The present invention provides a method and system to alert the recipient of an electronic message of some action that is required from the recipient. The invention also provides a method to alert the sender of the electronic message of the completion of the action required in the original electronic mail message. In the method of the present invention, the originator or recipient of an electronic mail message can choose to designate the message as one that requires an action by the message recipient. The recipient will notice the ‘Action Required’ icon and will be alerted to the fact that an action is required with this message. At the completion of the action, the sender of the original message will receive a notification that the requested action has been taken by the recipient.

Email communications are an integral part of any business, and widely used outside of business as well. This being the case, ease of use and best of breed functionality are imperative in modern email systems. Many user interface enhancements have been added to email systems over the past several years; however, room for improvement continues to exist.
Although several new technologies currently compete as the most ubiquitous tool in business communications, email remains one of the most-used communications tools for both business and personal users. Widespread availability, ease of use, and functionality are key components, which hold email in front of other developing communications methods; however, as new technologies compete for the top spot, email applications must continue to build upon the strong foundation currently in place to maintain their edge. By any current standard, email applications would have to be rated as mature technology; however, if improvements in email applications slow, and other tools continue to improve, loss of market share will undoubtedly result.
One key feature missing in legacy email tools is an "action required/action taken" management system to assist the user in responding to email messages. With legacy email functionality, it is only with great difficulty that the user can open his or her in-box and determine which messages require action, and what should be the respective priority of each of the messages requiring action. During busy periods this information is imperative, as the user may otherwise viewed as unresponsive, when in fact the user may simply be responding to messages of lower priority. The average email user receives many tens/hundreds of email messages every day/week. It is currently a cumbersome task to track which messages a user should respond to in the time allotted, and which messages can wait for a reply at a later time. Ideally the user would want to respond to the most important messages first, while leaving lower priority messages for response during less busy periods of the day/week. A user's in-box may at any given point contain many "active" documents, and the process of identifying messages which the user must reply to, or messages where the user is dependent upon an action from a remote party, is manual and inefficient. An example of this problem could be the case where a user sends an email to his/her manager requesting approval of an expense report. With legacy email applications the user is not informed when an action has occurred, and he/she must manually follow up to ensure that the appropriate action has taken place.
At the present time, Lotus Notes provides some alternatives that address this issue. However, these email applications have limited functionality in the area of notifying a user of need to perform an action in response to a received message. FIG. 1 shows delivery options available to the sender of an email message that will prompt the recipient of the message. This display contains basic information for the recipient and includes a 'Please reply by' date and an expiration date. FIG. 2 shows another example of delivery options available for the sender. This display has more options, but is still fairly basic in its capabilities. FIG. 3 shows a display with more options, but only allows for one response by the recipient. Since the message link is generated by the system it is not possible for the sender to customize or control the nature of the response by the recipient. FIG. 4 is a display that gives the recipient more choices for a response to the sender. However, the responses are "canned" and very limited. It is not obvious that the general end-user would be able to easily create these custom form letters. FIG. 5 is an example of a current display for a local action required for a received email.
Therefore, there remains a need for a method and system at the recipient location that can notify an electronic mail message recipient of the requirement to reply to the received message and the priority requirements surrounding such a message reply. In addition, a system is needed in which the user can be assisted through visual cues as to which messages need immediate response, and which need response but have a lower priority.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for notification of local action required to contents of electronic mail message

International Business Machines Corporation


An information processing apparatus includes: a first receiving unit that receives pieces of user information on a plurality of users from a plurality of information processing terminals used by the users; an authentication processing unit that performs authentication processing of the users based on the pieces of user information; a first generating unit that generates screen information on a screen used to operate the information processing apparatus for each of the authenticated users; and a first transmitting unit that transmits the screen information to the information processing terminals used by the users corresponding thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing terminal, and an information processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent trend of promoting computerization of information makes information processing apparatuses including printers and facsimiles used to output computerized information and scanners used to computerize documents indispensable. Such information processing apparatuses are frequently provided with a capturing function, an image forming function, and a communication function, and other functions, thereby serving as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) available as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copier.
On the other hand, the recent sophistication of mobile phones promotes the spread of mobile information processing apparatuses (hereinafter, referred to as "mobile terminals"), such as smartphones and tablet terminals, having information processing functions equivalent to those of personal computers (PCs). Such mobile terminals frequently include interfaces, such as a touch panel, a global positioning system (GPS) function, a velocity sensor, and a wireless communication function, and are available for various uses depending on functions of software programs. Thus, such mobile terminals may be used as a display panel used to operate the information processing apparatuses described above.
In terms of security, such a recent information processing apparatus performs login authentication of a user with an integrated circuit (IC) card or the like. If the login authentication succeeds, the information processing apparatus displays an operation screen and allows the logging-in user to perform an operation permitted for the user. There has been developed a method for detecting, even when a mobile terminal is used as a display panel of an information processing apparatus as described above, a success of login authentication of a user and displaying an operation screen displayed on the information processing apparatus on a display unit of the mobile terminal (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-064030, for example).
Such an information processing apparatus that requires user authentication displays an operation screen used by an authenticated user. While the user is logging in, other users cannot perform operations. The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-064030 does not consider the case where, while a certain user is logging in, other users perform operations on the information processing apparatus.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing terminal, and an information processing system that enable a plurality of users to perform operations in parallel on an information processing apparatus that requires user authentication.

Information processing apparatus, information processing terminal, and information processing system


An apparatus and method of controlling data sharing in a shared memory computer system transfers control of a cache coherency directory (entry) to a node having control of the data. Specifically, the plurality of nodes includes a home node and a second node. The home node has given data in a cache line in its memory, and also has a directory identifying the state of the cache line. The method and apparatus thus detect a request for ownership of the cache line from the second node, and enable the second node to control the directory after receipt of the request.

Nodes in a shared multiprocessor computing system generally cache data (from main memory) that may be accessed by other nodes in the system. When a node changes the data stored in such shared memory, however, all other nodes sharing (i.e., caching) such data should be notified of the change (e.g., via invalidation or updating processes) to ensure data coherency. If not notified of changes, the other nodes undesirably may use data that no longer is valid, thus corrupting system operation.
To mitigate this problem, "home nodes" in systems using directory based write invalidate protocols, for example, maintain a directory for tracking the global coherence state of cache lines that are mapped to its portion of the global memory. Such protocols, however, also permit other nodes ("producers") to modify the data in these cache lines. In other words, a producer may modify data mapped to another node's portion of the global memory.
During use, some other node (a "consumer") also may request access to data mapped to the home node's portion of the global memory space. Prior to the request, however, a producer node may have changed such data. In that case, to maintain coherency, the three nodes of interest (consumer, producer, and home nodes) all generate and transmit multiple messages throughout the system. Details of this process are described in the provisional United States patent application from which this application claims priority. Undesirably, these messages can unduly slow down system performance. Moreover, such prior art systems can cause remote read miss stalls. The effect of these messages is more pronounced in systems having many nodes (e.g., supercomputers having hundreds or thousands of nodes).

Apparatus and method of controlling data sharing on a shared memory computer system


A bird feeder includes a housing containing a bird food hopper. The hopper feeds food into a tray. The tray is sandwiched between a roof and a floor, both of which extend outwardly from the tray to define a restricted vertical clearance duct for birds attempting access to the tray. Vertical partitions between the roof and floor define a restricted width clearance thereby forming a restricted clearance passageway to the tray between adjacent partitions and the corresponding roof and floor.

