A system includes a server including: logic adapted for receiving traffic from a virtual machine (VM), the traffic including at least one packet, logic adapted for hashing at least a portion of the at least one packet according to a hashing algorithm to obtain a hash value, and logic adapted for selecting an uplink based on the hash value; at least one accelerated network interface card (NIC), each accelerated NIC including: network ports including multiple Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) ports adapted for communicating with the server and a network, each network port including an uplink, logic adapted for encapsulating the at least one packet into an overlay-encapsulated packet, logic adapted for storing a media access control (MAC) address corresponding to the selected uplink as a source MAC (SMAC) address in an outer header of the overlay-encapsulated packet, and logic adapted for sending the overlay-encapsulated packet via the selected uplink.

The present invention relates to data center infrastructure, and more particularly, this invention relates to load balancing overlay network traffic using a teamed set of network interface cards.
Network virtualization is an emerging data center and cloud computing trend which aims to virtualize a network as seen by end stations in a way that greatly simplifies network provisioning in multi-tenant environments, as well as traditional environments. One of the more common techniques of achieving network virtualization is to use network overlays, where tunnels are established between servers, edge network switches, and gateways to which end stations connect. The tunnel is actually implemented by encapsulating packets transmitted by a source end station into an overlay header that transports the packet from the source switch to a target switch in user datagram protocol (UDP) transport via an internet protocol (IP)-based network. The overlay header includes an identifier (ID) that uniquely identifies the virtual network. The target switch (tunnel end point) strips off the overlay header encapsulation, UDP transport header, and IP header, and delivers the original packet to the destination end station via conventional network connections. In addition to this tunneling mechanism, the edge switches participate in an address discovery protocol, which may be learning/flooding based, or lookup-based.
Overlay networks may use any available virtualization protocol, such as Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VXLAN), locator/ID separation protocol (LISP), overlay transport virtualization (OTV), Network Virtualization using Generic Routing Encapsulation (NVGRE), etc., to connect geographically separated Layer-2 (L2) networks using constructs referred to as tunnels. These tunnels are L2 over Layer-3 (L3) transport tunnels capable of packaging packets into an overlay packet to transport across the networks. L2 packets originated by a virtual machine (VM) in one virtual network and destined to another VM or group of VMs in the same virtual network in another physical location are carried over L3 tunnels.
An overlay network may be implemented using any number of VMs with a virtualization platform controlling the processing of networking packets in and out of each VM. One or more VMs may be associated with the overlay network. The virtualization platform processes the networking traffic associated with each overlay network and/or VM using predefined properties and policies for the corresponding overlay network and/or VM. As the number of overlay networks increases, so does the processing load requirements of the virtualization platform. The processing load requirements of the virtualization platform include a number of tunnels terminated, management of Virtual Tunnel End Points (VTEPs), address learning per tunnel, packet encapsulation and de-capsulation per tunnel, etc. Therefore, for a given performance level of a network, the number of overlay network or VMs is limited by the virtualization platform's processing capabilities. Therefore, there is a need to increase the performance of a virtualization platform without increasing the physical resources available that are used by the virtualization platform in order to continue to expand the use of overlay networks.
Additionally, in order to provide load balancing to servers and specifically to VMs hosted by the servers, server-side Network Interface Cards (NICs) may be teamed to load balance network traffic by statically binding VMs to a particular uplink (referred to as switch-independent teaming, because no configuration is required on the upstream switch) or by configuring either a static or dynamic port channel on both the switch and server and performing load balancing that is dependent on some factor, such as a hash of fields in a packet header. Configuring port channels is referred to as switch-dependant teaming, because it requires configuration to be performed on the upstream switch. Such methods of load balancing fail for overlay traffic because the original packets from one or more VMs are all encapsulated in an overlay header in a tunnel, with an outer header including the Media Access Control (MAC) address and Internet Protocol (IP) address of the virtualization platform kernel. The inner packet is not visible to many components of the network, thereby rendering traditional load balancing ineffective. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to be able to load balance overlay-encapsulated network traffic.

Load balancing overlay network traffic using a teamed set of network interface cards

International Business Machines Corporation


The travel plan generation method includes a maximum speed limit section setting step of setting a maximum speed limit section, a low speed allowed section setting step of setting a low speed allowed section which is in front of the maximum speed limit section on the route and is in a low speed allowable distance range from the maximum speed limit section, and a travel plan generation step of generating a travel plan in which the speed of the vehicle is limited to a speed limit or less in the maximum speed limit section and the speed of the vehicle is not reduced to a low discomfort speed or less in sections other than the maximum speed limit section and the low speed allowed section.

There is Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-143304 as a technical document in this field. A vehicle travel assistance control method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-143304 sets a stop point where the vehicle is stopped on the route of the vehicle and determines whether the vehicle can coast to the next stop point. Then, when it is determined that the vehicle can coast to the next stop point, the driving mode changes to coasting to reduce the energy consumption of the vehicle.

Travel plan generation method and travel plan generation device


An extended release composition comprising a first composition comprising growth promoters and a second composition comprising growth promoters and a biodegradable polymer is described. A method of increasing weight gain in food animals utilizing the composition, a pharmaceutical dosage form containing the composition and a method of preparing the pharmaceutical dosage form are also described, as are pellets of the composition for implantation in food animals.

