A frequency deviation measuring device is used in fields of digital mobile communication systems to measure frequency deviations with respect to .pi./4 QPSK modulation signals in accordance with the phase locus method. A center frequency is detected on the basis of a spectrum distribution measured with respect to a testing signal which corresponds to a digital modulation signal. A non-modulation signal is generated based on the center frequency detected from the testing signal. Quasi-synchronization wave detection is performed on the testing signal and non-modulation signal to produce an IQ base band signal. A first frequency deviation is detected based on the IQ base band signal in accordance with the phase locus method. A second frequency deviation is detected based on a difference between the center frequency and a testing frequency set value. The first and second frequency deviations are added together to provide a measured value of a frequency deviation between the testing signal and testing frequency set value. Because the quasi-synchronization wave detection is performed using the non-modulation signal based on the center frequency which is detected based on the spectrum distribution of the testing signal, it is possible to increase a range of measurement for the frequency deviation up to 1/5 or more of the symbol rate.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to frequency deviation measuring devices which measure frequency deviations with respect to carrier frequencies of digital modulation signals.
2. Prior Art
The frequency deviation measuring devices are used for frequency measuring devices to perform measurement on carrier frequencies of digital modulation signals. Specifically, the frequency deviation measuring devices use the phase locus method to measure frequency deviations of QPSK modulation signals of .pi./4 shift.
It is well known that the .pi./4 QPSK modulation method is employed in fields of digital mobile communication systems such as digital automobile phone systems, second-generation cordless phone systems. In those systems, great errors should occur if a frequency counter is used to measure a frequency. For this reason, the conventional systems employ the frequency deviation measuring method using the phase locus method.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a frequency deviation measuring device utilizing the conventional frequency deviation measuring method.
In FIG. 5, a signal generator 11 inputs a testing frequency set value ft to generate a reference signal S11. Herein, the reference signal S11 coherently corresponds to the set value ft. A quasi-synchronization wave detector 12 performs synchronous wave detection on a testing signal Sin to produce an IQ base band signal S12. Herein, the testing signal Sin is subjected to .pi./4 shift QPSK modulation based on the reference signal S11 generated by the signal generator 11. A frequency deviation detector 13 effects the phase locus method on the IQ base band signal S12, produced by the quasi-synchronization wave detector 12, to detect a frequency deviation S13 which is measured on the basis of the testing frequency set value ft.
Next, the content of the phase locus method will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
As shown in FIG. 6, the .pi./4 shift QPSK modulation method determines 4 series of values (or coordinates)(i.e., 00, 01, 11, 10) based on a phase variation regarding a certain start point `0` so as to contribute to data transmission.
FIG. 7 shows the content of the phase locus method on the basis of the assumption that a movement occurs from the start point 0 to a point of coordinates (00), for example. Herein, the movement brings an actual point `A` other than an ideal point `B`. So, a phase deviation .DELTA..theta. is detected between the actual point A and the ideal point B. Thus, the phase locus method converts the phase deviation .DELTA..theta. to a frequency deviation.
In the conventional frequency deviation measuring device described above, however, a range of measurement should be limited to frequencies approximately corresponding to 1/10 of a symbol rate. This is because if a frequency error is great, an error may occur in a decision of a symbol so that an accurate frequency deviation cannot be obtained.
For example, a transmission of a symbol of `01` requires an amount of phase shift of 135.degree.. If a frequency error of `+4` kHz is added to the above amount of phase shift, in a system having a transmission speed of 21 kHz symbol/s, an amount of phase shift of 68.degree. should be added, so that the measuring device will obtain a total amount of phase shift of 203.degree..
As described above, the transmission of the symbol of `01` has an ideal amount of phase shift of 135.degree., whilst a transmission of a symbol of `11` has an ideal amount of phase shift of 225.degree.. So, the aforementioned total amount of phase shift is close to the ideal amount of phase shift provided for the transmission of the symbol of `11`, rather than the ideal amount of phase shift provided for the transmission of the symbol of `01`. As a result, the measuring device mistakenly detects that the transmission of the symbol of `11` is made on the basis of the total amount of phase shift which should correspond to the transmission of the symbol of `01`.
When measuring a frequency error with respect to a symbol point `11` by using the phase locus method, the device performs a calculation to subtract an ideal amount of phase shift from an actual amount of phase shift for `11`, as follows: EQU 203.degree.-225.degree.=-220.degree.
That is, the device calculates a frequency error of -1.3 kHz. This causes a difference against the testing signal Sin which is actually shifted by `+4` kHz.
The basic standards (RCR STD-27) for the digital automobile phone systems allow frequency deviations of approximately `.+-.3` kHz with respect to a symbol rate of 21 kHz symbol/s. So, the standards allow the measuring devices to have ranges of measurement of `.+-.4` kHz or more, i.e., ranges of measurement corresponding to 1/5 or more of the symbol rate.


A light guide plate includes having a block body includes a bottom surface, a light emitting surface on an opposite side of the light guide plate to the bottom surface, at least three spaced light incident surfaces, and at least three fresnel lens portions provided on the respective at least three light incident surfaces of the block body. A backlight module with the light guide plate and at least three light sources is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical elements and light source devices and, more particularly, to a light guide plate and a backlight module using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
At present, colorful display devices are popular with cell phones and personal digital products. Various colorful display devices have been developed. Passive display devices, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) devices adopting thin film transistors (known as "TFT-LCD"), become a main aspect of the display market. However, with development of technology, active display devices, such as organic light emitting diode (OLED) display devices have started to reach the display market. Performance of LCD devices, such as color saturation and brightness, etc. therefore needs to be enhanced.
As a passive device, a typical LCD device generally includes a backlight module to illuminate the LCD device. The backlight module is used to convert linear light sources such as cold cathode ray tubes, or point light sources such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), into area light sources having high uniformity and brightness.
If LEDs are introduced as point light sources to the backlight module, the LED is generally only a white LED or a single-color LED. However, this does not meet the requirement for colorful light sources for improving the LCD device.
What is needed, therefore, is a light guide plate and a backlight module for providing better color saturation and brightness.

Light guide plate and backlight module using same


The present invention provides a conductive material having superior bending property and superior bending resistant property and a method for manufacturing the same. This object is achieved by a conductive material comprising a substrate and a conductive portion formed within the substrate, wherein a change ratio in the electric resistance values before and after a bending resistant property test, in which the conductive portion is bent by 180 degrees and a load of 1 kg/cm2 is imposed on the bent portion for one hour, is set within a range of ±10%.

Recently, radio frequency identification tags (hereinafter, may be referred to simply as "RFID tag") and systems using such tags have been intensively studied and developed. The RFID tag has been expected to be used in various systems. For example, the application of such a tag to a security system that carries out an authentication process for people to come in or go out has been proposed. In this case, the authentication process is carried out by confirming the presence or absence of the RFID tag through radio data transmission.
Since the RFID tag of this type requires an antenna element, there have been demands for a technique for forming an antenna element in various substrates. For example, WO 99/67754 and WO 00/16286 have disclosed devices using the RFID tag of this type and methods relating to the devices, in which an antenna element is formed on a substrate. For example, WO 99/67754 discloses a method in which a conductor is joined to a substrate to form an antenna element. Moreover, WO 00/16286 discloses a method in which a conductor is formed on a substrate to form an antenna element, with the adhesion between the antenna element and the substrate being enhanced by using an adhesive and the like.
However, the conductors (antenna element) formed on substrates, disclosed in WO 99/67754 and WO 00/16286, have an inferior bending property. Thus, the conductors have some problems such that the conductor is disconnected, when the conductive portion is bent by 180 degrees, or when the bending process is repeated several times.
With respect to a conductor material having a good bending property, for example, conductive polymers and shape-memory alloys are proposed. For example, WO 01/59880A1 has disclosed a conductive polymer. It has been proposed that an antenna element is formed by using such a conductive polymer as a conductive material. Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 7-147508 has disclosed a shape-memory alloy and proposed that an antenna element can be formed by using the shape-memory alloy as the conductive material in a manner similar to the conductive polymer. However, even if the conductive polymer or the shape-memory alloy having a bending property is used, it is not possible to obtain sufficient durability to bending by 180 degrees, at present. Moreover, the shape-memory alloys used also have a problem of high costs.

Conductive material and manufacturing method thereof


In one embodiment, a therapeutic composition containing a pentavalent antimonial is provided. The pentavalent antimonial can be sodium stibogluconate, levamisole, ketoconazole, and pentamidine and biological equivalents of said compounds. Additionally, pentavalent antimonials that can be used in accordance with the present invention may be any such compounds which are anti-leishmaniasis agents. The therapeutic composition of this embodiment contains an effective amount of pentavalent antimonial that can be used in treating infectious diseases. The types of diseases that can be treated with the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following: diseases associated with PTPase activity, immune deficiency, cancer, infections (such as viral infections), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. The types of cancers that the present embodiment can be used to treat include those such as lymphoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, melanoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, renal cancer, bladder cancer. The therapeutic composition enhances cytokine activity. The therapeutic composition may include a cytokine, such as interferon α, interferon β, interferon γ, or granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor.