In order to provide birds with food during the wintertime when snow often covers the ground, and to lure them closer for better observation, enthusiasts often erect bird feeders in locations where they are readily visible. The easily accessible food attracts various types of birds to the feeder.
However, if preventative steps are not taken, large birds will consume all of the food without letting smaller birds feed. In addition, the food attracts rodents such as squirrels, which climb to the food deck and steal the seed. While they eat, birds often peck erratically and in so doing scatter some seed so that it falls to the ground. Wind can also scatter the seed so that it falls to the ground below and is lost, and rain can soak the seed so that it becomes inedible. If no seed-containing and dispensing means are provided on the unit, the user would be required to replenish the supply several times per day.
Accordingly, several solutions have been developed that attempt to address these problems. Applicant is aware of patents regarding such examples, including:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,517 titled "Waste Collection System and Apparatus for Feeders" filed by Nicole Paquette on Jan. 13, 2005, and issued Mar. 28, 2006 teaches a spilled-seed collector having an inverted cone-shaped dish to direct spilled seed towards its center. The center of the dish opens to a hollow, downwardly telescoping support tube that terminates in a base structure containing a seed collection container. A doorway in the base structure allows the seed collection container to be removed and emptied periodically. However, the low position of the seed collection container may make it difficult for elderly people to access, and the dish may also collect bird waste as well as seed, causing the seed to become mixed with fecal material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,384 titled "Bird Feeder" issued to Alfred E. Landry on Nov. 3, 1998, teaches a suspended feeding unit comprising an inverted funnel housed within a seed-storing container mounted on a flat platform. A cone shaped hood is held open at its bottom edge by several flexible tines that bend inward and cause the hood to collapse in the event of a squirrel trying to climb down the hood in order to access the food. The tines and collapsible hood add complexity and cost to the squirrel-repelling device relative to that of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,855 titled "Bird Feeder" issued to Ralph E. Layerty on Mar. 8, 1994, teaches a pole-mounted bird-feeding unit comprising a flat platform mounted above a tubular squirrel-restraining device. An inverted funnel housed in a tubular seed-housing container covered by a cone-shaped roof rests on the platform and directs the seed outwards onto the platform. However, the wind has open access to blow the seed off of the feeding platform, and as the bird feeder has no feature to collect spilled seed, it will be lost.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,796 titled "Bird Feeder" issued to George W. Armstrong on Mar. 1, 1994, teaches an optionally suspended or pole-mounted bird feeder comprising a vertically adjustable seed tray attached to a seed reservoir housing an inverted funnel. The seed tray and reservoir can be moved vertically to allow refilling of the seed by moving the rain cover away from the open-topped seed reservoir. The seed in the tray can still be dampened by drifting rain, and the feeder will likely be dominated by large birds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,083 titled "Bird Unit" issued to John J. Sokol and Florence L. Sokol on Dec. 26, 1978, teaches a pole-mounted bird feeder comprising a seed fill tube partially housed within a guide funnel that directs spilled seed into a catch jar. A platform is mounted near the top of the guide funnel, on which rests a seed reservoir of greater diameter than the fill tube, and containing four circular seed access holes around its bottom edge. A catch jar is suspended below the guide funnel by a screw cap supported by an oblong square brace connected to the lower support pole, while a rain cover containing a channel reservoir for water protects the seed reservoir from the elements. The closed-bottom fill tube contains four holes near its lower portion, and four holes around the top portion to allow seed to drain out into the seed reservoir. However, the seed near the bottom of the fill tube below the lower drain holes can never drain out of the fill tube, and may eventually become damp and musty, tainting the fresh seed above it. The solid guide funnel will collect bird waste as well as seed, causing some of the spilled seed to become mixed with the fecal material. The bird feeder also lacks a device to restrain agile squirrels from climbing up the pole and stealing the food.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,674 titled "Bird Feeder" issued to Robert A. Tobin on Jul. 9, 1974, teaches a suspended spherical container having a pipe and feeder table attached to its lower portion. The pipe contains a plurality of small holes drilled at various heights above the feeder table to allow small birds to access small seeds, as well as semi-circular holes around its bottom edge to allow seed to flow onto the feeder table. An inverted funnel within the pipe directs the seed towards the pipe walls. Although the sphere contains a drip ring on its lower portion, the seed in the feeder table can still become wet from blowing rain or snow, and larger birds can still access the seed and spill some on the ground while they peck.


In a semiconductor device having a package structure in which lead terminals connected to electrodes on both of the upper and lower surfaces of a semiconductor chip are exposed from both of the upper and lower surfaces and side surfaces of a sealing body formed of resin, electrodes of the semiconductor chip and the lead terminals are connected by Pb-free connection parts each having a configuration of connection layer/stress buffer layer/connection layer. In each connection part, the connection layer is formed of an inter-metallic compound layer having a melting point of 260° C. or higher or Pb-free solder having a melting point of 260° C. or higher, and the stress buffer layer is formed of a metal layer having a melting point of 260° C. or higher and having a function to buffer the thermal stress.

As a high-power semiconductor device, for example, a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor chip which forms a power supply transistor such as a power MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor), an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), or a bipolar power transistor is incorporated in a sealing body is known.
A power MOSFET device has a structure in which a power MOSFET chip is incorporated in a sealing body. As a power MOSFET device, a structure in which a metal member serving as a drain terminal is exposed on the bottom surface of a sealing body made of insulating resin, and a source lead terminal and a gate lead terminal are disposed on one side of the sealing body is known. In the structure, the source lead terminal and the gate lead terminal are bent at a part, and the part is exposed on the upper surface of the sealing body. The source lead terminal and the gate lead terminal extending in the sealing body are respectively electrically connected to a source electrode and a gate electrode on the upper surface of a semiconductor chip which is fixed on the metal member. These lead terminals are bonded onto the source electrode and the gate electrode by ultrasonic compression bonding via gold (Au) bumps uniformly disposed by a ball bonding method using bonding wires (hereinafter, simply referred to as wires). More specifically, after distal ends of the wires are connected onto the source electrode and the gate electrode by a thermocompression bonding method, the wires are pulled to be ruptured so that stud-type bump electrodes are formed, and the bump electrodes are connected to the lead terminals by the ultrasonic method. For example, this is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-223634 (Patent Document 1). Other methods for connecting electrodes of a semiconductor chip with lead terminals include a method in which the electrodes of the semiconductor chip are electrically connected to the lead terminals by solder. In this method, since metal compounds are formed in the boundary surfaces between the electrodes and the solder and the connection property is degraded, in order to prevent generation of the metal compounds, an under barrier metal layer (Under Bump Metal: UBM layer) formed by sequentially stacking layers of, for example, titanium (Ti) and nickel (Ni) in this order from below is provided on the electrodes. However, the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device increases since the UBM layer is formed by a process such as sputtering.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method of the same


A method for setting default values of timers in a wireless communications system includes setting default values of timers Timer_RST and Timer_Poll to be a first value. The timers Timer_RST and Timer_Poll are used to respectively hold retransmission of a reset signaling packet and a polling until an expected response is received.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and related apparatus of default timer configurations of wireless communications system, and more particularly to a method and related apparatus for decreasing delay of a reset procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The third generation (3G) mobile communications system has adopted a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) wireless air interface access method for a cellular network. WCDMA can provide high frequency spectrum utilization, universal coverage, and high quality, high speed multimedia data transmission. The WCDMA method also meets all kinds of QoS requirements simultaneously, providing diverse flexible two-way transmission services and better communication quality to reduce transmission interruption rates. Taking Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) as an example, the 3G mobile communications system is composed of User Equipment (UE), UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and Core Network (CN), using communications protocols of Access Stratum (AS) and Non-Access Stratum (NAS). Targeting the AS, the 3G mobile communications system defines various protocol stacks, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Broadcast/Multicast Control (BMC).
To implement functions of the aforementioned protocol stacks, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has established related communication protocol specifications as its website, www.3gpp.org, presents. The communication protocol specifications provide default configurations for variables and parameters, so as to enhance system efficiency, and to reduce the signaling messages during radio connection setup for a UE. However, some default configurations may affect system operations, causing waste of radio resources. For example, in a communications protocol specification established by the 3GPP(3GPPTS 25.331 V6.9.0 (2006-03), "Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification"), the default value of a timer Timer_RST in the uplink configuration is set to be 300 ms (millisecond), a timer Timer_Poll in the uplink configuration is not configured by default, and the default value of a timer Timer_Status_Prohibit in the downlink configuration is set to be 100 ms. However, in another communications protocol specification established by the 3GPP (3GPP TS 34.108 V6.2.0 (2006-03), "Common test environments for User Equipment (UE); Conformance testing"), the default values of the timers Timer_RST and Timer_Poll in the uplink configuration are set to be 500 ms and 200 ms respectively, and the default value of the timer Timer_Status_Prohibit in the downlink configuration is set to be 200 ms.
The timers Timer_RST, Timer_Status13 Prohibit, and Timer_Poll are all used for RLC entities (of UE or/and UTRAN) to hold retransmission of a control signaling (RESET PDU, STATUS report, or polling) until the expected response from the peer RLC entity is received. Note that, descriptions of the three timers can be found in the RLC communications protocol specification established by the 3GPP, and will not be narrated in detail. Thus, all the three timers should be equal to or longer than the round trip time (RTT), which is the time duration between the instant when the signaling is sent out and the instant when the response message is received. To cover variance of processing powers among different UE implementations, the timers are generally configured to be larger than RTT.
In the specifications 3GPPTS 25.331 V6.9.0 and 3GPPTS 34.108 V6.2.0, the default values of the timers are different, and the default value of the same timer is inconsistent, causing system efficiency degradation.
For example, in 3GPP TS 25.331 V6.9.0, the timer Timer_Status_Prohibit is set to be 100 ms, meaning that RTT is shorter than 100 ms, but the timer Timer_RST is set to be 300 ms. Thus, a RESET PDU will be held for 300 ms before it can be retransmitted if a RESET ACK PDU corresponding to the RESET PDU is not received by the sender. However, since RTT is shorter than 100 ms, if the RESET ACK PDU is not received within 100 ms, the RESET ACK PDU will never arrive later. Thus, retransmission of the RESET PDU is delayed 200 ms (300−100=200) longer than needed. The reset procedure is delayed.
Similarly, in 3GPP TS 34.108 V6.2.0, the timers Timer_Status_Prohibit, and Timer_Poll are all set to be 200 ms, meaning that RTT is less than 200 ms. However, the timer Timer_RST is set to be 500 ms. Thus, retransmission of the RESET PDU is delayed 300 ms (500−200=300) longer than needed. The reset procedure is also delayed.

Method and related apparatus of default timer configurations of wireless communications system


A multiple layer cytometric test card includes a waste channel to receive biological waste from an area of the test card utilized for testing biological samples, a first waste storage compartment in a waste layer of the card having a top and a bottom in relation to an operating vertical orientation of the test card, and a capillary positioned along a vertical length of the first waste storage compartment, the capillary being open to the waste compartment along the vertical length of the waste compartment, wherein the waste channel is coupled to the capillary channel proximate the top of the waste storage compartment.