Sustained release pharmaceutical compositions containing growth promoters for use in food animals are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,265 issued to J. A. Grandadam on Feb. 17, 1976 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,496 issued to D. H. Lewis on Feb. 22, 1994. The rate of release of the growth promoters of these compositions, however, generally does not comport with the growth periods of food animals in feedlots, the rate of release of the promoters declining over the growth period and becoming markedly reduced before the expiration of the period. To overcome this deficiency in feedlot growth promotion, it would be desirable to provide an extended release composition, from which the growth promoters are uniformly released over the growth period of the food animal in the feedlot, thereby enhancing the weight gain of the animal and improving the feed efficiency of the formulation. It has now been found that a composition comprising a first composition comprising growth promoters and a second composition comprising growth promoters and a biodegradable polymer releases the promoters over an extended period of time corresponding to the growth period of feedlot animals.
The present invention relates to an extended release composition comprising a first composition comprising growth promoters and a second composition comprising growth promoters and a biodegradable polymer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a composition comprising a first composition comprising a compound of formula 1
wherein R is loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof, a compound of formula 2
wherein R1, and R2 are loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof, a compound of formula 3
wherein R3 and R4 are loweralkyl; the geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof, a compound of formula 4
wherein R5 is loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof; or a compound of formula 5
wherein R6 is loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof; and a second composition comprising a compound of formula 1
wherein R is loweralky; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof, a compound of formula 2
wherein R1 and R2 are loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof, a compound of formula 3
wherein R5 is loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomer thereof, a compound of formula 4
wherein R3 and R4 are loweralkyl; the geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof, and a compound of formula 5
wherein R6 is loweralkyl; the ester derivatives, geometric isomers, stereoisomers, or optical isomers thereof; and a biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of homopolymers and copolymers of xcex3-butyrolactone, xcex4-valerolactone, xcex5-caprolactone, glycolide, DL-lactide, L-lactide, glycolic acid, DL-lactic acid, L-lactic acid, and combinations thereof, polydioxanones, polyorthesters, polyanhydrides, polycarbonates, polyesteramides, and polyphosphazines, useful for the promotion of weight gain in food animals. The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical dosage form containing the composition, a method of preparing the dosage form utilizing the composition, as well as pellets of the composition for implantation in food animals.
Preferred compositions of growth promoters are those wherein R, R1, R2, R3, and R4, R5 and R6 are methyl and the aroyl or alkanoyl ester derivatives thereof, where applicable.
More preferred compositions are those wherein the growth promoters are;
(a) 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one;
(b) 17xcex2-benzoyloxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one;
(c) 17xcex2-propionyloxy-4-androsten-3-one;
(d) pregn-4-en-3,20-dione;
(e) estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol;
(f) 17xcex2-benzoyloxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3-ol;
(g) 3,4,5,6,9,10,11,12-decahydro-7,14,16-trihydroxy-3-methyl-1H(2)-benzoxacyclotetradecin 1-one.
Preferred biodegradable polymers are homopolymers and copolymers of glycolide, DL-lactide, L-lactide, glycolic acid, DL-lactic acid and L-lactic acid and combinations thereof.
More preferred biodegradable polymers are copolymers of DL-lactide and glycolide, copolymers of L-lactide and glycolide, polymers of L-lactide and polymers of DL-lactide, designated polylactides.
As used throughout the specification and appended claims, the term xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d refers to a straight or branched chain hydrocarbon radical containing no unsaturation and having 1 to 5 carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl groups are methyl, ethyl, 1-propyl, 2-propyl, 1-butyl, 2-butyl, 1-pentyl, 3-pentyl, and the like; the term xe2x80x9calkanoic acidxe2x80x9d refers to a compound formed by combination of a carboxyl group and a hydrogen atom or alkyl group. Examples of alkanoic acid are formic acid, acetic acid, propanoic acid, 1-methylpropanoic acid, 2,2-dimethylacetic acid, pentanoic acid, and the like; the term xe2x80x9calkanoylxe2x80x9d refers to the radical formed by removal of the hydroxyl group from an alkanoic acid. Examples of alkanoyl groups are formyl, acetyl, propanoyl, 2-methylpropanoyl, 2,2-dimethylacetyl, pentanoyl, and the like. The term xe2x80x9carylxe2x80x9d refers to an unsubstituted or a substituted phenyl group. Examples of aryl groups are benzene, 2-methylbenzene, 3-chlorobenzene, 4-hydroxybenzene, 3-methoxybenzene, methoxybenzene, 3-nitrobenzene, 2-trifluorobenzene, and the like. The term xe2x80x9caroic acidxe2x80x9d refers to a compound formed by combination of an carboxyl group with an aryl group. Examples of aroic acids are benzoic acid, 2-methylbenzoic acid, 3-chlorobenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3-methoxybenzoic acid, 3-nitrobenzoic acid, 2-trifluorobenzoic acid, and the like. The term xe2x80x9caroylxe2x80x9d refers to the radical formed by removal of the hydroxyl group from an aroic acid. Examples of aroyl are benzoyl, 2-methylbenzoyl, 3-chlorobenzoyl, 4-hydroxybenzoyl, 3-methoxybenzyol, 2-nitrobenzoyl, 2-trifluoromethylbenzoyl, and the like. The term xe2x80x9clowerxe2x80x9d as applied to any of the aforementioned groups or compounds refers to a group or compound having a carbon skeleton containing up to and including 5 carbon atoms. The expression xe2x80x9cester derivativesxe2x80x9d refers to esters of the hydroxy group or groups of compounds of the present invention and an alkanoyl or aroyl group. Examples of ester derivatives are esters of formic acid, acetic acid, propanoic acid, 1-methylpropanoic acid, 2,2-dimethylacetic acid, pentanoic acid, benzoic acid, 2-methylbenzoic acid, 3-chlorobenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3-methoxybenzoic acid, 2-nitrobenzoic acid and 2-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid and the like.
The compounds of the compositions of the present invention which lack an element of symmetry exist as optical antipodes and as the racemic forms thereof. The optical antipodes may be prepared from the corresponding racemic forms by standard optical resolution techniques or by synthesis from optically active precursors.
The present invention comprehends all optical isomers and racemic forms thereof and all stereoisomers of the compounds of the compositions disclosed and claimed herein. The formulas of the compounds shown herein are intended to encompass all possible optical and stereoisomers of the compounds so depicted.
The expression xe2x80x9cfood animalxe2x80x9d refers to an animal raised for the purpose of providing a source of protein in the diet of humans or other animals. Examples of food animals are bovine animals, such as cows, cattle, steers, calves, and the like, ovine animals such as sheep; porcine animals such as pigs, and the like and avians such as chickens, turkeys and the like.
The expression xe2x80x9cconventional drug deliveryxe2x80x9d refers to the temporally uncontrolled release of a drug into the blood of an animal resulting in a short duration of action, the blood levels of the drug being either initially high (intravenous administration) and falling off rapidly, or initially low (extramuscular administration), rapidly rising and falling off rapidly.
The expression xe2x80x9csustained releasexe2x80x9d refers to the slow release of a drug into the blood of an animal over a prolonged period of time wherein the blood levels of the drug decline rapidly over time, but not as rapidly as in conventional release.
The expression xe2x80x9ccontrolled releasexe2x80x9d refers to sustained release wherein constant blood levels of the drug are maintained over a period of time.
The expression xe2x80x9cdelayed releasexe2x80x9d refers to the release of a drug into the blood of an animal after an induction period subsequent to the administration of the drug, without an initial burst release of the drug.
The expression xe2x80x9cextended releasexe2x80x9d refers to the controlled release of a drug into the blood of an animal over a long period of time.
The expression xe2x80x9csteroidxe2x80x9d refers to a compound characterized by the presence of a perhydrocyclopentenophenanthrene ring system.
The term xe2x80x9cbiodegradable polymerxe2x80x9d refers to those synthetic and naturally occurring water-insoluble polymers that degrade by hydrolysis or enzymatic processes. Examples of useful biodegradable polymers include, but are not limited to the aliphatic polyesters of hydroxy acids (i.e. the xe2x80x9cpolylactidesxe2x80x9d) such as the homopolymers and copolymers prepared by ring-opening polymerization of glycolide, DL-lactide, L-lactide, xcex3-butyrolactone, xcex4-valerolactone, xcex5-caprolactone, as well as blends of these polymers. Other examples include homopolymers and copolymers prepared by directed condensation of glycolic acide, DL-lactic acid, L-lactic acid, and various other classes of polymers including the polydioxanones, polyorthoesters, polyanhydrides, polycarbonates, polyesteramides, polyamides and polyphosphazines.
The growth promoters of the compositions of the present invention are described in the art. For example, the steroids of the formulas 1 and 3 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,265 issued to J. A. Grandadam on Feb., 17, 1996; the steroids in formula 2 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,236,574 issued to H. Koester, et al., on Apr. 11, 1941; the steroid of formula 3 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,232,438 issued to A. Butendant on Feb. 18, 1941; and the macrocycles of formula 5 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,345 issued to E. B. Hodge, et al., on Mar. 8, 1966. The ester derivatives of the growth promoters are also described in the art, or may be prepared by conventional esterification techniques, e.g. treating compounds containing a hydroxyl group with an alkanoyl or an aroyl halide in the presence of an acid acceptor.
The xe2x80x9cpolylactidesxe2x80x9d as defined herein are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,734 issued Nov. 22, 1994 to F. G. Hutchinson and are prepared by polymerization of lactic acid or glycolic acid, alone, or the corresponding lactides or glycolides, or copolymerization of lactic acid and glycolic acid, or the corresponding lactides and glycolides, as described therein, or are available from commercial sources, for example, Birmingham Polymers, Inc., Birmingham, Ala.
The biodegradable polymers of the compositions of the present invention, i.e. the polydioxanones, polyorthoesters, polyanhydrides, polycarbonates, polyesteramides, polyamides and polyphosphazines, are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,730 issued to R. C. Fuissz on May 21, 1996, among others.
The extended release composition of the present invention comprises a first and second composition formulated as a pharmaceutical dosage form for administration to a food animal for weight gain in the feedlot. The first composition of the formulation comprises growth promoters of formulas 1 to 5 wherein R, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are as defined herein, and the ester derivatives thereof, preferably those growth promoters wherein R, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are methyl and the aroyl or alkanoyl ester derivatives thereof, where applicable, more preferably, growth promoters selected from the group consisting of:
(a) 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one;
(b) 17xcex2-benzoyloxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one;
(c) 17xcex2-propionyloxy-4-androsten-3-one;
(d) pregn-4-en-3,20-dione;
(e) estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol;
(f) 17xcex2-benzoyloxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3-ol; and
(g) 3,4,5,6,9,10,11,12-decahydro-7,14,16-trihydroxy-3-methyl-1H(2)-benzoxacyclotetradecin-1-one.
The second composition of the formulation comprises growth promoters of formulas 1 to 5 wherein R, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are as defined herein and the ester derivatives thereof, preferably, those growth promoters wherein R, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are methyl and the aroyl or alkanoyl derivatives thereof, where applicable, more preferably, growth promoters selected from the group consisting of:
(a) 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one;
(b) 17xcex2-benzoyloxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one;
(c) 17xcex2-propionyloxy-4-androsten-3-one;
(d) pregn-4-en-3,20-dione;
(e) estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol;
(f) 17xcex2-benzoyloxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3-ol;
(g) 3,4,5,6,9,10,11,12-decahydro-7,14,16-trihydroxy-3-methyl-1H(2)-benzoxacyclotetradecin-1-one, and
a biodegradable polymer, preferably, homopolymers and copolymers of glycolide, DL-lactide, L-lactide, glycolic acid, DL-lactic acid and L-lactic acid, and combinations thereof, more preferably copolymers of DL-lactide and glycolide and copolymers of L-lactide and glycolide.
The formulation may contain, in addition to the growth promoters, the active ingredients, excipients, e.g., pharmaceutical binders and fillers, such as starch, ethylcellulose, cellulose acetate, sucrose, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. Ethylcellulose is preferred. The formulation may also contain an adhesive, for example, cholesterol, and a lubricant, for example, magnesium stearate.