Intercellular protein tyrosine phosphorylation is regulated by extracellular stimuli, such as cytokines, to control cell growth, differentiation and functional activities. This signaling mechanism depends on the interplay of protein tyrosine kinases, which initiate signaling cascades through phosphorylating tyrosine residues in protein substrates, and by protein tyrosine phosphatases that terminate signaling via substrate dephosphorylation. Chemical compounds that modulate the activity of protein tyrosine kinases or phosphatases can induce cellular changes through affecting the balance of intracellular protein tyrosine phosphorylation and redirecting signaling. Such compounds can be of value as experimental tools and, importantly, as potent therapeutic reagents.
So far, few specific inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatases have been reported despite extensive efforts in the last decade to identify them. Although a number of chemicals that broadly inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatases are known, including sodium orthovanadate and iodoacetic acid, their usefulness as therapeutic agents is severely limited due to their general toxicity in vivo. Recently, it has been reported that Suramin, a polysulfonated naphthylurea compound, can act in vitro as a competitive and reversible inhibitor of several protein tyrosine phosphatases. Such an inhibitory activity of Suramin against protein tyrosine phosphatases is consistent with its activity in augmenting tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins and may explain its antitumor activity and its therapeutic effect in treating trypanosomiasis and onchocerciasis.

Therapeutic compositions and methods useful in modulating protein tyrosine phosphatases


A bacterial cell containing a functional cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system, said cell comprising a genetic construct capable of expressing a cytochrome P450 and a genetic construct capable of expressing, separately from said cytochrome P450, a cytochrome P450 reductase wherein the N-terminus of the cytochrome P450 and the N-terminus of the cytochrome P450 reductase are each adapted to allow functional coupling of said cytochrome P450 and said cytochrome P450 reductase within said cell. A bacterial cell containing a cytochrome P450 comprising a genetic construct encoding, and capable of expressing, said cytochrome P450 wherein the cytochrome P450 comprises an N-terminal portion which directs the cytochrome P450 to a cellular compartment of membrane of the bacterial cell. The bacterial cells are useful as, for example, bioreactors, in drug testing and mutagenicity testing and as a source of cytochrome P450.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) form a superfamily of haemoproteins which catalyse the metabolism of a wide range of compounds. They catalyse the oxidation of lipophilic chemicals through the insertion of one atom of molecular oxygen into the substrate (Porter & Coon (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 13469-13472). Mammalian P450s catalyse the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds, including steroids, therapeutic drugs and carcinogens (Guengerich (1987) in "Enzymology of rat liver cytochromes P450", ed. Guengerich, F. P., CRC Press, Boca Raton Fla., Vol. 1, pp 1-54; Guengerich & Shimada (1991) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 4, 391-407; Gonzalez (1992) Trends in Pharmacol. Sci. 12, 346-352). The different mammalian P450s exhibit a unique but overlapping substrate specificity and display a high regio- and stereoselectivity (Crespi et al (1993) Toxicology 82, 89-104). Based on their major functions, mammalian P450s can be subdivided into two major classes: those involved primarily in the metabolism of steroids and bile acids, and those which mainly metabolise xenobiotics. The xenobiotic-metabolising P450s are typically located in the endoplasmic reticulum of certain mammalian cells such as liver cells and are termed microsomal P450s.
The compounds metabolised by the latter group of P450s include therapeutic drugs such as cyclosporin, nifedipine and debrisoquine as well as carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines and arylamines. To be catalytically active, microsomal P450s require a supply of electrons which are shuttled from NADPH via the FMN and FAD prosthetic groups of NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (P450 reductase; EC 188.8.131.52) (Smith et al (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 8710-8714).
Comparison of the primary structures of P450s indicates that they are structurally related to each other and are most likely derived from a common ancestor. Based on their primary structure the P450s are classified into families such as CYP1, CYP2 etc (Nelson et al (1996) Pharmacogenetics 6, 1-42).
Because of the importance of mammalian P450s in the metabolism of therapeutic compounds and carcinogens, attempts have been made to express mammalian P450s in heterologous systems. For example, mammalian cells have been used to express P450s heterologously as described by Doehmer et al (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 5769-5773; Aoyama et al (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 4790-4793; and Crespi et al (1991) Carcinogenesis 12, 355-359.
Yeast cells have also been used for the heterologous expression of cytochrome P450, for example by Renaud et al (1993) Toxicology 82, 39-52 and Bligh et al (1992) Gene 110, 33-39.
More recently mammalian P450s have been expressed in Escherichia coli.
Gillam et al (1993) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 305, 123-131 describes the expression of modified human cytochrome P450 3A4 in E. coli and purification and reconstitution of the enzyme.
Barnes et al (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 5597-5601 describes the expression and enzymatic activity of recombinant cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase in E. coli.
Larson et al (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7321-7324 describes that expression of cytochrome P450 IIE1 lacking the hydrophobic NH2-terminal segment retains catalytic activity.
Shimada et al (1994) Carcinogenesis 15, 2523-2529 describes the activation of procarcinogens by human cytochrome P450 enzymes expressed in E. coli.
Shet et al (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 11748-11752 describes the enzymatic properties of a purified recombinant fusion protein containing NADPH-P450 reductase.
Shet et al (1995) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 318, 314-321 describes some properties of a recombinant fusion protein containing the haem domain of human P450 3A4 and the flavin domains of rat cytochrome P450 reductase.
Jenkins & Waterman (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 27401-27408 describes that flavodoxin and NADPH-flavodoxin reductase from E. coli support bovine cytochrome P450 c17 hydroxylase activities.
Fisher et al (1992) FASEB J. 6, 759-764 describes the expression of human cytochrome P450 1A2 in E. coli.
Fisher et al (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 10817-10821 describes the expression in E. coli of fusion proteins containing the domains of mammalian cytochromes P450 and NADPH-P450 reductase flavoprotein.
Chun & Chiang (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 19186-19191 describes the expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase cytochrome P450 in E. coli.
Richardson et al (1995) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 323, 87-96 describes the expression of human and rabbit cytochrome P450s of the 2C subfamily in E. coli.
Gillam et al (1995) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 319, 540-550 describes the expression of cytochrome P450 2D6 in E. coli.
Dong & Porter (1996) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 327, 254-259 describes a study in which P450 reductase containing an N-terminal fusion to an ompA signal peptide is co-expressed in E. coli with human P450 2E1 in which the second codon of the P450 (serine) is replaced with an alanine; no other changes to the P450 were made. In vivo activity with whole cells could not be demonstrated.
WO 94/01568 describes the expression of P45017α-hydroxylase in E. coli and also its fusion to a P450 reductase enzyme domain and expression of the fusion protein in E. coli. P450 enzyme hybrids, incorporating the N-terminal nine amino acids from bovine P45017α-hydroxylase are also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,831 describes expression of P45017α-hydroxylase in E. coli in a biologically active form without the need for co-expression or admixture of a cytochrome P450 reductase.
Gillam et al (1995) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 317, 374-384 describes the expression of cytochrome P450 3A5 in E. coli.
Gillam et al (1994) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 312, 59-66, describes the expression of modified human cytochrome P450 2E1 in E. coli.
Shet et al (1994) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 311, 402-417 describes a recombinant fusion protein expressed in E. coli containing the domains of bovine P450 17A and rat NADPH-P450 reductase.
Josephy et al (1995) Cancer Res. 55, 799-802 describes the bioactivation of aromatic amines by recombinant human cytochrome P450 1A2 expressed in Salmonella typhimurium.
Despite the extensive efforts to express an effective eukaryotic, particularly mammalian, P450 monooxygenase enzyme system in bacteria to date no system which is capable of metabolising compounds in whole cells has been devised. This is particularly the case for xenobiotic-metabolising P450s which require a P450 reductase for enzymatic activity. More particularly, no bacterial cell system has previously been devised which allows cytochrome P450 and cytochrome P450 reductase to form a functional cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system when expressed separately in the same bacterial cell. Similarly, despite considerable efforts to produce bacteria which express a high level of a eukaryotic xenobiotic-metabolising P450, no satisfactory system has so far been devised.
One object of the invention is to provide superior systems for expressing P450s in a functional form in intact bacterial cells.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved system for expressing P450s whether or not with P450 reductase.
Bacterial systems which express a functional P450 enzyme system in whole cells are useful as "bioreactors" or they may find uses in drug-testing or carcinogen-testing systems or as biosensors or in environmental remediation or in the production of hormones and so on. The expression of eukaryotic P450s at high levels in bacteria provides a source of P450 for structural studies.

Expression of functional cytochorome P450 monooxygenase system in enterobacteria


Embodiments of provide an integrated circuit (IC) device. The IC device can include a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, an IC die electrically coupled to the first surface of the substrate, a plurality of contact members coupled to the first surface of the substrate, and an interposer. The interposer can include a plurality of contact elements located on a first surface thereof, each conductive element being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of contact members, and an antenna formed using a conductive layer of the interposer, the antenna being electrically coupled to the IC die through at least one of the plurality of contact elements and at least one of the plurality of contact members.