Detection of biological samples results in biological waste being generated. There are significant safety issues involved in properly handling and disposing of biological waste. When using disposable cards to distribute and test the waste, the cards should control the waste well enough that instruments that come in contact with the card are not contaminated. Waste chambers have been used to help control the waste.

Capillary groove for isobaric waste entry


A description is given of a damping arrangement for reducing resonant vibrations in a combustion chamber (1), with a combustion-chamber wall (2), which is of double-walled design and, with an outer wall-surface part (22) and an inner wall-surface part (21) facing the combustion chamber (1), gastightly encloses an intermediate space (3), into which cooling air can be fed for purposes of convective cooling of the combustion-chamber wall (2).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a damping arrangement for reducing resonant vibrations in a combustion chamber, with a combustion-chamber wall which is of double-walled design, and, with an outer wall-surface part and an inner wall-surface part facing the combustion chamber, gastightly encloses an intermediate space, into which cooling air can be fed for purposes of convective cooling of the combustion-chamber wall.
2. Discussion of Background
A combustion chamber with a combustion-chamber wall of double-walled design mentioned above emerges from EP 0 669 500 B1. There is a flow of compressed combustion feed air for cooling purposes through the enclosed intermediate space of the combustion-chamber wall of double-walled design which surrounds the combustion zone, the combustion-chamber wall of double-walled design being cooled by way of convective cooling. Further details of the particular configuration of a combustion chamber of this kind can be found in the abovementioned European patent, to the disclosure of which explicit reference is made at this point.
Combustion chambers constructed in this way are used primarily for the operation of gas turbines but are also used generally in heat-generating systems, e.g. for firing boilers.
Under certain operating conditions, noise in the form of thermal acoustic vibrations occurs in these combustion chambers and may well show highly pronounced resonant phenomena in the frequency range between 20 and 400 Hz. Such vibrations, which are also known as combustion-chamber pulsations, can assume amplitudes and associated pressure fluctuations that subject the combustion chamber itself to severe mechanical loads that may decisively reduce the life of the combustion chamber and, in the worst case, may even lead to destruction of the combustion chamber.
Since the formation of such combustion-chamber pulsations depends on a large number of boundary conditions, it is difficult or impossible to predetermine precisely the occurrence of such pulsations. On the contrary, it is necessary to respond appropriately during the operation of the combustion chamber in cases of resonant vibration increases, by deliberately avoiding combustion-chamber operating points at which high pulsation amplitudes occur, for example. However, it is not always possible to implement such a measure, especially since, when starting up a gas turbine system, for example, a large number of particular operating states have to be traversed in order to be able to reach the corresponding optimum rated operating range for the gas turbine.
On the other hand, measures for the selective damping of resonant combustion-chamber pulsations of this kind by means of devices, e.g. using suitable acoustic damping elements such as Helmholtz dampers or λ/4 tubes, are known. Acoustic damping elements of this kind generally comprise a bottleneck and a larger volume connected to the bottleneck, which is matched in each case to the frequency to be damped. Especially when selectively damping low frequencies, there is a need for large damping volumes, which cannot be integrated into every combustion chamber for design reasons.
Active countermeasures are also known for selectively combating combustion-chamber pulsations, by means of which anti-sound fields, for example, are coupled into the combustion chamber for the selective suppression or elimination of resonant pressure fluctuations.
All the initially mentioned measures for selectively damping combustion-chamber pulsations are matched individually to the corresponding conditions of the individual combustion chambers and cannot readily be applied to other types of combustion chamber.
The combustion chamber described at the outset with convective cooling within the combustion-chamber wall, which is of double-walled design, has been optimized in light of combustion with low pollutant emissions. With a combustion chamber of this kind, it is furthermore possible to achieve very lean combustion using a relatively high proportion of air.

Damping arrangement for reducing combustion-chamber pulsation in a gas turbine system

Abstract: The invention is distinguished by the fact that at least one third wall-surface part (4) is provided, which, with the outer wall-surface part (22), encloses a gastight volume (5), and that the gastight volume (5) is connected gastightly to the combustion chamber (1) by at least one connecting line (6).


The charge pump is provided, which comprises a power supply circuit and a frequency control circuit. The power supply circuit comprises at least one electric energy storage element, and charges the at least one electric energy storage element for producing a supply voltage. The frequency control circuit is coupled to the at least one electric energy storage element, and outputs an operating signal to the power supply circuit. The frequency control circuit adjusts, an operating frequency of the operating signal in according to the electricity stored in the at least one electric energy storage element for controlling charging of the at least one electric energy storage element to increase the electricity of the at least one electric energy storage element.

A charge pump is a DC-to-DC converter used for producing an output voltage greater than the input voltage, or producing a negative output voltage. The principle of a charge pump is charging and discharging a capacitor(s). Different connection methods can be adopted, including charging parallelly, discharging serially, charging serially, and discharging parallelly, for achieving voltage conversion functions such as boost conversion, buck conversion, and negative conversion. A general charge pump needs to receive operating signals from the outside and the operating frequency of the operating signals is a fixed operating frequency. To achieve higher driving capability for loads, the fixed operating frequency of a charge pump is set higher. Nonetheless, as the load is changed form a heavy load to a light one, the proportion of the internal power consumption of the charge pump is increased apparently, leading to unnecessary power loss. In addition, to adjust the output voltage of the charge pump, the transmission of operating signals to the charge pump will normally be paused. Unfortunately, using this method, when the load is changing, significant voltage ripples will result since the operating signals cannot rapidly control the response of the charge pump.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a charge pump capable of automatically controlling the operating frequency. According to the load, the charge pump generates a power-saving operating frequency according to the internal state of the charge pump. Besides, the charge pump according to the present invention owns the characteristics of small output voltage ripples and rapid response.


An Adjustable Popcorn Strainer which separates partially popped and unpopped popcorn kernels from fully popped popcorn. These partially popped and unpopped kernels can be hazardous to the teeth and are generally unpleasant to eat. The strainer holes are adjustable allowing the desired kernel size to be passed through the strainer.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to kitchen utensils and more specifically to food strainers and colanders.
2. Description of Related Art
Most food strainers and colanders existing on the market today cannot be used to separate small partially popped and unpopped kernels from a batch of fully popped popcorn. Most strainers and colanders are normally used to clean food products by pouring water over the food and through the colander. In addition, there does not appear to be an adjustable strainer on the market which can pass a range of smaller kernel sizes, leaving the larger popped kernels inside the strainer.


An indication system and method for detecting and displaying the relative position during fuel transfer. The system comprises a first input device configured to be capable of detecting the extended length from the tanker aircraft of elongated hose and to be capable of sending the detected length of elongated hose to the control module. The control module is operably connected to a display and configured to be capable of receiving an input signal from the input device of hose extension, transforming it into a corresponding output signal of the position of the receiver aircraft inside a refueling range of limit positions and sending the corresponding output signal to the display, which is configured to be capable of displaying information indicating the position of the receiver aircraft inside the refueling range of limit positions.