The homopolymers and copolymers of glycolide, DL-lactide and L-lactide, glycolic acid, DL-lactic acid and L-lactic acid, and combinations thereof, are characterized by their composition and molecular weight. Composition can be conveniently determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. For polymers prepared by ring-opening polymerization, the composition is described as the molar composition based on the cyclic monomers from which the polymer was prepared. For those prepared by direct condensation, the composition is described as the molar composition of the hydroxyacid residues present. The compositions of the polylactides that are useful in preparing the formulations described herein include all homopolymers and copolymers that exhibit glass transition or crystalline melting transition temperatures greater than about 40xc2x0 C. The preferred compositions are those copolymers of DL-lactide and glycolide with monomer ratios in the range from about 50:50 to about 90:10 and the most preferred compositions are those with monomer ratios in the range from about 60:40 to about 75:25. All monomer ratios are expressed as the ratio of DL-lactide to glycolide
Molecular weight can be monitored by dilute-solution viscosity measurements. As described herein, dilute-solution viscosities are measured in either chloroform (xe2x89xa765% lactide) or hexafluroisopropanol ( less than 65% lactide) at 30xc2x0 C. and a concentration of about 0.5 g/dL (IV less than 1.5 dL/g) or 0.2 g/dL (IV=1.5-3.5 dL/g). The inherent viscosities of the polylactides may fall within the range of about 0.1 dL/g to about 3.5 dL/g; that of the preferred polymers being in the range of about 0.3 dL/g to about 1.5 dL/g.
The biodegradable polymer, preferably, a polylactide, of the second composition of the formulation serves as a coating of a core of the formulation and may be present as a minor component of the core in an amount within the range of from about 0 to about 10%.
The timing of the initial release of the growth promoters from the second composition formulation, the coated composition, is determined by the relative amounts of the promoters to the biodegradable polymeric coating, as well as the characteristics of the coating. Generally, the greater the proportion of biodegradable polymer to the growth promoters, the greater the retardation of the initial release of the growth promoters, i.e., the longer delayed release period. For example, in table 1, the uncoated pellet began releasing immediately while the 10.8 wt. % coated pellet did not begin to release until approximately 45 days and the 19.8 wt. % of coated pellet did not begin to release until approximately 55 days.
The timing of release of the growth promoters from the coated formulation is also dependent on the relative proportions of the DL-lactide to glycolide units in the copolymers and the molecular weight thereof. Generally, the greater the proportion of DL-lactide units to glycolide units in the copolymer, the greater the delay of the release of the growth promoters from the formulation. For example, the delay of release of the growth promoters, 17xcex2,-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one and estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol, from the coated formulation decreased by increasing the amount of DL-lactide units in the copolymer in a formulation having a coating of DL-lactide-glycolide copolymer.
Generally, the greater the molecular weight of the biodegradable polymer, the greater the delay of the release of the growth promoters.
The in vitro rates of release of the growth promoters of the present invention are determined by conventional methods known in the art, for example, by the methods described by J. W. Gibson in Intrauterine Contraception: Advances and Future Prospects, G. I. Zatuchni, et al. Editors, Harper and Row, Philadelphia, Pa., 1984, pages 218 and 219. In one such in vitro method, for example, the second composition formulation containing growth promoters of formula 1 and 4, in the form of a coated pellet was added to an aqueous solution of a dissolution medium of sodium dodecyl sulfate (5 wt. %) and incubated at 37xc2x0 C. Samples of the dissolution medium were removed periodically and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography for the presence of the growth promoters.
The first composition of the present extended release composition is formulated by processes comprising operations conventional in the pharmaceutical arts. In a typical process, a mixture of growth promoters and excipients if any, namely, a binder and an adhesive, are combined in a high shear mixer, and the mixture is wetted with a granulated solution. The granulation is then screened, dried, a lubricant is added, and tableted into pellets.
The second composition of the extended release composition is formulated by mixing the growth promoters, excipients, if any, such as a binder and an adhesive, and a solution of a biodegradable polymer, evaporating the solution, screening and drying the granulate, adding a lubricant, and tableting the granulate. The tablets, so obtained, containing the biodegradable polymer in the core, are then coated with a solution of a biodegradable polymer to provide the coated delayed release pellets.
In practice, as detailed in the examples, a solution of a biodegradable polymer e.g. a polylactide, preferably a copolymer of DL-lactide and glycolide, characterized by its inherent viscosity, and having a ratio of lactide units to glycolide units, preferably in the range of from about 50:50 to 90:10, most preferably in the range from about 60:40 to about 75:25, is added to a granulation of growth promoters, such as, for example, 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one, and estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol, an adhesive, preferably, cholesterol, a binder, preferably, ethylcellulose, in a planetary mixer, and the solvent is evaporated. The dried granules are mixed with a lubricant, preferably magnesium stearate, then tableted with a press optimally equipped with tools having a beveled edge, the fill weight being from about 25 mg to about 50 mg, a fill weight of about 33 mg being preferred, to provide core tablets. A solution of a biodegradable polymer, preferably a copolymer having a ratio of DL-lactide to glycolide units of about 50:50 to about 90:10, most preferably in the range of from about 60:40 to about 75:25 in an organic solvent such as acetone is sprayed onto the core tablets in an air suspension coater-drier to provide delayed release pellets having the desired release rate properties.
The pellets of the first composition granulation, the uncoated sustained release pellets containing growth promoters and excipients, if any, and the second composition granulation, the delayed release pellets, containing growth promoters, a biodegradable polymer, preferably a polylactide and excipients, if any, coated with a biodegradable polymer, preferably a polylactide, are administered to food animals in the feedlot to afford extended release of the growth promoters over the feedlot period. The extended release of the growth promoters is a composite of the sustained release and delayed release characteristics of the uncoated first and coated second compositions, respectively. The rate of release of the sustained release first composition initially increases, reaches a maximum and then rapidly decreases. The release of the growth promoters from the coated delayed release formulation is initially delayed over the period that the sustained release formulation releases the growth promoters and until the release reaches the maximum and begins to decline. At about that point in time, the coated formulation, without a burst release of promoters, releases the promoters to provide a composite release of the promoters over the extended period the food animal is in the feedlot. The composite rate of release of the growth promoters of the composition of the present invention is determined by the release rates of the first, the sustained, and the second, the delayed formulations. The sustained, first composition releases the growth promoters upon administration into the food animal. The rate of release of promoters increases sharply, reaches a maximum and then declines. The release of the growth promoters of the second composition is delayed from the time of administration. By adjusting the time at which the second composition release the growth promoters, the composite release is extended over time, the time the food animal is in the feedlot. For example, by adjusting the initial release of the growth promoters of the first composition so that it is sustained over from about 1 day to about 70 days after administration, and the initial release of the second composition so that it is delayed for about 60 days to about 70 days after administration, a composite release extended over about 1 day to about 180 days after administration may be obtained. An extended release of about 200 days after administering the feedlot period for bovines, is attainable by appropriate adjustment of the release characteristics of the sustained and delayed compositions, the uncoated and coated compositions of the growth promoters.
The growth promoting compositions of the present invention are administered to food animals by one of various methods known in the art. Generally, the growth promoting compositions are administered parenterally, typically, subcutaneously as pellets to an inedible member of the animal, by means of a syringe (of sufficient size to accommodate the pellets) or a conventional implant gun, the cartridge thereof being loaded with the pellets containing the sustained and delayed compositions. Administration of the pellets of the growth promoting first and second compositions by simultaneous implantation from the cartridge gun is preferred.
The pellets of the first and second growth promoting compositions may be prepared in various shapes. For implantation by means of an implantation gun, a cylindrical shape is preferred. The length of the cylindrical pellet may vary from about 3 mm to about 6 mm, a length of about 4 mm to about 5 mm being more preferred, a length of about 4.3 mm being most preferred. The diameter of the pellet may vary from about 2 mm to about 4 mm, a diameter of about 2.5 mm to about 3.5 mm also being more preferred. Optionally, the cylindrical pellets may have a beveled edge.
The pellets, preferably cylindrical in shape, as defined above, may contain various amounts of growth promoters and coating levels. For example, the pellets may contain about 16 mg to 24 mg of 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one, preferably about 19 to 21 mg of 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one, more preferably about 20 mg of 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one, and about 2.0 mg to about 6.0 mg of estra- 1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol, preferably about 3.0 mg to about 5.0 mg of estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol, more preferably either about 2.0 or 4.0 mg of estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol. Suitable coating levels of DL-lactide-glycolide include on a weight basis about 13 weight percent to about 25 weight percent of the level of 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one and about 11.5 weight percent to about 23.0 weight percent of the level of estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol.
The pellets, preferably cylindrical in shape, as defined above, may contain various amounts of growth promoters and coating levels. Typically, for example, the pellets may contain about 13 to about 25 weight percent of 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one and about 11.5 to 23.0 weight percent of estra- 1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol.
The desired growth promotion is achieved when the present composition comprising an uncoated composition of growth promoters, the first composition, and a coated composition of growth promoters, the second composition, are administered simultaneously to a food animal at a dose of about 0.75 mg/day/animal to about 1.2 mg/day/animal, a dose of about 0.95 mg/day/animal being preferred to attain the desired weight gain for the period the animal is in the feedlot. These doses are attained when about 8 to about 10 pellets of each composition are administered to the food animal.
The dose level defined above is for the administration of the growth promoters of the composition comprising the first and second compositions of growth promoters to bovines, namely, cows, steers, heifers and calves. For administration to other farm animals, the doses are adjusted accordingly. While the first and second compositions may comprise different growth promoters, i.e. different combinations of the hereinbefore defined compounds and dose levels, it is preferred to administer pellets of the first and second composition comprising the same growth promoters and the same dose levels as determined by the amount of promoters in each pellet and the number of pellets to be administered.
As hereinbefore described the release rates of the growth promoters from the first (uncoated) and second (coated) compositions of the present invention are determined by methods known in the art. In one such determination of release rates (dissolution rates), in vitro, individual pellets of growth promoters 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one and estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,17xcex2-diol, uncoated and coated with 75:25-DL-lactide-glycolide copolymer were added to 50 ml of aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (5 wt. %) and incubated at 37xc2x0 C., without agitation. Periodically, samples of the dissolution medium were collected, and the concentration of the growth promoters in the dissolution medium was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The cummulative release rates of pellets of uncoated 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one and 17xcex2-acetoxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one coated with 10.8 wt. % of 75:25 DL-lactide-glycolide polymer (DL-PLG) is shown in Table 1.
The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the inventor.

