingers in running the keyboard. Now that mouse operations have been added to traditional VDT operations, it is necessary to examine possible solutions for improving operability and mitigating fatigue.
So far, several resting devices for wrists and for palms (hereafter collectively referred to as "palmrests") have been suggested for reducing fatigue. These proposed devices have not adequately taken into account possible improvements in operability (and reduction of fatigue) focused on mouse operation.
The majority of the existing palmrests are configured with the mouse pad separate which is physically separate from the keyboard pad (a "separate-type" palmrest) while a few of the existing palmrests have been designed to combine the mouse pad with the keyboard pad (an "integrated-type" palmrest). As one example, Japanese Registered Utility Model Gazette No. 3043575 discloses a integrated-type palmrest which is placed on the top of a desk together with a board for the keyboard. The palmrest is configured with a mouse pad that can be drawn out from the board, to the right of the keyboard and at a lower level than the top surface of the palmrest.
The second prior art integrated-type palmrest is placed on the top of a desk together with a board for the keyboard. This palmrest is configured with the mouse pad attached to the board on the right of the keyboard and at a lower level than the top surface of the palmrest. The third integrated-type palmrest disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2687814 is integrated with a keyboard arrangement board and a mouse operating board which is placed midway between the keyboard and the computer monitor or cathode-ray tube (CRT) at almost as high a level as the top surface of the palmrest.
In the case of a mouse pad placed to the right of the keyboard, it can be reasonably suggested that a significant distance (approx. 41 cm) between the thumb (on the space bar) and the mouse pad would degrade the operability when both are used concurrently. This is because the right hand is repeatedly moved over this distance, and there is a heavy load on the shoulder girdle muscle during internal rotation and external rotation of the right humeral articulation, and on the trapezius (shoulder) during the abduction of right humeral articulation. Internal rotation affects the infraspinatus and teres minor muscle, while external rotation affects the infrascapular muscle, teres major muscle, pectoralis major muscle and the latissimus dorsi muscle.
In another prior art model the mouse pad is placed behind the keyboard. This arrangement makes it necessary to handle the mouse with the elbow sustained away from the trunk. As a result, the trapezius and brachial muscles (deltoid muscle) suffer a significant muscular load during the operation. The substantial distance (approx. 28 cm) between the space bar and mouse pad imposes a great muscular load to the brachial muscle which is lifted up and down across the keyboard. There are also other potential problems during mouse operations including inadvertent keystrokes when reaching for the mouse.
It should be noted that the effectiveness of armrests in mouse and keyboard operations is undisputed as it has been reported that armrests reduce the electromyograms of the brachioradial muscle, the bicep brachii, the deltoid muscle, the infrascarpular muscle and the trapezius, as compared with those when it was not used. When a working environment involving keyboard and mouse operations and the resultant working posture is closely analyzed from the viewpoint of health hazard prevention, an armrest should feature the following configurations.
First, the armrest should be adequately wide to extensively support the overall forearms, ranging from the wrist through the elbow. The forearm support of the armrest should also protrude (widen) towards the operator around its ends in order to provide support for the forearms positioned at the sides of the operator. The height of the armrest should also be adjustable and should incline downward away from its center, interfacing the space bar toward the lateral ends and the operator. This design is necessary in order to minimize lifting of the shoulders and to obtain better contact between the forearm and the surface of the armrest. Furthermore, the armrest should provide an area for using the mouse which extends from about 5 cm to the left of the center to about 10 cm to the right of the number keypad. An enlarged support area should be supplied on the right side of the armrest to support the right forearm during mouse operations. Finally, the armrest should be securable to the front edge of the desk and capable of pivoting towards the keyboard using hinges attached at its longitudinal ends or distal bottom in order to be usable for some shallow desks.


A method includes stalling a call to a critical operating system (OS) function, looking up a value at the previous top of stack, and determining whether the value is equivalent to an address of the critical OS function being called. If the value at the previous top of stack is equivalent to the address of the critical OS function being called, the method further includes taking protective action to protect a computer system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the protection of computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method of blocking Return-to-LIBC attacks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Buffer overflow techniques have been used by malicious hackers and virus writers to attack computer systems. Buffers are data storage areas, which generally hold a predefined amount of finite data. A buffer overflow occurs when a program attempts to store data into the buffer, where the data is larger than the size of the buffer.
One category of buffer overflow, sometimes called stack-based buffer overflow, involves overwriting stack memory, sometimes called the stack. Stack-based buffer overflow is typically caused by programs that do not verify the length of the data being copied into a buffer.
When the data exceeds the size of the buffer, the extra data can overflow into the adjacent memory locations. In this manner, it is possible to corrupt valid data and possibly to change the execution flow and instructions.
In the case of a Return-to-LIBC attack, the attacker overflows the stack in such a way that a return address will be replaced to point to a library function in a loaded library inside the process address space. Thus, when the return address is used by the overflowed process, a library function will be executed. This way the attacker runs at least one application programming interface (API) to run a command shell on the compromised system remotely.

Return-to-LIBC attack blocking system and method


The present invention relates to an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive composition containing organic functional groups of urethane and pyridine, more precisely an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive composition which has excellent removability owing to its low initial peel strength on glass and excellent long-term durability since the peel strength of the pressure sensitive adhesive composition onto glass is being increased under high temperature and high humidity. The present invention also relates to an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive composition for a polarizer having excellent adhesive functions and durability, a polarizer and a LCD containing the same.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) is in great demand because of the spread of mobile computer and the expansion of cellular phone market triggered by multi-functional cell-phone. With the progress of high density packaging technique, LCD realizes slimness and miniaturization, and at the same time the LCD screen becomes bigger and wider.
It was doubtful at the beginning that large screen over 20 inches of LCD would be realized, but in fact the screen becomes larger and larger very fast. Up to now, major LCD makers have tried to produce small panel less than 20 inches, but they are going to expand rapidly their production range over 20 inches by taking advantage of high technology.
So, the glass used for the production of LCD screen is becoming larger. When there is something inferior in a product in early lamination stage, optical film has to be removed and liquid crystal cells are washed to be reused. At this time, a conventional pressure sensitive adhesive with high peel strength makes the peeling of optical film difficult and further makes high priced LCD cells destroyed.
Thus, efforts have been made to develop a high functional pressure sensitive adhesive which is fitted for the production of larger LCD. As a reference, Japanese Patent No. 3022993 describes acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive composition containing silane compound having epoxy available for the production of polarizer having excellent durability under high temperature and high humidity.
However, when silane compound having epoxy is applied to a pressure sensitive adhesive containing carboxyl (—COOH), removability is so bad to destroy liquid crystal cell because of its high peel strength. Thus, it is required a pressure sensitive adhesive composition showing not only excellent removability in the early adhesive stage when it is applied to a pressure sensitive adhesive containing any kind of functional group, for example carboxyl (—COOH) or hydroxyl (—OH), but also excellent durability in the late stage which is increased under high temperature and high humidity.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-104855 describes a pressure sensitive adhesive composition prepared by binding acrylic polymer with silane compound containing β-keto ester and alkoxy, which shows good peel strength to adhere polarizer on the surface of substrate and at the same time enables peeling of the polarizer out of the surface of substrate without damage of the substrate or leaving the adhesive.
The above Patent Publication describes that the addition of silane compound maintains the proper peel strength for the adhesion of polarizer onto substrate, keeps the peel strength at the level not to be over-strengthened, even by heat, and enables removal of polarizer without damage of liquid crystal device.
In order to be fitted for the production of larger LCD screen, a pressure sensitive adhesive should have low initial peel strength for possible removal, but have excellent peel strength later under high temperature or high temperature and high humidity, otherwise durability is in doubt, accompanying bubbles or edge lifting.
It is also described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-199144 that acrylic resin produced from polymerization of acrylic monomer in the presence of silane compound is mixed with crosslinking agent to provide a pressure sensitive adhesive composition having cohesive force and peel strength with less variation by high temperature or high temperature and high humidity and having excellent peel strength even on a curved surface.
It further describes that by the addition of silane compound, the peel strength can be properly maintained to hold polarizer on the surface of substrate, which is not over-strengthened, though, to make peeling of polarizer possible without damage of liquid crystal device.
It is better for a pressure sensitive adhesive composition to have excellent durability not carrying bubbles or edge lifting than to have cohesion and peel strength with less variation under high temperature or high temperature and high humidity. That is, it is preferred that the peel strength in the early stage of adhesion onto glass is just as good as removability is possible, but it gets higher as time goes by to keep strong and stable peel strength since there is no need of peeling in the late stage.