The present invention is directed to an indication system and method for detecting and displaying the relative position between a tanker aircraft and a receiver aircraft during fuel transfer. The invention is intended to ensure a proper fuel transfer during the aerial refueling operations with Hose & Drogue systems.
In aerial refueling Hose & Drogue operations, the receiver pilot assumes the responsibility of conducting an engagement to enable fuel transfer, while maintaining a safe separation from the tanker. Contacts and disconnects are performed by the receiver aircraft following the indications from the refueling station. According to standard procedures, the tanker trails a hose having a free end that terminates in a reception coupling and a conical shaped drogue. Receiver aircraft are fitted with an aerial refueling probe which terminates in a fuel nozzle. Finally, the receiver aircraft is flown to engage the probe into the drogue.
This fact implies that the receiver aircraft pilot has the responsibility of getting the engagement and, after that, controlling and maintaining its relative position and speed with respect to the tanker aircraft all along the operation, from contact to disconnection. Fuel flow is started and held on to provided the engaged receiver maintains hose extension between certain maximum and minimum limits.
Currently, tanker aircraft refueling systems provide some helps for the receiver aircraft pilot to manage the operation, consisting basically of the following:                Signal or traffic lights.        Hose marks.        Tunnel lights.
Regarding signal lights associated with each tanker aircraft, a set of rearward facing signal lights or display is installed, using colors red, amber and green. The lights provide indications of the operating status of the aerial refueling equipment, more specifically the refueling pod in this case. Following the standards, the color codes would be the following:                Red light, a red light means breakaway or do not make contact.        Amber light, amber light means clear contact.        Green light, a green light means fuel is flowing.
All the known implementations of existing signaling lights for Hose & Drogue aerial refueling operations comply with this standard and therefore basically consist of a set of three visible colored lights or clusters and the corresponding infrared ones for covert mode.
Signal lights provide the receiver aircraft pilot with information on the status of the refueling station. Green light denotes that the receiver has pushed the drogue inside the refueling range. If the inner limit is exceeded, for instance because the receiver aircraft flies too close to the pod, the signal lights turn suddenly to flashing amber, requiring the pilot to move backwards and away and the pumps are immediately closed. If the outer limit is exceeded, for instance, when the receiver aircraft drops behind maximum refueling allowed hose extension, the signal lights turn suddenly to steady amber and the fuel pumps are closed immediately. In both cases, signal lights do not warn the pilot in advance.
Regarding hose dimension and markings, aerial refueling hoses include ring marks along certain intervals that aim to provide the receiver pilot with an indication of their deployment or retraction and their extended length during the contact as it is useful for the receiver pilot to be aware of the limits for the operation, such as the proximity to the minimum or maximum allowed hose extension, before disconnection.
Most hoses are marked with colored bands, mainly with a series of bands or a block of color to indicate the optimum receiver refueling position. On some hoses, the refueling position marks are bounded by additional markings indicating the start and stop positions for fuel flow. Usually, there is a series of closely spaced bands at the tanker end of the hose, these provide cues for the receiver pilot to assess rates of fore and aft movement after making contact or during disconnection.
Hose marking should be visible, as required by aircrew, when conducting aerial refueling operations in ambient lighting, weather and background conditions. The hose markings should provide the aircrew with visual cues relating to hose position, hose behavior, and receiver relative motion. The markings should also indicate the inner and outer limits of the refueling range and hose orientation aft of the inner refueling limit.
Hose marks are intended to provide a reference of the hose extension Inner and outer limit markings are entrusted to be clearly seen by the receiver aircraft pilot under any ambient lighting, weather and background conditions, but the fact is that it is quite hard for him to distinguish them, especially under night conditions. Several experiences confirm that the hose marks did not provide satisfactory cues for operation, as they were not visible when in contact and so could not be used for positioning, under twilight and night conditions.
Regarding tunnel lights it has to be taken into account that during night time conditions, the hose exit is illuminated from the refueling station rear part by visible lights, also known as tunnel lights. The drogue tunnel or the serving carriage of most tanker aerial refueling installations is lit from within. This is particularly useful for gauging the amount of hose pushed back into the hose drum. Additionally, the tunnel lights are intended to help view the marks on the hose when getting out of the refueling station rear fairing.
Tunnel lights are not fulfilling the function of illuminating the hose exit as expected. Therefore, at night or in degraded visual conditions, once contact is achieved, it is very hard to have a reference of the drogue position inside the refueling range, as the hose marks are nearly invisible. Refueling lights are not able to provide a precise indication of the whereabouts of the receiver aircraft inside the range, or in other words, how far away with respect to the inner or outer limit the receiver aircraft is. Tunnel lights illuminate only one small part of the hose close to the hose exit. As only a small part of the hose is illuminated, the pilot easily loses track of his position as he does not see the entire length of the hose. He is able to see marks close to the hose exit which do not give him a reference of the distance with respect to the limits.
As mentioned before, fuel flow is started and held on to provided the engaged receiver maintains hose extension inside certain maximum and minimum limits. As soon as any of those limits is exceeded, fuel flow is interrupted, and not resumed until the receiver gets back into the refueling range again and the pumps are reopened. These interruptions usually catch the pilot unaware, as the transition from fuel dispensing range to pumps closed is abrupt, and the above described help means are not totally effective to this purpose. These interruptions are extending the times to accomplish the aerial refueling operations and increasing the amount of workload required from receiver pilots.

Aerial refueling indication system and method


A crosstalk reduction circuit compensates for input to output capacitance coupling of each switch of a crosspoint matrix and for output to common level capacitance coupling for each integrated circuit chip that makes up the crosspoint matrix. Each input signal to the crosspoint matrix is capacitively scaled, summed and inverted to produce an "off" isolation compensation signal, and each output signal from the crosspoint matrix is capacitively scaled, summed and inverted to produce an output isolation compensation signal. Each compensation signal is resistively scaled for each output signal, and the scaled compensation signals are subtracted from the output signals to reduce the crosstalk in the output signals.

The present invention relates to electronic switches, and more particularly to a crosstalk reduction circuit for reducing the coupling of undesired signals to any given output of the switches.
Electronic equipment has been in use for many years to allow the switching of any chosen input signal, either digital or analog, to one or more output ports. A switching array inside the equipment has a variety of hardware devices, called crosspoints, such as relays, field effect transistors (FETs), digital circuits and the like. However the coupling of undesired signals to any given output port, a phenomenon called "crosstalk", is a persistent problem in all such systems.
The unwanted voltage signals couple through a crosspoint matrix to a given output of the matrix through several mechanisms. Any given switch in the matrix has primarily capacitive coupling from input to output through the switch when the switch is "off". Additionally unwanted coupling capacitance exists between inputs and also between outputs. Finally with integrated circuit crosspoints there is a capacitance between each output port and a common voltage level that also produces unwanted crosstalk. Fortunately for most designs the impedance on the input side is so low that this coupling path between inputs can be neglected. Also the capacitive coupling directly between outputs is negligible compared to the coupling from input to output and between output and the common level.
Currently efforts to reduce crosstalk to acceptable levels have relied upon fabricating crosspoints with better "off" isolation characteristics. Also minimizing unwanted electromagnetic coupling inside the equipment through careful circuit layout is necessary in some applications. However none of these efforts really address the major contributors to the crosstalk problem discussed above.
What is desired is a crosstalk reduction circuit for reducing the coupling of undesired signals to any given output port of a switching array.

Crosstalk reduction circuit for crosspoint matrix


A method with the functions of virtual space and data encryption and invisibility stores file data as encrypted code through an encryption mechanism. Data can be read through an embedded data storage device only. Furthermore, a specific path of data stored on the data process apparatus can be concealed. Dual security for enhancing data security and confidentiality is utilized to achieve the object of data security management.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an embedded data storage device and especially to a device that applies a data process apparatus with a method of virtual space and data encryption and invisibility functions.
2. Related Art
The development of technology has made progress at a tremendous pace at the present days, and data process apparatuses have been widely applied to various fields. With the advance in science, the functions of data process apparatuses are increasingly diversified. In today's information explosive world, a data process apparatus is required to not only provide various functions for a user to manage his/her information but also to have sufficient space for a hoard of data storage.
According to the aforementioned situation, a portable data storage device has become one of the indispensable accessories of a data process apparatus accommodating to the mobility era. However, a portable data storage device is convenient to be carried though, but the drawback thereof is that limited storage space is unable to store a legion of information. For instance, a floppy disk is gradually superseded, due to its insufficient storage space. In view of the foregoing, some developments of conventionally known technologies in Micro Drivers, Memory Sticks (MS), etc., aim at achieving the function of storing a hoard of data or information. Nevertheless, there is no obvious effect on the function of data protection. The attached list describes known data security system categories as well as some drawbacks thereof. Both enterprises and individuals require their own confidential data and files to be securely stored and presently used methods are through password mechanisms or software methods. Therefore, how to enable a data storage device to possess the highly secured function to be executed by the hardware apparatus thereof has become a technical subject to be resolved.
TABLE 1CategoriesProgramsDescriptionDrawbacksSecurity cabinetSecurity disk,Files can be draggedA file or program should be(securityi-keyinto specific directoriesdecrypted outside thedirectory)for encryption, andspecific directory, then bedragged out fordragged back to the directorydecryptionafter being operated, cleartext outside the directoryshall be deletedA file to bee.g. WinZip,Usually clicks mouseDitto, but more inconvenientencrypted intoetc. that willright button to carry outto be operatedanother filechangedata encryption/filenamesdecryptionA file to beWord, Excel,Password is requiredonly specific files (generatedgenerated andetc.before opening a fileby the system) can beencrypted by theencrypted, but easily to besystemdecrypted by many programsTransparentGoodLockEncrypted files canonly data can be encrypted;encryption/retain the same fileencrypted data can be storeddecryptionnames, and are operatedanywhere to a hard diskthe same as generalfiles, if the smart cardexists; or files can notbe read

Method with the functions of virtual space and data encryption and invisibility


In a vehicle braking system, integral control and isolation valves are used to individually control the brake line pressure to each wheel brake and to provide pedal isolation for each brake channel. The system is operable on a single fluid or a separated fluid system with an integrated power source. Full proportional anti-lock braking and traction control is provided to each selected wheel independently. The system is applicable as a two, three or four channel base brake system.

This invention relates to fluid brake systems for vehicles.
A conventional vehicle fluid brake system includes a master cylinder which is connected by a piping system to brake calipers or wheel cylinders at each wheel. Movement of master cylinder pistons by a brake pedal actuator develops fluid pressure which is transmitted through the piping system to the wheel calipers or cylinders. Braking systems conventionally include a power source which utilizes either engine vacuum and atmospheric pressure or hydraulic pressure to provide power assist or "boost" to the master cylinder in applying fluid force to the braking system.
When a brake pedal is depressed, force is transferred by a push rod to the master cylinder primary piston which moves forward. Under normal conditions the combination of fluid pressure and the force of the primary piston's spring moves a secondary piston forward at the same time. When the pistons move forward, fluid is displaced until front and rear wheel brake linings contact the rotors or drums. Subsequently, hydraulic pressure is built up and transmitted to the front and rear wheels causing the brakes to be applied.
When the brake pedal actuator is released, fluid is forced back through the piping system to the master cylinder. Excess fluid returns to a reservoir which is generally mounted on top of the master cylinder.
Three typical types of general brake systems are two-channel, three-channel, and four-channel systems. Two-channel systems include diagonal split systems and front/rear split systems. In a diagonal split system the left front and right rear brakes are connected with one master cylinder piston forming a channel. The right front and left rear brakes are connected with the other master cylinder piston forming another channel. A typical front/rear split brake system includes one master cylinder piston that is connected with the front brakes and another that is connected with the rear brakes. In a three-channel arrangement the brake system is split into independent left/front and right/front channels and a combined rear channel. In a four-channel arrangement the brake system is divided into a separate channel for each of the four wheel brakes.
The art has adapted conventional vehicle fluid brake systems as thus far described to sophisticated control mechanisms which represent a combination of hydraulic and electrical control and provide advanced braking functions. One such mechanism, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), typically modulates the fluid pressure delivered to a vehicle wheel brake to prevent the vehicle wheel brake from locking up in certain braking conditions. Another such mechanism, traction control (TC), typically modulates the fluid pressure delivered to a vehicle wheel brake to prevent spinning of a powered vehicle wheel, thereby maximizing the traction that is exerted by the vehicle's drive wheels. When a vehicle is being braked or accelerated a typical ABS or TC system operates to individually maximize the force between each wheel and the road surface to maximize vehicle braking or acceleration.
The integration of ABS and TC into vehicle braking systems has presented the challenge to provide a competitive, integrated braking system that is adaptable to providing normal braking, anti-lock braking and traction control operation for the various types of braking systems.