Extended release growth promoting two component composition


A method includes initiating, through an interface of a data processing device, generation of one or more excerpt(s) of a video sequence associated with a video file stored in a memory of the data processing device. The method also includes automatically reading, through a processor of the data processing device communicatively coupled to the memory, video frames of the video file corresponding to the one or more excerpt(s) and reference video frames thereof in accordance with the initiation through the interface. Further, the method includes decoding, through the processor, the video frames of the video file corresponding to the one or more excerpt(s) and the reference video frames thereof following the automatic reading for rendering thereof on the data processing device.

A customer of a video store/parlor may desire to preview video data associated with a movie. The video store/parlor may not have a capability or a station to enable the customer preview the movie. Even if the store/parlor personnel generate a preview of the movie, post-processing of the video data may be an involved and inefficient process.
In another scenario, a user may wish to download the movie for a price. The user may not be excited about the movie enough based on media reviews. The lack of previews available of the movie may not help a cause thereof with regard to the user. Again, the content distributor may find the preview generation process for each movie involved and inefficient.

Automatic playback of one or more excerpt(s) of a video sequence on a data processing device


A directional vehicle recovery unit configured for recovery of a distressed vehicle spaced apart from a recovery vehicle is provided. The directional vehicle recovery unit includes a support framework attached to the recovery vehicle and a swing arm assembly attached to the support framework. The swing arm assembly is configured to support a winch cable. The swing arm assembly is rotatable such that with a winch cable attached to the distressed vehicle, a longitudinal axis of the swing arm assembly is substantially parallel with an axis formed by the winch cable.

Tow trucks (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) are trucks used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, indisposed or otherwise distressed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged in an accident, returning the vehicle to a drivable surface or towing or transporting the vehicle to a repair shop or other location.
Recovery vehicles, such as tow trucks can be equipped with different equipment and configured for different tasks. One example of a recovery vehicle is a "hook and chain" tow truck (also called a "sling truck"). In this embodiment, one or more hooks and chains can be used to tow the cargo. That is, they work by wrapping chains around axles and frames of distressed vehicles to facilitate towing. Another example of a recovery vehicle is a wheel lift tow truck. These tow trucks are similar to the hook and chain tow trucks, but cause much less damage as instead of using chains, they use a metal yoke which under the front or rear wheels of the distressed vehicle. As the distressed vehicle is towed, a pneumonic hoist or hydraulic lift suspends the front or rear side of the distressed vehicle such that it is lifted from the ground. This reduces potential damage to the distressed vehicle.
Yet another example of a recovery vehicle is a flatbed tow truck (also called a "rollback" or a "slide"). The flatbed tow truck typically includes a self-propelled truck chassis equipped with a vehicle carrier bed. The vehicle carrier bed is typically supported for movement from a horizontal position on the truck chassis first to a slideback position and then to a tilted position. In the tilted position, the vehicle carrier bed has a rear portion in a ground engaging position for loading or unloading of a distressed vehicle onto or from the tilted bed, either by the distressed vehicle's own power or by a cable winch positioned at the front end of the bed.
Regardless of the type of recovery vehicle, typically a first task is to pull a distressed vehicle to an area adjacent to the recovery vehicle such that the distressed vehicle can be connected to the recovery vehicle for the towing operation. If the distressed vehicle is positioned off of a road, the recovery vehicle can be oriented to potentially block one or more lanes of traffic.
It would be advantageous if recovery vehicles could be improved to make them convenient to use.


Described herein are interleukin-10 receptor-2 peptides, antibodies that bind the peptides, compositions including the peptides and antibodies and methods of use of the peptides and antibodies. The interleukin-10 receptor-2 peptide consists of an 8-15 amino acid sequence that includes SEQ ID NO: 1 ((I/V)P(P/K/V/E)P(E/K/R/Q)N(A/V)R), SEQ ID NO: 2 ((S/L/V)PAF(A/P)(K/Q)(G/T/E)(N/T/D)), or SEQ ID NO: 3 (PP(G/T/Q/V)(V/T/A)(R/H/T/S)(GN/NHP/SAA)).

Foodborne and environmental pathogens can be consumed by humans and animals, resulting in symptoms such as diarrhea and intestinal infection. Zoonotic diseases associated with Salmonella species, for example, are transmitted to humans ingesting infected animals such as poultry or animal products such as milk. In addition, foodborne and environmental pathogens result in growth suppression and disease in animals raised for food production as well as domesticated animals.
Coccidiosis, for example, is a common protozoan infection in livestock species (e.g., poultry, swine and calves). Coccidiosis in poultry alone is estimated to cost the poultry industry $1 billion a year in reduced animal performance. The two approaches for controlling coccidiosis are the use of drugs to prevent and treat coccidiosis or to vaccinate the birds using an attenuated coccidiosis vaccine. However, the vaccine also suppresses animal performance. Hence, an additive that reduces Coccidiosis while minimizing growth depression either during Coccidiosis infection or vaccination is desired.
Previously, peptides corresponding to the antigenic solvent-exposed regions of IL-10 were identified. It was shown that anti-interleukin-10-specific antibodies that bind the peptides reduce gastrointestinal protozoa such as Coccidia in animals such as poultry (U.S. Pat. No. 9,505,836); reduce Salmonella in the intestines of animals such as poultry (U.S. Publication No. 2015/0313964); control parasitic worms in the intestine of herbivorous mammals such as bovines (U.S. Publication No. 2016/0008436); and reduce symptoms of respiratory disease in pre-weaned milk-fed mammals (U.S. Publication No. 2016/0280778).
What is needed are alternative compositions and methods to reduce foodborne or environmental pathogens in the intestines of a subject in need thereof.

