Methods for aiding in the diagnosis of disorders including, but not limited to, PDDs (Pervasive Development Disorders), Dysautonomic disorders, Parkinson's disease and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). In one aspect, a diagnosis method comprises analyzing a stool sample of an individual for the presence of a biological marker (or marker compound) comprising one or more pathogens, which provides an indication of whether the individual has, or can develop, a disorder including, but not limited to, a PDD, Dysautonomia, Parkinsons disease and SIDS. Preferably, the presence of one or more pathogens is determined using a stool immunoassay to determine the presence of antigens in a stool sample, wherein such antigens are associated with one or more pathogens including, but not limited to, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. histolytica, C. difficile, Adenovirus, Rotavirus or H. pylori.

Currently, extensive research is being conducted to determine associations between gastrointestinal dysfunction and a variety of human disorders that, heretofore, have been of unknown etiology. For example, an association between dysautonomic conditions and gastrointestinal dysfunction has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/929,592, filed on Aug. 14, 2001, entitled "Methods For Diagnosing and Treating Dysautonomia and Other Dysautonomic Conditions, which is commonly owned and fully incorporated herein by reference. Further, a relationship between gastrointestinal conditions and PDDs such as Autism, ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has been described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/466,559, filed Dec. 17, 1999, entitled "Methods For Treating Pervasive Development Disorders," and U.S. Ser. No. 09/707,395, filed on Nov. 7, 2000, entitled "Methods For Treating Pervasive Development Disorders", both of which are commonly owned and incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/466,559 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,063) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/707,395 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,429) relate generally to a method for treating individuals diagnosed with a form of PDD (pervasive development disorder) and other disorders such as ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). More specifically, the present invention is directed to therapeutic methods for treating individuals with such disorders by administering secretin, other neuropeptides, peptides, and/or digestive enzymes, as well as a prognosticative method for determining the potential effectiveness of the administration of secretin, other neuropeptides, peptides, and/or digestive enzymes for the treatment of such disorders. The spectrum of PDDs include disorders such as Autism, Aspergers, ADD, and ADHD. PDDs are typically characterized by multiple distortions in the development of basic psychological functions that are involved in the development of social skills and language, such as attention, perception reality testing and motor movement. In addition, many children diagnosed with Autism, for example, suffer from primary diffuse gastrointestinal problems such as protracted diarrhea and constipation.
The invention involves determining the presence of abnormal protein digestion of individuals, especially children, by measuring the chymotrypsin levels so as to determine if the individual is likely to benefit from the administration of secretin, digestive enzymes, peptides and/or neuropeptides. Tests were performed to measure the fecal chymotrypsin levels (referred to herein as Fecal Chymotrypsin Test) in children who span the entire PDD spectrum and whose symptomotology place them in this DSM IV category. Such tests revealed that a majority of the children diagnosed with autism, ADD and ADHD, for example, had abnormal chymotrypsin levels. Those children having abnormal levels of chymotrypsin in their stools are considered candidates for secretin administration. Other factors that may be considered in determining which children are potential candidates for secretin administration aside from the fecal chymotrypsin levels include a previously diagnosed history of autism, a history of gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, including any history of protracted diarrhea or constipation lasting for a weeks or months, as well as a self-limiting diet consisting primarily of carbohydrates. Upon determining that a given child was likely to benefit from secretin administration based on the results of the fecal chymotrypsin test, the child was administered a CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) test prior to being scheduled for secretin infusion.
Another experiment was performed to determine the effect of the administration of digestive enzymes to Autistic children. Each of the 17 autistic children were administered digestive/pancreatic enzymes comprising amylases, proteases, lipases, sucrases, maltases, and other digestive/pancreatic enzymes including trypsin and chymotrypsin. The measured fecal chymotrypsin levels of at least 16 of the 17 autistic children were found to increase 6 months post-digestive enzyme administration. Furthermore, a notable decrease in autistic symptomotology of each of the 17 autistic children was observed as a result of digestive/pancreatic enzyme administration.
Based on these findings, it is thus desirable to continue research in finding biologic markers of gastrointestinal dysfunction that may aid in the diagnosis of certain diseases and disorders. For example, the effect of various pathogens on the gastrointestinal tract, and the association of such pathogens to disorders such as PDD and dysautonomia, has heretofore not been researched. Various microorganisms that are of interest will now be discussed.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is generally associated with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer in children and adults. The prevalence of H. pylori is highest in developing countries and lowest in developed countries. Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, household crowding, and other conditions contribute to the formation of H. pylori infection. Infection is rarely symptomatic in children, and duodenal ulcers are generally not seen in children less than 10 years of age. Various diseases that are caused, or believed to be caused by H. pylori infection are known. For instance, it has been postulated that H. pylori plays a role in auto-immune athero-sclerosis.
Esophageal reflux disease (GORD) has further been postulated to be caused by H. pylori in a mechanism whereby somatostatin induces the hypothalamus to decrease the release of growth hormone from the pituitary affecting the adrenal control of cortisol. The change in cortisol ultimately affects the gastrin release mechanism causing an increase in acid.
Cryptosporidium parvum can be associated with infections of the gastrointestinal tract in children and in immunocompromised populations. It is generally thought to account for up to 20% of all cases of diarrhea in developing countries and potentially life threatening in children with AIDS due to the induction of severe malnutrition. These infections are generally asymptomatic and occur in tandem with other infections such as one with Giardia.
In 1993, a large outbreak of Cryptosporidium parvum occurred in Milwaukee Wis. in which 400,000 people were affected. It has a seasonal effect of being more prevalent in the late summer in children under the age of 15 years.
Giardia lamblia is a common cause of diarrhea in humans and other mammals throughout the world. In its most severe form, it has been found to cause infectious lymphocytosis. Although rare, infection with Giardia can be protracted and debilitating. Giardia lamblia is a flagellate that encysts, and generally does not cause symptomotology. However, when found in the trophozoite form, severe diarrhea can result. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, and growth retardation in children. Malabsorption results from infection with the trophzoite form, and potential blockage of the microvilli of the intestines occurs. There may be an interaction between decreased levels of IgA in the gastrointestinal system and giardiasis.
Clostridium infections of the gastrointestinal tract are of the perfringes, botulinum and difficile varieties. Perfringens food poisoning is the term used to describe the common foodborne illness caused by C. perfringens. A more serious but rare illness is also caused by ingesting food contaminated with Type C strains. The latter illness is known as enteritis necroticans. The common form of perfringens poisoning is characterized by intense abdominal cramps and diarrhea which begin 8-22 hours after consumption of foods containing large numbers of those C. perfringens bacteria capable of producing the food poisoning toxin. The illness is usually over within 24 hours but less severe symptoms may persist in some individuals for 1 or 2 weeks. A few deaths have been reported as a result of dehydration and other complications. Necrotic enteritis caused by C. perfringens is often fatal. This disease also begins as a result of ingesting large numbers of the causative bacteria in contaminated foods. This disease is a food infection; only one episode has ever implied the possibility of intoxication (i.e., disease from preformed toxin).
Clostridium difficile is an infection generally caused by changes in the intestinal mucosa. Those changes are caused by an overuse of antibiotics creating an intestinal environment favorable to the infiltration with Clostridium difficile. Infection with C. difficile is generally debilitating and C. difficile is a gram-positive, spore forming, anaerobic bacillus which can produce toxin-mediated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis. It has been isolated from soil, sand, hay, and animal dung. C. difficile colonization of the colon occurs in 2%-3% of healthy adults. Following exposure to antibacterial agents, the rate of asymptomatic colonization in adults averages between 5% to 15%, but rates as high as 46% have been reported. Carriage rates of up to 70% have been reported in children below the age of one year, but by two years of age the "normal" colonic flora is established and the frequency of colonization decreases to that of healthy adults. Of interest is that healthy children less than one year of age are the only population in which C. difficile toxins are frequently detected in the stool in the absence of clinical symptoms. One suggestion advanced to explain this observation is that the infant's gut cannot respond to the toxin.
Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic, spore-forming rod that produces a potent neurotoxin. The spores are heat-resistant and can survive in foods that are incorrectly or minimally processed. Seven types (A, B, C, D, E, F and G) of botulism are recognized, based on the antigenic specificity of the toxin produced by each strain. Types A, B, E and F cause human botulism. Types C and D cause most cases of botulism in animals. Animals most commonly affected are wild fowl and poultry, cattle, horses and some species of fish. Although type G has been isolated from soil in Argentina, no outbreaks involving it have been recognized. Foodborne botulism (as distinct from wound botulism and infant botulism) is a severe type of food poisoning caused by the ingestion of foods containing the potent neurotoxin formed during growth of the organism. The toxin is heat labile and can be destroyed if heated at 80° C. for 10 minutes or longer. The incidence of the disease is low, but the disease is of considerable concern because of its high mortality rate if not treated immediately and properly. Most of the 10 to 30 outbreaks that are reported annually in the United States are associated with inadequately processed, home-canned foods, but occasionally commercially produced foods have been involved in outbreaks. Sausages, meat products, canned vegetables and seafood products have been the most frequent vehicles for human botulism.
The life cycle of Entamoeba histolytica involves trophozoites (the feeding stage of the parasite) that live in the host's large intestine and cysts that are passed in the host's feces. Humans are infected by ingesting cysts, most often via food or water contaminated with human fecal material. The trophozoites can destroy the tissues that line the host's large intestine, so of the amoebae infecting the human gastrointestinal tract, E. histolytica is potentially the most pathogenic. In most infected humans the symptoms of "amoebiasis" (or "amebiasis") are intermittent and mild (various gastrointestinal upsets, including colitis and diarrhea). In more severe cases the gastrointestinal tract hemorrhages, resulting in dysentery. In some cases the trophozoites will enter the circulatory system and infect other organs, most often the liver (hepatic amoebiasis), or they may penetrate the gastrointestinal tract resulting in acute peritonitis; such cases are often fatal. As with most of the amoebae, infections of E. histolytica are often diagnosed by demonstrating cysts or trophozoites in a stool sample. Infections that sometimes last for years may be accompanied by no symptoms, vague gastrointestinal distress, and/or dysentery (with blood and mucus). Most infections occur in the digestive tract but other tissues may be invaded. Complications include ulcerative and abscess pain and, rarely, intestinal blockage. Onset time is highly variable. It is theorized that the absence of symptoms or their intensity varies with such factors as strain of amoeba, immune health of the host, and associated bacteria and, perhaps, viruses. The amoeba's enzymes help it to penetrate and digest human tissues; it secretes toxic substances.
No extensive research is known to have been conducted heretofore to determine correlations and associations regarding the presence of pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract of individuals in, e.g., PDD, Parkinson's and Dysautonmia populations. Based on the findings described herein in accordance with the present invention, correlations and associations are found to exist between various disorders such as Autism, Parkinson's, ADD, ADHD and Dysautonomia, for example, and the presence of pathogens in an individual's digestive tract.