Integral control and isolation valve proportional brake system


The present invention relates to a process and a device for the separation and purification of gas from a fiber suspension, especially residual gas after ozone delignification or pulp suspension, wherein the suspension together with the gas is introduced into a cyclone (2) or similar in which essential separation of suspension takes place, after which the essentially gas-free suspension is drawn off downwards and the gas (5) containing residual fiber and/or other impurities is drawn off upwards, the gas stream (5), before it is conducted away, being led through a liquid bath for separation of residual fibers and/or other impurities from the gas stream.

In the following the invention will be described by referring to a specific field, namely the pulp industry, where the problem which the invention is intended to solve is well-known, which is not, however, to be seen as having any limiting effect on the scope of the invention, which is defined by the subsequent patent claims. In the pulp industry the fibre suspension is often treated with gas, for example with the intention of bleaching the pulp. Subsequently it is desirable to separate the residues of the added treatment gas from the pulp before the latter is subjected to further treatment. Recently it has become much more common to use ozone in connection with bleaching the pulp. Ozone is produced using air or oxygen. After ozone bleaching the major part of the air or oxygen remains as a residual gas. This residual gas also contains small quantities of ozone. The residual ozone remaining after the treatment of the pulp cannot, for environmental reasons, be released directly into the atmosphere but must first be neutralised, which most frequently is achieved in a so-called "ozone destroyer".
However, in order that it should function properly an "ozone destroyer" requires a very high degree of purity in the gas that is to be treated. This implies that the gas which is separated from the pulp suspension must be purified from residual fibres and any other impurities, such as sulphur dioxide (SO.sub.2), sulphuric acid (H.sub.2 SO.sub.4), etc., before it is introduced into an "ozone destroyer".
One purpose of the invention is thus to present a process and a device for the separation of residual fibre, etc., from an above-mentioned gas stream.
A further purpose of the present invention is to present a process and a device for the separation of gas from a fibre suspension comprising a cleaning device which requires relatively little maintenance and which preferably can be run continuously.


A beam-steering apparatus comprises a set of planar tiltable mirrors positioned to define a light beam path therebetween. The set of planar tiltable mirrors comprises from three to five planar tiltable mirrors. Each of the planar tiltable mirrors has a center of rotation lying in a plane of the mirror and each of the planar tiltable mirrors is tiltable about one axis of rotation or two orthogonal axes of rotation that lie in the plane of the mirror. The total number of axes of rotation about which the planar tiltable mirrors of the set of planar tiltable mirrors can tilt is at least five. A mirror drive system tilts each respective planar mirror about its respective axis of rotation or axes of rotation. With this apparatus, an input or output light beam path is steerable over two angular, one rotational, and two lateral-position degrees of freedom.

In many applications, a radiation source (such as a laser) or a detector (such as a focal plane array or FPA) is maintained stationary, and the output beam of the radiation source or the input beam of the detector is aimed in a desired direction using a reflective and/or refractive beam-steering apparatus. Thus, for example, an image generator may remain stationary, and the output image beam is aimed by movable mirrors and/or lenses. Similarly, an imaging focal plane array detector may remain stationary, and the area of space to be imaged is selected by movable mirrors and/or lenses.
Familiar types of beam-steering apparatus include azimuth-elevation, roll-nod, and roll-pitch gimbals. The rotation of the gimbaled structure about two axes allows the line-of-sight beam output or the line-of-sight beam input direction to be selected for an available range of elevations and azimuths. The elevation and azimuth represent two angular degrees of freedom.
A more complex problem arises where the line-of-sight must be steered in more than two degrees of freedom, and as many as five degrees of freedom. These additional degrees of freedom can include a rotational degree of freedom, that is, the rotation of the image about the line of sight. There may also be a requirement for steering one or two lateral-position degrees of freedom. These lateral-position degrees of freedom include the lateral movement of the line of sight, such as the lateral position of an entrance or exit pupil.
Control of the rotational of the line of sight about the beam axis is an important consideration in imaging systems. For example, if the system includes a focal plane array detector and the movement of the imaging optics causes the image on the focal plane array to rotate, the analysis of the image may become more difficult. Optical de-rotation devices such as K-mirrors or Pechan prisms have been developed to control the rotation of the image about the line of sight. Such de-rotation devices are typically used serially with multiple mirrors that provide two-dimensional angular beam steering and two lateral-position degrees of freedom. The resulting apparatus that provides five degrees of freedom of the beam steering is large, heavy, and complex, because it requires that a portion of the apparatus rotates as an assembly about the line of sight.
There is a need for a beam-steering apparatus that provides up to five degrees of beam-steering freedom, yet is relatively small, light, and simple in construction. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.

Beam-steering apparatus having five degrees of freedom of line-of-sight steering


A laser beam apparatus that is used for detecting vehicles in an intelligent traffic system according to an embodiment includes: a light source generating a laser beam of a short pulse; an optical transmission system converting the laser beam into a line beam; and an optical reception system receiving a beam dispersed rearward and reflected and returned when the line beam is radiated to a vehicle, and calculating a distance value from a reception time difference between the laser beam and the reflected beam, in which a first lens and a second lens that receive a laser from the light source are sequentially arranged in the optical transmission system, and the length of a horizontal axis of the line beam is increased or decreased to fit to the width of a road to be measured, by adjusting the distance between the light source and the first lens. Accordingly, it is possible to find out the current traffic situation in real time by accurately finding out whether there are vehicles passing through a predetermined area, using the lasers that are radiated from the laser detection apparatus regardless of the sizes of roads.

Recently, many projects for designing safety and convenience for users and maximizing efficiency in operating and using traffic systems by applying high technologies to the traffic systems are in progress to construct safer and more convenient traffic systems. Actually, information such as the license plate, the speed, and the type of a vehicle on roads is acquired through high-tech traffic systems on many roads and is used for regulating over-speeding vehicles and overloaded vehicles. In order to obtain such information, it is required first to detect passing vehicles, and to this end, sensor technologies such as a detector, a radar, an imaging device, and an ultrasonic device are used. In these technologies, a loop embedding method is generally used. According to this method, when a vehicle passes through or is stopped in a detection area set by a loop on a road, the method determines whether the vehicle passes through or is stopped in the detection area by detecting a change in inductance of the loop. However, according to the loop embedding method, it is unavoidable to damage a road for installation and loops are frequently damaged by overloaded vehicles. A Time-Of-Flight (TOF) type laser detector is used as another method of detecting vehicles for compensating for the defects of the loop embedding method.
FIG. 1 shows a traffic system that radiates lasers for scanning as a method of detecting vehicles in the related art.
According to the traffic system shown in FIG. 1, a laser distance measurer 5 is fixed to a structure extending in the width direction of a road. The laser distance measurer 5 scans the width of the road by radiating laser beams 6 while changing light paths in a predetermined direction, using a rotary reflector. The system radiates the laser beams 6 to points to be scanned and calculates distance values from reflecting laser signals. When a vehicle 4 passes through the area to be scanned by the laser beams 6, the reflective distances of the laser beams are reduced in accordance with the height of the vehicle, whereby it is possible to determine whether there is a vehicle on the road. However, this method requires a driving unit such as a motor for operating the reflector, so there is a problem in that vibration is generated and the performance of the system is deteriorated due to the lifespan of the motor.