Interleukin-10 receptor-2 peptides, antibodies, compositions, and methods of use thereof


An authoring system for interactively generating and testing help systems preferably comprises a central processing unit (CPU), a display device, an input device, a data storage device and a memory. The memory further comprises a code generator, display routines, linking routines, indexing routines, a plurality of topic records, a plurality of table records and a plurality of graphic files. The present invention stores the information explaining the features and functionality of an application program in topic records. The authoring system of the present invention uses the topic records for organization and for displaying the data to the user. The CPU under direction of routines in the memory displays the contents of each topic record using the graphic files, and creates, updates and deletes topic records. The display routines are also used in conjunction with test routines to display the data as it will be presented by the help system during operation. Methods for creating, revising and testing help systems include: methods for creating, deleting and editing topic records in a help system; methods for creating, deleting and editing links between topic records in a help system; methods for inserting, deleting and editing objects in a topic record of a help system; methods for creating, deleting and editing tables in a help system; and methods for producing the help system from the topic records.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to "help systems" for application programs operating on computers. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and methods for interactively generating and testing help systems. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system that automatically generates a help system from topic records.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of personal computers has become widespread for a variety of functions in business and education. Along with the proliferation of computers, the number of computer programs has also increased dramatically. The number of programs currently available has become so great that it is difficult for the user to recognize and utilize the full capabilities of each computer program. In many instances the menus, keystrokes and icons used for each program are different. Thus, even if the user knows the functions or operations the program can perform, the user may not be able to execute a function because the icon, menu or keystroke to activate a function is not known. Such usability problems are only increased with each new generation of application programs. Typically, in each new version of an application program, additional functionality is included. Each new version provides a series of new features that the user has at his disposal. However, such additional features make the application more complicated and thus more difficult for the user to fully utilize.
In an attempt to make application programs easier to learn and to fully utilize their functionality, "help systems" have been incorporated into many application programs. Help system is used to refer to a system that operates concurrently with an application program. Each help system is unique to its associated application program and provides an explanation of the functions or significance of icons, menus, commands or other features of the application program. The help systems are typically incorporated into an application program such that they may be selectively employed by the user for explanations of program features while the program is being used.
One problem with existing methods for creating help systems is that they require significant amounts of time and resources. In particular, they require significant amounts of time from highly skilled programmers. Help systems are complicated self-contained programs that must operate independently and concurrently with the application program. Help systems provide a variety of information to the user to explain the program's functionality. Each explanation, format of the explanation, and presentation of the explanation provided by the help system must be directly programmed. For example, the simple process of displaying text of a particular format and size must be specifically detailed in operation steps by programmers when the help system is created. Thus, there is a need for a system and methods that allow help systems to be created in less time and with less understanding of computer programming.
Another problem in creating a help system using the prior art methods is that changes are very difficult to make. Each time a change is made to the help system, the help system must be rewritten, tested and re-compiled to insure that changes to the help system have not affected the operation of other portions of the help system. Moreover, the changes, like the creation of the system itself, must be made directly, thus, highly skilled personnel, as well as a search of the entire help system to locate the appropriate place to make the changes, are required. Therefore, making any changes to a help system is difficult and time consuming.
The prior art has attempted to resolve the problems in creating help systems with a variety of systems referred to as code generators. Such code generators remove some of the difficulty in creating help systems by providing a series of pseudo or formatting codes for performing operations that are common to all help systems. For example, the code generators provide a code for displaying text in centered alignment and a code for text in bold. However, even with such systems, creating help systems continues to be time consuming. With such code generators the syntax must be known and typographical errors and human errors will prevent the help systems from being generated. Because of the use of special codes, the users must be highly skilled and well versed in programming concepts as well as in the code generators themselves. Thus, there continues to be a need for a system and methods for generating and testing help systems that operate in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment for ease of use.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and methods for automatically generating help systems for computer application programs that significantly simplify the process of writing and testing help systems. Moreover, there is a need for a system and method that can be used interactively, and that provide an interface and structure that make help systems easy to create.

System and methods for interactively generating and testing help systems


Polyester resins containing up to 5% by weight of a polymeric liquid crystal and an upgrading agent capable of increasing the I.V. of the resin by polyaddition reaction in the solid state with the end groups of the resin. Fibers, films and biaxially oriented articles obtained from the resins.

The present invention relates to polyester compositions, containing polymeric liquid crystals (LCP) suitable for the preparation of stretched articles, such as films and fibres, endowed with high mechanical properties, particularly a high elastic modulus.
It is known that liquid crystals (LCP) are used as a reinforcing material of thermoplastic polymers to improve their mechanical properties. The improvement is shown when the LCP quantity is at least 10% by weight of the polymeric matrix. Quantities lower than 5% determine under the conditions of experimental use only marginal increases.
The lowest concentrations used in literature do not have values lower than 1-2% by weight. This is due to the fact that with these low concentrations, and under the experimental use conditions there is no improvement of the resin mechanical properties.
The improvements, moreover, depend on the degree of stretching carried out. Stretching ratios of at least 20:1 are necessary in the case of cooled filaments at the extruder exit to obtain the highest increases. In the case of films where the practicable stretching ratios are generally between 2:1 and 10:1, there are no significant improvements of consequence of the insufficient molecular orientation obtainable (A. M. Sukhadia et al.--Intern. Polymer Processing VII (1992) 3, 218-228).

Polyester compositions suitable for the manufacture of fibres and films with high elastic modulus


A virtual computer system having a translation lookaside buffer which converts a virtual address to a real address comprises a register (VMNR) for storing the identification number (VMID) of a currently running virtual machine, the translation lookaside buffer having a bit for holding the VMID and a comparison circuit which compares the VMID held in the bit with the VMID provided by the VMNR and predicates the success of conversion from a virtual address to a real address on the basis of a matching result of comparison, a management table for holding data indicative of VMIDs used to define virtual machines which have run up to the current time point, and a control circuit which, when an invalidation command for the translation lookaside buffer is issued during a run of a virtual machine, selects an unused VMID as first information for defining the running virtual machine on the basis of the contents of the management table and sets the selected VMID in the VMNR.

This invention relates to an information processing system and a method of processing suitable for speeding up the invalidation process for the address transformation buffer.
Simulated computer systems for realizing simultaneous operations of a plurality of operating systems in a single computer system are called "Virtual Machines (VMs)". In contrast to virtual machines, an actual computer is called a "Real Machine". The virtual machines are created through the distribution of resources of the real machine by a virtual machine control program and the simulation by the real machine, so that operating systems are run under the respective virtual machines. Use of this computer ability enables a single real computer system to perform simultaneous, parallel operations of a plurality of operating systems.
In realizing such a virtual computer system with a computer system having a virtual storage system, there exist addresses of three levels as follows.
Level 1: Real address of main memory (real address for the real machine) PA1 Level 2: Virtual address for the real machine (real address for a virtual machine) PA1 Level 3: Virtual address for a virtual machine
Generally, a computer with the virtual storage system incorporates a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) in the processor and stores pairs of virtual address and corresponding real address, so that address conversion is implemented in a short time. In the virtual storage system of a virtual computer system, the TLB has a record of pairs of level-3 address and level-1 address, and it is used to carry out 2-stage address conversion from level 3 to level 2 then from level 2 to level 1, which is inherently required of the virtual computer system.
Japanese Patent Kokai (Laid-Open) Nos. 53-101234 and 54-34723 disclose such a virtual computer system, which is provided in TLB entries with pairs of level-3 address and level-1 address, virtual machine identifiers (VMIDs), and VALID bits. The purpose of having a VMID in TLB is to distinguish level-3 addresses of different virtual machines by the TLB.
In the virtual computer system, the TLB invalidation process for a running VM is implemented by resetting the VALID bit of the TLB entry having a VMID equal to the VMID held in the VMID register. Among TLB entries, the entry having a relevant VMID is searched, and its VALID bit is reset.
Japanese Patent Kokai (Laid-Open) No. 60-57449 discloses a virtual computer system, in which is provided a VMID stack for registering a plurality of VMIDs, with the TLB being designed to hold information indicative of the position in the VMID stack (VM stack number) in place of VMID. The system of the above patent publication is intended to avoid the increase in the number of bits of the VMID field in the TLB in the case of increased VM multiplexing. The VM stack number has less number of bits than VMID, and the correspondence between the VM stack number and VMID is retained in the VMID stack. However, the above patent reference does not disclose the total purging of TLB entries pertinent to a running VM.
Current computer systems require an improved address translation technology that overcomes these problems and others and to provide an address translation process that is advanced in purge processing.