The semiconductor industry has experienced a rapid growth in the area of integrated circuits (ICs). Advancements in microelectronics related to wireless communication devices have been a driving force behind the need to improve performance and reduce the cost of IC packaging. The semiconductor industry has employed several strategies to meet the rapidly growing demands for improved IC packaging. One approach has been to provide an IC package in a die up configuration, such as overmolded plastic pad array carriers (OMPAC). OMPACs have been used for decades to provide a low cost solution for IC packages that require high interconnect density. However, on-chip wireless communication elements often cannot be implemented in OMPACs.
In recent years, another approach has included the use of a die down IC package configuration that includes an antenna attached to the top surface of a substrate. This die down IC package configuration, however has higher design cost and added complexity. Additionally, OMPACs and other device packages suffer from poor thermal dissipation and poor electromagnetic radiation protection. Performance can be compromised because ideal design requirements for wireless communication elements and IC dies are often at odds.
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Interposer package structure for wireless communication element, thermal enhancement, and EMI shielding


The invention provides for peptides from syndecan 4 and methods of use therefor. These peptides can inhibit α6β4 integrin interaction with EGFR, thereby preventing tumor cell growth and tissue invasion.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to regulation of cell growth, and more particularly to regulation of cancer cell growth. In particular, peptides and polypeptides derived from particular regions of the syndecan 4 molecule has been shown to inhibit engagement of α6β4 integrin by EGFR, thereby limiting tissue invasion and tumor cell growth and/or survival.
2. Related Art
It is well established that the EGFR family of receptor tyrosine kinases, in particular EGFR and HER2, have major roles in human cancer (Hynes and Lane, 2005; Hynes and MacDonald, 2009; Scaltriti and Baselga, 2006), notably breast cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and lung cancer for EGFR. EGFR is a causal agent in triple negative (ER-, PR-, HER2-) breast cancer (also classified as "basaloid"), which comprises 15-25% of breast cancers (Herschkowitz et al., 2007; Livasy et al., 2006; Perou et al., 2000; Teng et al., 2011). The triple negative (TN) tumors are especially malignant, often strike younger women (especially African-Americans) and are resistant to tamoxifen therapy (Livasy et al., 2006; Diaz et al., 2005; Haupt et al., 2010; Lu et al., 2008; Carvalho et al., 2010; Friedrichs et al., 1995), the common mode of treatment for most women. These women usually present as node-positive at first diagnosis and often die of metastatic disease (Dent et al., 2007; Haffty et al., 2006). EGFR has also long been recognized to play a central role in progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (H&N), in which it is overexpressed in over 80% of the tumors, and the negative response of H&N patients to therapy (Chang and Califano, 2008; Perez-Ordonez et al., 2006). It is commonly hyperactivated by overexpression of its ligands (e.g., EGF, TGFα), by activating EGFR mutations, and by its overexpression (Chung et al., 2004; Grandis et al., 1997, Cassell and Grandis, 2010. Furthermore, γ-irradiation, the treatment of choice for many tumors, leads to EGFR activation by a variety of mechanisms (Zimmerman et al., 2006)—including increased EGFR expression (Schmidt-Ullrich et al., 1994), inhibition of phosphatases that would otherwise maintain receptor quiescence, and promoting the shedding (e.g., activation) of the membrane-anchored pro-forms of EGFR ligands (Dent et al., 1999)—leading to significantly poorer 5-yr survival rates in patients with EGFR-positive tumors.
The α6β4 integrin and its ligand LN332 are upregulated in breast and squamous cell carcinomas, and are linked to invasion, metastasis and recurrent disease (Choi and Chen, 2005; Ginos et al., 2004; Patarroyo et al., 2002; Wilhelmsen et al., 2006). Identified as the TSP-180 antigen in mouse tumors (Falcioni et al., 1986), or the A9 antigen in humans (Van Waes et al., 1991; Kimmel and Carey, 1986), high expression of this antigen predicts a higher rate of early relapse in H&N cancer patients (Wolf et al., 1990; Carey et al., 1987). In more recent studies exploring its tumor-promoting role using animal models, keratinocytes that lack expression of the β4 integrin subunit fail to form invasive squamous cell carcinomas when transformed with ras and IκB, unlike their normal counterparts that express the integrin (Dajee et al., 2003; Tran et al., 2008). Despite this seeming importance of the integrin in squamous cell carcinoma, there currently are no therapeutics available to target its tumor-promoting activities.
A number of labs have investigated the potential role of syndecans in α6β4-mediated cell migration and tumorigenesis. But these studies have focused largely on syndecans acting as co-receptors with the α6β4 integrin in laminin binding rather than a role in directly regulating α6β4 activation. The phosphorylated and "activated" α6β4 integrin redistributes to the leading edges of invading keratinocytes or tumors; these leading edges overexpress the "unprocessed" form of LN332 that retains the LG4,5 heparin-binding region that engages syndecans (Amano et al., 2000; Marinkovich et al., 1992; Matsui et al., 1995; Goldfinger et al., 1999; Goldfinger et al., 1998). Interestingly, recent work from Rouselle's group shows that Sdc1 and Sdc4 bind differently to the LG4,5 domain and speculates that this may account for somewhat different cell behaviors mediated by these two syndecans (Carulli et al., 2012). Other work shows that expression of LG4,5 supports tumorigenesis in an animal model of squamous cell carcinoma, again suggesting a potential role for syndecans in tumorigenesis (Tran et al., 2008), although it is admittedly indirect.
Although not widely appreciated, the α6β4 integrin is also expressed on vascular endothelial cells in vivo, where its function in hemidesmosomes allows the endothelium to resist frictional forces as it does on stratified epithelia. Giancotti has shown a clear role for α6β4 integrin in tumor angiogenesis and that α6β4 is expressed in the vasculature of several tumor types (prostate, breast, glioma, papillary thyroid, melanoma) (Nikolopoulos et al., 2004). Although not studied extensively, it clear that endothelial cells express EGFR family members (Amin et al., 2006) and that tumor endothelial cells upregulate the expression of EGFR in particular (Amin et al., 2006; Bohling et al., 1996; Bruns et al., 2000; Kedar et al., 2002; Huang et al., 2002). Despite this seeming importance of the integrin in squamous cell carcinoma and tumor-induced angiogenesis, there currently are no therapeutics available to target its tumor-promoting activities.
Work from a variety of laboratories has shown a linkage between the α6β4 integrin and EGFR in breast and other cancers (Lu et al., 2008; Folgiero et al., 2008). This integrin in normal cells assembles with laminin in the basement membrane underlying basal epithelial cells as well as endothelial cells lining blood vessels, forming stable hemidesmosomes in which the long (ca. 1000 amino acid) cytoplasmic domain of the β4 subunit anchors to the keratin filament network in the cytoplasm of the cell (Wilhelmsen et al., 2006; Hopkinson and Jones, 2000; Nievers et al., 1999). In contrast to this "stabilizing" role, however, the integrin takes part in the invasion, proliferation and survival of tumors that overexpress the receptor tyrosine kinases HER2, EGFR, or c-Met—leading to the assembly of these kinases with the integrin (Wilhelmsen et al., 2006; Agazie and Hayman, 2003; Mainiero et al., 1996; Mariotti et al., 2001; Bertotti et al., 2005; Bertotti et al., 2006; Bon et al., 2007; Falcioni et al., 1997; Gambaletta et al., 2000; Santoro et al., 2003; Trusolino et al., 2001; Tsuruta et al., 2008; Giancotti, 2007). There is evidence for this in TN breast tumors, especially, as α6β4 integrin and EGFR overexpression are causally linked in this disease and lead to poor prognosis (Lu et al., 2008). When coupled with the integrin, signaling from these kinases disrupts the hemidesmosome (Rabinovitz et al., 2004; Wilhelmsen et al., 2007) and leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of the β4 cytoplasmic domain, providing docking sites for signaling effectors that drive tumor cell proliferation, invasion and survival (Wilhelmsen et al., 2006; Mariotti et al., 2001; Bertotti et al., 2006; Wilhelmsen et al., 2007; Mainiero et al., 1997; Shaw et al., 1997; Guo et al., 2006; Merdek et al., 2007; Dutta and Shaw, 2008; Datta et al., 1999; Dans et al., 2001; Shaw, 2001; Yang et al., 2010). The distal third of the β4 tail containing these phosphorylation sites has thus been termed the β4 "signaling domain" (Guo et al., 2006) (FIG. 1). In studies using the MMTV-Neu mouse model of HER2+ breast cancer, replacement of native β4 with a β4 mutant (β1355T) lacking this signaling domain acts as a suppressor of breast cancer (Guo et al., 2006), suggesting that the wild type β4 receptor normally couples with HER2 to drive tumorigenesis of HER2+ breast cancer as well. Work utilizing a number of mammary carcinoma cell lines, focusing mostly on HER2+ cells, also shows that HER2/α6β4 signaling is critical for invasion and survival of these tumors (Falcioni et al., 1997; Gambaletta et al., 2000; Guo et al., 2006). Complementing their expression in the tumors, HER2 and EGFR are also expressed in endothelial cells, especially those induced by tumors (Amin et al., 2006; Bruns et al., 2000; Kedar et al., 2002), and couple with the α6β4 integrin during tumor-induced angiogenesis (Nikolopoulos et al., 2004).

Syndecan peptides and polypeptides as inhibitors of cancer


A protective cap for a bicycle control cable of the type having an inner cable which moves within a cable housing includes a first section sized to fit over the cable housing, and a second section sized for sealingly fitting over the inner cable. The second section is formed from a flexible material so that the second section can sealingly follow any bend in the inner cable.

The present invention is directed to an apparatus for preventing contamination of a bicycle control cable and, more specifically, to a protective cap system for preventing deterioration of the cable as a result of the penetration of foreign matter.
Bicycle front and rear brakes and derailleurs are operated by control cables connected to shift lever units or brake levers located on the handle bars. The control cables comprise an inner cable that is slidingly disposed within an outer casing. The inner cable is made by twisting several steel wires together. The outer casing is ordinarily constructed of a synthetic resin cable liner, a band steel strip that is spirally wound around the cable liner, and a synthetic resin jacket that is used to cover the outer circumference of the band steel strip.
The outer casing usually terminates at a position between the shifting lever unit or brake lever and the rear or front derailleur, thus leaving the inner cable exposed.
Unfortunately, foreign objects such as mud, dust, etc., penetrate from the exposed end of the cable, thus increasing the slide resistance between the inner cable and cable liner. As a result, the brakes or shift mechanism, etc., becomes more difficult to operate. Furthermore, foreign objects such as clay and sand in mud act as grinding materials, causing the cable liner and inner cable to wear more quickly. Contamination of the gap between the inner cable and the outer casing thus should be avoided wherever possible.
FIG. 1 shows a known protective cap 10 having a rigid first section 12 which fits over the free end of an outer casing 14 of a control cable 18. Cap 10 also has a rigid second section 22 with an inner diameter slightly larger than an outer diameter of an inner cable 26. Unfortunately, cap 10 still has a gap 30 between the inner surface of second section 22 and the outer surface of inner cable 26, and gap 30 widens when the inner cable 26 flexes in the radial direction shown in the figure. The widened gap increases the chance that contaminants will enter the control cable.
FIG. 2 shows another known protective cap 40 which fits over the free end of outer casing 14 of control cable 18. Protective cap 40 includes a generally toroidally shaped resilient seal 48 extending radially inwardly from a rigid peripheral wall 44. While this structure is ordinarily satisfactory when the inner cable extends straight from outer casing 14, a gap 50 forms when inner cable 26 flexes in the radial direction, since the position of seal 48 is fixed by the rigid wall 44. Gap 50 allows contaminants to enter the control cable.


A semiconductor device having a trench isolation region including an anti-oxidative liner formed to be thin enough to minimize etch wastage caused by a wet etching solution according to a wet loading effect, and a trench isolation method of forming the same. The semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate and a trench isolation region formed in the silicon substrate. A silicon epitaxial growth layer contacts the silicon substrate at a bottom surface of the trench isolation region and fills the lower half of the trench isolation region. A first oxide layer has an L-shaped cross-section and extends from a sidewall of the trench isolation region to a portion of the bottom surface of the trench isolation region. An anti-oxidative liner has an L-shaped cross-section, and extends between the first oxide layer and the silicon epitaxial growth layer, with its inner surface contacting the silicon epitaxial growth layer. A second oxide layer fills the upper half of the trench isolation region on the silicon epitaxial growth layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device having a trench isolation structure and a method of forming the trench isolation structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the integration of semiconductor devices has increased and feature size has decreased, trench isolation regions have been reduced accordingly. Also, the portable devices that are in widespread use today generally require a low voltage power supply for operation. Therefore, this trend toward high density and low consumptive power characteristics requires continued improvement in semiconductor device fabrication methods.
Trench isolation, which is one of the initial steps in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, affects the size of active areas and process margins in subsequent processes. Trench isolation methods are the most common isolation method for highly integrated semiconductor devices.
In one conventional trench isolation method, a trench is formed by etching a silicon substrate and then filling it with a dielectric material using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Next, an isolating layer is formed in the trench by planarizing the filled structure using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) method.
However, when the density of an isolation area increases, the aspect ratio of the trench increases and it becomes more difficult to fill the trench with the dielectric material using the CVD method without the occurrence of voids.
Moreover, in this conventional method, after the isolation area is formed, the silicon substrate is excessively stressed by subsequent high temperature thermal treatment and oxidation processes. As a result, silicon lattice defects such as dislocation occur, and an active area near the corner of the trench which defines the isolation area is oxidized.
Accordingly, to prevent the above problems, another technique has been utilized. According to this technique, before a dielectric material is filled in a trench, a thin oxide layer is formed on the inner wall of the trench. Next, a silicon nitride liner is formed on the oxide layer to a thickness of about 100xcx9c700 xc3x85 (angstroms). This prevents the silicon substrate from being excessively stressed by subsequent high thermal treatment and oxidation processes. In this case, the stress to a silicon substrate is relieved by forming a silicon nitride liner in a trench, and an active area in the silicon substrate is prevented from being oxidized near the corner of the trench.
The remaining space in the trench, which is lined with the silicon nitride liner, is fully filled with a dielectric material. Then a general wet etching process is performed using phosphoric acid to remove a silicon nitride layer which was used as an etching mask when the trench was formed. However, if the silicon nitride liner has a thickness of 100 xc3x85, it is etched along with the silicon nitride layer during the wet etching process. As a result, dents form between the isolation area and the active area. The dents in the substrate can cause certain problems, such as a double turn-on phenomenon in a transistor, i.e., a hump phenomenon. In addition, there may be a decrease in the threshold voltage in those semiconductor devices manufactured using a substrate having dents. Also, a polysilicon residue used as a gate electrode material may create a bridge between adjacent gate electrodes, thereby deteriorating the electrical properties of a semiconductor device.
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device with a trench isolation region having a large aspect ratio without voids, and a substrate that is dent-free between an isolation area and an active area.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a trench isolation method capable of filling a trench having a large aspect ratio with a dielectric material, by which method voids are not formed inside a trench isolation region, dents are not formed between an isolation area and an active area, a silicon substrate is effectively prevented from being excessively stressed, and the active area is effectively prevented from being oxidized near the corner of the trench.
Accordingly, to achieve the above first object, there is provided a semiconductor device including a silicon substrate and a trench isolation region having a bottom surface and sidewalls, and being formed in the silicon substrate to isolate adjacent two active areas. A silicon epitaxial growth layer contacts the silicon substrate at the bottom surface of the trench isolation region and fills the lower half of the trench isolation region. A first oxide layer has an L-shaped cross-section. and extends from the sidewall of the trench isolation region to a portion of the bottom surface of the trench isolation region. An anti-oxidative liner has an L-shaped cross-section and extends between the first oxide layer and the silicon epitaxial growth layer. The surface of the anti-oxidative line contacts the silicon epitaxial growth layer. A second oxide layer fills the upper half of the trench isolation region on the silicon epitaxial growth layer. The silicon substrate has a crystal orientation of [100]. The first oxide layer is formed of thermal oxide and the anti-oxidative liner has a thickness of 50xcx9c70 xc3x85. The anti-oxidative liner is formed of silicon nitride (Si3N4), boron nitride (BN), or alumina (Al2O3). The semiconductor device may further include an oxide liner interposed between the anti-oxidative liner and the second oxide layer.
To achieve the second object, there is provided a trench isolation method. In the trench isolation method, a trench is formed to a predetermined depth in a silicon substrate. A first oxide layer is formed on a bottom surface and sidewalls of the trench. An anti-oxidative liner is formed on the first oxide layer. The semiconductor substrate is exposed at the bottom surface of the trench by partially removing the anti-oxidative liner and the first oxide layer. A silicon epitaxial growth layer, partially filling the inside of the trench defined by the antioxidative liner, is formed by selectively epitaxially growing silicon from the exposed silicon substrate. A second oxide layer is formed on the silicon epitaxial growth layer to fully fill the trench.
Exposing the semiconductor substrate at the bottom surface of the trench includes: forming a protective oxide layer on the entire surface of the resultant structure having the anti-oxidative liner; etching back the protective oxide layer to form a protective spacer covering the anti-oxidative liner extended along the sidewalls of the trench and to expose the silicon substrate at the bottom surface of the trench; and removing the protective spacer. The protective spacer is removed by a wet etching method or a dry etching method. After exposing the semiconductor substrate at the bottom surface of the trench, a sacrificial oxide layer is formed on the exposed silicon substrate and the sacrificial oxide layer is removed. The silicon epitaxial growth layer is formed on the silicon substrate from which the sacrificial oxide layer is removed. After forming the silicon epitaxial growth layer, an oxide liner is formed on the exposed surface of the anti-oxidative liner, and the second oxide layer is formed on the oxide liner.
According to the present invention, the aspect ratio of the inside of the trench to be filled decreases in a deposition process for filling the trench and thus voids are not formed inside the trench. Also, an anti-oxidative liner is formed in the trench isolation region of the semiconductor device. The anti-oxidative liner is thin enough to minimize etch wastage caused by a subsequent wet etching solution, and thus it can efficiently prevent a silicon substrate from being excessively stressed and an active area from being oxidized near the corner of the trench. Further, no dents are formed between the isolation area and the active area, thereby improving the electrical properties of the semiconductor devices.

Semiconductor device having trench isolation structure and method of forming same


A sweet dough dry mix is provided which incorporates highly viscous carboxymethyl cellulose in combination with hard wheat flour. When used to make up a sweet dough, the resulting dough exhibits enhanced handling when compared with similar formulations which do not incorporate the combination. Also provided are products baked from the sweet dough. These products have noticeably enhanced height and structured evenness, and they better retard staling when compared with other doughs omitting the carboxymethyl cellulose.

This invention generally relates to sweet dough mixes, especially so-called Danish-type sweet dough mixes, doughs and products baked from the doughs. More particularly, the invention relates to Danish dough mixes which work up into doughs having improved handling properties, which doughs bake up into sweet dough products having superior eating qualities, an advantageously soft texture, and an extended shelf life, particularly with respect to the onset of staleness. The sweet dough mix incorporates carboxymethyl cellulose.
Sweet or Danish dough systems are well known for making sweet rolls, pastries and the like. These doughs include substantial quantities of flour and of sweetening components such as granulated sugar, as well as other sweeteners. Products of this type are made in a variety of environments which vary in production volume. Included are Danish mixes intended for large volume baking production, such as is carried out at wholesale bakeries. Mixes of this type are typically sold in relatively large containers, such as 50-pound bags. Danish mixes of this type are added to other components at the wholesale bakery, for example. Typical components in this regard include eggs, yeast formulations, flavoring, water, and at times additional flour. Ingredients of this type are mixed in order to form a dough. Such doughs are then handled by commercial baking equipment. Such equipment manipulates the dough and/or provides the proper environment for the dough to develop certain attributes well known in the industry. Included is the use of equipment which passes the dough through or below rollers which flatten the dough and thin it to a shape suitable for forming into the sweet baked product being processed and made.
An issue which needs to be taken into consideration when processing sweet doughs on a large commercial scale is how well the sweet dough is handled by the dough production and baking equipment. At times, production difficulties are encountered because the dough exhibits an elastic character which tends to interfere with equipment which rolls the dough to shape and thin it to the extent required to makes these types of sweet baked goods. It is accordingly important that a sweet dough formulation be in a condition which is not so elastic as to shrink back after same is rolled by the dough handling equipment. It is accordingly desirable if a Danish sweet dough could be provided which is more easily handled when in its prebaked condition.
Sweet dough products are susceptible to the development of staleness after the sweet dough has been baked up into Danish-type pastries or other sweet dough originating baked products. One characteristic of staling is the gradual hardening of the baked product over time. Retardation of staleness is an important objective of baked products, particularly those which are baked on a wholesale level and which can be subjected to warehousing, transporting and shelf display times which allow for a greater opportunity for staling to develop before purchase and consumption. Shelf life issues of this type can be substantial in the realm of sweet dough baked goods which are sold within these types of channels of trade.
Issues which are almost always of substantial significance in baked dough products, particularly those sold at the wholesale level, include taste, eating quality, softness of texture, and moisture level. It is of course desirable that any attempted improvement in sweet dough mixes which are designed to improve on any of these attributes should not detrimentally affect any other attribute, whether it be a prebaked dough handling attribute, an attribute to address the staleness problem, or any other attempted improvement.


An apparatus for separating particles from a particulate suspension comprises a conduit comprising a plurality of elongate channels extending in adjacent alignment along a spiral path at different curvature radii from an axis of the spiral path. Longitudinal sidewalls of the elongate channels are fluidly joined together to allow for transfer of fluid between them. The apparatus also comprises an inlet for directing a particulate suspension into the conduit and outlets that direct fluid from the particulate suspension out from different discharge positions. At least first and second of the elongate channels are approximately circular in cross section and comprise a shared longitudinal sidewall, wherein the shared longitudinal sidewall comprises opposed uppermost and lowermost sidewall sections that are laterally offset from one another relative to the axis of the spiral path to allow for transfer of helically flowing fluid between the first and second of the elongate channels.

A cyclone is a commonly used device for separating and removing particulate materials suspended in slurries and other liquid suspensions. A traditional cyclone comprises a vertically oriented cylindrical or conical vessel that has an inlet at its upper end for introducing a liquid suspension under pressure into the vessel in a tangential manner. A pair of circular outlets are provided at, respectively, the uppermost and lowermost ends of the vessel. A vertical overflow pipe extends axially from the uppermost circular outlet down to a centre of the vessel.
Fluid flowing into the inlet creates a high velocity spinning double vortex in the vessel that consists of an outer stream and an inner stream. The outer stream flows in a wide spiral motion downwardly towards the bottom of the vessel. The inner stream flows inside the outer stream in a tight spiral motion upwardly through the overflow pipe towards the uppermost outlet.
Particles suspended in the fluid flow initially into the outer stream. Larger (heavier) particles that have too much inertia to follow the spiral path of the outer stream strike the vessel's sidewall. These particles move progressively down the vessel until they exit via the lowermost circular outlet with the outer stream. Smaller (lighter) particles that experience smaller centrifugal forces insufficient to overcome the fluid's viscosity move towards the centre of the vessel. These particles eventually enter the inner stream and travel up the overflow pipe to exit via the uppermost circular outlet. The cyclone device, therefore, operates to separate the particles into two different classes based on their size and weight.
Traditional cyclones of this configuration are problematic. Some of the fluid in the outer stream often flows underneath the overflow pipe at the lowermost end of the pipe instead of spinning all the way to the bottom of the vessel. This phenomenon, which is sometimes referred to as short circuit flow, can result in course (heavy) particles from the outer stream entering the inner stream and exiting the vessel via the uppermost outlet. Short circuit flow, therefore, reduces the effectiveness of cyclone separators and their particle classification efficiency. The cyclone also only enables particles to be graded into two different classes (large and small).
In this context, there is a need for improved ways for separating particulate materials in particulate suspensions.

Apparatus for separating particles from a particulate suspension


A method and apparatus for operating a color ink jet printer of the type which prints a swath of the image at a time with each transit across a sheet. An image may be optionally preprocessed with undercolor removal, so that each color pixel in the image is defined by black and, at most, two colored inks. Color will be deposited to print the image on forward and return transits of a multiple color printhead across a sheet. The colors and location printed in each transit are determined prior to the first transit, by determining first, which colors may be printed in the second transit irrespective of their order of deposit. The result of this determination is logically ANDed with a checkerboard pattern to determine printing locations. Then, the other required colors and locations for the image which will not be printed with the second transit are printed on a first transit. Each swath is printed with forward and reverse transits, with checkerboarding of the reverse transit to prevent head signature artifacts. During each transit, relative motion between the sheet and printhead advances printing down the page by one half swath increments.

This invention relates to drop-on-demand ink jet printing systems and more particularly, to a multi-color thermal ink jet printer adaptable to print in bidirectional swaths.
Color in documents is the result of combination of a limited set of colors over a small area, in densities selected to integrate to a desired color response. This is accomplished in many printing devices by reproducing separations of the image, where each separation provides varying density of a single primary color. When combined together with other separations, the result is a full color image.
Thermal ink jet printing is generally a drop-on-demand type of ink printing system which uses thermal energy to produce a vapor bubble in an ink filled channel that expels a droplet. A thermal energy generator or heating element, usually a resistor, is located in the channels near the nozzle a predetermined distance therefrom. The resistors are individually addressed with an electric pulse to momentarily vaporize the ink and form a bubble which expels an ink droplet. As the bubble grows, the ink bulges from the nozzle and is contained by the surface tension of the ink. As the bubble begins to collapse, the ink in the channel between the nozzle and the bubble starts to move toward the collapsing bubble, causing a volumetric contraction of the ink at the nozzle and resulting in separation of the bulging ink as a droplet. The acceleration of the ink out of the nozzle while the bubble is growing provides the momentum of the droplet which proceeds in a substantially straight line towards a recording medium, such as paper or transparencies, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as a xe2x80x9csheetxe2x80x9d). Sheets are moved past the printhead for creation of the image. Further details with respect to thermal ink jet printing devices are available at U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,337 to Torpey et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,664 entitled, xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Maintaining Constant Drop Size Mass in Thermal Ink Jet Printers,xe2x80x9d by J. Stephany which illustrate a multi-color ink jet printer.
In one type of ink jet device, a printhead including an array of several nozzles oriented parallel to the direction of sheet travel is moved across the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sheet travel. Each transit prints a swath of spots or pixels across the page corresponding to an image. Most thermal ink jet printers print some number of scanlines in a swath, and the swath boundaries are visible in prints made thereby. The boundaries are visible because of ink flowing beyond the boundary of the array end (in the case of paper) or pulling away from the boundary of the array end due to surface tension (in the case of transparencies). In the former case a thin line along the boundary is more heavily inked; in the latter it is not inked at all.
It will be clear from the above description that printing can be accomplished in each transit of the head across the page, and for high speed black (or monocolor) only printing, bidirectional printing is common. Color ink jet printing is normally performed unidirectionally (left to right or right to left, not both). Multiple nozzle arrays arranged in parallel may be provided to print with multiple inks printing plural separations. One particular type of color ink jet printer has a single head (corresponding to an array of nozzles) per color, with four heads mounted one behind the other on the carriage, so that all four colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black of all scanlines in a swath are printed in a single pass, with a fixed order for the separations within a pixel. The reason bidirectional printing is normally avoided is that when the carriage is moving in reverse the colors are printed in reverse order. Printing a cyan pixel on a magenta pixel generally gives a different color from that when the printing order is reversed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,646 to Trask discloses a unidirectional printing system, in which, to correct the interswath boundary artifact, a multiple pass complementary dot pattern ink jet printing process for enhancing the uniformity and consistency of dot (drop) formation during color ink jet printing is provided. Such enhancement in turn directly affects and improves the total print quality over a color printed area by minimizing the undesirable characteristics of coalescence, beading, hue shift, bending, cockling and color bleed when printing on both transparencies and plain or special papers. Using this process, successive printed swaths are made by depositing first and second partially overlapping complementary dot patterns on a print media. Simultaneously, the dot spacing in coincident dot rows within the overlapping portions of the dot patterns is alternated between dots in the first pattern and dots in the second pattern. Also note U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,453 to Lin et al. Various commercial products from Hewlett Packard Company, Palo Alto, Calif., including the HP500C, HP 550C and HPXL300 ink jet printers are believed to use a head signature mitigation pattern.
References disclosed herein are incorporated by reference for their teachings.
The present invention is directed to a method of using a color ink jet printer of the type which prints a swath of the image at a time with each transit across a sheet to print color images with a substantially reduced bidirectional printing artifact.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there are provided method and apparatus for operating a color ink jet printer of the type which prints a swath of the image at a time with each transit across a sheet. An image may be optionally preprocessed with full undercolor removal, so that each color pixel in the image is defined by black and only two colored inks. Color will be deposited to print the image on forward and return transits of a four color printhead across a sheet. The colors and location printed in each transit are determined prior to the first transit, by determining first, which colors may be printed in the second transit irrespective of their order of deposit. The result of this determination is logically ANDed with a checkerboard pattern to determine printing locations. Then, the other required colors and locations for the image which will not be printed with the second transit are printed on a first transit. Each swath is printed with forward and reverse transits, with checkerboarding of the reverse transit to prevent head signature artifacts.
If only one color is printed, it can be done in a checkerboard fashion, with one parity of the checkerboard on the first pass, and the other on the second pass. If two colors are printed in one pixel, one of them is normally printed first. In the unidirectional mode this is totally specified; whichever color is printed first in unidirectional printing should be printed in the first pass for bidirectional printing. The second color can be checkerboarded, printing half in each pass.
If printing order KCMY is used for right-to-left printing on the printer, let X be a bitmap representing the checkerboard, and let C, M, Y and K be bitmaps representing the input. The first pass is derived from the second pass. For the second pass:
K2LR=KX
C2LR=C(MY)X
M2LR=MYX
Y2LR=YX
The subscript LR emphasizes that the direction of travel is left to right. The symbols ,  and  indicate the logical operations of AND, OR and NOT respectively. Then for the first pass,
K1RL=KK2LR
C1RL=CC2LR
M1RL=MM2LR
Y1RL=YY2LR
In the described manner, correct color printing can be accomplished with bidirectional printing, and with checkerboard prevention of head signature artifacts.

Bidirectional color ink jet printing with head signature reduction


The present invention provides a method for coupling the mobile terminal with the adapter. Firstly, coupling the mobile terminal with the adapter by RF induction; secondly, decreasing transmitted power of the mobile terminal so that the RF power leaking around is maintained below a specified value when the mobile terminal detects that it has been coupled with the adapter; finally, controlling the gain controlling means of the adapter by the mobile terminal to compensate the power loss due to the RF coupling and the transmitting power decreased by the mobile terminal itself, so that the transmitted power from the antenna of the adapter can reach the due power level transmitted by the mobile before it is coupled with the adapter. The structure of the mobile terminal is simplified and the price of the mobile terminal is decreased because the mobile terminal is coupled with the adapter through RF induction, and the RF changeover switch is not provided in the mobile terminal any more. Furthermore, the transmitting power in vehicle is always maintained below the European standard while the RF property of the mobile terminal is not degraded.

At present, when a mobile telephone is used in vehicle, the transmitting power of the mobile phone in vehicle is required to be smaller than a certain standard value. European patent No. EP 0,692,885 A1, titled "Wireless Telephone", disclosed a wireless telephone apparatus comprising a portable wireless telephone set, an adapter and a car-kit, wherein the adapter includes a section of hand-free circuit coupled with the controlling section of the portable wireless telephone set through a controlling signal line; the wireless telephone set is coupled with the adapter through the coupling of the high-frequency signal, so that the signal of the wireless telephone is sent to an amplifying means of the car-kit through the adapter, amplified there and transmitted to the air from the antenna of the car-kit rather than the antenna of the telephone itself. Thus, when a mobile telephone or a portable telephone is used in vehicle, the telephone set will not have to be held in hand, and the speech information will enter directly the mobile phone or the portable phone through the section of hand-free circuit of the adapter; however, the transmitting power of the mobile phone in vehicle has to be higher, not conforming to the European standard in the future.
Alternative U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,044 disclosed that the mobile terminal will decrease its own transmitting power to a predetermined value when it has detected itself being coupled with the adapter of the car-kit so as to maintain the smaller transmitting power in vehicle, and after the mobile terminal is coupled with the adapter, it will switch off the connection of the RF module and the antenna of the mobile terminal using a changeover switch, so that the RF signal of the mobile terminal will be transmitted by the antenna of the adapter instead of its own antenna. However, in this patent documents, the changeover switch must be provided in the mobile terminal, and it is by the signal line that the mobile terminal is coupled with the adapter.

Method for coupling the mobile terminal with the adapter

TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited


A method and apparatus for generating static, dynamic and hybrid sparse indices for use with workfiles used by SQL queries in a relational database management system.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates in general to database management systems performed by computers, and in particular to a method and apparatus for generating dynamic and hybrid sparse indices for workfiles used in SQL queries in a relational database management system.
2. Description of Related Art.
Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS) products using a Structured Query Language (SQL) interface are well known in the art. In RDBMS products, all data is externally structured into tables. The SQL interface allows users to formulate relational operations on the tables either interactively, in batch files, or embedded in host languages such as C, COBOL, etc. Operators are provided in SQL that allow the user to manipulate the data, wherein each operator operates on either one or two tables and produces a new table as a result.
An SQL query often generates workfiles to store temporary result tables while performing the query. Such workfiles are generally created to store intermediate relations from the query. However, there are numerous problems in the use of workfiles. For example, workfiles containing millions of tuples are not uncommon in large databases. As a result, it is important to employ efficient techniques when manipulating workfiles.
One approach may linearly scan workfiles in order to find matching tuples. For every tuple in an outer probing sequence (outer relation), a workfile corresponding to an inner relation is scanned from the beginning (except in a sort-merge join) until a match is found, or until a value greater than the probing value (in a workfile sorted in descending order) is found, or until an end-of-file is encountered. This is an inefficient technique for searching large workfiles, especially when the workfile and outer, probing sequence contain a large number of tuples. For example, if there are n.sub.1 tuples in the workfile and n.sub.2 tuples in the outer probing sequence, then the required number of comparisons is of the order of n.sub.1 n.sub.2.
Another approach may employ a bi-directional linear search technique that is similar to the above linear scan except that workfiles are employed only if it is cost beneficial to do so. In the bi-directional linear search technique, the position of the previous probe is used as the starting location for the next search. This position is also used to partition the workfile into two intervals. Depending upon the next value, either of the two partitions are linearly scanned. Although the average number of comparisons in this techniques is equal to half the average number of comparisons in the previous technique, the required number of comparisons in the worst case is still of the order of n.sub.1 n.sub.2.
Thus, there is a need in the art for techniques for optimizing the performance of workfiles used in SQL queries.

Method and apparatus for generating dynamic and hybrid sparse indices for workfiles used in SQL queries

International Business Machines Corporation


A sodium secondary battery capable of reducing the amount used of a scarce metal element such as lithium and cobalt and moreover, ensuring a larger discharge capacity after repeating charge/discharge as compared with conventional techniques, and a mixed metal oxide usable as the positive electrode active material therefor. The mixed metal oxide comprises Na, Mn and M1 wherein M1 is Fe or Ni, with a Na:Mn:M1 molar ratio being a:(1−b):b wherein a is a value falling within the range of more than 0.5 and less than 1, and b is a value falling within the range of from 0.001 to 0.5. Another mixed metal oxide is a mixed metal oxide represented by the following formula (1): NaaMn1−bM1bO2 (1) wherein M1, a and b each have the same meaning as above. The positive electrode active material for sodium secondary batteries comprises the mixed metal oxide above.

A mixed metal oxide is being used as a positive electrode active material of a secondary battery. Among secondary batteries, a lithium secondary battery has already been put into commercial use as a small power source for cellular phones, notebook computers and the like. Furthermore, because of its applicability as a large power source, for example, as a power source for vehicles such as electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle or as a power source for distributed power storages, the demand therefor is on the rise. However, in a lithium secondary battery, a large amount of scarce metal elements such as lithium and cobalt are contained in the raw material of the positive electrode active material, and there is concern about supply of the raw material to meet the growing demand for a large power source.
In response, a sodium secondary battery is being studied as a secondary battery capable of eliminating the concern about supply. The sodium secondary battery can be fabricated using a material which has a plentiful supply and which is inexpensive, and its commercial application is expected to allow for a large supply of large power sources.
In Patent Document 1, a positive electrode active material obtained by calcining a raw material containing Na, Mn and Co in a compositional ratio (Na:Mn:Co) of 0.7:0.5:0.5 is specifically described as the positive electrode active material for sodium secondary batteries.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-287661 (Example 1)

Mixed metal oxide and sodium secondary battery


A system that supports automatic blogging as well as social group interactions comprises a mobile device with a client application that is communicatively coupled over Internet to an interaction management server capable of facilitating message distribution to social groups as well as blogging of messages selectively. The client application of the mobile device comprises a message creation module that facilitates creation of a message by a user of the mobile device, a social group interaction module that communicates the message to a social group managed by the interaction management server coupled to the mobile device, and a blogging module that communicates the message as a first blog entry to blog page managed by the interaction management server.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to interaction using mobile devices; and, more particularly, to sharing of messages sent from a mobile device.
2. Related Art
Cell (mobile) phones are widely used as mobile devices to communicate anywhere in the world. Some of them are very simple devices capable of voice communication alone. Many other today's mobile devices are used for multiple purposes, other than voice communication, in any convenient location.
They keep record of appointments and schedules, store addresses, present calendars, surf Internet, play games among many other purposes. They are capable of playing music and other audio clips, and also play video clips and movies. They can be networked with external devices such as other mobile phones, laptops and personal computers and modems via infrared, Bluetooth and WIFI (802.11 variations) interfaces. This enormously increases their functionality when compared to just few years ago.
Today's mobile devices have some processing ability and are capable of accomplishing some tasks that were usually meant for personal computer alone. However, using emails to send information from one person to another with text seems inconvenient on mobile devices with small barely useable keyboards. In addition, sending SMS is not typically easy in languages that require use of over 30 characters in their alphabets. New forms of interactions available for PCs and laptops have not really made a move to mobile devices. In particular, some social networks such as Facebook have created a mobile app version for mobile devices. However, such apps are of limited functionality. In addition, a user's control over how his messages are displayed is limited, and not easily configurable from the mobile device.
Some software vendors such as WordPress have provided blogging features to PC and laptop based users. Blogging requires a lot of technical knowledge, especially if one has to add photos and videos to one's blog. In addition, to do anything useful, one has to learn to program in PHP or some such computer programming language or a web-based programming language—which is a deterrent to most non-technical users. There are no convenient blogging tools for mobile users. There are none that support automatically incorporating audio recorded on mobile into a blog post. It is very inconvenient and time consuming to incorporate audio, especially one recorded by a user, into a blog post. There are no known tools today that support automatic incorporation of a photo taken by a user, and voice recorded by a user, into an online blog page. These are major headaches of blogging and need to be addressed such that even the semi-literate and children can use blogging features, especially from mobile devices. The present invention address these issues.
One major need in the market is to have a shared blogging facility for groups of people who work together, such as in a project. Businesses need them, for example, to gather field level observations from people working in the field. Security of such field gathered information is a big concern too. There are no tools available today to support that, and the simple blogging tools available today are not easy to use or convenient to use for a group. There are no tools available today where users can share audio messages with each other. There are no tools available today where users can easily or automatically share a combination of video components, textual components, audio components, images from their messages with each other, either in a blog post or in a mobile messaging system.
These and other limitations and deficiencies associated with the related art may be more fully appreciated by those skilled in the art after comparing such related art with various aspects of the present invention as set forth herein with reference to the figures.

System that supports automatic blogging and social group interactions


A conveyor belt cleaner is provided that is particularly well-suited for high temperature applications. The cleaner includes a blade mount that has a layback arm mounting the cleaning blade and which can simultaneously deflect horizontally and vertically via changes in the radius of curvature of a lower arcuate portion connected thereto so as to minimize stress on the blade mount. The layback arm extends toward the conveyor belt at an acute layback angle relative to the immediately upstream belt surface. In another aspect, a belt cleaning system is provided including a plurality of resilient blade mounts that absorb the energy of impacts with the cleaning blade so as to allow for controlled release of the impact energy upon bringing the blade quickly back into scraping engagement with the belt. Preferably, two of these resilient mounts are associated with each blade in the belt scraping area and the others at ends of an elongate support laterally spaced from the scraping area.

Cleaners for conveyors that utilize a scraping element to remove debris and other materials from conveyor belts are well known. These conveyor belts often include metallic splices extending across the belt that run past the scraper blades during conveyor belt operations. The scraper blades are typically biased into engagement with the belt to allow them to resiliently shift away from the belt when surface irregularities on the belt are encountered such as due to the aforementioned metallic splices.
Generally, the goal of keeping the scraper blade in substantially constant contact with the belt to improve cleaning thereof is in competition with the need to allow the blades to shift away from the belt to avoid taking the full brunt of impacts with metallic splices and the like which can cause the scraper blades to rapidly wear. In heavier duty applications, this problem can be exacerbated by the use of thicker, more robust fasteners which create higher impact loads on the cleaning blade.
Another problem for keeping the blade in contact with the belt is its angle of attack relative to the belt. Generally, scalping angles where the blade leans forwardly or in the upstream direction as the belt travels downstream so as to form an obtuse angle with the belt surface upstream therefrom presents the most problems. With this aggressive angling of the blade, it will receive relatively high impact forces when encountering the splices or other carry-back materials on the belt. Also, these high impact forces can cause the blade to vibrate or "chatter" along the belt surface rather than staying in conformance with the belt reducing the cleaning efficiency of the blade. Catastrophic failure of the cleaner blade mounting components utilizing scalping angles is also of greater concern. Similarly, while a cleaning blade extending normal or vertically with respect to the belt surface to be cleaned is more desirable for cleaning, cleaning systems employing blade mounting members that only provide for vertical blade movements still can create high impact forces, particularly on belt splices which can cause excessive wear and ultimate failure of the splices.
By contrast, having the blade extending in the downstream direction so that it forms an acute angle with the belt surface upstream therefrom reduces the impact loading on the blade but can also create difficulties in keeping the blade in conformance with the belt surface. Unless the blade is heavily tensioned into engagement with the belt, when the blade encounters even minor surface irregularities or variations in contour on the belt surface it will undesirably shift too far away from the belt. In other words, the sensitivity of the blade is not optimized in terms of its ability to stay in substantial contact with the belt surface when encountering relatively small irregularities in the surface of the belt that do not cause undue wear of the blade. Accordingly, when these irregularities are due to small pieces of material being carried back on the return run of the belt, the acutely angled blade may not be effective in scraping these off the belt surface. In such instances, it is better for the blade to stay tightly engaged with the belt for wiping the belt clean rather than to resiliently shift away therefrom. Another problem with the acute angle of the blade is that any of the blade mounts extending at the same angle will have the material scraped from the conveyor belt surface falling thereon. If this material build-up increases, it can impair the ability of the scraper blade to effectively clean the belt surface.
For resiliently urging the scraper blades into engagement with the belts, the blade mounts can have pivot biasing mechanisms associated therewith. Generally, these biasing mechanisms have been characterized by their complexity in an effort to enhance cleaning efficiency while reducing blade wear. Particularly, the pivot biasing mechanisms typically employ several pivots and linkages between the conveyor frame and the blade, as well as separate springs such that there are several components which makes these systems more susceptible to wear and failure, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,863 to Schattauer.
Cleaning systems are also known that employ resilient bodies such as of polymeric or elastomeric material as the primary mechanism to resiliently hold the blade in tight engagement with the belt. These types of conveyor systems generally will not be effective in high temperature conditions where the material that is being conveyed and/or the surrounding environment can be at elevated temperatures, such as conveyor belts running at asphalt and cement facilities. In high temperatures, e.g. above 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the polymeric or elastomeric materials can degrade so that the biasing force provided by these bodies dissipates rapidly over time. To this end, material creep for these materials can become a serious problem particularly in high temperature environments where creep can be accelerated. Likewise, the ability of polymeric or elastomeric creep materials undergoing accelerated creep to apply the same bias force to the blade over time will be compromised, as they may lose their ability to return to their original, relaxed configuration with excessive applied stress over long time durations.
Accordingly, there is a need for a conveyor belt cleaner that is better optimized in terms of its cleaning efficiency and the wear resistance of its cleaning blade. Further, a less complex mount for a cleaning blade is needed. A conveyor cleaner system that can be used in high temperature environments would also be desirable.
Another problem with belt cleaning systems employing resilient biasing mechanisms for urging the cleaning blade into scraping engagement with the belt is the impact force with which the blade is returned into engagement with the belt after shifting away therefrom. In many prior systems, it is very difficult to quickly reengage the belt with a cleaning blade that has resiliently shifted away therefrom without returning back into engagement with the belt with an unduly high impact force. The blade impacting against the splice fasteners with high force can damage these fasteners decreasing splice life.
Accordingly, there is a need for a conveyor belt cleaning system that resiliently biases the blade into engagement with the belt and quickly brings the blade back into engagement with the belt while minimizing the return impact force of the blade against the belt and fastener damage caused thereby.


The present invention relates to a method and network element for classification of bit strings such as data packets on a per-flow basis, wherein a plurality of classification fields are searched for in respective search trees based on a matching procedure in which an index value is obtained in a leaf node of a search tree for each classification field. Index values obtained in said searching step are used to derive a policy to be applied to said data packet, wherein the number of index values is reduced by combining intermediate results of the searching step or the deriving step. Thereby, computational efficiency can be improved and memory requirements reduced.

The invention presented is motivated by the twin goals of increasing the capacity and the flexibility of the Internet. The Internet is comprised of packet-processing nodes, called routers, that route packets towards their destinations, and physical links that transport packets from one router to another. Owing to advances in optical technologies, such as Wavelength Division Multiplexing, the data rates of links have increased rapidly over the years. However, routers have failed to keep up with this pace because they must perform expensive per-packet processing operations. Every router is required to perform a forwarding decision on an incoming packet to determine the packet's next-hop router. This is achieved by looking up the destination address of the incoming packet in a forwarding table. Besides increased packet arrival rates because of higher speed links, the complexity of the forwarding lookup mechanism and the large size of forwarding tables have made routing lookups a bottleneck in the routers. The invention attempts to overcome this bottleneck.
The invention concerns itself with increasing the flexibility and functionality of the Internet. Traditionally, the Internet provides only a "best-effort" service, treating all packets going to the same destination identically, and servicing them in a first-come-first-served manner. However, in differentiated service models, Internet Service Providers are seeking ways to provide differentiated or value-added services (on the same network infrastructure) to different users and/or user applications based on their different requirements and expectations of quality from the Internet, i.e. Service Level Agreements (SLAs). For this, routers need to have the capability to distinguish and isolate traffic belonging to different users and user flows, where a user can be a single individual or a group of individuals with common denominator (e.g., all people in a company), and user flow can be the data associated with one or a group of applications with a common denominator (e.g., voice, web browsing, e-mail) of a user. The ability to classify each incoming packet to determine the flow it belongs to is called packet classification, and could be based on an arbitrary number of fields, i.e. classification fields, in the packet header.
As mentioned, routers may optionally classify packets into flows for special processing. In the following, it is described why some routers are flow-aware, and how they use packet classification to recognize flows. It is also provided a brief overview of the architecture of flow-aware routers. Then, the background leading to the formal definition of the packet classification problem is discussed.
One main reason for the existence of flow-aware routers stems from an ISP's (ISP=Internet Service Provider) desire to have the capability of providing value-added services to its users. As mentioned, the Internet provides only a "best-effort" service, treating all packets at every forwarding point in the network identically, and servicing them in a first-come-first-served manner. However, the rapid growth of the Internet has caused increasing congestion and packet loss at intermediate routers. As a result, some users are willing to pay a premium price in return for better service for all or a group of applications from the network. To maximize their revenue, the ISPs also wish to provide different levels of service at different prices to users based on their requirements, while still deploying one common network infrastructure. In order to provide differentiated services, routers require additional mechanisms. These optional mechanisms—admission control, conditioning (metering, marking, shaping, and policing), resource reservation, queue management and fair scheduling (such as weighted fair queueing) or any other mechanism deemed suitable in any combination of a set or subset of these—require, first of all, the capability to distinguish and isolate traffic belonging to different user(groups) and/or applications based on service agreements negotiated between the ISP and its customer. This has led to demand for flow-aware routers that negotiate these service agreements, express them in terms of rules or policies configured on incoming packets, and isolate incoming traffic according to these rules. The functionality that specifies the policy that applies to a packet (e.g., to which flow a packet belongs) is a packet classifier (flow classifier) or simply classifier. The collection of policies is the network policy. Once classified, the policy (action to be taken) is executed. So a policy consists of a definition part (policy definition, implemented in the classifier) and an action (policy action). Each policy specifies a flow that a packet may belong to based on some criteria on the contents of the packet. This does not have to be limited to the header. E.g., for firewall functionality the system administrator also wants to look into the user data to check on the existence of viruses (typical user data). All packets belonging to the same flow are treated in a similar manner. The identified flow of an incoming packet specifies an action to be applied to the packet. For example, a firewall router may carry out the action of either denying or allowing access to a protected network. The determination of this action is called packet classification—the capability of routers to identify the action associated with the "best" policy an incoming packet matches. Packet classification allows ISPs to differentiate from their competition and gain additional revenue by providing different value-added services to different customers.
A flow-aware router is able to check for every incoming packet if it belongs to a flow for which the action is already determined. This is done by checking a bit pattern of a predetermined number (Nfld) of classification fields (in IPv6: flow label or any field or combination thereof). The router checks if the bit pattern is present in a so-called flow table (this can be done via e.g. hashing), and if so, executes the actions specified for that flow. If the bit pattern is not found in the flow table, normal classification occurs, and optionally the packet bit pattern may be put in the flow table, together with the policy action to be applied for this flow.
Packet classification enables a number of additional, non-best-effort network services other than the provisioning of value-added services. One of the well-known applications of packet classification is a firewall. Other network services that require packet classification include policy-based routing, traffic rate-limiting and policing, traffic shaping, and billing. In each case, it is necessary to determine which flow an arriving packet belongs to so as to determine—for example—whether to forward or filter it, where to forward it to, what type of service it should receive, or how much should be charged for transporting it. With the introduction of QoS (Quality of Service) in networks, classification of IP-packets in access routers has become more important than ever. In the differentiated service model, the value for the differentiated service code point (DSCP) in IP packets is based on the classification of the flow in the access points. Similarly, in a Multi-Protocol Label-Switched (MPLS) domain the packet flows have to be assigned to a specific Label-Switched Path (LSP) at the access point. Hence efficient classification methods are of high importance to router vendors.
With the above background, the problem of packet classification can be described:
In practice, a policy may have several components, wherein a policy component is not a general regular expression—often limited by syntax to a simple address/mask or operator/number(s) specification. In an address/mask specification, a "0" at bit position x in the mask denotes that the corresponding bit in the address is a "don't care" bit. Similarly, a "1" at bit position x in the mask denotes that the corresponding bit in the address is a significant bit. For instance, the first and third most significant bytes in a packet field matching the specification 18.104.22.168/255.0.255.0 must be equal to 171 and 3, respectively, while the second and fourth bytes can have any value, due to the fact that the mask bits of the first and third mask bytes are all set to "1" (i.e. "255" corresponds to "11111111") and the mask bits of the second and fourth mask bytes are all set to "0". Examples of operator/number(s) specifications are e.g. 1232 and range 34-9339, which specify that the matching field value of an incoming packet must be equal to 1232 in the former specification and can have any value between 34 and 9339 (both inclusive) in the latter specification. Note that a route-prefix of a length l can be specified as an address/mask pair where the mask is contiguous—i.e., all bits with value "1" appear to the left of (i.e., are more significant than) bits with value 0 in the mask. For instance, the mask for an 8-bit prefix is 255.0.0.0. A route-prefix of length l can also be specified as a range of width equal to 2t where t=32-l. In fact, most of the commonly occurring specifications in practice can be viewed as range specifications.
In the following the background of search trees shall be briefly described:
A radix trie, or simply a trie (the name trie comes from retrieval, but is pronounced "try") is a binary tree that has labeled branches, and that is traversed during a search operation using individual bits of the search key. The left branch of a node is labeled "0" and the right-branch is labeled "1". A node, v, represents a bit-string formed by concatenating the labels of all branches in the path from the root node to v. A prefix, p, is stored in the node that represents the bit-string p. For example, the prefix 0* is stored in the left child of the root node. A trie for W-bit prefixes has a maximum depth of W nodes. The longest prefix search operation on a given destination address proceeds bitwise starting from the root node of the trie. The left (right) branch of the root node is taken if the first bit of the address is "0" ("1"). The remaining bits of the address determine the path of traversal in a similar manner. The search algorithm keeps track of the prefix encountered most recently on the path. When the search ends at a null pointer, this most recently encountered prefix is the longest prefix matching the key.
Therefore, finding the longest matching prefix using a trie takes W memory accesses in the worst case, i.e., has time complexity. The insertion operation proceeds by using the same bit-by-bit traversal algorithm as above. Branches and internal nodes that do not already exist in the trie are created as the trie is traversed from the root node to the node representing the new prefix. Hence, insertion of a new prefix can lead to the addition of at most other trie nodes. The storage complexity of a W-bit trie with N prefixes is thus O(NW). A significant amount of storage space is wasted in such a trie in the form of pointers that are null, and that are on chains—paths with 1-degree nodes, i.e., that have only one child.
A Patricia tree (Patricia is an abbreviation for "Practical Algorithm To Retrieve Information Coded In Alphanumeric", in the following referred as to "Patricia") is a variation of a trie data structure, with the difference that it has no 1-degree nodes. Each chain is compressed to a single node in a Patricia tree. Hence, the traversal algorithm may not necessarily inspect all bits of the address consecutively, skipping over bits that formed part of the label of some previous trie chain. Each node now stores an additional field denoting the bit-position in the address that determines the next branch to be taken at this node. The original Patricia tree (see D. R. Morrison. "PATRICIA—practical algorithm to retrieve information coded in alphanumeric," Journal of the ACM, Vol. 15, No. 14, pages 514-34, October 1968) did not have support for prefixes.
However, prefixes can be concatenated with trailing zeros and added to a Patricia tree. Since a Patricia tree is a complete binary tree (i.e., has nodes of degree either 0 or 2), it has N exactly external nodes (leaves) and N−1 internal nodes. The space complexity of a Patricia tree is thus O(N). Prefixes are stored in the leaves of a Patricia tree. A leaf node may have to keep a linear list of prefixes, because prefixes are concatenated with trailing zeroes. The lookup algorithm descends the tree from the root node to a leaf node similar to that in a trie. At each node, it probes the address for the bit indicated by the bit-position field in the node. The value of this bit determines the branch to be taken out of the node. When the algorithm reaches a leaf, it attempts to match the address with the prefix stored at the leaf. This prefix is the desired answer if a match is found. Otherwise, the algorithm has to recursively backtrack and continue the search in the other branch of this leaf's parent node. Hence, the lookup complexity in a Patricia tree is quite high, and can reach O(W2) in the worst case.
A bit pattern of d fields has a total length of W(1)+W(2) . . . W(d)==W. We now have d tries. Prefix w(j) is now defined by bits W(1)+W(2)+ . . . +W(j−1)+1 to W(1)+W(2)+ . . . +W(j−1)+W(j), and the depth of trie j is W(j). The algorithm searches for a match in each of the trees in increasing order of prefix-lengths. For a Longest Prefix Match (LPM) of a string of w bit, w=W(1)+W(2)+ . . . +W(k−1)+k<W(k), it requires an exact match for the first k−1 bit strings over the full length W(j) (j=1 . . . k−1) and an LPM for trie W(k). The first match found for all k tries yields the longest prefix matching the given address. For an Exact Match (EM) of a string of w=W bits, it requires and exact match for all d tries. Since one exact match operation on a Patricia tree of length W(j) takes O(W(j)) time, the complete matching operation has complexity O(W2(1))+O(W2(2)) . . . O(W2(d))<=O(W2) (sequential execution) or O(max(W2(j)) (parallel execution)
It should be pointed out that the method is not limited to Patricia tree data structure; other forms of binary trie structures such as the level-compressed trie can be used as well (Andersson and Nilsson, Information Processing Letters, 46:295-300, 1993; Nilsson and Tikkanen, 2nd Workshop on Algorithm Engineering (WAE '98), 1998). The main requirement is that the trie-structure allows for backtracking if a LPM is required (this is not required for RM† and EM). Moreover, wherever an exact match is required, other algorithms than trie searches (linear search, hashing) can be used as well.

Method and system for classifying binary strings