Laser detection device using line beam, and vehicle information recognition method using same

GWANGJU INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A cryptographic communication terminal serving as one of information transmitting and receiving terminals in cryptographic communication includes a cryptographic algorithm storage section for storing one or more types of cryptographic algorithm used for cryptographic communication, and outputting a designated cryptographic algorithm, a key information storage section for storing a key used for cryptographic communication corresponding to the cryptographic algorithm, and outputting a designated key, a control section for designating, with respect to the cryptographic algorithm storage section and the key information storage section, which cryptographic algorithm and key are to be used in the cryptographic communication, and an encryption/decryption section for decrypting received encryption information by using the cryptographic algorithm designated with respect to the cryptographic algorithm storage section and the key designated with respect to the key information storage section, and encrypting information to be transmitted.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 11-58592, filed Mar. 5, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to a cryptographic communication terminal, cryptographic communication center apparatus, cryptographic communication system, and storage medium and, more particularly, to a cryptographic communication terminal, cryptographic communication center apparatus, cryptographic communication system, and storage medium which are characterized in that a plurality of cryptographic algorithms can be used and a new cryptographic algorithm can be safely and efficiently registered and used.
Various current devices connected to a network incorporate encryption techniques to prevent breaches of security. With the use of the these incorporated encryption techniques, electronic business transactions, contents distribution businesses, and the like using networks as media are growing. These businesses depend on the safety of the incorporated encryption techniques. Under the circumstances, studies on the design of safe, efficient cryptographic algorithms have been enthusiastically conducted.
According to a conventional system incorporating an encryption technique, once system specifications are determined by standardization or the like, a cryptographic scheme that can be used by the system is fixed. Consequently, the security level of the system is also fixed.
On the other hand, studies on cryptanalysis of cryptographic algorithms have also been enthusiastically conducted to evaluate the safety of the cryptographic algorithms concurrently with the studies on the design of safe cryptographic algorithms. Therefore, the cryptographic scheme used by a given system may be actually broken.
If the cryptographic scheme used by the system is broken in this manner, the system cannot be used unless the cryptographic scheme is updated. That is, in order to continue safe network communication, the cryptographic scheme of the system must be updated.
In updating the cryptographic scheme through the network, however, a problem is posed in terms of safety. For example, confidential information may leak to the outside. If the cryptographic scheme is to be updated without the mediacy of a network, updating must be performed in all the devices in the system one by one. This makes it impossible to efficiently update the scheme.

Cryptographic communication terminal, cryptographic communication center apparatus, cryptographic communication system, and storage medium


A nonvolatile memory system can include a nonvolatile memory device that can be configured to store data and a nonvolatile memory buffer circuit that can be configured to store data of a type that is predetermined to be flushed to the nonvolatile memory device in a sudden power off backup operation of the nonvolatile memory system, whereas a volatile memory buffer circuit can be configured to store other data of a type that is not to be flushed to the nonvolatile memory device in the sudden power off backup operation of the nonvolatile memory system. A memory controller can be coupled to the nonvolatile memory device, the nonvolatile memory buffer circuit, and to the volatile memory buffer circuit, where the memory controller can be configured to store received data or processed data in the nonvolatile memory buffer circuit responsive to determining that the received data or processed data is of the type that is predetermined to be flushed to the nonvolatile memory device in the sudden power off backup operation of the nonvolatile memory system.

The inventive concept described herein relates to semiconductor memories, and more particularly, to nonvolatile memory systems and methods of operating such systems.
A semiconductor memory device can be fabricated using semiconductors such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), and the like. Semiconductor memory devices can be classified into volatile memory devices and nonvolatile memory devices.
A volatile memory device such as a Static RAM (Static Random Access Memory), a Dynamic RAM (DRAM), a Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc. may lose stored data when power to the memory is lost. A nonvolatile memory device such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory device, a Phase-change RAM (PRAM), a Magnetic RAM (MRAM), a Resistive RAM (RERAM), a Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), etc. may retain stored data even when power is lost.
A flash memory-based solid state drive (hereinafter, referred to as "SSD") is used in some applications. An SSD may operate at a faster speed, lower noise and lower power than a conventional hard disk drive. An SSD may also incorporate a DRAM as a buffer memory. However, because a DRAM is a volatile memory, it may be needed to copy or flush data (e.g., mapping table, metadata, etc.) stored in the DRAM into the flash memory when a sudden power-off occurs (SPO). This operation may be referred to as an SPO backup operation, and may utilize an auxiliary power device (such as a tantalum capacitor, a super capacitor, or a battery).

Memory systems including nonvolatile buffering and methods of operating the same


Methods and apparatus are provided to determine the emissivity, temperature and area of an object. The methods and apparatus are designed such that the emissivity and area of the object may be separately determined as functions dependent upon the temperature of the object derived from a three or more band infrared measurement sensor. As such, the methods and apparatus may only require a regression analysis of the temperature of the object without any regression analysis of the emissivity and area of the object.

It is desirable in a variety of applications to determine various features of a target, such as the emissivity, area and temperature of the target, based upon multicolor radiant intensity measurements. For example, in ballistic missile defense and tactical air defense scenarios, the extraction of various features of a target from multicolor radiant intensity measurement facilitates the discrimination of an actual target from a decoy. Additionally, it would be useful to accurately determine the emissivity and temperature of various materials, such as composite materials, during wind tunnel testing. Still further, the determination of various features of a target based upon multicolor radiant intensity measurements can be employed in a wide variety of other applications including medical thermography, observational astronomy, astrophysics and the like.
Various techniques have therefore been developed in order to determine the emissivity, area and temperature of an object based upon multicolor radiant intensity measurements. For example, one technique measures the radiant intensity of an object at each of two different wavelengths, i.e., at two different colors. The temperature of the object is then derived based upon the ratio of the Planck radiances at each of the two wavelengths. Thereafter, the product of the emissivity and the area of the object, that is, the emissivity area, is derived by dividing the radiant intensity of the object that was measured by the Planck function evaluated at the temperature that was previously derived. However, the temperature that is derived is based entirely upon the emissivity of the object with the effects of reflected radiation being neglected. In instances in which the object under investigation is a black body, the temperature which is derived may be relatively unbiased. However, many objects are partially reflective such that the derivation of the temperature of the object based only on the emissivity of the object without taking into account the effects of reflected radiation may cause the temperature which is derived to be biased from the true temperature of the object. Since the emissivity area is dependent upon the temperature that has been derived, the bias that is reflected in the derivation of the temperature similarly causes the emissivity area that is derived to be biased from the true emissivity area of the object.
By way of example, a detector may be configured detect the radiant intensity of an object in two wavebands, namely, a first waveband centered at 6 microns and a second waveband centered at 11.5 microns; each waveband having a bandwidth of 1 micron. In one instance in which the actual temperature of the object was 300 Kelvin and the emissivity area of the object was actually 1×104 cm2, the temperature and the emissivity area of the object was then determined as described above for each of 64 different Monte Carlo trials. In this regard, the radiant intensity measurements include some amount of noise with the amount of noise being permitted to vary from trial to trial. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the temperature T and emissivity area EA, respectively, of the object that are derived vary somewhat from the actual temperature and emissivity area. In this example, the mean value of the temperature that was derived is 297.863 Kelvin in comparison to the actual temperature of the object being 300 Kelvin. Similarly, the mean of the emissivity area that is derived is 8.709×103 cm2 in comparison to an actual emissivity area of the object of 1×104 cm2. Moreover, the temperature and emissivity area values that were derived tend to vary from trial to trial with the standard deviation of the temperature values that are derived being 1.644 Kelvin and the standard deviation of the emissivity area values that are derived being 232.532 cm2 in this example.
FIG. 2 provides another graphical depiction of an example of this two-color technique in which the temperature T is plotted relative to the emissivity area EA. As shown by the square box 10, the actual temperature is 300 Kelvin and the actual emissivity area is 8,000 cm2. In contrast, the temperatures and emissivity areas that are derived are not only displaced from the actual temperature and emissivity area of the object, but are scattered across a range of temperatures and emissivity areas.
Another technique for extracting target features from multicolor radiant intensity measurements utilizes a three-color algorithm based upon radiant intensity measurements in three distinct wavebands. See, Spitzberg, R. M., Lincoln Laboratory, Tutorial on Target Phenomenology and Optical Discrimination for Midcourse Sensors, NMD Discrimination Working Group (Nov. 14, 2001). Based upon the radiant intensity measurements in each of the three wavebands, the emissivity, area and temperature of an object can be measured with less bias than those techniques that rely upon radiant intensity measurements within only two wavebands. However, the three-color algorithm generally requires separate regression or estimation of each of the emissivity, area and temperature. In this regard, conventional parameter estimation algorithms including the Levenburg Marquardt and Newton iterative solutions are generally required to separately estimate the emissivity, area and temperature of the object. While this three-color algorithm may serve to reduce the bias associated with the emissivity, area and temperature of the object, this three-color algorithm generally requires fairly substantial computational resources in order to separately estimate each of the three parameters, namely, emissivity, area and temperature.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved technique for extracting target features, such as emissivity, area and temperature, from multicolor radiant intensity measurements. In particular, it would be desirable to provide an improved technique for determining the emissivity, area and temperature of an object from multicolor radiant intensity measurements which requires fewer computational resources and which introduces less bias into the determination.

Method and apparatus for determining the emissivity, area and temperature of an object


The present invention makes available, inter alia, methods and reagents for modulating smoothened-dependent pathway activation. In certain embodiments, the subject methods can be used to counteract the phenotypic effects of unwanted activation of a hedgehog pathway, such as resulting from hedgehog gain-of-function, ptc loss-of-function or smoothened gain-of-function mutations.