Invalidation of entries in a translation table by providing the machine a unique identification thereby disallowing a match and rendering the entries invalid


A superfinishing machine and a superfinishing method which can perform axially uniform finishing on a logarithmically crowned surface formed on an inner peripheral surface of an annular member in a short time, and an outer ring of a bearing having a raceway surface superfinished by the superfinishing method, are provided. A superfinishing machine 1 includes a linearly reciprocating mechanism 40 configured to linearly reciprocate a grinding stone 3 held by a pressing section 30, along a plane B touching a generatrix of the logarithmically crowned surface, and in a direction C inclined by a given angle φ with respect to a center axis O of an outer ring 10.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, as a superfinishing method, there is known a method of superfinishing an outer peripheral surface of an annular member, which is an object to be machined, by rotating the annular member around its center axis, in a state in which a grinding stone is brought into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the annular member, and simultaneously oscillating the grinding stone in a direction parallel with the center axis of the annular member along a plane touching a generatrix of the outer peripheral surface of the annular member.
Such a superfinishing method is often used for superfinishing an element of a roller bearing, including rollers or a raceway surface of an inner ring or an outer ring. For example, in Patent Document 2, the superfinishing is performed on the raceway surface of the outer ring of a tapered roller bearing by the same method as the above-described method. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, the superfinishing is performed by rotating an outer ring 110 of the tapered roller bearing around a center axis O′, and simultaneously, vertically pressing a distal end surface of the grinding stone 103 against a tapered raceway surface 114 formed on an outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 110 and linearly reciprocating the grinding stone in a direction of the center axis O′.
Conditions in which the distal end surface 104 of the grinding stone 103 and a logarithmically crowned surface of the raceway surface 114 of the outer ring 110 contact each other in machining according to the conventional superfinishing method are illustrated in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6A, reference signs a, b, c indicate one end, an intermediate portion, and the other end in the linearly reciprocating movement of the grinding stone 103, respectively. Reference signs I, II, III indicate imaginary planes passing through one side portion, an intermediate portion and the other side portion of the grinding stone 103 in a circumferential direction, respectively. Further, in FIG. 6B, the portion, indicated by a double wavy line, on the distal end surface 104 of the grinding stone 103 represents a portion brought into contact with the raceway surface 114 of the outer ring 110. In the intermediate portion II of the grinding stone 103 in the circumferential direction, the entire surface of the raceway surface 114 of the outer ring 110 always abuts against the distal end surface 104 of the grinding stone 103 at all positions a, b, c when the grinding stone 103 reciprocates linearly. Accordingly, the raceway surface 114 of the outer ring 110 can be superfinished uniformly in an axial direction.
When the roller comes into contact with the raceway surface in the roller bearing, an excessive pressure (so-called edge load) is generally generated at the edge portion of a contact region. To avoid the edge load, the roller or the raceway surface of the inner ring or the outer ring is formed with a slight bulge referred to as a crowning represented by a logarithmic function (hereinafter, the surface provided with the crowning is referred to as a logarithmically crowned surface).
When the raceway surface made of the logarithmically crowned surface is subjected to the superfinishing, the superfinishing method disclosed in Patent Document 1 or 2 is employed, a grinding amount of the logarithmically crowned surface is not uniform in the axial direction of a rolling contact surface, so that a finished surface having the uniform surface roughness may not be obtained. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 7, if the raceway surface 114 of the outer ring 110 is made of the logarithmically crowned surface, when the grinding stone 103 is first displaced at the position a, a first crowning drop portion 116 at one side in the axial direction does not abut against the distal end surface 104 of the grinding stone 103. Further, when the grinding stone 103 is displaced at the position b, the first and second crowning drop portions 116, 117 at both sides in the axial direction do not abut against the distal end surface 104 of the grinding stone 103. In addition, when the grinding stone 103 is displaced at the position c, the distal end surface does not abut against the second crowning drop portion 117. That is, when the grinding stone reciprocates linearly, the distal end surface 104 of the grinding stone 103 does not abut against all the crowning center portion 115, the first crowning drop portion 116 and the second crowning drop portion 117 of the raceway surface 114 at any of the positions a, b, c. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 8, since the surface roughness of the crowning center portion 115 and the first and second crowning drop portions 116, 117 is varied, the surface roughness of the raceway surface 114 may not be uniform.
Accordingly, according to the superfinishing method disclosed in Patent Document 3, the finishing is performed by traversing the grinding stone in parallel with the crowned surface so that a swing center axis is always maintained in a normal direction of the crowned surface formed on an oscillation surface, thereby preventing a collapse of its shape.

Superfinishing machine, superfinishing method and outer ring of bearing having superfinished raceway surface


A portable electronic device includes a main body and a supporting stand. The main body defines a sliding groove. The supporting stand includes a fixed bracket assembled in the sliding groove of the main body, and a rotatable bracket rotatably connected to the fixed bracket. The fixed bracket defines a receiving groove. The rotatable bracket is received in the receiving groove of the fixed bracket at a first state, and the rotatable bracket is rotated out from the receiving groove of the fixed bracket at a second state to support the portable electronic device to stand on a flat surface.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to portable electronic devices and, particularly, to a portable electronic device having supporting stands.
2. Description of Related Art
With the developments of electronic technologies, portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are now in widespread use, and have various functions to satisfy consumers. For example, typical portable electronic devices may be used to play music, take photographs, or watch television programs, and in such situations, the portable electronic device is desired to stand on a flat surface to facilitate better and more convenient viewing and listening capabilities.
The typical portable electronic device generally stands on the flat surface by using a typical external fixing stand. The external fixing stand includes a base seat contacting the flat surface, and a pair of elastic clamps connected to the base seat. The portable electronic device is clamped between the pair of elastic clamps, thus to be fixed on the base seat. However, it is inconvenient to use the typical portable electronic device with the above-mentioned external fixing stand, because the portable electronic device has to be assembled in the external fixing stand or disassembled from the external fixing stand repeatedly. In addition, the external fixing stand is inconvenient to carry.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.


A communication device may be configured to be connected with an information display device in a communicable manner. The communication device may store address information of summarized content information, wherein the summarized content information includes, for each of a plurality of contents, at least address information of the content and a title of the content. The communication device may acquire the summarized content information from the address information, display the titles of the plurality of contents included in the summarized content information, allow a user to select at least one title from the titles of the plurality of contents, and send information concerning a content corresponding to the selected title.

1. Field
The present specification discloses a communication device that displays a title of content published on a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of content is published on networks. There is a server that publishes summarized content information including a URL and a title of each content. One example of summarized content information is feed information. Formats for feed information include, for example, RSS and Atom. A software for acquiring feed information and displaying a plurality of contents is disclosed on a website (www.forest.impress.co.jp/article/2004/05/26/dirtynewsreader.html) located on the Internet on Jul. 29, 2008, titled "Dirty News Reader displays titles of distributed articles on RSS sites like an electronic signboard", published May 26, 2004 by Impress Corporation and written by Tomoyuki Otsu. When this software is installed on a PC, a user can view the title of each content. When a user clicks on a title, the PC will open a browser, and will access the URL of the content corresponding to that title. In this way, the content will be displayed on the PC.


A system including a display, a sensor and a controller. The sensor can detect an object and generate data related to the object. The controller can determine a first pose of the object from the data and display a first representative image on the display. The controller can determine a second pose of the object and display a second representative image on the display, wherein the second representative image is associated with a displayed element.

A user can interact with a system using a touch interface. The touch interface on a display can detect when a user makes contact with the display and the system can determine if a task is to be performed according to the coordinates where the touch occurred. The touch may be determined by an optical system detection system, a capacitive detection system, resistive detection system or another detection system. If the user is not touching the system, the system is not going to perform tasks that would be initiated by a touch of the system.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method and apparatus are provided to generate tomography images that performs the method. The apparatus and method are configured to determine a basis pattern from modulated phases of incident rays from a spatial light modulator according to a pattern of arranged pixels. The apparatus and method are further configured to perform spatial shift modulation shifting an arrangement of the pixels vertically or horizontally with respect to the basis pattern to obtain shift patterns of the basis pattern. The apparatus and method are configured to generate tomography images for the basis pattern and the shift patterns using spectrum signals of rays obtained from the incident rays passing through the spatial light modulator and entering a subject. The apparatus and method are configured to select a pattern that generates a clearest tomography image of the subject based on the generated tomography images.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses to generate tomography images using light.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light is being currently used in various technical fields with optical characteristics that include monochromaticity, coherence, and directionality. In the biological and medical fields, the light is utilized to observe tissues or cells, diagnosing disease, or performing laser surgery in various ways.
Using the optical characteristic of light, it is possible to capture high resolution images of living tissues or cells and to observe internal organs and structures of human bodies and living bodies without cutting them. The captured high resolution images may be utilized to easily and safely recognize the cause, position, and progress of various kinds of diseases in the medical field. When capturing tomography images of human bodies or living bodies using light, a transmission depth of light may be necessarily increased to transmit the light to cells or tissues in the deep position of human bodies or living bodies.

Method and apparatus for generating tomography images

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Techonlogy


A framework structure for controlling an RFID device including a platform comprising an RFID radio. The structure comprises a layered framework including a first layer, with at least one functional module comprising a device driver, communicatively coupled with the platform; and a second layer, with at least one functional module comprising an API, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the RFID device.

RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification. An RFID transponder, or 'tag', serves a similar purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card; it provides an identifier for a particular object, although, unlike a barcode or magnetic strip, some tags support being written to. An RFID system carries data in these tags, and retrieves data from the tags wirelessly. Data within a tag may provide identification for an item in manufacture, goods in transit, a location, the identity of a vehicle, an animal, or an individual. By including additional data, the ability is provided for supporting applications through item-specific information or instructions available on reading the tag.
A basic RFID system includes a reader or 'interrogator' and a transponder (RF tag) electronically programmed with unique identifying information. Both the transceiver and transponder have antennas, which respectively emit and receive radio signals to activate the tag, read data from the tag, and write data to it. An antenna is a feature that is present in both readers and tags, and is essential for the communication between the two. An RFID system requires, in addition to tags, a mechanism for reading or interrogating the tags and usually requires some means of communicating RFID data to a host device, e.g., a computer or information management system. Often the antenna is packaged with the transceiver and decoder to become a reader (an 'interrogator'), which can be configured either as a handheld or a fixed-mount device. The reader emits radio waves in ranges of anywhere from one inch to 100 feet or more, depending upon its power output and the radio frequency used. When an RFID tag passes through the electromagnetic zone (its 'field') created by the reader, it detects the reader's activation signal. The reader decodes the data encoded in the tag's integrated circuit and the data is often passed to a device (e.g., a computer) for processing.
Two methods distinguish and categorize RFID systems, one based upon close proximity electromagnetic or inductive coupling, and one based upon propagating electromagnetic waves. Coupling is via 'antenna' structures forming an integral feature in both tags and readers. While the term 'antenna' is generally considered more appropriate for propagating systems it is also loosely applied to inductive systems.
Transponders/Tags
The word transponder, derived from TRANSmitter/resPONDER, reveals the function of a tag. A tag responds to a transmitted or communicated request for the data it carries, the communication between the reader and the tag being wireless across the space between the two. The essential components that form an RFID system are one or more tags and a reader or interrogator. The basic components of a transponder are, generally speaking, fabricated as low power integrated circuit suitable for interfacing to an external coil, or utilizing 'coil-on-chip' technology, for data transfer and power generation, where the coil acts as an antenna matched to the frequency supported.
The Reader/Interrogator
Reader/interrogators can differ quite considerably in complexity, depending upon the type of tags being supported and the functions to be fulfilled. However, their overall function is to provide a mechanism for communicating with the tags, providing power to passive tags, and facilitating data transfer. Functions performed by the reader may include signal conditioning, parity error checking and correction. Once the signal from a transponder has been correctly received and decoded, algorithms may be applied to decide whether the signal is a repeat transmission, and may then instruct the transponder to cease transmitting. This is known as a 'Command Response Protocol' and is used to circumvent the problem of reading multiple tags in a short space of time. Using interrogators in this way is sometimes referred to as 'Hands Down Polling'. An alternative, more secure, but slower tag polling technique is called 'Hands Up Polling', which involves the interrogator looking for tags with specific identities, and interrogating them in turn. This technique requires contention management, and a variety of techniques have been developed to improve the process of batch reading, including anti-collision techniques.
Current RFID systems require that a tag be in the field of the reader (interrogator), and powered on, in order for a user to interact with it. Furthermore, current tags are limited to the capabilities inherent in the tag. In multiple tag type environments, an RFID system is typically forced to use the common subset of tag capabilities, and has limited ability to support new or enhanced tags.
Previous embedded software systems have had limitations including the utilization of static software architectures whose specific software implementations are integral with their application-specific program or functionality. These monolithic implementations are often found in microcontroller-based designs wherein the embedded software or firmware has system resources and performance that are limited by the hardware.
Problem to be Solved
Traditional RFID applications have been closed loop and proprietary. Preexisting RFID readers are controlled by dedicated, closed-architecture, monolithic, embedded software (firmware). In previous RFID readers, features and functionality in the readers are set at compile time, and the readers are typically application specific. These readers do not allow a user or programmer to modify or upgrade only those specific aspects of a reader's functionality (i.e., code sections or modules) which the user/programmer would like to change. Rather, in order to modify segments of code in the reader with any reasonable degree of granularity, the entire reader firmware module must typically be re-programmed (e.g., 're-flashed', in the typical case where the reader employs flash memory), or, in the case of multiple-processor readers, a relatively large part of the existing reader firmware must still be extensively re-programmed. Nor do preexisting RFID readers allow modularity or granularity with respect to the security level of specific modules (drivers/applications, etc.), so that, for example, the code in pre-selected proprietary modules may be kept secure (i.e., remain undecipherable to an unauthorized user/programmer), while the code in other specific modules may be readily re-programmed.
As markets such as contactless payment and supply chain management emerge, wide-scale adoption of RFID remains inhibited as the industry continues to deliver reader technology as monolithic hardwired devices with inaccessible RFID radio control software. Thus the benefits of RFID have been difficult to implement across a wider set of applications. For example, access control readers and animal scanners cannot be integrated into cell phones, DVD players or medical devices. Furthermore, because RFID readers have been delivered as vertically-integrated 'black-box' technology, software developers have not had access to the inner workings of the readers.
Even within retail supply chain, RFID reader requirements vary widely from stationary label printers to handheld devices and from forklifts to dock doors. Indeed there remains a problem in the industry that no standard technology can support the spectrum of reader requirements—from power and frequency control, to host interfaces, to tag protocols and standards, as well as the wide variety of price/performance tradeoffs related to read range and rate, physical size, power consumption and cost.

RFID reader operating system and associated architecture


A Data Storage Device (DSD) includes at least one disk for storing data in a plurality of storage areas including at least a first area type for using a first data access methodology and a second area type for using a second data access methodology. It is determined whether to perform a command in a storage area of the first or second area type. If the command is to be performed in the first area type, the command is prioritized over at least one other command for the second area type. In another aspect, a value is determined representing a number of data access operations within a predetermined time period for a data storage capacity of the DSD. Storage areas of the DSD are configured as one of at least the first area type and the second area type based at least in part on the determined value.

Data Storage Devices (DSDs) are often used to record data onto or to reproduce data from a storage media. One type of storage media includes a rotating magnetic disk, such as in a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). In such DSDs, a head is positioned in relation to a disk to magnetically read and write data in tracks on a surface of the disk.
Although the storage capacity of DSDs including disk media continues to increase, the performance of such DSDs in terms of a number of random input or output operations during a predetermined time period (e.g., Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS)) has not changed significantly. This is primarily due to certain mechanical characteristics of accessing data on a disk that have remained generally the same. Such mechanical characteristics can include, for example, a seek time for moving the head to an area of the disk to be accessed, the rate at which the disk spins, or the distance at which a head is stroked over the disk. As a result, the number of input and output operations performed for a given storage capacity (e.g., IOPS density) has declined as the storage capacities of DSDs has grown.
Although data centers may improve this metric by adding more DSDs with smaller storage capacities for parallel operation, the addition of more DSDs is less cost effective than using a fewer number of DSDs that each have a greater storage capacity. Other approaches such as using a split actuator that can move heads in different directions or using multiple actuators to move different heads independently (e.g., a dual actuator) adds significant cost to such DSDs. Approaches such as limiting the stroke distance of the actuator over the disk (i.e., de-stroking) to increase the number of operations that can be performed in a predetermined period of time waste the storage capacity of the portions of the disk that are not covered by the limited stroke distance. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the performance density of DSDs, without adding a greater number of smaller capacity DSDs, adding cost to the physical design of the DSD, or wasting storage capacity as in de-stroking.

Dynamic performance density tuning for data storage device


A method for decoding a received word, including calculating a syndrome of the received word as a plurality of binary element vectors, generating respective logarithms of the binary element vectors, and determining, in response to the logarithms, an indication of a position of an erroneous bit in the received word.