Methods for diagnosing pervasive development disorders, dysautonomia and other neurological conditions


A multiplexed hierarchical array of interrupt controllers is configured to enable low latency task switching of a processor. The hierarchical array comprises a plurality of interrupt controllers coupled to a root interrupt controller. For each task that the processor is configured to execute, a corresponding interrupt controller is provided. To switch the processor to a task, the corresponding interrupt controller signals the root interrupt controller which, in turn, sends an interrupt and a Task Identifier to the processor. The root interrupt controller also cooperates with an access multiplexer/demultiplexer to select the corresponding interrupt controller for communication with the processor. By providing interrupt controller selection as well as task identification, the hierarchical array offloads arbitration and context switching overhead from the processor. That is, in response to the interrupt, the processor switches to the identified task and may access a memory address space dedicated to the task.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing systems, and more specifically to scheduling tasks for execution by a processor of a data processing system.
2. Background Information
A data processing system typically comprises one or more processing elements (i.e., processors) and a memory for storing software programs and data structures. An operating system (OS), typically resident in the memory and executed by each processor, functionally organizes the data processing system by, inter alia, invoking operations in support of software processes, tasks, and/or routines (hereinafter "tasks") executed by the processor. A known way to switch between tasks executed by the processor involves the use of an asynchronous signal, or "interrupt". A conventional interrupt controller generates the interrupt, typically in response to an external event. The OS typically processes the interrupt and dispatches an interrupt service routine to the processor. Thereafter, the processor typically invokes a context switch prior to executing the service routine. As used herein, a context switch (or "context switching") generally denotes (i) suspending execution of a task currently running on the processor, (ii) saving a state of the suspended task, (iii) retrieving a state of a new task ("service routine"), and (iv) executing the new task.
The amount of time required to switch processor tasks is typically referred to as the "interrupt latency". Factors that influence interrupt latency include arbitration among various interrupt controllers seeking (interrupt) access to the processor, as well as overhead associated with context switching. Lower interrupt latencies correspond to less time required to switch among tasks (i.e., faster task switching).
As the need for reliable high-speed processing of multiple tasks increases, a conventional OS may have an unpredictable and/or undesirably high interrupt latency. This unpredictable and/or high interrupt latency may limit the effectiveness of the data processing system, particularly in the case of an embedded data processing system. As used herein, an embedded data processing system includes a processor that is implemented within a device controlled by the processor. For example, an embedded data processing system may be implemented as a Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapter (HBA). In such an implementation, high interrupt latencies may reduce the possible throughput/bandwidth of the HBA, especially if, e.g., different tasks are associated with sending and/or receiving signals from different ports of the HBA.
To reduce the interrupt latency during task switching, an embedded data processing system may utilize a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) in place of the conventional OS. An RTOS typically employs specialized scheduling algorithms to decrease interrupt latency, and, when implemented with appropriately programmed software, may substantially stabilize and increase the predictability of task switching. However, a noted drawback of both a conventional OS and an RTOS is that they both consume memory which, in turn, adds cost and complexity, as well as consumes power. Moreover, because these prior art methods require use of an operating system to process the interrupt and schedule the task switch, the interrupt latency may still be undesirably high.

System and method for isochronous task switching via hardware scheduling


An image fixing apparatus is provided including a pressing roller, a fixing belt rotatably disposed such that an outer circumferential surface of the fixing belt contacts the pressing roller, and a rotating bush to support rotation of the fixing belt. The fixing belt includes a load support member arranged in an axial direction, a heating layer formed on an outer circumferential surface of the load support member to generate heat, and an electrode layer provided with an first portion axially contacting the heating layer at an axial end of the load support member, the electrode layer transferring electric energy to the heating layer. An inner end of the rotating bush axially extends to an inner side of the electrode layer such that the electrode layer is supported by the rotating bush. The image fixing apparatus may uniformly form a fixing nip and improve durability of the fixing belt.

1. Field
Embodiments are related to an image fixing apparatus having enhanced durability and an image forming apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is an apparatus to print an image onto a printing medium. Examples of such an image forming apparatus include a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction device combining two or more functions of the above-mentioned apparatuses.
In an image forming apparatus using electrophotography, an electrostatic latent image may be formed on the surface of a photosensitive body charged with a predetermined electric potential by emitting light onto the photosensitive body. Toner may be supplied onto the electrostatic latent image to form a visible image. The visible image formed on the photosensitive body may be directly transferred to a printing medium or transferred to the printing medium via an intermediate transfer member. The visible image transferred to the printing medium may be fixed to the printing medium as the printing medium passes through an image fixing apparatus.
The image fixing apparatus generally includes a fixing belt provided with a roller or a belt, and a pressing member to closely contact the fixing belt to form a fixing nip. When the printing medium having a transferred toner image is introduced into the gap between the fixing belt and the pressing member, the toner image may be fixed to the printing medium by the heat transferred to the fixing belt and the pressure applied at the fixing nip.
In determining the quality of an image printed onto a printing medium, gloss and gloss uniformity of a printing medium with a fixed toner image may be important factors. To achieve high gloss and gloss uniformity, high fixing pressure may need to be applied around the fixing nip formed between the fixing belt and the pressing member, and a uniform width of the fixing nip may need to be provided and maintained.

Image fixing apparatus including a fixing belt and image forming apparatus having the same


A method and image processing apparatus for image visibility restoration are provided. The method includes the following steps: receiving an input hazy image including input pixels; obtaining edge information of each of the input pixels according to a median filtering operation and a dark channel; determining a transmission map according to each of the input pixels and atmospheric light associated with the input hazy image in each color channel; obtaining a refined transmission map according to the edge information and the transmission map; adjusting the refined transmission map by performing a gamma correction operation thereon to obtain an enhanced transmission map; determining a color difference value corresponding to each of the color channels; recovering scene radiance for each of the input pixels in each of the color channels according to the corresponding color difference value, the enhanced transmission map, and the atmospheric light to produce and output a de-hazed image.

The visibility of outdoor images is often degraded by turbid medium in poor weather such as haze, fog, sandstorms, and so on. Optically, poor visibility in digital images is due to the substantial presence of different atmospheric particles which absorb and scatter light between a digital camera and a captured object. Image degradation may cause problems for many systems which must operate under a wide range of weather conditions such as outdoor object recognition systems, obstacle detection systems, video surveillance systems, and intelligent transportation systems.
In order to improve visibility in hazy images, haze removal techniques have been recently proposed. These may be divided into three major categories: an additional information approach, a multiple-image restoration approach, and a single-image restoration approach.
The additional information approach employs scene information to remove haze and recover vivid colors. Nevertheless, the scene depth information must be provided through user interaction, yet it is scarcely given for an arbitrary image. Thus, such approach does not hold for realistic application in arbitrary images.
The multiple-image restoration approach employs two or more images to estimate scene depth and subsequently remove haze formation. However, such approach mainly requires either a complex computation or a use of additional hardware devices. This may lead to costly restoration expenses. Hence, recent research has been focusing on the single-image restoration approach which is based on strong assumptions or priors.
A prior art method proposes a single-image restoration technique that removes haze by maximizing the local contrast of recovered scene radiance based on an observation that captured hazy images have lower contrast than restored images. However, such technique may result in unwanted feature artifact effects along depth edges. Another prior art method proposes another single-image restoration technique that estimates the albedo of the scene and deduces the transmission map based on an assumption that the transmission shading and the surface shading are locally uncorrelated. However, such technique may not contend with images featuring dense fog.
Yet another prior art proposes a dark channel prior method which uses a key assumption that most local patches for outdoor haze-free images exhibit very low intensity in at least one of color channel, which can be used to directly estimate haze density and recover vivid colors. Until now, such approach has attracted the most attention due to its ability to effectively remove haze formation. Nevertheless, the efficacy of haze removal may change in response to varied weather conditions and scene objects in realistic environments. In particular, such approach may not adequately deal with color distortions and complex structures. In these situations, color shift and artifact effects may occur in restored images.

Method and image processing apparatus for image visibility restoration

National Taipei University of Technology


A paper sheet handling apparatus includes: a plurality of detachable storages each of which stores therein paper sheets; a first storage that stores therein correspondence information, the correspondence information including a plurality of pieces of first identification information and pieces of second identification information that are uniquely associated with the respective pieces of the first identification information; and a first controller configured to: when a storage of the storages is attached, inform the storage of an identification number, and further select, from the correspondence information, first identification information corresponding to the storage; transmit transmitted data to which the identification number and the selected first identification information are set; and execute, in receiving data including the identification number, a receiving process on the data when identification information included in the data coincides with second identification information corresponding to the first identification information set to the transmitted data in the correspondence information.

A paper-currency-bill handling apparatus, such as an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), a Cash Dispenser (CD), and a Teller Cash Recycler (TCR), includes a cassette that stores therein paper currency bills. The cassette to be housed in a paper-currency-bill handling apparatus is detachable. When being housed in and attached to a paper-currency-bill handling apparatus, the cassette is communicably connected to a control unit of the paper-currency-bill handling apparatus. The cassette is recognized and controlled by communication with the control unit of the paper-currency-bill handling apparatus.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2016-126416
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-108477
Between the control unit of the paper-currency-bill handling apparatus and the cassette, a control unit that is provided, for each cassette, to the control unit of the paper-currency-bill handling apparatus communicates with a control unit mounted on the corresponding cassette. The control units mounted on the respective cassettes have the same spec, and identification of a cassette is not performed when a control unit of the paper-currency-bill handling apparatus communicates with the cassette. Thus, an inauthentic replicated cassette is to communicate, similarly to an authentic cassette, with the control unit of the paper-currency-bill handling apparatus, thereby leading to a problem that the cassette can be easily replicated.

Paper sheet handling apparatus and communication method of paper sheet handling apparatus


A vehicle seat and integrated side impact protection system includes a seat bottom, a seat back movably attached to the seat bottom, and a fold-flat mechanism within a lower portion of the seat back for permitting movement of the seat back between a seating configuration and a fold-flat configuration. An airbag module is located within an upper portion of the seat back adjacent the outboard side thereof and includes a side airbag and an inflator supplying inflation gasses. A lap belt extends between inboard and outboard sides of the seat and has an inflatable portion adjacent the outboard side of the seat. A gas conduit extends between the airbag module and the lap belt for conducting gasses released by the inflator to the inflatable portion of the lap belt. The gas conduit has a flexible portion permitting folding movement of the seat back.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to occupant restraint systems for automotive vehicles and more particularly to an integrated side-impact airbag and inflatable seat belt system.
2. Background Art
Side airbag systems for automotive vehicles are well known. Current side airbag systems typically include an airbag module mounted to a seat back frame, usually adjacent the outboard side of the seat back. Such airbag modules include an airbag stored in a deflated condition and an inflator that provides gasses to inflate the airbag when triggered by an impact or roll-over sensor. When inflated, the side airbag expands to be positioned between the door, B-pillar, or vehicle side wall adjacent the seat and the seat occupant's thorax, arm, and/or shoulder regions. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application US 2006/0012155 A1, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In some side impact situations, a thorax airbag of the type of side airbag described above may not offer an optimum level of protection for the seat occupant's pelvic region. It is possible to utilize a side airbag that, in the inflated condition, extends further downward to provide protection of the pelvic region in addition to the thorax. Compared with a thorax-only airbag, such a pelvic-thorax airbag may need to be mounted lower on the side of the seat back frame in order for the bag to inflate quickly enough to deploy the pelvic portion of the airbag to the desired position in the extremely short time interval available in a crash situation. A possible issue with this lower mounting position is that may conflict with certain seat features, such as a fold-flat mechanism, that occupy the same location on the seat frame need for the side airbag.
Inflatable seatbelt systems can also contribute to occupant safety. A typical inflatable belt system includes belt webbing configured for use as a three-point harness and providing both a lap belt and a shoulder belt. The belt webbing envelopes or otherwise surrounds an elongated inflatable airbag and a fold or rip-seam in the webbing opens to permit the airbag to expand. The airbag may be located in the portion of the webbing that forms the lap belt, the shoulder belt, or both. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application US 2006/0208471A1, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Patent Application US 2008/0018085 A1 discloses a belt-integrated pelvis airbag wherein an inflatable belt section is configured as a side impact airbag such that at least a portion of the airbag inflates between the side of the vehicle and the seat occupant. The inflatable belt section is connected with a gas source that is mounted in a seat belt retractor frame so that the gas source may be used to activate a belt pretensioner system simultaneously with inflation of the belt.

Integrated side airbag and inflatable belt


A design structure comprising a differential fuse sensing system, which includes a fuse leg configured for introducing a sense current through an electrically programmable fuse (eFUSE) to be sensed, and a differential sense amplifier having a first input node coupled to the fuse leg and a second node coupled to a reference voltage. The fuse leg further includes a current supply device controlled by a variable reference current generator configured to generate an output signal therefrom such that the voltage on the first input node of the sense amplifier is equal to the voltage on the second input node of the sense amplifier whenever the resistance value of the eFUSE is equal to the resistance value of a programmable variable resistance device included within the variable reference current generator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor devices, and particularly to a design structure, which enables a differential eFUSE (Electrically Programmable Fuse) sense without the use of a reference fuse(s).
2. Description of Background
Electrically Programmable Fuses (eFUSEs) are widely used to implement memory redundancy functionality in dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), and embedded memory devices. Passing a sufficient current through an eFUSE structure typically programs the eFUSE, such that its resistance is significantly altered from its initially fabricated state. In order to determine whether a particular fuse has been programmed or not, a sense circuit may be used to detect one of two possible "states" of the fuse. More specifically, the sense circuit holds one of two latched values therein, which is determined by a comparison between a voltage developed by the sense circuit across the fuse and a reference voltage generated within the sense circuit. The reference voltage is designed to be between a fuse voltage corresponding to the programmed state and a fuse voltage corresponding to an unprogrammed state. However, eFUSEs with small changes in resistivity between programmed and unprogrammed states are difficult to sense reliably with a single ended fuse latch.
Instead, a fuse sense device with higher gain and better discrimination is desirable to sense changes in resistance of a few hundred ohms. Conventional solutions have been proposed which use a first fuse, or resistive element as a reference device to which a fuse undergoing sensing is compared. This approach is operable but requires two fuses per bit, which reduces fuse bay density. Additionally, it is required to test for a fuse-blow margin and a conventional two fuse sensing system does not provide a means for margin testing. Two-element fuse sense systems have been proposed for the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology but do not have margin test capabilities.
Considering the limitations of the above-mentioned methods, it is clear that there is a need for a method for detecting a state of an electronic fuse that does not utilize a two fuse sensing system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Structure for differential eFUSE sensing without reference fuses

International Business Machines Corporation


A semiconductor device is disclosed. In one example, the semiconductor device comprises a first semiconductor die comprising a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a contact pad disposed on the first surface, a further contact pad spaced apart from the semiconductor die, a clip comprising a first layer of a first metallic material and a second layer of a second metallic material different from the first metallic material, wherein the first layer of the clip is connected with the contact pad, and the second layer of the clip is connected with the further contact pad.

An important aspect in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices is related to the fabrication of interconnections, in particular interconnections between different semiconductor dies or between semiconductor dies and external leads. In this respect clips or bonding wires are usually employed as intermediate connection elements. These intermediate connection elements are configured to establish an electrical connection between e.g. a contact pad of a semiconductor die and an external lead or between contact pads of different semiconductor dies. In order to fulfill this purpose firm and stable connection links have to be fabricated at both sides of the interconnection.
To this end, a problem may arise from the fact that e.g. a clip which is intended to be used as an intermediate connection element is comprised of a material which may be different from a material of a contact pad of a semiconductor die or different from a material of an external lead or different from a material of a contact pad of a further semiconductor die. Moreover, often an implementation of a soldering process appears to be necessary for fabricating the connection, but it turns out that a metallization layer of a particular contact pad is not solderable. Above the solving of all these problems, there is always the requirement to provide an easy and cost-effective fabrication method.
The above described problems become even more important in case of power semiconductor devices, e.g. power semiconductor transistor devices, due to high electric currents flowing through these devices and the resulting high power dissipation and thermal load on all device components and areas involved.

Semiconductor device comprising a composite material clip


The present invention features a system for providing a protective barrier between a portion of chewing tobacco and a gum surface of a user. The system features a set of bottom teeth located in a mouth of a user. The system features a portion of chewing tobacco. The system features a barrier having a planar barrier anterior wing and a planar barrier posterior wing. The barrier anterior wing features a shape of a rectangle. The barrier posterior wing features a shape of an isosceles trapezoid. A top anterior wing edge is foldably located on a top posterior wing edge forming a cross section of a “V”. The barrier features a wax coating on a front anterior wing surface and a rear posterior wing surface.

Chewing tobacco has been used for hundreds of years. Although it is enjoyed by many, there are health issues associated with its use. The present invention features a system for providing a protective barrier between a portion of chewing tobacco and a gum surface of a user.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.

Chewing tobacco protective barrier system


A system for providing a consistent user experience of an application across disparate mobile devices comprises a computing device including a display analysis application, and one or more mobile devices including a display analysis application is provided. In one example, a mobile device comprises a memory storing a version of an operating system, a display analysis patch, and a patched application. A consistency module of the mobile device is configured to access the application with the display analysis patch, obtain one or more display parameters of the mobile device via the application with the display analysis patch, and transmit the obtained one or more display parameters to a computing device.

The Android platform is an open source software stack for mobile phones, and other devices. An Android Software Development Kit ("SDK") allows software developers to create applications that will run on the Android platform. Typically, Android applications are written in Java (a well-known programming language) and are compiled by the Android SDK tools, along with relevant data and resource files, into a single Android application package file. The Android application package file (hereinafter "apk") for an application may be used to distribute and install the software and middleware for the application to run on the Android operating system. An application's apk may hold the elements of the application, including, for example, program code for the application, resources, assets, certificates, a manifest file, and other elements.
The manifest file may include one or more components such as, for example, activities, services, content providers, broadcast receivers, and/or other components. An Android device may check an apk's manifest file to determine whether a component exists or should be associated with the application. The manifest file may also include application configuration information including, for example, information about permissions, application programming interface ("API") level, hardware requirements, software requirements, required API libraries, and/or other application configuration information. The manifest file may also contain information about how the application will run on different types of devices (e.g., by providing different layouts or scales for different screen sizes, different screen densities, and/or other device-specific configurations or features). When the Android device does not support the configurations in the manifest file, then the Android device may return an error or may use default settings. Conventionally, the manifest file (and the application's apk) may be created by application developers and delivered in a final form to the Android device for installation and use. The performance and scalability of the application may be considered by the application developers before making the application available for download and installation.
Because the Android platform is open source, numerous versions of the Android operating system ("OS") may be available. For example, a first version of the Android OS may run on a first mobile device, and a second version of the Android OS may run on a second mobile device, even though the first and second mobile devices may be identical in terms of hardware. In other examples, different versions of the Android OS may run on mobile devices with different hardware, or the same version of the Android OS may run on mobile devices with different hardware. The version of the Android OS running on a mobile device may be dependent mostly or solely on the time the OS was downloaded or installed on the mobile device, and/or when the user of the mobile device updated the OS. Some versions may be dependent on both time and/or hardware of the mobile device.
Typically, the Android platform may also include a non-public application protocol interface (API) named ViewServer which may enable the device or a client accessing the device to determine the view parameters of an application. Because this API is non-public, it may not be enabled on production devices (such as mobile phones or tablets sold in stores). Further, the ViewServer API may change at any time without warning in any version of Android, because it is a non-public API. This makes the API incredibly unreliable for application developers. The ViewServer API is also not designed for real-time interaction and may be very slow. The slowness of the API may be result, in part, because that the ViewServer API may return an entire view state of an application. The ViewServer API may also dispatch to the Android WindowManager to resolve view data, which may also contribute to slower speed while using the API.
Given the various versions of the Android OS that are available and running on mobile devices, an application may not run consistently on the available Android operating systems, even when the hardware across those mobile devices may be identical.
The user experience of the application may also vary across Android devices due to the variations between Android operating systems and/or device hardware on the Android devices.
These issues may also be relevant for developing software to run on other open source platforms as well.
Conventional systems for developing applications for use across a plurality of devices and/or operating systems suffer from these and other drawbacks.

System and method for analyzing user experience of a software application across disparate devices


An apparatus and method for reversibly modifying the shape of a selected portion of the body such as the pharynx, to produce a desired result, for example, to overcome obstructive sleep apnea by urging open the pharynx. The apparatus includes a preconfigured structure having a shape-memory with an activated shape and a quiescent shape. The preconfigured structure is shaped to conform to the selected portion of the body. The shape-memory is responsive to activation energy and urges the preconfigured structure from the quiescent shape to the activated shape. Furthermore, the activated shape of the preconfigured structure exerts a force on the selected portion, thereby modifying the shape of the selected portion. The preconfigured structure can be attached to an exterior surface of, or can be implanted within the body proximate to, the selected portion of the body. The apparatus can include an energy source coupled to the preconfigured structure for providing the activation energy, responsive to a predetermined stimulus and can be attached external to, or implanted within, the body. The invention also provides a method for reversibly modifying the shape of a selected portion of a body. The method includes attaching a preconfigured shape-memory structure to the selected portion of the body; and applying the activation energy to the preconfigured structure with an energy source, thereby the preconfigured shape-memory structure from the quiescent shape to the activated shape.

Sleep apnea is a syndrome in which the structure of the airway changes during sleep, resulting in periods of apnea. Although the initial symptoms are related to the apnea and loss of sleep, the prolonged periods of hypoxia due to the apnea eventually result in profound physiologic changes. One commonly-diagnosed sleep apnea syndrome is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA may be defined as the absence of air flow combined with persistent respiratory effort during sleep. While the upper airway normally remains patent during quiet breathing and wakefulness in sleep, patients with OSA can have repetitive periods of upper airway closure during sleep. The upper airway closures usually occur at various sites in the pharynx.
Areas responsible for inducing OSA, seen in FIG. 1, are considered to be the nose 1, the nasopharynx 2, the soft palate 3, the uvula 4, the palatal tonsils 5, the lateral and posterior walls of the pharynx 6 and 7, respectively, and base of the tongue 8. Stenosis of the airway in each area alone, or in combination, can result in apnea during sleep. However, other areas also may be involved in producing OSA. The patency of the potentially-collapsible pharynx 9 during inspiration depends on the balance between subatmospheric pressure in the pharyngeal airway 9 and airway-dilating forces generated by the pharyngeal muscles 6,7. The pressure required to collapse the upper airway in the absence of upper airway muscle activity is normally subatmospheric.
OSA is not a benign disease. It has been estimated that, in one year, 58,000 motor vehicle accidents involved a sleep apnea patient. These patients also have a higher incidence of stroke, right heart failure, and an increased mortality rate when there are greater than 20 apneic episodes per hour of sleep. Sleep apnea patients tend to have irresistible "sleep attacks" and higher incidence of anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction.
In general, the principle of OSA treatment is to remove the upper airway obstruction, most likely a pharyngeal occlusion. Although the treatment regimen must be tailored to the individual, his symptoms, sleep study results, and physical findings, therapeutic options tend to fall into four broad categories. First, aggravating factors such as alcohol or sedatives are identified and eliminated, and the patient undergoes sustained weight reduction.
Second, pharmacologically-active substances such as protriptyline and pilocarpine may be used. One example of a method for treating sleep apnea using pharmacologically-active agents may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,953 to Morgan in which sleep apnea is treated by administering a compound that results; in the release of pilocarpine to the nasopharynx and hypopharynx in an amount effective to improve the tone of the pharyngeal musculature, thus reducing or eliminating sleep apnea. However, the administration of certain pharmacologically-active substances may be contraindicated in some patients, or may cause unexpected side effects.
Third, surgical intervention such as transtracheal oxygen therapy (TTO), uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), tracheotomy, and even suction-assisted lipectomy, may be employed.
Fourth, mechanical and prosthetic devices including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP), and dental appliances that advance the mandible forward during sleep or that reposition the tongue, can be used. One example of a mandible-repositioning dental appliance is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,017 to Lowe. This appliance forces the lower mandible outward and attempts to maintain airway patency.
One of the most effective treatments for OSA involves the use of a mechanical device such as CPAP or BiPAP. When used appropriately, positive airway pressure methods tend to raise the pharyngeal pressure above the closing pressure, thereby overcoming the pharyngeal obstruction. Because CPAP and BiPAP devices may produce nasal stuffiness and feelings of claustrophobia, patient compliance often is a problem. Indeed, some estimates place actual patient compliance with CPAP and BiPAP devices at less than 50 percent. Although it is still unknown how much CPAP or BiPAP use is sufficient to prevent daytime hypersomnolence, sleeping without positive airway pressure for one night can reverse the beneficial effects of one month of positive airway pressure use.
One example of a positive airway pressure breathing gas delivery method and apparatus is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,193 to Sanders, et al. This device treats sleep apnea through the application of alternating high and low level positive airway pressure within the airway of the patient, with the high and low airway pressure being coordinated with a spontaneous respiration of the patient.
Many treatment modalities are ineffective for certain patients. Furthermore, the many effective methods often are sufficiently obtrusive as to adversely impact patient compliance and, therefore, the actual effectiveness of the treatment. What is needed, then, is an apparatus and method for reversibly modifying the shape of a selected portion of the body such as, for example, the pharynx, to produce a desired result, for example, to overcome obstructive sleep apnea by urging open the pharynx.

Apparatus and method for reversibly reshaping a body part


Partial discharges in a high voltage electric machine can be monitored by a partial discharge monitor connected to the high voltage electric machine successively via a capacitive coupler and a connection cable. The connection cable can have a conductive element designed to self-destruct in the presence of electric current amplitude significantly exceeding expected current amplitudes from said partial discharges, and having diameter designed to avoid creation of additional partial discharges within the cable itself. The connection cable can be light enough to avoid adding excessive weight to the stator windings.

FIG. 1 represents a common scenario in which a high-voltage electric machine 20 (e.g. generator, motor, transformer or the like) is monitored by an electronic device which will be referred to herein as a partial discharge monitor 22 (also referred to as a partial discharge analyser). Such devices are well known in the art and can be obtained from certain manufacturers.
More specifically, the monitor 22 is intended to allow analysis of the quality and state of wear of the insulation of windings of the high-voltage electric machine 20 through the observation of partial discharges. Partial discharges can consist of small electrical discharges occurring within defects, such as air pockets, of the insulation. These small electrical discharges manifest themselves as high frequency current pulses.
A capacitive coupler 24 plays the role of a low frequency signal filter, i.e. essentially a selected capacitance circuitry that most preferably lets through high frequency signals at normally very small electrical currents. The capacitive coupler 24 can be connected on one end, via cables 26, to high-voltage leads of a stator or transformer windings (i.e. to the high-voltage electric machine 20), and on the other end to a ground through the partial discharge monitor, the latter typically being provided in the form of a secured low voltage device.
For partial discharges analysis, a reference signal, typically at 50 or 60 Hz frequency is required. The current intensity is in the order of 1 milli-Ampere and for high frequency signals, current intensity is in order of 1 pico-Ampere. The 50 Hz or 60 Hz voltage can be in the order of 15 kV to 24 kV at the measuring point.
In commonly available high-voltage capacitive couplers 24, connections with the high-voltage electric machine leads consist of cylindrical cables 26 that are available on the market, such as a "HV 200c/15 kV/AWG #2" 3 feet cable, which have a conductor diameter (6.54 mm in the case of AWG 2) designed to be sufficient to allow high current circulation and a very low electrical resistance and to avoid generating significant additional partial discharges of their own. An example of a connecting cable 26 is shown in FIG. 2. The connecting cable 26, has a conductor consisting of several conducting strands 1, surrounded by a filler 2 and by a jacket insulation 3. As mentioned earlier the large diameter conductor has a power transfer capacity being much greater than the power required during normal operation of the partial discharge monitor and could thus lead to undesirably high power conduction should the circuit be shorted. They are used for partial discharge measurement because of their availability on the market even though they are meant for totally different applications. This problem has been alleviated to a certain degree by some capacitive coupler manufacturers via the provision of a special fuse located before the capacitance. Nonetheless, there still remained room for improvement. Moreover, the cable has a significant weight which can create problems in adding a unwanted weight to the stator end windings.

Method of monitoring partial discharges in a high voltage electric machine, and connection cable therefore


One example method includes receiving an IO request that specifies an operation to be performed concerning a data block, determining if a policy exists for a device that made the IO request, when a policy is determined to exist for the device, comparing the IO request to the policy, recording the IO request, and passing the IO request to a disk driver regardless of whether the IO request is determined to violate the policy or not.

Various approaches to data protection have been devised which depend to some extent at least on the nature of the environment in which the data protection processes are to be implemented. For example, data protection processes and related considerations associated with a physical environment may be quite different from data protection processes and related considerations associated with a virtual environment. Moreover, the entity controlling data protection in a physical environment may not be the same entity that controls data protection in a virtual environment.
In more detail, running data protection storage as an appliance, whether in a cloud environment or simply as a virtual machine, can pose significant challenges, since the environment is not under full control of the appliance. As a result, detecting the root cause of problems, such as data corruption for example, can become difficult if not impossible. This is true at least in part because the source of such problems may not be readily ascertainable.
For example, in the example environment mentioned above, data corruption problems might stem from bugs in the code of the data protection appliance itself. However, data corruption problems may additionally, or alternatively, stem from various environmental factors and events. Some examples of such environmental factors and events can include cloud storage inconsistencies, caches between the virtual appliance and the physical storage, and an inability to detect transient errors on the backend storage of the cloud.
As well, virtualized environments can present particular difficulties in terms of the ability to detect, and identify the cause of, problems associated with data protection. In fact, there are some data integrity problems that can occur in a virtualized data protection environment that simply do not exist in physical data protection environments. At least some of such problems concern the detection and triaging of data corruption and data corruption events.
To illustrate, a physical data protection environment may include both hardware and software that is owned and controlled by a vendor. In this case, it may be relatively easy for the vendor to detect, and identify the source of, any data integrity problems in the physical data protection environment, since the vendor has a significant degree of control over the structure and operation of data protection operations in that environment.
On the other hand however, a virtualized data protection environment may be partly, or completely, controlled by the enterprise whose data is the subject of that data protection environment. In this case, a variety of different virtual elements may be defined and used that are based on hardware not controlled by the vendor. Such virtual elements might include, for example, storage, central processing unit (CPU), memory, network elements. As well, a hypervisor that creates and runs virtual machines in the virtualized data protection environment may also be controlled by the enterprise. Because of circumstances such as these, data corruption events that occur in the virtualized storage environment are difficult to detect and triage. While it is possible to examine, for example, hypervisor logs, storage logs, and switch logs, to identify the entity that caused the data corruption, such an approach would be very inefficient in practice, and may not be effective in any case.
Alternate data corruption detection methods may be devised as well. However, these other methods may be of only limited effectiveness, insofar as they can only identify whether or not data corruption has occurred, and do not identify the cause or source of the data corruption.
In light of the foregoing, it would be useful to provide mechanisms which are able to identify not only the fact that data corruption has occurred, but are also able to determine the source or cause of the data corruption, or at least eliminate certain entities or actors as being the source or cause of the data corruption. It would also be useful to implement such functionality in connection with a virtualized data protection environment.

Detect and triage data integrity issue for virtual machine


Embodiments of this application includes: A first terminal calculates at least one of a first power headroom report (PHR) or a second power headroom report (PHR). The first PHR is a power headroom report of the first terminal on a first transmission link. The second PHR is a total power headroom report of the first terminal on the first transmission link and a second transmission link, the second transmission link is a wireless communication link between the first terminal and a network device, and frequency division multiplexing (FDM) is performed on part of transmission resources on the first transmission link and part of transmission resources on the second transmission link. The first terminal sends the at least one of the first PHR or the second PHR.

The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standardizes vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in long time evolution (LTE) and new radio (NR) (which may also be referred to as a 5th generation (5G) network). In addition, V2X services are introduced into LTE and NR.
However, a power headroom report (PHR) reporting mechanism is not introduced into an LTE V2X service (which is a V2X service transmitted in LTE) because the LTE V2X service supports only broadcast. An NR V2X service (which is a V2X service transmitted in NR) supports unicast and groupcast, and the NR V2X service has a higher requirement for quality of service (QoS) than the LTE V2X service. A PHR may be used by a network side to learn of power headroom, to facilitate subsequent power adjustment and resource allocation.
The V2X service is transmitted on a sidelink, and the sidelink is a wireless communication link between any two terminals. A sidelink resource for transmitting the V2X service on the sidelink may be allocated by a base station. Currently, at the RAN1 #94 meeting, it is agreed that a sidelink resource and a Uu resource (where the Uu resource is a resource used by a terminal to send data to the base station on a Uu link) may be located on a same carrier, in other words, the sidelink resource and the Uu resource are located on a shared carrier. In addition, the sidelink resource may alternatively be located on a dedicated sidelink carrier.

Method and apparatus for reporting power headroom report, and method and apparatus for obtaining power headroom report


A flat panel display with improved adhesion of the anode to the second substrate is disclosed. The adhesion of the anode to the second substrate is reinforced to prevent damage to the anode at the spacer formation area and to stably adhere the phosphor layer to the anode. The flat panel display comprises first and second substrates each facing each other and separated from each other by a distance. An electron emission unit is formed on the first substrate. A plurality of phosphor layers are formed on the second substrate. An anode is formed on the second substrate covering the phosphor layers and the non-light emitting regions between the phosphor layers. In the non-light emitting regions, the anode is placed on the second substrate without leaving a gap between the anode and the second substrate.

Generally, a flat panel display includes a vacuum vessel having first and second substrates, each facing the other and separated from each other by a distance. Spacers are formed between the first and second substrates. In a flat panel display, electrons are emitted from electron emission sources located on the first substrate. These emitted electrons then collide with phosphor layers located on the second substrate. These collisions emit light and thereby display the desired images.
The electron emission sources located on the first substrate may comprise either hot or cold cathodes. Among the known electron emission sources comprising cold cathodes are the field emitter array (FEA) type, the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type, the metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) type, the surface conduction emitter (SCE) type, and the ballistic electron surface emitter (BSE) type.
In order to force the electrons emitted from the electron emission sources on the first substrate toward the phosphor layers on the second substrate, the second substrate is kept in a high potential state. In a common flat panel display, this high potential state is maintained by positioning an anode on the second substrate. First, black layers are formed on the second substrate between each of the phosphor layers. These black layers provide screen contrast. The anode comprises a metallic film and is positioned over the black layers and the phosphor layers. To maintain a high potential state, a positive voltage of several hundred to several thousand volts, is applied to the anode.
The phosphor layers comprise phosphor particles several micrometers in size. The anode has a thickness of several hundred angstroms in order to facilitate electron transmission. When the metallic material is directly deposited on the phosphor layers, it does not uniformly cover the surface of the phosphor particles. Instead, the metallic material is intermittently broken, making it difficult to form a uniform metallic film.
Therefore, flat panel displays commonly comprise an intermediate layer located on the surface of the second substrate, over the phosphor layers and the black layers. The intermediate layer serves to flatten the surface of the second substrate. The metallic material is then deposited over the intermediate layer to form the anode. However, the intermediate layer is removed from the second substrate upon firing, leaving a predetermined gap between the anode and the phosphor layers and black layers. Accordingly, the adhesion of the anode to the second substrate is significantly weakened, and a stable anode is difficult to form.
As a result, the anode is likely to be damaged at the spacer formation area due to contact of the spacers with the surface of the anode. Consequently, the adhesive force of the spacers is weakened. After firing, the adhesive force of the phosphor layers is also weakened. The weakened adhesion of the spacers and the phosphor layers to the anode functionally limits the ability of the anode to support the phosphor layers.

Flat panel display with improved anode adhesion


This invention discloses a variety of spectroscopy apparatus based on high sensitivity photo detector arrays and image sensors employing sidewall-passivated mesa-structure hetero-junction phototransistors (HPTs).

Spectroscopy is widely used in physical and analytical chemistry as well as in industrial applications for the identification of substances through the spectra emitted from or absorbed by them. Spectroscopy apparatus in the visible wavelength generally employs a diffractive grating or a dispersive prism together with a photo detector array, such as a CCD or CMOS image sensor. While in the near infrared (NIR) to infrared (IR) wavelength, spectroscopic analysis is generally performed with a Michelson interferometer (a so-called Fourier transform spectrograph) and a single element photo detector due to the lack of appropriate high-sensitivity and low-cost array detectors. The Fourier transform spectrograph suffers from a relatively low scanning speed and long-term stability and repeatability problems due to the existence of mechanical moving parts. There thus exists a need for an improved NIR or IR spectroscopy apparatus which solves the above mentioned problems.

Spectroscopy apparatus based on hetero-junction phototransistors


Sensor data, including a group of time series elements, is received. A training data set is determined, including by determining for at least a selected time series element in the group of time series elements a corresponding ground truth. The corresponding ground truth is based on a plurality of time series elements in the group of time series elements. A processor is used to train a machine learning model using the training dataset.

Deep learning systems used for applications such as autonomous driving are developed by training a machine learning model. Typically, the performance of the deep learning system is limited at least in part by the quality of the training set used to train the model. In many instances, significant resources are invested in collecting, curating, and annotating the training data. Traditionally, much of the effort to curate a training data set is done manually by reviewing potential training data and properly labeling the features associated with the data. The effort required to create a training set with accurate labels can be significant and is often tedious. Moreover, it is often difficult to collect and accurately label data that a machine learning model needs improvement on. Therefore, there exists a need to improve the process for generating training data with accurate labeled features.

Generating ground truth for machine learning from time series elements


A fuel rewards program wherein awards received from the purchase of discount-triggering items at a first transaction are redeemed for a price-per-unit (PPU) discount on fuel. A scanner scans product codes and inputs the information to a POS system through a comparator such that a product may be determined to be a discount-triggering item. Information regarding the discount-triggering item is first stored in a potential buffer. A rewards process processes the information in the potential buffer and stores that information in a filtered potential buffer. A potential file accumulates basic information about one or more transactions. A purchase buffer stores all of the information, which is ultimately printed on a cash register receipt. The receipt may be scanned at a fuel dispenser to begin the redemption of the PPU discount on the fuel.

Prior art point of sale coupon reward systems have been used for promoting products by providing customers with preprinted discount coupons which are credited to consumers based upon purchases of particular products. Prior art coupon reward systems have primarily been of one of two types. The first type provides document coupons that are essentially printed paper coupons that provide redeemable slips having a particular face discount amount for purchase of a product being promoted. This first type of coupon is presented at the point of sale of the product, which the coupon is directed toward promoting, for receipt of the discount at the location of the point of sale at the time when the promoted product is being purchased. Prior art discount coupon systems require presentation of discount coupon documents at the time of and at the point of purchase, and each of the amounts of each of the discount coupon documents must be manually entered or scanned into the register at the time of purchase. Each discount is separately applied, on a per product basis, with the purchase of each product and the presentation of the discount coupon documents.
The second primary of type discount coupon reward systems are provided by electronic coupon systems. Prior art electronic discount coupon systems are typically electronically computed promotional discounts which are applied at the point of purchase when the particular article is purchased. Such electronic discounts typically have a published or posted discounted price which is displayed on a product stocking shelf and then applied to the product at the point of purchase of that particular product. Electronic discount systems automatically apply the coupon discount to the purchased total which is calculated at the time of purchase of the promoted product for which the discount is granted. Each discount is separately applied according to a data listing of discounts, on a per product basis, with the purchase of each product.

System and method for generating price-per-gallon discounts for fuel


An email having a header and a message is processed by an email service to store the header in a plurality of attached storage devices that are each in communication with one of a respective plurality of header host computing devices. The email service stores the message in a separate file in a plurality of attached storage devices that are each in communication with one of a respective plurality of message host computing devices.

Communications by electronic mail (email), once a luxury, are now a modem necessity. Current email storage systems store email for a large number of users on a single computer. If this single computer fails, a large number of those users cannot access their email. After the failure, a recovery process must be put in place to restore a large amount of email related data in the storage system of the single computer. The recovery process requires down time of the single computer which can be too lengthy to be acceptable to the email users of an email service. An absence of redundancy in email related data in the storage system prevents robust error recovery and permits one or more single points of failure in the architecture of the storage system. However, for very large volume email processing systems, redundancy must be accomplished in as efficient a manner as possible.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for an improved email service.


Objects of the present invention are to provide a player tracking device main body which can be stably located in various postures inside of a housing of a gaming machine; and a player tracking device which includes said player tracking device main body. A PTS main body 1700b includes a magnet cover 1801 formed as a protruding portion on a central upper side of a base panel 1803. Inside of the magnet cover 1801, magnets (1810, 1811, and 1812) which are sandwiched between the magnet cover 1801 and a base stopper 1815 are located.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a gaming system which includes: player tracking devices, each of which receives information for identifying a player and provides information pertinent to contents and the like (a bonus game and the like) for the identified player; a plurality of gaming machines, each of which has the player tracking device; and a player server which identifies a player at each of the gaming machines based on player identification information from each of the player tracking devices (refer to Patent Literature 1).
Here, the above-mentioned player tracking device is constituted of, for example, a front unit integrally mounted on a front face of each of the gaming machines; and a main body connected to the front unit and including a control device and the like and realizes a player tracking system (PTS). Main purposes of the player tracking device is to identify and manage a player playing on each of the gaming machines for each of the gaming machines and to provide individual information, point service, a game play which is different from those played on each of the gaming machines, and the like for each player.

Player tracking device main body and player tracking device


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having an active region including a channel portion. An isolation layer is formed in the semiconductor substrate to define the active region, and a gate is formed over the channel portion in the active region. The active region of the semiconductor substrate is etched to such that the entire active region is below an upper surface of the isolation layer. A U-shaped groove is formed in the channel portion of the active region, except the edges in a direction of the channel width thereof, in order to increase the channel width. In the semiconductor device, there is an increase in channel length and channel width leading to a reduction in leakage current and on increase in operation current.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device with an increased channel length as well as an increased channel width and a method for manufacturing the same.
As design rules of semiconductor devices are rapidly decreased, channel length and width of a transistor are correspondingly decreased. Accordingly, leakage current is increased due to the decreased channel length and as a consequence desired carrier mobility cannot be ensured.
In existing planar channel structures, a method of improving the mobility of the channel should be used to increase the carrier mobility. Accordingly, a method of using strained silicon or silicon germanium (SiGe) as a channel material for improving the mobility of the channel and a method in which the channel is made into a pin shape for increasing the carrier mobility have been suggested.
A process for removing some of the thickness of an isolation layer is required to form the pin shaped channel. However, with decreases in the size of a device, a phenomenon occurs in that an insulation layer for an isolation layer filled in a trench has non-uniform properties over each portion in the trench. Accordingly, portions of the insulation layer having weak etching properties are exposed during a process of removing the isolation layer. This results in a new problem caused by the non-uniform etching speed.
To solve these problems, a method of forming a recess channel structure has been suggested. The recess channel structure is more stable during processing than the method of forming a pin shaped channel. In the recess channel structure, an increase in the channel length leads to improved device properties. The application of the recess channel structure has recently been introduced into the spotlight.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional semiconductor device having a recess channel structure. The left drawing is a sectional view taken along a direction of the channel width and the right is a sectional view taken along a direction of the channel length.
In FIG. 1, isolation layers 102 are formed in a semiconductor substrate 100. The isolation layers 102 define active regions 100a. A channel portion in the active region 100a is recessed, and a gate 110 is formed over the channel portion in the recessed active region 100a. The gate 110 includes a gate insulation layer 104 formed over the surface of the recessed channel portion, a gate conductive layer 106 formed over the gate insulation layer 104, and a gate hard mask 108 formed over the gate conductive layer 106.
However, as shown in FIG. 1, while the channel length is increased in a conventional semiconductor device having the recess channel structure described above, the channel width remains unchanged. The channel width typically becomes narrower when the device size is decreased, and thus there is a limitation in ensuring the device properties.
A method has been suggested in which the recess channel structure is combined with the method of forming a pin shaped channel. In this method, the desired device properties are expected to be obtained since the channel length and the channel width can be increased.
However, this method is rarely utilized because of the difficulty in implementing both a process for filling an insulation layer for an isolation layer and an etching process for forming a pin gate.

Semiconductor device with increased channel length and width and method for manufacturing the same


A metallized substrate, such as used to make a resonant circuit tag with inductive and capacitive elements in series, has a thin inorganic or polymeric dielectric layer formed on a metal layer. The inorganic layer may be formed by anodizing a surface of the metal layer. The organic layer may be formed by flexographic printing. In both cases, a via hole is formed through the dielectric layer. A second layer of very thin conductive metal is deposited on the dielectric layer and in the via hole. The substrate is subsequently patterned with an etch resist and then etched to form the inductor coil and the capacitor plates, which are interconnected via the metallized via hole.

The use of electronic article surveillance or security systems for detecting and preventing theft or unauthorized removal of articles or goods from retail establishments and/or other facilities, such as libraries, has become widespread. In general, such systems, sometimes called EAS systems, employ a label or security tag, also known as an EAS tag, that is affixed to, associated with, or otherwise secured to an article or item to be protected or its packaging. Security tags may take on many different sizes, shapes, and forms, depending on the particular type of security system in use, the type and size of the article, etc. In general, such security systems are employed for detecting the presence or absence of an active security tag as the security tag and the protected article to which it is affixed pass through a security or surveillance zone or pass by or near a security checkpoint or surveillance station.
The security tags that are the subject of this invention are designed to work with electronic security systems that sense disturbances in radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. Such electronic security systems generally establish an electromagnetic field in a controlled area defined by portals through which articles must pass in leaving the controlled premises. A resonant tag circuit is attached to each article, and the presence of the tag circuit in the controlled area is sensed by a receiving system to denote the unauthorized removal of an article. The tag circuit is deactivated, detuned or removed by authorized personnel from any article authorized to leave the premises to permit passage of the article through the controlled area with alarm activation. Most of the tags that operate on this principle are single-use, i.e., disposable tags, and are therefore designed to be produced at low cost in very large volumes.
In conventional practice, the inductor and capacitor elements that comprise the resonant circuit are fabricated by etching both sides of a substrate that consists of a 1 mil thick layer of polyethylene sandwiched between two layers of aluminum foil.
FIG. 1A is a scaled illustration of one side of a typical 1.5″ square RF tag showing a nine turn inductor coil on a 40 mil pitch, i.e., with 25 mil wide conductors separated by 15 mil spaces. FIG. 1A also depicts a triangular-shaped interconnection land area in one corner, and, positioned in the open space at the center of the coil, a capacitor plate. FIG. 1B illustrates the second side patterned with a matching capacitor plate in the center and a connecting link to the land area in the corner of the tag where a mechanical connection, typically formed by crimping or staking, joins the circuit patterns on side one to those on side two. Alternatively, the capacitor plate can be located outside the inductor coil in a corner of the tag but this configuration requires that the inductor pattern assume a roughly triangular shape. However, because planar inductor performance is optimized by placing as many coil turns as possible near the periphery of a square pattern, both of these design approaches are compromised by the need to devote tag surface area to the capacitor and interconnect functions.
Deactivation of these tags by direct means is problematic. Physical removal of tags that are adhesively or mechanically affixed to the protected article can be difficult and time consuming. Detuning the security tag by covering it with a special shielding device such as a metalized sticker is also time consuming and inefficient. Furthermore, both of these deactivation methods require the security tag to be identifiable and accessible, which prohibits the use of tags embedded within merchandise at undisclosed locations or tags concealed in or upon the packaging.
Improved deactivation methods incorporate remote electronic deactivation of a resonant tag circuit such that the deactivated tag can remain on an article properly leaving the premises. An example of such a deactivation system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,938 (Kaltner, 3/1988). Electronic deactivation of a resonant security tag involves changing or destroying the detection frequency resonance so that the security tag is no longer detected as an active security tag by the security system. There are many methods available for achieving electronic deactivation. In general, however, the known methods involve either short circuiting a portion of the resonant circuit or creating an open circuit within some portion of the resonant circuit to either spoil the Q of the circuit or shift the resonant frequency out of the frequency range of the detection system, or both.
A method of deactivating a tag by short circuiting a portion of its resonant circuit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,076 (Lichtblau, 2/1985) entitled "Resonant Tag and Deactivator for Use in Electronic Security system" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,473 (Lichtblau, 1/1986) entitled "Resonant Tag and Deactivator for Use in Electronic Security System". In this approach an indentation or dimple is made within the plates that form the capacitor portion of the resonant circuit. At energy levels higher than the detecting signal but within FCC regulations the deactivation device induces a voltage in the resonant circuit of the tag sufficient to cause the dielectric layer between the plates to break down in the area where the indentation has reduced the thickness of the dielectric layer. This type of security tag can be conveniently deactivated at a checkout counter or other such location by being momentarily placed above or near the deactivation device.
However, tags made by this method, which requires the precise formation of an approximately 0.1 mil indented thickness in a polymer layer that is typically only 1 mil thick to begin with, may not always function as designed. For example, if the indentation is not deep enough, i.e., if the polymer dielectric layer under the indentation is thicker than intended, the energy provided by the deactivating device may not be sufficient to cause breakdown of the dielectric layer. In retail establishments, this circumstance can lead to an embarrassing confrontation of innocent customers by store security personnel. On the other hand, if the indentation is too deep, i.e., the polymer dielectric layer under the indentation is thinner than intended, the tag may be prematurely deactivated by exposure to the lower energy detection signal emanating from the portals or the static charge that can build up on the packaging machinery used to automatically apply tags configured as product identification or pricing labels. In this case, retailers are not getting the protection they are paying their packaging suppliers to provide. Thus, with respect to the deactivation reliability of conventional EAS RF tags, no completely satisfactory method has emerged nor has the prior art taken the specific form of the novel approach proposed in this invention.
Retailers who employ anti-pilferage systems based on RF technology would like the tags that are used in these systems to be smaller in size, preferably 1″ square, so that they can be more easily concealed on or in the protected merchandise. They also perceive that smaller tags would consume less material and therefore cost less to produce. FIG. 2 is a scaled illustration of a 1″ square tag patterned with a nine turn 40 mil pitch inductor coil per FIG. 1A. However, as the overlay in this illustration reveals, it is impossible to repackage the coil geometry shown in FIG. 1A into a 1″ square format using the same conductor pitch. This is due to the fact that the resonant frequency of a tag circuit is defined as: F=½π√LC. Consequently, if L is reduced, C must increase by an offsetting amount if the resonant frequency of the circuit is to remain unchanged. In this example, conversion from a 1.5″ to 1.0″ format will reduce L by a factor of roughly 2, so C must increase by the same factor. C is defined as: C=k*A/t, where k is the dielectric constant of the polymer material, t is the thickness of the polymer layer, and A is the area of the capacitor plate. K is of course fixed by the choice of polymer material but in conventional practice t is effectively fixed at 1 mil by the laminating methods used to fabricate the substrate material. Plate area is therefore the only variable available to increase C. However, as illustrated by the overlay in this Figure, doubling the plate area of the capacitor in a 1″ square tag format requires the elimination of several coil turns, which significantly reduces the effective operating range of the tag circuit. Furthermore, as indicated by the overlay in the upper left-hand corner, the number of turns and shape of the coil pattern in a 1″ square format will also be adversely affected by the surface area that must be devoted to the mechanical interconnection. These consequences undoubtedly explain why the production of conventional RF tags remains standardized on a nominal 1.5″ square design format despite the fact that tags of this kind were developed and introduced to the market more than twenty years ago.
Thus, with respect to size as well as deactivation reliability, no completely satisfactory RF tag design for electronic article surveillance applications has emerged nor has the prior art recognized the novel approach of this invention.

Metalized dielectric substrates for EAS tags


Methods are provided for carrying out DNA sequencing on a device having upper and lower conductive layers separated by an insulative layer. Holes in the upper conductive layer create discrete attachment sites for DNA fragments. Voltage is applied to the surface to control affinity between the attachment sites and the DNA fragments, and to compact the DNA fragments for discrete optical detection.

This present invention relates generally to electronic systems for carrying out nucleic acid sequencing.
Arrays are often used in the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry and other life sciences for analyzing biological molecules, including nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) and proteins (enzymes, antigens, etc.) that have been tagged or labeled for detection. Many different surface preparation methods exist for the creation of such arrays, although the majority of techniques currently in use for array construction are primarily chemical in nature. Photolithographic techniques are widely used in the many conventional technologies to pattern arrays of biological features (e.g., nucleic acids such as DNA or RNA) onto substantially planar surfaces.
For example, a biological array can be obtained by providing an array substrate that is chemically treated, for example with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), which is known to have a low affinity for biological molecules such as nucleic acids, coated with a photoresist layer, and by etching the surface to provide discrete areas with exposed HMDS. The surface can then be further modified to produce array features composed of an aminosilane such as aminopropyldimethylethoxysilane (APDMES), which gives rise to active amino groups at the surface. In aqueous solution, the amino group features of the APDMES protonate to form a positively charged surface which, through electrostatic charges, will attract any biological molecules such as DNA and RNA, which have negatively-charged phosphate backbones.
Such previously described arrays are created by processes that are chemical in nature and electronically passive, and thus they have a number of limitations. First, the loading of biological samples to the array is limited in efficiency, as the substrates are generally exposed to air and thus exposed to contaminants prior to the loading of the biological molecules. In addition, the attractive forces of the binding of the biological molecules to the surface cannot be varied, since the forces are limited to the fixed, initial amine density on the surface. Thus, the topological distribution of the molecules is fixed, and neither the position nor the relative size of the biological molecules can be varied following array construction.

Method for nucleic acid detection using voltage enhancement


An implantable device, such as an implantable medical device (IMD) includes at least two radio frequency (RF) antennas and may additionally include an RF communication circuit. The RF antennas are spatially diverse, are disposed adjacent a housing, and are each configured to receive RF signals transmitted to the IMD from a remote RF signal source. The RF communication circuit, if included, is disposed within the housing and is configured to selectively receive the RF signals received by one or more of the spatially diverse RF antennas.

Various types of devices have been developed for implantation into the human body to provide various types of health-related therapies and/or monitoring. Examples of such devices, generally known as implantable medical devices (IMDs), include cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter/defibrillators, cardiomyostimulators, various physiological stimulators including nerve, muscle, and deep brain stimulators, various types of physiological monitors, and drug delivery systems, just to name a few. Some IMDs include varying amounts of electronic memory that may be used to store not only device operating and control software, but to store various types of patient- and device-related data. In addition, some of these same IMDs may include signal processing and telemetry circuitry, which allows some or all of the data stored in the memory to be transmitted to a remote computer network or other communication node, and/or the device to receive and store data transmitted to it remotely from a computer network or other communication node, via a communication link.
More recently, the above-mentioned communication link is implemented using radio frequency (RF) communication techniques. As compared to previous techniques, using RF communication generally increases the range over which communication between the IMD and a communication node can occur. Although RF communication is generally safe and reliable, it can exhibit certain drawbacks. For example, RF communication can exhibit multipath fading or distortion, which can result from multiple reflections of the transmitted signal between an RF transmitter and an RF receiver. Such multipath fading and/or distortion can adversely impact the ability to implement RF communication between an IMD and an external communication node.
Hence, there is a need for a system that can compensate for multipath fading and/or distortion that can occur when RF communication is occurring between an IMD and an external communication node. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Implantable device including multiple communication antennas