Pattern formation is the activity by which embryonic cells form ordered spatial arrangements of differentiated tissues. The physical complexity of higher organisms arises during embryogenesis through the interplay of cell-intrinsic lineage and cell-extrinsic signaling. Inductive interactions are essential to embryonic patterning in vertebrate development from the earliest establishment of the body plan, to the patterning of the organ systems, to the generation of diverse cell types during tissue differentiation (Davidson, E., (1990) Development 108: 365–389; Gurdon, J. B., (1992) Cell 68: 185–199; Jessell, T. M. et al., (1992) Cell 68: 257–270). The effects of developmental cell interactions are varied. Typically, responding cells are diverted from one route of cell differentiation to another by inducing cells that differ from both the uninduced and induced states of the responding cells (inductions). Sometimes cells induce their neighbors to differentiate like themselves (homeogenetic induction); in other cases a cell inhibits its neighbors from differentiating like itself. Cell interactions in early development may be sequential, such that an initial induction between two cell types leads to a progressive amplification of diversity. Moreover, inductive interactions occur not only in embryos, but in adult cells as well, and can act to establish and maintain morphogenetic patterns as well as induce differentiation (J. B. Gurdon (1992) Cell 68:185–199).
Members of the Hedgehog family of signaling molecules mediate many important short- and long-range patterning processes during invertebrate and vertebrate development. In the fly, a single hedgehog gene regulates segmental and imaginal disc patterning. In contrast, in vertebrates, a hedgehog gene family is involved in the control of left-right asymmetry, polarity in the CNS, somites and limb, organogenesis, chondrogenesis and spermatogenesis.
The first hedgehog gene was identified by a genetic screen in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster (Nüsslein-Volhard, C. and Wieschaus, E. (1980) Nature 287, 795–801). This screen identified a number of mutations affecting embryonic and larval development. In 1992 and 1993, the molecular nature of the Drosophila hedgehog (hh) gene was reported (C. F., Lee et al. (1992) Cell 71, 33–50), and since then, several hedgehog homologues have been isolated from various vertebrate species. While only one hedgehog gene has been found in Drosophila and other invertebrates, multiple Hedgehog genes are present in vertebrates.
The vertebrate family of hedgehog genes includes at least four members, e.g., paralogs of the single drosophila hedgehog gene. Exemplary hedgehog genes and proteins are described in PCT publications WO 95/18856 and WO 96/17924. Three of these members, herein referred to as Desert hedgehog (Dhh), Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Indian hedgehog (Ihh), apparently exist in all vertebrates, including fish, birds, and mammals. A fourth member, herein referred to as tiggy-winkle hedgehog (Twhh), appears specific to fish. Desert hedgehog (Dhh) is expressed principally in the testes, both in mouse embryonic development and in the adult rodent and human; Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is involved in bone development during embryogenesis and in bone formation in the adult; and, Shh, which as described above, is primarily involved in morphogenic and neuroinductive activities. Given the critical inductive roles of hedgehog polypeptides in the development and maintenance of vertebrate organs, the identification of hedghog interacting proteins is of paramount significance in both clinical and research contexts.
The various Hedgehog proteins consist of a signal peptide, a highly conserved N-terminal region, and a more divergent C-terminal domain. In addition to signal sequence cleavage in the secretory pathway (Lee, J. J. et al. (1992) Cell 71:33–50; Tabata, T. et al. (1992) Genes Dev. 2635–2645; Chang, D. E. et al. (1994) Development 120:3339–3353), Hedgehog precursor proteins undergo an internal autoproteolytic cleavage which depends on conserved sequences in the C-terminal portion (Lee et al. (1994) Science 266:1528–1537; Porter et al. (1995) Nature 374:363–366). This autocleavage leads to a 19 kD N-terminal peptide and a C-terminal peptide of 26–28 kD (Lee et al. (1992) supra; Chang et al. (1994) supra; Lee et al. (1994) supra; Bumcrot, D. A., et al. (1995) Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:2294–2303; Porter et al. (1995) supra; Ekker, S. C. et al. (1995) Curr. Biol. 5:944–955; Lai, C. J. et al. (1995) Development 121:2349–2360). The N-terminal peptide stays tightly associated with the surface of cells in which it was synthesized, while the C-terminal peptide is freely diffusible both in vitro and in vivo (Porter et al. (1995) Nature 374:363; Lee et al. (1994) supra; Bumcrot et al. (1995) supra; Marti, E. et al. (1995) Development 121:2537–2547; Roelink, H. et al. (1995) Cell 81:445–455). Interestingly, cell surface retention of the N-terminal peptide is dependent on autocleavage, as a truncated form of HH encoded by an RNA which terminates precisely at the normal position of internal cleavage is diffusible in vitro (Porter et al. (1995) supra) and in vivo (Porter, J. A. et al. (1996) Cell 86, 21–34). Biochemical studies have shown that the autoproteolytic cleavage of the HH precursor protein proceeds through an internal thioester intermediate which subsequently is cleaved in a nucleophilic substitution. It is likely that the nucleophile is a small lipophilic molecule which becomes covalently bound to the C-terminal end of the N-peptide (Porter et al. (1996) supra), tethering it to the cell surface. The biological implications are profound. As a result of the tethering, a high local concentration of N-terminal Hedgehog peptide is generated on the surface of the Hedgehog producing cells. It is this N-terminal peptide which is both necessary and sufficient for short- and long-range Hedgehog signaling activities in Drosophila and vertebrates (Porter et al. (1995) supra; Ekker et al. (1995) supra; Lai et al. (1995) supra; Roelink, H. et al. (1995) Cell 81:445–455; Porter et al. (1996) supra; Fietz, M. J. et al. (1995) Curr. Biol. 5:643–651; Fan, C.-M. et al. (1995) Cell 81:457–465; Marti, E., et al. (1995) Nature 375:322–325; Lopez-Martinez et al. (1995) Curr. Biol 5:791–795; Ekker, S. C. et al. (1995) Development 121:2337–2347; Forbes, A. J. et al. (1996) Development 122:1125–1135).
HH has been implicated in short- and long-range patterning processes at various sites during Drosophila development. In the establishment of segment polarity in early embryos, it has short-range effects which appear to be directly mediated, while in the patterning of the imaginal discs, it induces long range effects via the induction of secondary signals.
In vertebrates, several hedgehog genes have been cloned in the past few years. Of these genes, Shh has received most of the experimental attention, as it is expressed in different organizing centers which are the sources of signals that pattern neighboring tissues. Recent evidence indicates that Shh is involved in these interactions.
The expression of Shh starts shortly after the onset of gastrulation in the presumptive midline mesoderm, the node in the mouse (Chang et al. (1994) supra; Echelard, Y. et al. (1993) Cell 75:1417–1430), the rat (Roelink, H. et al. (1994) Cell 76:761–775) and the chick (Riddle, R. D. et al. (1993) Cell 75:1401–1416), and the shield in the zebrafish (Ekker et al. (1995) supra; Krauss, S. et al. (1993) Cell 75:1431–1444). In chick embyros, the Shh expression pattern in the node develops a left-right asymmetry, which appears to be responsible for the left-right situs of the heart (Levin, M. et al. (1995) Cell 82:803–814).
In the CNS, Shh from the notochord and the Doorplate appears to induce ventral cell fates. When ectopically expressed, Shh leads to a ventralization of large regions of the mid- and hindbrain in mouse (Echelard et al. (1993) supra; Goodrich, L. V. et al. (1996) Genes Dev. 10:301–312), Xenopus (Roelink, H. et al. (1994) supra; Ruiz i Altaba, A. et al. (1995) Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 6:106–121), and zebrafish (Ekker et al. (1995) supra; Krauss et al. (1993) supra; Hammerschmidt, M., et al. (1996) Genes Dev. 10:647–658). In explants of intermediate neuroectoderm at spinal cord levels, Shh protein induces floorplate and motor neuron development with distinct concentration thresholds, floor plate at high and motor neurons at lower concentrations (Roelink et al. (1995) supra; Marti et al. (1995) supra; Tanabe, Y. et al. (1995) Curr. Biol. 5:651–658). Moreover, antibody blocking suggests that Shh produced by the notochord is required for notochord-mediated induction of motor neuron fates (Marti et al. (1995) supra). Thus, high concentration of Shh on the surface of Shh-producing midline cells appears to account for the contact-mediated induction of floorplate observed in vitro (Placzek, M. et al. (1993) Development 117:205–218), and the midline positioning of the Doorplate immediately above the notochord in vivo. Lower concentrations of Shh released from the notochord and the Doorplate presumably induce motor neurons at more distant ventrolateral regions in a process that has been shown to be contact-independent in vitro (Yamada, T. et al. (1993) Cell 73:673–686). In explants taken at midbrain and forebrain levels, Shh also induces the appropriate ventrolateral neuronal cell itypes, dopaminergic (Heynes, M. et al. (1995) Neuron 15:35–44; Wang, M. Z. et al. (1995) Nature Med. 1:1184–1188) and cholinergic (Ericson, J. et al. (1995) Cell 81:747–756) precursors, respectively, indicating that Shh is a common inducer of ventral specification over the entire length of the CNS. These observations raise a question as to how the differential response to Shh is regulated at particular anteroposterior positions.
Shh from the midline also patterns the paraxial regions of the vertebrate embryo, the somites in the trunk (Fan et al. (1995) supra) and the head mesenchyme rostral of the somites (Hammerschmidt et al. (1996) supra). In chick and mouse paraxial mesoderm explants, Shh promotes the expression of sclerotome specific markers like Pax1 and Twist, at the expense of the dermamyotomal marker Pax3. Moreover, filter barrier experiments suggest that Shh mediates the induction of the sclerotome directly rather than by activation of a secondary signaling mechanism (Fan, C.-M. and Tessier-Lavigne, M. (1994) Cell 79, 1175–1186).