Contents of memory chips are often corrupted by bit-flips caused by single event upsets. An Error Detection and Correction Code (EDAC code) is commonly used to protect against such errors and preserve the original intended memory content. To implement an EDAC code, a string transmitted to memory is divided into message units which are respectively encoded prior to being put into memory and are then decoded when fetched from memory. The use of EDAC codes is not limited to memory chips. EDAC codes are implemented in many hardware applications wherein the transmitted string risks being corrupted. For example, EDAC codes are implemented to resolve transmission errors found in network communications.
There are several goals in any EDAC implementation:                To maximize effectiveness, as measured by the number of potential errors identified and the number of errors that are corrected automatically;        To maximize speed, equivalent to minimizing a number of processing cycles required;        To minimize other resources required to support the overhead of the EDAC implementation.
Shu Lin and Daniel J. Costello, in Error Control Coding: Fundamentals and Applications (Prentice-Hall, 1983), categorize, describe and validate mathematically several EDAC implementations. EDAC codes that process each message respectively independent of information found in the other messages are referred to as memory-less. Since memory and other applications of EDAC codes are implemented using digital circuits, typical EDAC codes are binary. Typically, the codes are systematic, i.e., a vector (the coded message) produced by the encoding process comprises both an original input vector (the information message) and additional bits (parity-check bits). In the description below, each coded message is assumed to be n bits long, each information message to be k bits long, (k<n), in which case the number of parity-check bits is n−k; the codes are also referred to as (n,k) codes.
For an (n,k) code there are a total of 2k possible information messages, which an encoder transforms into a set of 2k coded messages, each coded message having a length of n bits. The set of 2k coded messages is referred to as a block code. It will be understood that since n>k, not all of the 2n possible bit combinations map to the 2k possible information messages. The subset of the 2n combinations that do map to the 2k possible information messages are referred to as code words. A linear (n,k) code is a specific type of block code, known in the art, for which encoding complexity is low.
Herein, unless otherwise stated, the terms code, linear code, and EDAC code refer to linear systematic binary EDAC codes.
A distance between any two vectors of a code may be defined as the number of bits that differ in the two vectors. A minimum distance (dmin) of a linear block code is defined as the minimum distance between all permutations of two vectors within the code. An EDAC code in which n−k is large will have a greater dmin than will a code in which n−k is small. That is, dmin is a function of the particular code implemented.
The number of erroneous bits that can be automatically corrected by any specific EDAC implementation (herein known as the error-correcting capability) is typically represented by the letter t.
BCH codes (named for their inventors, Bose, Chaudhuri, and Hocquenghem) provide a robust EDAC implementation, wherein the error-correction value t is typically greater than 1. For example, a subclass of BCH codes possesses the following parameters, wherein m≧3 and t<2m−1, m,t both integers:                Block length (n)=2m−1        Number of parity-check bits: n−k≦mt        information bits (k)=2m−m−1        Minimum distance (dmin)≧2t+1
For example, if m=7 and t=2, the coded and information message lengths are 127 and 113 bits respectively, 14 parity-check bits are used, and 2 error bits in the information message can be automatically corrected by the code. Inter alia, BCH codes are cyclic codes and thus possess an inherent algebraic structure.
BCH codes, as well as other EDAC codes, may be encoded using a Generator Matrix, as described below. The mapping of the 2k possible information messages, each of length k, to the 2k code words, each of length n, can be described mathematically as a vector matrix multiplication:
Let u represent an information message; u is a row vector of length k;
Let v represent the code word assigned to u; v is a row vector of length n;
Let G represent a matrix of k rows and n columns; G is known as the Generator Matrix for the (n,k) code and is assumed to be composed from a P matrix and an identity matrix of k rows and k columns (Ik). P is a matrix having k rows and n−k columns, with elements having a value 0 or 1.
The Generator Matrix is defined by the equation:G=[P|Ik]
The code word v is generated by the equation:v=u·G
Implementing vector-matrix multiplication in digital circuits, in which all values are binary, is relatively simple. Each position vi in v is a sum of a set of bit positions within u, so that each vi is given by a linear equation. Since a Modulo-2 addition operation is equivalent to an XOR operation, each of the equations may be implemented by a series of XOR gates activated in parallel. It will be understood that for any given EDAC code, G is a fixed matrix and so the group of equations corresponding to the complete u·G operation can be implemented as circuitry that outputs elements vi as solutions of the equations. Due to the inherent speed of XOR gates, and using parallel processing, the u·G operation can typically be completed using one microprocessor cycle.
Typically, the decoding process of BCH codes uses more processing cycles than the encoding process. Decoding BCH codes comprises three distinct steps, processed respectively for each received vector r:
1. Syndrome calculation
2. Defining the error pattern
3. Correcting the erroneous bits
The first and third steps consume relatively few cycles. As will be explained below, the second step has the largest overhead and, therefore, any processing cycle reduction in this step can significantly increase the overall decoding speed.
Referring to the first step, a syndrome s is a vector of length m·t that indicates whether the received vector r is a code word. If the syndrome comprises only binary 0s, then r is a code word. Any other syndrome value indicates that r is not a code word.
The syndrome is calculated as follows:
A parity-check matrix, H, is derived from G by the equation:H=[In−k|PT]
where pT is the transpose of P.
Let r be a received vector (in the form of a row)
Then, by definition, the syndrome s of r is an (n−k) tuple given bys=r·HT=(s0, s1, s2, . . . , sn−k−1)  (1a)
An equivalent equation for the syndrome when r is in the form of a column is given by:
                    s        =                              H            ·            r                    =                      [                                                                                s                    0                                                                                s                    1                                                                                s                    2                                                                                ⋮                                                                                s                                              n                        -                        k                        -                        1                                                                                ]                                              (                  1                    b                )
For a given G, H is predefined. Since H·r is a vector-matrix multiplication, it can be performed using a technique substantially similar to that described above (for encoding formula v=u·G), i.e., as circuitry outputting elements of s. The circuitry uses a similar number of microprocessor cycles to generate the elements.
In general, matrix H may be written in the following form, using a primitive Galois Field element α:
                    H        =                  [                                                    1                                            α                                                              α                  2                                                                              α                  3                                                            ⋯                                                              α                                      n                    -                    1                                                                                1                                                              (                                      α                    2                                    )                                                                                (                                          α                      2                                        )                                    2                                                                                (                                          α                      2                                        )                                    3                                                            ⋯                                                                                (                                          α                      2                                        )                                                        n                    -                    1                                                                                1                                                              (                                      α                    3                                    )                                                                                (                                          α                      3                                        )                                    2                                                                                (                                          α                      3                                        )                                    3                                                            ⋯                                                                                (                                          α                      3                                        )                                                        n                    -                    1                                                                                ⋮                                                                                ⋮                                                                    1                                                              (                                      α                                          2                                            t                                                        )                                                                                (                                          α                                              2                                                t                                                              )                                    2                                                                                (                                          α                                              2                                                t                                                              )                                    3                                                            ⋯                                                                                (                                          α                                              2                                                t                                                              )                                                        n                    -                    1                                                                                ]                                    (        2        )
wherein the entries in H are elements of a Galois Field GF(2m), expressed in terms of α.
For t-error-correcting BCH codes, every other row of H may be omitted, to give a reduced parity-check matrix H of the form:
                    H        =                  [                                                    1                                            α                                                              α                  2                                                                              α                  3                                                            ⋯                                                              α                                      n                    -                    1                                                                                1                                                              (                                      α                    3                                    )                                                                                (                                          α                      3                                        )                                    2                                                                                (                                          α                      3                                        )                                    3                                                            ⋯                                                                                (                                          α                      3                                        )                                                        n                    -                    1                                                                                1                                                              (                                      α                    5                                    )                                                                                (                                          α                      5                                        )                                    2                                                                                (                                          α                      5                                        )                                    3                                                            ⋯                                                                                (                                          α                      5                                        )                                                        n                    -                    1                                                                                ⋮                                                                                ⋮                                                                    1                                                              (                                      α                                                                  2                                                t                                            -                      1                                                        )                                                                                (                                          α                                                                        2                                                    t                                                -                        1                                                              )                                    2                                                                                (                                          α                                                                        2                                                    t                                                -                        1                                                              )                                    3                                                            ⋯                                                                                (                                          α                                                                        2                                                    t                                                -                        1                                                              )                                                        n                    -                    1                                                                                ]                                    (        3        )
Since each element of H is equivalent to an m-tuple binary element column, the parity-check matrix H in a binary form has mt rows and n columns.
As is known in the art, elements of Galois Fields may be expressed as powers of α, as equivalent sums of powers of α, or as vectors. An example of equivalent representations of elements in GF(23) is shown in Table I.
TABLE IElements of GF(23)As a vectorAs a sumAs a power(0 0 0)0.1 + 0.α + 0.α2Undefined(1 0 0)1.1 + 0.α + 0.α2α0(0 1 0)0.1 + 1.α + 0.α2α1(0 0 1)0.1 + 0.α + 1.α2α2(1 1 0)1.1 + 1.α + 0.α2α3(1 1 1)1.1 + 1.α + 1.α2α4(1 0 1)1.1 + 0.α + 1.α2α5
After calculating the syndrome, the second step of BCH decoding uses the syndrome (the output of step 1) to locate and correct the erroneous bits. Processes known in the art for performing this step typically use a large number of processing cycles to determine coefficients of an error location polynomial σ from the syndrome components. The third step then finds the roots of σ, which give error positions in received vector r.
An alternative faster method, also known in the art, is to pre-define a look-up table, in which bit values of 1 in each row of the table give locations of erroneous bits.
The table used in this method has dimensions of 2mt rows by mt columns. The syndrome is assumed to be a single binary number, of length mt, which indexes the table, and each indexed row shows the error bits (as 1s) for the syndrome. Thus, for a (127, 113) code, the syndrome is 14 bits long, and the table is 214 rows by 14 columns. The table content for each row pointed to by the syndrome includes two pointers to two possible erroneous bits. Thus, the table size grows exponentially with mt and the memory resources needed for the table become prohibitive in typical microprocessor implementations.

Efficient method for fast decoding of BCH binary codes