Shh also induces myotomal gene expression (Hammerschmidt et al. (1996) supra; Johnson, R. L. et al. (1994) Cell 79:1165–1173; Münsterberg, A. E. et al. (1995) Genes Dev. 9:2911–2922; Weinberg, E. S. et al. (1996) Development 122:271–280), although recent experiments indicate that members of the WNT family, vertebrate homologues of Drosophila wingless, are required in concert (Münsterberg et al. (1995) supra). Puzzlingly, myotomal induction in chicks requires higher Shh concentrations than the induction of sclerotomal markers (Münsterberg et al. (1995) supra), although the sclerotome originates from somitic cells positioned much closer to the notochord. Similar results were obtained in the zebrafish, where high concentrations of Hedgehog induce myotomal and repress sclerotomal marker gene expression (Hammerschmidt et al. (1996) supra). In contrast to amniotes, however, these observations are consistent with the architecture of the fish embryo, as here, the myotome is the predominant and more axial component of the somites. Thus, modulation of Shh signaling and the acquisition of new signaling factors may have modified the somite structure during vertebrate evolution.
In the vertebrate limb buds, a subset of posterior mesenchymal cells, the "Zone of polarizing activity" (ZPA), regulates anteroposterior digit identity (reviewed in Honig, L. S. (1981) Nature 291:72–73). Ectopic expression of Shh or application of beads soaked in Shh peptide mimics the effect of anterior ZPA grafts, generating a mirror image duplication of digits (Chang et al. (1994) supra; Lopez-Martinez et al. (1995) supra; Riddle et al. (1993) supra) (FIG. 2g). Thus, digit identity appears to depend primarily on Shh concentration, although it is possible that other signals may relay this information over the substantial distances that appear to be required for AP patterning (100–150 μm). Similar to the interaction of HH and DPP in the Drosophila imaginal discs, Shh in the vertebrate limb bud activates the expression of Bmp2 (Francis, P. H. et al. (1994) Development 120:209–218), a dpp homologue. However, unlike DPP in Drosophila, Bmp2 fails to mimic the polarizing effect of Shh upon ectopic application in the chick limb bud (Francis et al. (1994) supra). In addition to anteroposterior patterning, Shh also appears to be involved in the regulation of the proximodistal outgrowth of the limbs by inducing the synthesis of the fibroblast growth factor FGF4 in the posterior apical ectodermal ridge (Laufer, E. et al. (1994) Cell 79:993–1003; Niswander, L. et al. (1994) Nature 371:609–612).
The close relationship between Hedgehog proteins and BMPs is likely to have been conserved at many, but probably not all sites of vertebrate Hedgehog expression. For example, in the chick hindgut, Shh has been shown to induce the expression of Bmp4, another vertebrate dpp homologue (Roberts, D. J. et al. (1995) Development 121:3163–3174). Furthermore, Shh and Bmp2, 4, or 6 show a striking correlation in their expression in epithelial and mesenchymal cells of the stomach, the urogential system, the lung, the tooth buds and the hair follicles (Bitgood, M. J. and McMahon, A. P. (1995) Dev. Biol. 172:126–138). Further, Ihh, one of the two other mouse Hedgehog genes, is expressed adjacent to Bmp expressing cells in the gut and developing cartilage (Bitgood and McMahon (1995) supra).
A major function of hedgehog in the Drosophila embryo is the maintenance of wg transcription at the boundary of each segmental unit (Hidalgo and Ingham, (1990) Development 110:291–302); from here, Wg protein diffuses across the segment to specify the character of the ectodermal cells that secrete the larval cuticle (Lawrence et al., (1996) Development 122:4095–4103). Like hh, mutations in three other segment polarity genes smoothened (smo), fused (fu) and cubitus interruptus (ci) eliminate wg transcription at parasegmental borders (Forbes et al., (1993) Development Suppl. 115–124; Ingham, (1993) Nature 366:560–562; Préat et al., (1993) Genetics 135:1047–1062; and van den Heuvel et al. (1996) Nature 382:547–551); by contrast, mutation of a fourth gene, patched (ptc), leads to the derepression of wg (Ingham et al., (1991) Nature 353:184–187; and Martinez Arias et al., (1988) Development 103:157–170). By making double mutant combinations between ptc and the other genes, it was established that smo, fu and ci all act downstream of ptc to activate wg transcription (Forbes et al., (1993) supra; Hooper (1994) Nature 372:461–464) whilst, on the other hand, transcription of wg becomes independent of hh in the absence of ptc (Ingham and Hidalgo (1993) Development 117:283–291). These findings suggest a simple pathway whereby hh acts to antagonize the activity of ptc which in turn antagonizes the activity of smo, fu and ci. The universality of this pathway subsequently has been established both in Drosophila, where ptc, smo, fu and ci mediate the activity of Hh in all processes studied to date (Ma et al., (1993) Cell 75:927–938); Chen et al. (1996) Cell 87:553–563; Forbes et al., (1996) Development 122:3283–3294; Sanchez-Herrero et al. (1996) Mech. Dev. 55:159–170; Strutt et al. (1997) Development 124:3233–3240), and in vertebrates, where homologues of ptc, smo and ci have been identified and implicated in processes mediated by one or other of the Hh family proteins (Concordet et al., (1996) Development 122:2835–2846; Goodrich et al., supra; Marigo et al., (1996) Dev. Biol. 180:273–283; Stone et al. (1996) Nature 384:129–134; Hynes et al. (1997) Neuron 19:15–26; and Quirk et al. (1997) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 62:217–226).
Patched was originally identified in Drosophila as a segment polarity gene, one of a group of developmental genes that affect cell differentiation within the individual segments that occur in a homologous series along the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo. See Hooper, J. E. et al. (1989) Cell 59:751; and Nakano, Y. et al. (1989) Nature 341:508. Patterns of expression of the vertebrate homologue of patched suggest its involvement in the development of neural tube, skeleton, limbs, craniofacial structure, and skin.
Another protein involved in hedgehog signaling emerged with the discovery that smoothened also encodes a transmembrane protein that is a member of the 7 transmembrane receptor (7TM) family (Alcedo et al. (1996) Cell 86:221–232; van den Heuvel et al. supra). Human homologs of smo have been identified. See, for example, Stone et al. (1996) Nature 384:129–134, and GenBank accession U84401. In vitro binding assays have failed to detect any physical interaction between vertebrate Smo and Hh proteins (Stone et al., supra) whereas, under the same conditions, vertebrate Ptc binds the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) protein with relatively high affinity (Marigo et al. (1996) Nature 384:176–179; Stone et al., supra). Recently, it has been reported that activating smoothened mutations occur in sporadic basal cell carcinoma, Xie et al. (1998) Nature 391: 90–2, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the central nervous system, Reifenberger et al. (1998) Cancer Res 58: 1798–803.
The findings in the art suggest that Hh acts by binding to Ptc, thereby releasing an inhibitory effect of Ptc on Smo. Since Ptc and Smo are both transmembrane proteins, a proposed scenario is that they physically associate to form a receptor complex, though indirect mechanisms of action are also plausible. The derepression of Smo from Ptc inhibition most likely involves a conformational change in Smo. It is, however, important to remember that Ptc is not essential for Smo's activity, since Smo becomes constitutively activated in the complete absence of Ptc protein (Alcedo et al., supra; Quirk et al., supra).
It follows from the model that at least some loss-of-function mutations in ptc should act by disrupting binding to Smo. The discovery that mutations in the human ptc homolog are widespread in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) (Hahn et al. (1996) Cell 85:841–851; Johnson et al. (1996) Science 272:1668–1671) has provided a major stimulation for the analysis of Ptc/Smo function as well as an abundant source of loss-of-function mutations. Many tumour-derived alleles of human ptc have now been sequenced, with the majority of the mutations characterized being due to premature termination of the coding region (Chidambaram et al. (1996) Cancer Res. 56:4599–4601; Wicking et al., (1997) Am. J. Hum. Genet. 60:21–26).
Disruption of Smo-Ptc binding could also be caused by mutations in smo; in contrast to ptc mutations, these should be dominantly acting (since they would lead to constitutive activity of the mutant protein). Recent studies of human BCCs have identified activating mutation(s) in Smo and appear to be responsible for the transformation of basal keratinocytes (Xie et al. (1998) Nature 391:90–92).
While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, the emerging mechanism by which the smo-ptc pathway mediates signal transduction is as follows. In the absence of Hh induction, the activity of Smo is inhibited by Ptc probably through their physical association. Full-length Ci forms a complex with Fu, Cos-2 and suppressor-of-fused [Su(fu)], via which it associates with microtubules. This association leads to targeting of Ci to the proteasome where it is cleaved to release the transcriptional repressing form Ci75. The phosphorylation of Ci155 promotes its cleavage, either by promoting association with the Cos-2-Fu or by promoting ubiquitination (or both). When Hh binds to Ptc, the inhibitory effect on Smo is suppressed. The resulting activation of Smo leads to the dissociation of the Fu-Cos-2-Ci complex from microtubules. Cleavage of Ci155 is blocked; this or a related form of Ci then presumably enters the nucleus to activate transcription of ptc, gli and other target genes in association with CREB binding protein (CBP).

Regulators of the hedgehog pathway, compositions and uses related thereto

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine