A magnetic disk unit provided with a magnetic disk, a slider operatively configured and supported on a pivoting arm, a vertical recording magnetic head provided on said slider, and an information record section provided on the magnetic disk in the form of protrusions covered with magnetic material, said information record section accepting a vertical magnetic recording signal from said vertical magnetic recording head, thus providing a magnetic head operated with a small lift amount to suppress spacing loss in the vertical magnetic recording and improved recording and reproducing performance of a vertical magnetic recording disk unit system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic disk and magnetic disk unit provided with this disk for recording and reproducing data and programs by means of a magnetic head mounted on a floating head slider.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer systems, for example, utilize a hard disk unit as the magnetic disk unit. The magnetic disk housed inside this hard disk unit is covered with a magnetic film on both surfaces and data is recorded or reproduced in a track configuration on this magnetic film by means of a magnetic head mounted on a floating head slider "above" both sides of the magnetic disk.
Because such a magnetic disk is covered with a magnetic film on both entire surfaces and magnetized in the longitudinal magnetic recording direction namely in the direction horizontal to a magnetic film, the width of a guard band provided between adjacent data tracks should be inevitably relatively wide in order to suppress crosstalk from adjacent data tracks. As a result, the width of a track pitch cannot be narrow, and a small-sized hard disk with large recording capacity has not been realized. This is a problem.
To solve this problem, a vertical magnetic recording magnetic disk namely, a magnetic disk magnetized in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic film, has been proposed. The recording density of a magnetic disk is determined by the product of line density and track density. A recording signal with short wavelength may be employed to increase the line density, this means that magnetization reversal width for signal recording is reduced,
Generally in the comparison of a vertical magnetic recording system with a longitudinal magnetic recording system, it is said that the magnetization reversal width is smaller for a vertical magnetization recording system than for a longitudinal magnetization recording system. The difference is attributed to the fact that the magnetization reversal region in a longitudinal magnetic recording system is composed of the same polar magnetic poles, on the other hand, the magnetization reversal region in a vertical magnetic recording system is composed of the different magnetic poles. Therefore, a guard band between data tracks of a magnetic disk of the vertical magnetic recording system can be relatively narrow, and a small-sized hard disk unit with large recording capacity can be realized.
According to the above-mentioned magnetic disk of the vertical magnetic recording system, the high recording density can be realized.
However in the vertical magnetic recording system, because the spacing loss due to the distance between a magnetic disk and a magnetic head is serious, it is necessary to reduce the lift amount between a magnetic disk and a head slider as small as possible.


A remote control residential and commercial lighting and appliance branch circuit breaker provides both overload current protection and load management. Structure is provided enabling packaging in a three-quarter inch width case, including a first set of contacts in the case provided by a pair of separable overload breaker contacts, trip structure in the case for causing separation of the overload breaker contacts in response to overload currents therethrough, a second set of contacts in the case provided by a pair of switching relay contacts having open and closed conditions and electrically connected in series with the overload breaker contacts, and an actuator in the case energizable to mechanically actuate the switching relay contacts. Feedback circuitry is included providing status indication of the condition of the switching relay contacts. Structure is provided for reducing actuator and spring requirements and sizes.

The invention relates to a remote control residential and commercial circuit breaker providing overload current protection and load management.
Circuit breakers provide overcurrent protection for preventing personal injury and property damage. A loadcenter or panelboard receives electrical power from the utility company transformer and routes the electrical power through a main circuit breaker and then through branch circuit breakers to designated branch circuits, each supplying current to one or more electrical loads. The circuit breakers are designed to interrupt the electrical current if it is excessive or outside the design limits of the conductor and loads, to reduce the risk of injury and damage. Branch circuit breakers are provided in narrow width molded cases which fit into designated slots or pole openings in the panelboard. The two most common widths for such circuit breakers are one inch and three-quarter inch, which is the outside width dimension of the molded case.
A circuit breaker has a thermal/magnetic trip characteristic. The thermal characteristic is operative in response to overload current of extended duration which heats a bimetal member, causing movement of the latter, which in turn releases a latch to trip open a set of contacts. For example, the thermal characteristic would respond to 30 amps being drawn in a 15 amp circuit. The magnetic characteristic is operative in response to a sudden high magnitude current overload condition, and uses the magnetic field generated in a magnetic core to attract an armature, which movement releases the latch to open the contacts. As an example, the magnetic type actuation occurs in response to a short circuit wherein the hot line conductor becomes directly connected with ground or neutral, bypassing the load.
It is known in the prior art to provide remote controlled circuit breakers wherein the breaker contacts are tripped to an open condition by an actuator responding to a control signal. This enables the circuit breaker to additionally perform a switching function and manage a load connected to the breaker, such that the breaker performs the dual functions of overload current protection and load management. A disadvantage of using the breaker contacts to perform a switching relay type function is that the breaker contacts are designed to be able to interrupt high current, not for repeated operation.
The present invention provides a circuit breaker with a first set of contacts provided by a pair of separable overload breaker contacts for overload current protection, and a second set of contacts provided by a pair of switching relay contacts having open and closed conditions and electrically connected in series with the overload breaker contacts and providing load management. Trip structure causes separation of the overload breaker contacts in response to overload currents therethrough. An actuator is energizable to mechanically actuate the switching relay contacts.
In one aspect of the invention, feedback circuitry responsive to the actuator provides status indication of the condition of the switching relay contacts, and in turn the managed load.
In another aspect, the noted structure is provided in a common case, and concurrent heating of the case by both the overload current trip structure and a solenoid actuator is prevented. Only one or the other of such trip structure and such solenoid is allowed to heat the case.
In another aspect, structure is provided enabling packaging within a narrow case of standard width of one inch or less. A negative gradient acting spring and particular orientation reduces the holding requirements of an actuating solenoid for the switching relay contacts, which reduced holding requirements enables use of a small solenoid, facilitating the noted packaging. In a further aspect, magnetic flux coupling structure is provided adjacent a movable contact arm of the switching relay contacts and provides a hold down electromagnet holding the switching relay contacts in the closed condition in response to overload currents therethrough such that the switching relay contacts remain closed and resist blow-apart force, and instead the circuit is interrupted by the overload breaker contacts in response to the overload current. The magnetic flux coupling structure providing the hold down electromagnet urges the switching relay contacts to the closed condition with increasing force with increasing current flow therethrough, which in turn reduces the holding requirements of the noted negative gradient acting biasing spring under overload current conditions, which in turn further reduces the holding requirements and size of the actuating solenoid, further facilitating the noted packaging.

Remote control residential circuit breaker


Techniques for adaptive re-keying of encrypted data are provided. For example, a method comprises the following steps. Utilization information associated with a storage system is obtained, wherein the storage system comprises a set of storage devices. The method dynamically selects a re-keying process from a plurality of different re-keying processes based on at least a portion of the obtained utilization information. At least a portion of the set of storage devices are re-keyed in accordance with the selected re-keying process.

Conventional information processing systems are often configured to implement so-called "data at rest" encryption. Data at rest typically refers to data that is currently in an inactive state and persistently stored. In contrast, two other typical data states include "data in use" (i.e., data that is currently being manipulated by a system or application program and is therefore considered active data and non-persistently stored) and "data in transit" (i.e., data that is currently being transferred from one storage location to another).
There has been wide adoption of data at rest encryption solutions in the past several years, driven by increasing demand for better data security. A controller-based drive encryption solution uses an encryption engine on the drive controller to encrypt data written to the storage drives with a unique cryptographic key for each drive. As a best practice of encryption, and as a common regulatory compliance requirement, encryption keys are periodically changed. The process of changing a cryptographic key is referred to as "re-keying."
Re-keying the data encryption key protects against possible exposure of the initial or current encryption key. However, depending on the amount of data to encrypt, re-keying encrypted data volumes/drives can take a long time and require a significant amount of system computation resources. Existing approaches use a static re-key policy preconfigured in the storage system. The preconfigured policy typically sets the fixed dates or time intervals for the re-key events.


It is proposed to use several distributed conference units (KE1, KE2) in a conference system (KS) for carrying out conferences, particularly broadband conferences, and to mix the signals (S1 . . . S4). The signals (S1 . . . S4) from subscriber stations (T1 . . . T4) involved in the conference are not necessarily mixed in a single conference unit, rather the mixing is distributed to several conference units (KE1 . . . KE2). In this way it is possible to mix signals that have a partially common transmission path in the communication system into a component signal (12) by means of a first conference unit (KE1). This mixed component signal (S12) is then transmitted to a second conference unit (KE2) and is mixed in this second conference unit (KE2) with one or more other signals (S3, S4). Since the mixed component signal (S12) during the transmission occupies the same bandwidth as a single signal (S1 . . . S4), the transmission capacity of the communication system (KS) needed for the conference can be kept small.

A communication system is known from the published European Patent Application EP 0515703 A1, wherein an exchange connects subscriber stations to a single conference unit. This communication system is used to carry out video conferences. The exchange establishes point-to-point channels between the subscriber stations and the conference unit. In such a communication system, the subscriber stations involved in a conference transmit signals, which in the present case are video and audio signals, to the single conference unit. These transmitted signals are mixed in the conference unit in accordance with the desired arrangement signalled by the subscriber stations. The conference unit then transmits the mixed signals to the respective subscriber stations.
Instead of the assumedly simplified single exchange, a communication system of this type usually has a communications network composed of a number of exchanges, which are interconnected. The subscriber stations involved in the conference are generally connected to different exchanges of the communications network. To transmit the signals from the respective subscriber stations to the single conference unit, each signal being transmitted requires a channel of a predetermined bandwidth in the communications network. The communications network therefore uses a large transmission capacity when it transmits the signals.
Electronic conferences, particularly broadband multimedia conferences, are gaining ever more significance. However, the costs of utilizing transmission capacities are still very high, thus a greater acceptance can only be expected when these transmission costs are lowered.

Method, communication system and conference unit for carrying out conferences


A game system has a plurality of game devices (1), a game server device (3) that communicates with the plurality of game devices (1) to obtain a game result for each of a plurality of players, and a plurality of portable terminals (terminal devices) (4) operated individually by at least one of the plurality of game players. The game server device (3) stores private player identifiers for identifying each of the plurality of players and their game results. The game server device (3) also stores a private player identifier of one player in association with a private player identifier of a competitor player specified by the one player, and game server device (3), when it receives from a portable terminal (4) a view request instructing that a game result of the competitor player, transmits a view response containing the game result.

In a network-type game system, a plurality of game devices installed in a venue (a game arcade) is connected to a server device residing on a network. In such a game system, there is known a technique in which, when a player performs a play at a game device, game results such as scores are obtained by the server device, and the server device posts score rankings on the Internet.
There is also known a technique in which a portable terminal (terminal device) functions as a game terminal, and such a portable terminal is used to display ranking data stored in a server device. Examples of such known techniques will be described below.
In a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-143566, a game is played using a portable terminal, and rankings are displayed during a download waiting time.
Another technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-38855 allows a server device to create a list of score rankings in a network game. The list is posted, for example, on a wireless communication network for portable terminals, and ranking data is transmitted from a server device. Examples of ranking data include a first-player-to-clear-a-stage ranking, a score ranking, etc.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-93746, a portable phone is shown as an example of a portable terminal in a ranking service providing system. In this system, a player is able to receive information on the player's own ranking.
Thus, in a conventional network-type game system, a player is able to know, using a portable terminal, score rankings of highly skilled players and the player's own ranking.
An advantage provided in a network-type game system is that a plurality of players is allowed to participate in a game play and to compete with one another in scores regardless of time and place. The rankings posted, however, include ranking data of a plurality of players who participate in a game, but they do not include those of particular players. Therefore, it is not possible for a player to compare the player's own score with, for example, scores of other players ranked about the same in overall ranking or scores of a particular player, such as a friend of the player.

Game system, game server device therefor, method of controlling game server device, and terminal device therefor and control program product for controlling terminal device


A reservoir tank of power steering system for a car includes an inlet port delivering oil through a swirl prevention member. The oil is then allowed to flow so swirl does not form in the oil flow of a reservoir tank. Furthermore, bubble formation in the oil is minimized.

Typically, an automobile steering system controls the steering angle of a car. The system is used to change direction of the car while the car is moving. The system is a mechanical system that requires a large manipulation force to move wheels of the car to facilitate the direction change. To assist a driver, it has become conventional that a power steering system is used to offset the large manipulative force required such that easy and quick steering manipulation can accomplished.
Such a power steering system operates through oil pressure generated from an oil pump driven off the engine of the car. A reservoir tank is usually provided in the flow path of power steering oil.
A drawback of the above system is that bubbles often form inside the reservoir. Upon the formation of bubbles, flow of the power steering oil is impeded. Therefore, a solution should be incorporated into the system and carried out to remove air bubbles from the reservoir tank.

Reservoir tank of a power steering system for a car


This invention provides a method of prophylactically preventing the onset, preventing the development, and arresting the progression of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in a mammal by administering an effective amount of rapamycin either alone or in combination with insulin.

Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), a disease state occurring in 0.3% of the general population, is associated with insufficient insulin production causing metabolic changes such as hyperglycemia, glycosuria and decreased hepatic glycogen levels. Clinically, the disease is first observed as causing ravenous hunger, frequent urination and unquenchable thirst. Even with exogenously supplied insulin treatment, complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, atherosclerosis, weight loss, stroke, renal failure, and coma leading to death occur.
The etiology of IDDM is attributed to an autoimmune response to the .beta.-islet cells. The pancreatic islets become infiltrated with lymphocytes (insulitis) and the insulin-producing .beta.-cells are destroyed. Approximately 80% of the .beta.-cells are destroyed before clinically observable symptoms occur. Adoptive transfer studies in NOD mice [DV Serreze, Diabetes 37: 252 (1988)] have shown that T-cell mediated events occur initially in IDDM while humoral abnormalities (cytoplasmic islet cell, insulin, and 64 Kd protein autoantibodies) contribute later during the disease progression [M. A. Atkinson, Scientific Am. 62 (1990)]. Genetic susceptibility involving class II major histocompatability complex (MHC) appears to play a major role in this autoimmune disease. Approximately 60-70% of this susceptibility resides in the HLA region. [A. C. Tarn, Lancet 845 (1988)]. More than 95% of those individuals with IDDM are HLA DR3 and/or DR4 positive, whereas DR2 is negatively associated with the disease. [K. Wilson, Ann. Rev. Med. 41: 497 (1990)].
As treatment of IDDM with supplemental insulin is not completely satisfactory, current research has focused on developing agents for the treatment and prevention of IDDM. Several animal models have been utilized to study the etiology of IDDM and to evaluate potential forms of treatment and prevention.
Two standard animal models have been developed that emulate human IDDM. The first standard animal model, developed by Tochino [Exerpta Medica, 295 (1982)], the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse, is a mouse strain that spontaneously develops IDDM. Insulitis is initially observed at about 30 days of age, and by 140 days of age, approximately 70% of the female NOD mice develop IDDM. Marked mononuclear cell infiltration surrounding and/or invading Langerhans' islets with concomitant .beta.-cell destruction are also observed. [Y. Mori, Diabetalogia 29: 244 (1986)]. The second standard animal model is the Bio Breeding (BB) rat, which develops gross abnormalities of the immune response including a T-cell lymphopenia preceding and accompanying the onset of IDDM. [C. R. Stiller, Science 223: 1362 (1984)].
The immunosuppressants cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK-506 have been evaluated in the BB rat and NOD mouse models of IDDM, and CsA has been evaluated in human clinical trials. CsA has been shown to be effective in prophylactically preventing the onset of IDDM and insulitis in both the NOD mouse and BB rat standard animal models, but was only partially effective in ameliorating IDDM when first administered after the onset of the initial symptoms of IDDM. [B. Formby, J. Pharm. Exp. Ther. 241: 106 (1987); C. R. Stiller, Metabolism 32 Supp 1: 69 (1983); and M. A. Jaworski, Clin. Invest. Med. 10: 488 (1987)]. One study reported that CsA had little therapeutic effect on IDDM in the NOD mouse standard animal model after the onset of IDDM. [Y. Mori, Diabetologia 29: 244 (1986)].
CsA has been evaluated in several clinical studies in newly diagnosed IDDM patients. CsA treatment was shown to reduce the dosage requirement of exogenously administered insulin and induced remission (non-insulin dependence) in about 23 to 50% of patients in these studies for up to 1 year. The percent of remission was highest in patients who started CsA treatment the earliest after IDDM diagnosis. Data on the longevity of remission following cessation of CsA treatment is inconclusive. One study reported remissions lasting for more than 9 months, whereas several other studies reported that remission was not maintained following discontinuation of CsA treatment. [G. Feutren, Lancet 119: (1986); J. Dupre, Diabetes 37: 1574, (1988); C. R. Stiller, Science 223: 1362 (1984); R. Lipton, Diabetes Care, 13: 776 (1990); K. Wilson, Annu. Rev. Med. 41: 497 (1990)].
FK-506 has been demonstrated to prevent the onset of IDDM in both the NOD and BB standard animal models of IDDM. Two studies have shown that FK-506 induced prevention of IDDM lasted 45 days and 20 weeks, respectively, beyond termination of FK-506 treatment in about 75% of animals that had not developed IDDM when FK-506 treatment was discontinued. [N. Murase, Diabetes 39: 1584 (1990); K. Kurasawa, Clin. Immun. Immunopath. 57: 274 (1990); J. Miyagawa, Diabetologia 33: 503 (1990)].
Rapamycin, a macrocyclic triene antibiotic produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus [U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,992] has been shown to prevent the formation of humoral (IgE-like) antibodies in response to an albumin allergic challenge [Martel, R., Can. J. Physiol. Pharm. 55: 48 (1977)], inhibit murine T-cell activation [Staruch, M., FASEB 3: 3411 (1989)], and prolong survival time of organ grafts in histoincompatible rodents [Morris, R., Med. Sci. Res. 17: 877 (1989)].


A novel polymer support for solid phase peptide synthesis comprising polystyrene backbone and propoxylate function of hexanedioldiacrylate crosslinks having optimum hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and a process of preparation thereof.

Peptides play a key role as structural and functional elements in biochemistry/pharmacology and immunology. The fascination with the development of solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) stimulated considerable research towards the development of new methodologies, strategies and tactics in peptide synthesis. The efficiency of polymeric support is still a prior suspect in solid phase peptide synthesis. The success of peptide bond formation depends to some extent on the macromolecular characteristics of the crosslinked polymer support used. During the last two decades, several attempts were made to develop hydrophilic supports instead of the rigid, hydrophobic Merrifield resin. The systematic and quantitative research leads to the development of some hydrophilic flexible polymer supports, which show optimum characteristics in solid phase reactions, especially in solid phase peptide synthesis.
Synthesis of biologically active proteins and peptide sequences is significant in revealing the structure-activity correlation and to establish their conformation pattern. The solid phase peptide synthesis reported by Merrifield has made an inestimable contribution to the synthesis of biologically and medicinally important polypeptides.
As the peptide chain grows on the polymer support, its physiochemical properties influence the solvation characteristics of the peptide-bearing support. Therefore, a more ideal support would be one in which the physiochemical characteristics of the support resembles those of the growing peptide chain.
Thus Sheppard and coworkers introduced the polar polyacrylamide based supports. But these supports swell only in polar solvents like dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethylacetamide (DMA) etc. A more compromising situation would be the supports, which are amphiphilic in nature, i.e., which swell in both the polar, and the non-polar solvents employed in peptide synthesis.
Since Merrifield's original report over three decades ago describing solid phase synthesis of a simple tetra peptide on low crosslinked polystyrene beads, the approach has been improved and generalized to the synthesis of complicated peptides, long oligonucleotides and a myriad of small organic molecules. The success of such efforts is often affected by the choice of polymeric support, with regard to mechanical stability, swellablity, compatibility with a range of hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic solvents, and applicability to both batch wise and continuous flow reactors. The selection of possible supports introduced and tested over the years includes polyamides, polyamide composites, polyethylene-polystyrene films, cotton and other carbohydrates, controlled pore silica glass, polyethylene glycol-polystyrene (PEG-PS and Tentagel) graft resins.
Comparing all of these available polymeric supports the newly synthesized propoxylate function of hexanediol diacrylate gives considerable yield and purity. The outcome of a multistep solid-phase synthesis is dependent on the structure of the peptide to be prepared, the strategy followed, as well as the type of solid support employed. In order to ensure a proper solvation of the reactive species allowing fast and quantitative reactions, their polarity must also be compatible with those of the reagents and solvents used, as well as with these of the resin-bound growing peptide. Other styrene-based resins arising so many problems in SPPS, their mechanical stability and flexibility of the crosslinks are low compared with the newly developed system of propoxylate crosslinks. The polyethylene glycol based systems are showing high flexibility, but showing least mechanical stability cause steric problems in the entire system. Solid phase synthesis of peptides has witnessed dramatic progress since its inception. Various polymer supports, new linkers, protection schemes and coupling methods have since made the technique simple and almost foolproof. Sequence specific problems are some of the main problems in peptide synthesis. In solid phase peptide synthesis the sequence specific problem is present irrespective of resin type. Sequence specific problems have been found to be the result of the formation of β-sheet formation can bring additional cross-linking within the matrix; the synthesis of sequences favoring such secondary structures by SPPS will be difficult even if we use the supports having high swelling characteristics. Studies have shown that the formation of β-sheet structure is accompanied by a drastic decrease in swelling and solvation of the peptidyl resin. Thus, the main criteria in choosing a support for peptide synthesis is that it should be compatible with the peptide towards all the solvents used for the synthesis and capable of suppressing the β-sheet forming tendency of the growing peptide.
Thus there are several drawbacks and disadvantages in the prior art discussion of available resins, with this view in mind pointing out a styrene based polymer support having regulated flexibility, to avoid aggregation and β-sheet formation but still having swellablity in a wide range of solvents, a new polymeric support propoxylate function of hexanediol diacrylate crosslinked with polystyrene in bead form was synthesized. This polymer were found to be more easily swollen in both polar and non-polar solvents.

Polymer support for solid phase peptide synthesis and process for preparation thereof

The Secretary, Department of Biotechnology


A method for making figures/stripes on an article, including steps of: preparing a substrate; wrapping an outer surface of the substrate with a fiberglass fabric drenched with resin; placing at least one thin or slender covering material on an outer face of the fiberglass fabric, the substrate, fiberglass fabric and the covering material together forming a wrapping body; using a binding means to bind the wrapping body to harden and pattern the fiberglass fabric; taking off the binding means after the wrapping body is hardened and patterned, whereby the fiberglass fabric is hardened to form an inner layer, the covering material positioned on the inner layer and forming the figures/strips; painting an outer resin on an outer face of the wrapping body after the outer resin is hardened; and buffing the hardening layer to complete the article.

The present invention is related to a method for making figures/stripes on an article. The figures/stripes of the article are richly variable. The stripes and figures are protected from being worn. In addition, the figures/stripes of the article are unique and personal.
Figures/stripes are often made on the surfaces of various commercial products such as gifts, stationeries, sport implements and leisure implements. The figures/stripes beautify the appearance of the product and enhance the quality thereof or serve as a brand of the product.
There are many conventional methods for making figures or characters (figures/stripes) on the surface of an article, for example, printing, transfer printing, spraying and adhesion. By any of the above methods, the figures/stripes are directly formed on the surface of the article. After a period of use, the figures/stripes tend to be worn out. The worn figures/stripes will be incomplete. This results in random appearance of the article and destructs the quality of the article.
The conventional figure/stripe making methods have other shortcomings as follow:
For example, by means of printing, the figures/stripes formed on the article will be the same and monotonous. By means of spraying or adhesion (attachable paper), the figures/stripes formed on the article still will be the same. In other words, the figures/stripes made on the article by means of the conventional methods are unchangeable and lack uniqueness.
In addition, according to the conventional figures/stripes making methods, it is necessary to first manufacture a plate for making the figures/stripes. For example, with respect to printing, it is necessary to first manufacture a type-face (so-called plate-making). Similarly, with respect to spraying or adhesion, it is also necessary to manufacture the plate of the figures/stripes. It is costly to make the plate.
Moreover, the figures/stripes made of the conventional methods are formed on the article by way of manual processing. Therefore, the figures/stripes are stiff without natural feeling or solid feeling.

Method for making figures/stripes on an article and the article made by the method


A method for measuring correlation between frequency response functions. A first frequency response function and a second frequency response function are acquired. The amplitude of the first and second frequency response functions are tabulated at a plurality of corresponding, predetermined frequencies. Amplitude and shape correlations between the first and second frequency response functions are then computed. The computed amplitude and shape correlations provide an indication of the degree of correspondence between the first and second frequency response functions, and can be used to compute a frequency response index that is an objective measure of the overall correspondence between the first and second frequency response functions.

A computer simulation is a computer program which attempts to reduce the physical characteristics of an object, part, article, component, specimen, device or system (generally termed hereinafter "item") to a virtual model comprising algorithmic and/or mathematical logic. A second set of algorithmic or mathematical logic representing physical stimuli are applied to the virtual model. The virtual model's response to the stimuli represents a prediction of how a physical specimen of the item would react to similar stimuli. Various commercial products are available to perform computer simulations including, among others, NASTRAN, which was developed at NASA and is widely used by industry; ANSYS, provided by ANSYS, Inc.; ABAQUS, provided by ABAQUS, Inc; and ALGOR, provided by ALGOR, Inc.
Computer simulations are particularly useful as design tools because they allow the characteristics of an item to be studied without generating a physical specimen of the item. Since no physical specimen is required, the characteristics of the item can be rapidly evaluated and altered, thereby providing designers with the ability to efficiently optimize the item. For example, a finite element analysis (FEA) simulation can provide a prediction of the stresses and stress distribution of a support beam under a certain load. This computed information can then be used to determine whether the design of the beam is adequate for its intended use.
Another common type of computer simulation is vibration simulation wherein a virtual model of an item is analyzed to predict how the item will function when subjected to various types of vibration, such as random vibration and sinusoidal vibration, over a range of frequencies. Vibration analysis can also be employed to determine resonant frequencies of the item. If the resonant frequencies are within the range of vibrations occurring in the expected operating environment of the item, then its design can be altered to forestall potential operational and reliability issues. For example, a position light mounted to a wing of an aircraft can be modeled and a simulation performed to study the stresses imposed upon it by vibrations in the wing. The resulting analysis can provide insight into, for instance, whether those vibrations will lead to premature failure of incandescent lamps used in the position light, or cause resonances that could lead to structural failure of the light's mounting points.
An important and often-overlooked aspect of computer simulation is consideration of how accurately the simulation predicts the characteristics of a physical specimen of the item. Without a comparative review of the prediction against actual test data for a physical specimen, a latent defect in an item's design may not manifest itself until the item has already been placed into service, with the result that the item may not have the desired performance or reliability. It is therefore desirable to validate the computer virtual model by obtaining a measure of the correlation of two frequency response functions (FRF), i.e., a comparison of actual test data to a computer simulation, in order to determine how accurately the simulation predicts the actual test result. A frequency response assurance criterion (FRAC) is typically used in the art to measure this correlation. However, FRAC focuses on the frequency of peaks in the curves and does not take into account the shape and amplitude of FRF curves. For example, FRAC correlation typically expands one or both of the frequency response functions being compared in order to line up their frequency peaks, thus distorting the shape information. In addition, FRAC does not take into account amplitude differences between the functions. As a result of these shortcomings, the FRAC correlation data may not be sufficiently accurate to determine how accurately the simulation predicts real-world performance. There is a need for a way to measure the correlation between two frequency response functions with greater accuracy than is presently available in the art.

Method for measuring correlation between frequency response functions


Disclosed is a device for producing embroidery stitch data on the basis of image data, wherein an image is read in by use of an image scanner and is divided into a plurality of latticed sections. The latticed sections are all searched through one after another and discriminated if each of the sections is stitched or not. Unit stitch patterns are selected to be stitched in the sections respectively which have been discriminated to be stitched, the selected unit stitch patterns including at most two patterns which have different initial stitch points and different end stitch points and are located in predetermined sections respectively.

The present invention relates to an embroidery data producing device and more particularly relates to a device for producing stitch data on the basis of an original image to be stitched by use of a sewing machine.
So far the pattern data used in connection with a sewing machine capable of embroidery stitching and an embroidering machine for exclusively stitching embroidery patterns have been provided by a sewing machine maker, and the user has normally operated the sewing machine by use of the pattern data supplied by the machine maker to enjoy embroider stitching.
However with the recent wide spread of personal computers, the user has come to have a desire to make patterns by herself and to use the pattern data for stitching her own embroidery patterns. Moreover a device for reading the images with an image sensor to make the image data from the images may now be easily available in the market. Actually such a device is now an accessory attached to a sewing machine for sale.
Conventionally it has been general to simply make the mat stitch data when the user makes an image as she likes and to make the embroidery data from the image. Recently a device for edge stitching has been available in the market. However it has been impossible to obtain a device for making data for producing stitches.
The present invention has been developed in consideration of such a circumstance for the purpose of providing a device for producing the embroidery stitch data on the basis of a given image.

Device for producing embroidery data on the basis of image data


A top plate when located at a first position is held by an opposing-member holder, and the top plate when located at a second position is held by a substrate holder and rotated along with the substrate holder. In a substrate processing apparatus, a first processing liquid nozzle located at a supply position inside a to-be-held part of the top plate supplies a first processing liquid through an opposing-member opening to a substrate and is moved from the supply position to its retracted position, and a second processing liquid nozzle is moved from its retracted position to the supply position and supplies a second processing liquid through the opposing-member opening to the substrate. This configuration suppresses or prevents mixture of multiple types of processing liquids, as compared with the case where multiple types of processing liquids are sequentially supplied from a single processing liquid nozzle.

A manufacturing process for manufacturing semiconductor substrates (hereinafter, simply referred to as "substrates") conventionally involves various types of processing to be performed on the substrates. Examples of the processing include chemical processing such as processing for supplying a chemical solution onto a substrate that has a resist pattern on its surface to etch the surface of the substrate. The chemical processing is followed by cleaning processing for cleaning the substrate by supplying a cleaning solution to the substrate and dry processing for drying the substrate.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3621568 (Document 1) discloses a substrate cleaning apparatus in which a lid member is placed on spin chunks that hold a wafer in a horizontal position and is rotated along with the wafer. When cleaning the substrate, a cleaning liquid is supplied from an upper nozzle located above and away from the lid member onto a substrate that is being rotated, through an opening of the lid member that is provided in the center of rotation. Examples of the cleaning liquid include hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, ammonia, and a hydrogen peroxide solution. Then, deionized water is supplied from the upper nozzle onto the rotating substrate to wash out the cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate. When subsequently drying the substrate, a nitrogen gas (N2) is ejected from the above upper nozzle and supplied through the opening of the lid member onto the wafer. This reduces the oxygen concentration in the space between the lid member and the wafer and accelerates drying of the substrate.
The above lid member is made of a magnetic material such as iron. When moving the lid member upward away from the spin chunks, the lid member is adsorbed by an adsorptive member that is coupled to an electromagnet provided at the end of an arm, and is moved along with the arm. The substrate cleaning apparatus enables or disables the application of current to the electromagnet, with the adsorptive member kept in contact with the lid member, to allow the lid member to be adsorbed by or released from the adsorptive member.
Incidentally, in the substrate cleaning apparatus of Document 1, the cleaning liquid (e.g., hydrofluoric acid) and deionized water are successively supplied from the same nozzle. This may cause mixture of the cleaning liquid and deionized water in the nozzle.
Also, in the substrate cleaning apparatus of Document 1, outside air around the lid member may enter from a gap between the end of the upper nozzle and the opening of the lid member through the opening to the space between the lid member and the substrate. Thus, there is an upper limit to the extent of a reduction in the oxygen concentration in the space between the lid member and the wafer.
Moreover, the substrate cleaning apparatus of Document 1 requires the lid member to absolutely include a magnetic material because the lid member is adsorbed and held by a magnetic force. A holder that holds the lid member also has to include an electromagnet and needs to control turning on and off of the electromagnet. This may complicate a configuration for holding the lid member.
In the substrate cleaning apparatus of Document 1, the cleaning liquid supplied to the wafer repeatedly adheres to and is dried on the lower surface of the liquid member, which is an opposing member that opposes the wafer. As a result, residues of the cleaning liquid may be gradually accumulated on the lower surface of the lid member and become a source of pollution. This requires the lid member to be removed from the substrate cleaning apparatus for maintenance. At this time, the substrate cleaning apparatus is unable to perform processing such as cleaning the substrate, and therefore, the productivity of the apparatus may be reduced.

Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing system, and substrate processing method


Devices and method are disclosed for reducing pressure in a patient's vena cava and in the right atrium of a patient's heart. A valve is implanted in the inferior vena cava (IFC) between the patient's renal veins and hepatic veins. When pressure in a patient's IFC reaches high levels, i.e., the pressure differential across the valve reaches high levels, the valve automatically closes or begins to close. The closing is caused by the pressure of the patient's blood moving one or more flaps in the valve to a closed or near-closed position. This prevents excessive pressure in the upper or superior vena cava and the right atrium of the patient's heart. The device also includes a pressure relief feature that opens and allows retrograde flow of blood if the pressure differential exceeds a yet higher pressure.

Heart failure is a condition effecting millions of people worldwide. Heart failure includes failure of either the left side of the heart, the right side of the heart, or both. Right heart failure can lead to elevated right atrial pressures, and the elevated right atrial pressures in turn can lead to serious clinical conditions, including impaired renal function. More specifically, right heart failure can lead to elevated renal vein pressures, which in turn may cause additional adverse conditions in the body. There exists a need to percutaneously treat the symptoms of right heart failure by preventing the elevated pressure from harming key vessels and organs in the body.
A few techniques have been disclosed as a means of treating right heart failure. U.S. Pat. No. 7,159,593 issued to Quijano et al. discloses a pair of stented valves. One valve sits at the right atrium (RA)/Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) junction, while the second stented valve is implanted at the RA/Superior Vena Cava (SVC) junction. Such an approach suffers from deficiencies. The foremost problem with such approach is that no consideration is given to the effect that implanting a valve in both the SVC and IVC would have on the blood pressure in RA and coronary sinus. With both the upper and lower body blocked off by stented valves, the blood pressure in the RA would climb dramatically, causing the RA to balloon to a hazardous size. The second major problem with the approach disclosed in Quijano et al. is the anatomical difficulties related to implanting a stented valve at the junction of the IVC and the RA. The RA/IVC junction is often flared (the IVC diameter increases from lower to upper part) and has an asymmetrical conical shape which does not lend itself well to a tubular implant. Additionally, the anatomical differences from person to person in this area would make designing a stented valve for a large population impractical. For example, the angle of the IVC to the RA can vary dramatically from person to person, and may also change as heart disease progresses. Still further, there may or may not be a Eustachian valve at the RA/IVC junction, depending on the individual anatomy. This valve could interfere with device deployment, safety and/or function. Finally, Quijano et al. do not address the problem of accidental hepatic vein occlusion by the device in question. The hepatic veins reside just below the RA/IVC junction, and their location is highly variable. Occasionally the hepatic veins empty out into the IVC in the immediate vicinity of the junction with the RA. Based on these errors and omissions, it seems clear that there still exists a need for a reliable means of treating right heart failure and elevated venous pressures.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,995 to Quijano et al. discloses a pair of stented tissue valves which are connected by means of various connecting members. This disclosure suffers from all of the above-mentioned deficiencies, and does not address any of the above physiological problems associated with implanting valves in both the SVC and the IVC. Therefore there still exists a need for a reliable means of treating right heart failure and elevated venous pressures.
U.S. patent application Publ. No. 2005/0049692 by Numamoto et al. discloses the use of a stented valve to treat right heart failure. The valve may be placed in the SVC or the IVC. The inventors teach that the IVC valve should be placed in the vicinity of the junction between the IVC and the RA. They also teach that the device should be placed above the hepatic veins. This disclosure fails to address the problems associated with varying anatomies and the difficult geometry of the RA/IVC junction. The disclosure also does not address the problem of accidental occlusion of the hepatic veins. Additionally, the inventors do not disclose a means of preventing excessive blood pressures from building up in the upper body. Therefore, there still exists a need for a reliable means of treating right heart failure by safely controlling elevated venous pressures.

Devices and methods for reducing venous pressure


A telecommunication instrument having a microphone mounted in a flip arm is electrically interconnected to the transceiver portion of the instrument by a slip ring connection. The slip ring connection enables the flip arm to be rotated between stored and operating positions during use, and easily removed from the instrument for repair or replacement. The slip ring connection eliminates any need for extending wires or flexible circuits between the flip arm and the main body of the instrument.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to telecommunication instruments having a microphone mounted in a flip assembly and more particularly to such an instrument in which the electrical connection between the flip-mounted microphone and the instrument body is provided by a slip ring connection.
2. History of Related Art
Microphones that are mounted in the flip cover of portable telecommunication instruments generally have a high failure rate. Flip cover-mounted microphones are easily damaged as a result of impact shock, flexing of the electrical leads between the microphone and the main body of the instrument, and as a result of the "fidget factor", i.e., the natural human tendency to actuate a dynamic or moveable mechanism. Replacement of a microphone mounted in a flip assembly typically requires disassembly of the instrument requiring the services of a skilled technician at an authorized repair depot.
Typically, a microphone mounted in the flip cover of a telecommunication instrument is hard wired to a printed circuit board positioned within the main housing of the instrument. Consequently, the wires or flexible cable interconnecting the microphone with the instrument circuitry is soldered at one end to the microphone mounted in a relatively heavy flip cover assembly, and soldered at the other end to contacts provided on a correspondingly relatively heavy printed circuit board. Thus, the soldered electrical connections to each member are prone to being pulled lose from the respective connecting structure during movement of the flip member. Furthermore, wires and/or flex strips often cannot meet the cycle requirements found in a flip environment.
Heretofore, microphones mounted in flip covers have had three major shortcomings. The first problem arises from the unreliability of the dynamic hinge between the flip cover and the main housing of the instrument which flexes in a bending mode and is thereby prone to premature failure. Another problem with hardwired microphones mounted in the flip cover of a telecommunication instrument is attributable to manufacturing difficulties. Intense hand assembly is required to thread the microphone wires or flex strips through the flip hinge into the transceiver housing and make the subsequent soldered connection to the printed circuit board. In order to assemble, three major components of the instrument must be handled simultaneously; the printed circuit board, the flip cover and the housing. This virtually eliminates any opportunity for automation of the assembly process. Thirdly, when hard-wired flip-mounted microphones lose connection to the printed circuit board during operation, repair of the connection presents a serious problem. The instrument must be taken apart, the flip assembly removed and replaced, the interconnection to the printed circuit board repaired, and the instrument submitted to compliance testing to ensure proper operation. Since the instrument was opened up, full electrical verification, e.g., the restoration of proper electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding must be verified before the instrument is returned to service.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above. It is desirable to have a microphone mounted in a flip arm that can be advantageously positioned close to the mouth of a user, and folded to a stored position when not in use. It is also desirable to have such a microphone mounted in a flip arm that is removably attached to the instrument whereby the flip arm and microphone assembly can be easily replaced if either the flip arm, microphone, or electrical interconnection of the microphone to the instrument circuitry, become damaged. It is also desirable to have such a microphone mounted in a flip arm of a telecommunication instrument that does not require direct-soldered connections to internal circuits of the instrument.

Telecommunication instrument having slip ring interconnection for flip arm microphone


A photosensitive resin composition including: (a) a polybenzoxazole precursor; (b) a photosensitizer; (c) a solvent; (d) a cross-linking agent; and (e) a heterocyclic compound including a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group or a carboxyl group within a molecule.

Conventionally, for a surface-protective film and an interlayer insulating film of a semiconductor device, a polyimide having, in combination, excellent heat resistance, electrical properties, mechanical properties or the like has been used. In recent years, a photosensitive polyimide obtained by providing a polyimide itself with photosensitive properties has been used. By using such a photosensitive polyimide, there are advantages that pattern-forming steps can be simplified, whereby a complicated production steps can be shortened.
For developing a photosensitive polyimide, an organic solvent such as N-methylpyrrolidone has been used. In recent years, in respect of environment protection, a positive-type photosensitive polyimide which can be developed with an aqueous alkaline solution has been proposed. As a method for forming a positive-type photosensitive polyimide, a method in which a naphthoquinone diazide compound as a photosensitizing agent is mixed with a polyimide or a polyimide precursor has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).
Further, recently, as a positive-type photosensitive resin which can be developed by an aqueous alkaline solution, polybenzoxazole or a polybenzoxazole precursor has been proposed. As compared with a polyimide or a polyimide precursor, polybenzoxazole or a polybenzoxazole precursor has a large difference in dissolution speed between an exposed part and un-exposed part, and hence, a more precise pattern can be formed (see Patent Document 3, Non-Patent Document 1, for example).

Photosensitive resin composition, method for forming pattern-cured film using photosensitive resin composition, and electronic component

HITACHI CHEMICAL DUPONT MICROSYSTEMS, LTD.


A medium transporting apparatus includes a first transporting section and first guide. The first transporting section transports a medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medium transporting apparatus that transports a medium and an image forming apparatus that incorporates the medium transporting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-95587 discloses a conventional medium transporting apparatus and an image forming apparatus that incorporate a transporting guide for guiding a medium through a transport path.
The conventional apparatuses can cause the medium to be rubbed or scratched by the guide surface when the medium is pressed against the guide surface of the transporting guide.

Medium transporting apparatus and image forming apparatus

Abstract: The first guide guides the medium transported by the transporting section, and is disposed downstream of the first transporting section with respect to a first direction in which the medium is transported. The first guide includes a first guide portion and a second guide portion. The first guide portion extends in the first direction. The second guide portion extends in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.


Methods and systems are provided for automatically estimating image-level uncertainty for MS lesion segmentation data. A segmentation network is trained to segment MS lesions. The trained segmentation network is then used to estimate voxel level measures of uncertainty by performing Monte-Carlo (MC) dropout. The estimated voxel level uncertainty measures are converted into lesion level uncertainty measures. The information density of the lesion mask, the voxel level measures, and the lesion level measures is increased. A trained network receives input images, the segmented lesion masks, the voxel level uncertainty measures, and the lesion level uncertainty measures and outputs an image level uncertainty measure. The network is trained with a segmentation performance metric to predict an image level uncertainty measure on the segmented lesion mask that is produced by the trained segmentation network.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that leads to lesions in the central nervous system. Progressive MS lesion formation often leads to cognitive decline and physical disability. Due to its sensitivity in detecting MS lesions, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become an effective tool for diagnosing MS and monitoring its progression. Manual assessment of each lesion in MR images is a tedious, demanding, and laborious task, and may also return poor results and poor reproducibility.
Automatic segmentation provides an alternative to manual segmentation. Automatic segmentation, however, still presents challenges. Progression of MS lesions shows considerable variability and temporal changes in shape, location, and area between patients and even for the same patient. This makes the automatic segmentation of MS lesions a challenging problem and more than mere automation of what is done by a human. Deep learning techniques have been used for automated lesion segmentation, but the segmentation performance is still limited due to the variability in lesion shape and size across patients.

Automated uncertainty estimation of lesion segmentation


In one embodiment, an integrated circuit (IC) such as a programmable logic device includes a plurality of IC input terminals and an input buffer having a buffer input terminal and a buffer output terminal. A multiplexer is adapted to selectively couple an IC input terminal to the buffer input terminal or to couple the buffer output terminal to the buffer input terminal.

A programmable logic device (PLD, e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD)) may be used in a variety of applications and may provide certain advantages over other types of devices. For example, a PLD offers the advantage of being reprogrammable in the field (e.g., a field update, with the PLD in its operational environment).
A conventional PLD may be designed for low power applications (e.g., referred to as low power, ultra low power, or zero power PLD) and may provide, for example, a very low standby current (SICC) and consume very little power when PLD signals are not active. For example, PLD signals may include signals to input buffers (e.g., via an input pin) and signals within the PLD (e.g., signals being driven by the input buffers).
A common technique to reduce PLD power usage is to deactivate certain signals, as needed, which are not required to be active. A conventional PLD approach may statically and/or dynamically allow a user of the PLD to deactivate certain internal PLD signals. However, a drawback with this conventional approach is that it only addresses internal PLD signals and does not address power usage of the input buffers or associated circuitry.
As a result, there is a need for improved power management techniques for PLDs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power management for integrated circuits such as programmable logic devices


Methods and kits useful in the detection of occult blood in biological samples and specimens, for example to screen for colorectal cancer or detect blood in samples ex vivo, e.g., at a crime scene. Also provided are methods useful in diagnosing whether a subject is predisposed to, or suffers from, an occult-blood related disorder; and methods for direct micro-mapping of the distribution of occluded vessels associated with cerebral vascular injury.

Many diseases and conditions can induce internal bleeding into body fluids or excretions, but such bleeding may not always be visually detectable or apparent to a patient or healthcare provider. For example, gastrointestinal tumors and parasite infections may lead to bleeding into feces; kidney and bladder tumors may lead to bleeding into urine; lung cancer may lead to bleeding into the plural cavity; thoracic wall cancer may lead to bleeding into the thoracic cavity; and a hemorrhage may cause bleeding into the brain. This visually non-detectable bleeding is referred to as occult blood. Occult bleeding can also refer to bleeding that is clinically evident but from an obscure source.
The ability to detect occult blood is very valuable because it can allow the early diagnosis of various diseases and conditions, including but not limited to gastrointestinal tumors, kidney tumors, bladder tumors, lung cancer, thoracic wall cancer, as well as parasite infestation. Importantly, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment for many of these disease and conditions can greatly increase a patient's chance of vurvival. Therefore, any improvement in the sensitivity or ease of use of a test that can detect occult blood in body fluids or excretions, as well as any reduction in costs associated with that assay, can potentially save lives.
Heme is a natural pigment which combines with the protein globin to form hemoglobin. Heme is an iron complex of a class of red pigments called porphyrins. Porphyrin exists in high amounts in erythrocytes (red blood cells), and itself has a very strong fluorescence when irraidated with the appropriate wavelength of light. The fluorescence of porphyrin, however, may be quenched when its rings structure is covalently bonded with ferric ion. An important feature of porphyrins is their ability to be metalated and demetalated. A number of metals can be inserted into the porphyrin cavity by using various metal salts, for example Fe, Zn, Cu, and Ni. Previous methods have used acids of various strengths to remove the metal (demetalation) from porphyrin, thereby causing it to fluoresce, for example in the HemoQuant® and Hemoccult® II tests.
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) proposes that occult bleeding is the initial presentation of a positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) result and/or iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), when there is no evidence of visible blood loss to the patient or physician. Occult bleeding can result in chronic gastrointestinal (GI) blood loss, and is usually identified only by tests that detect fecal blood or, if bleeding is sufficient, when it manifests as iron deficiency. The AGA proposes that obscure bleeding is bleeding of unknown origin that persists or recurs (i.e., recurrent or persistent IDA, FOBT positivity, or visible bleeding) after a negative initial or primary endoscopy (colonoscopy and/or upper endoscopy) result. There are two clinical forms of obscure bleeding: 1) obscure-occult identified by recurrent IDA and/or recurrent positive FOBT, and 2) obscure-overt identified by recurrent passage of visible blood.
While the focus of fecal occult blood testing is the detection of colorectal cancer, there are many causes of occult GI bleeding. Any lesion can bleed into the GI tract leading to occult GI bleeding, including but not limited to epistaxis, bleeding gums, esophagitis, peptic ulcers, esophageal and gastric malignancies, hemobilia, angiodysplasia and other benign vascular malformations such as Osler-Weber-Rendu telangiectasias, benign colon polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, ischemic bowel disease, hemorrhoids, and anal fissures. Important lesions in the upper digestive tract may be detected during the evaluation of patients who test positively for occult blood or who have iron deficiency anemia, although there is no consensus on optimal strategies for evaluating the upper digestive tract during evaluation for occult bleeding.
A major problem with screening for colon cancer through the detection of occult blood is a high rate of false-positive results, leading to invasive and expensive additional testing for healthy individuals. Additionally, commercially available fecal occult blood tests have relatively low sensitivity and positive predictive value for occult blood detection and colon cancer screening. Despite the limitations of currently available fecal occult blood tests, annual screening is recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (United States Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2nd ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore 1996), the World Health Organization (Winawer et al., Prevention of colorectal cancer: Guidelines based on new data. Bull World Health Organ 1995; 73:7), and the American Cancer Society (Byers et al., American Cancer Society guidelines for screening and surveillance for early detection of colorectal polyps and cancer. Update 1997. CA Cancer J Clin 1997; 47:154). Most screening programs are based on the detection of occult blood along with endoscopic or radiographic evaluation of the colon. This approach has been associated with up to a 33 percent reduction in mortality from colorectal cancer (Mandel et al., J Natl Cancer Inst 1999; 91:434).
Commercially available tests for occult blood include HemeSelect®, FECA®, Hemoccult® II, Hemoccult II Sense®, and HemoQuant®. The likelihood that these tests will detect gastrointestinal blood is affected by the anatomical level of bleeding, factors relating to the patient (such as stool transit time, stool mixing, and intraluminal hemoglobin degradation), and the intrinsic features of the bleeding of the GI tract lesion (e.g. irregular bleeding) (Ahlquist et al., Cancer 1989; 63:1826–30). HemeSelect® and FECA® are based on the immunologic recognition of intact human hemoglobin, and are relatively simple and inexpensive tests. While these tests appear to have greater specificity for bleeding sources in the colon, bleeding from upper GI sources may not be detected because as blood passes through the GI tract the hemoglobin may be sufficiently altered so that it is not recognized immunologically. Thus, while immunological tests have a theoretical advantage in terms of localizing bleeding to the lower GI tract, the use of the tests are limited by the inability to detect blood loss originating in the upper GI tract, loss of globin antigenicity at room temperature, and the requirement for laboratory processing.
Hemoccult® II and Hemoccult II Sensa® are guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests that make use of the pseudoperoxidase activity of hemoglobin, and have been widely used and extensively evaluated. Guaiac turns blue after oxidation by oxidants or peroxidases in the presence of an oxygen donor such as hydrogen peroxide. Since heme, either as intact hemoglobin or free heme, has pseudoperoxidase activity, it can be detected through the use of guaiac. Hemoccult® II is a widely used guaiac test for fecal occult blood, and Hemoccult II Sensa® is another guaiac test that is more sensitive to peroxidase-like materials (Allison et al., N Engl J Med 1996; 334:155–59). When either of these tests is used, patients are instructed to diet for at least two days and up to one week prior to the test. The diet typically involves no red meat or turnip/horseradish, no gastric irritant drugs, no aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, no vitamin C, and an increased intake of high fiber foods. Additionally, while fecal rehydration can markedly raise the sensitivity of these tests, it can also reduce specificity (Mandel et al., N Engl J Med 1993; 328:1365–71).
The likelihood that a guaiac-based test will be able to detect occult bleeding is generally proportional to the quantity of fecal heme, which in turn is related to the size and location of the bleeding lesion. Thus, these types of tests are generally best at detecting large, more distal lesions. But these guaiac-based tests are also inconsistent in their accuracy. For example, one study of the Hemoccult® II test found that fecal hemoglobin levels must exceed 10 mg per gram of stool (10 ml of daily blood loss) for the test to be positive 50 percent of the time, but stools containing hemoglobin levels of less than 1 mg per gram can result in a positive test (Stroehlein et al., Am J Dig Dis 1976; 21:841–44; Ahlquist, Approach to the patient with occult gastrointestinal bleeding. In: Yamada T, ed. Textbook of gastroenterology. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1995: 699–717; incorporated herein by reference). Such data have raised questions about the accuracy of these types of tests for detecting colonic lesions (Lang and Ransohoff, JAMA 1994; 271:1011–13).
HemoQuant® is a fluorometric assay that measures heme and heme-derived porphyrin. In the upper gastrointestinal tract, hemoglobin is cleaved to form heme and globin. While some intraluminal heme (generally less than 15 percent) is reabsorbed in the small intestine, a portion of the remaining heme is converted to porphyrin and iron ("intestinal converted fraction" heme). This fraction cannot be detected by guaiac-based tests, but is detectable by HemoQuant®, which measures both heme and porphyrins and is therefore a highly accurate indicator of bleeding, regardless of whether the bleeding occurs in the upper, middle, or lower GI tract. Moreover, substances that may interfere with or cause false positive results for guaiac-based tests (e.g., vegetable peroxidases) do not affect the test. Another advantage of HemoQuant® is that, unlike the guaiac and immunologic tests, it can give quantitative assessments of blood loss. The main disadvantage of this test is that it is expensive and requires a more complicated laboratory technique, and therefore cannot be performed at the bedside or in the office.
Accordingly, the need exists for a simple test for occult blood that incorporates the advantages of the heme-porphyrin test and is free of the disadvantages of known guaiac-based and fluorescence-based tests. A simple and more economical test that would reduce the likelihood of false positive and negative readings would be a significant improvement in the art and could potentially save numerous lives.
Erythrocyte detection in tissues or blood vessels can also prove to be highly significant in the detection and treatment of cerebral vascular injuries.
When the main blood supply to a particular region of brain is abruptly stopped, the pathophysiological changes are different between the central and peripheral regions of the involved area. Acute neuronal death occurs within the first hour of initial loss of blood flow in the central region (ischemic core), whereas some of the neurons in peripheral regions (ischemic penumbra) undergo slow degeneration over a period of several hours-days (Hermann et al., Neuroscience 104, 947–955 (2001)). In contrast to the core, the penumbra undergoes dynamic changes throughout the ischemia and reperfusion process, and it may coalesce either with the ischemic core or the normal tissue depending on the reperfusion conditions. A significant therapeutic goal of clinical management in stroke patients is to salvage the viable tissue in this penumbra.
Local pre-ischemic circulatory conditions at the capillary level may not be fully restored for an extended period of time after blood flow is resumed in the major arteries, thereby rendering the penumbra volume vulnerable to a much longer period of partial ischemia. This condition has in the past been termed the "no-reflow" phenomenon (Ames et al., Am J Pathol. 52, 437–453 (1968)), and describes a microvasculature perfusion failure after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.
Partial microcirculatory stasis after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion is a potential factor in delayed cell death in occluded blood vessels. Sometimes described as the "no-reflow" phenomenon, such partial microcirculatory stasis may contribute to the developing damage in ischemic penumbra region and lead to additional injury following reperfusion. Limitations in current detection techniques have left the extent and spatial distribution of the phenomenon undetermined, and have in fact raised questions as to its existence.
Accordingly, the need exists for a test that will establish the existence of the "no-reflow" phenomenon and provide a technique to establish the extent and spatial distribution of the phenomenon in connection with the diagnosis and treatment of subjects that are prone to, or have suffered from, cerebral vascular traume.

Methods and kits for the detection of erythrocytes


The electronic circuit for measuring at least one physical parameter supplies an analogue output measurement signal (SA) dependent upon the value of a supply voltage. The circuit includes a sensor interface, connected to a sensor for supplying an analogue measurement signal (Vm) which is then filtered, an analogue-digital converter for digitally converting the filtered signal (Sm), and a digital signal control and processing unit for receiving a converted signal from the converter and supplying a digital measurement signal (SD). The sensor interface, the analogue-digital converter, and the processing unit are powered by a voltage regulator. The analogue and digital measurement signals are thus independent of any variation in the supply voltage (VCC) of the electronic circuit. A ratiometric unit, which may be an analogue multiplier or an analogue-digital converter, is powered by the supply voltage source (Bat) to recreate ratiometry on SA on the basis of Sm or SD.

When the measured value of the physical parameter defined in an analogue or digital measurement signal is dependent especially linearly upon the value of the supply voltage level of an electronic measuring circuit, this is called ratiometry. In this regard, one may cite EP Patent No 0 702 207, which discloses a ratiometric transducer for which the analogue measurement signal supplied at output is directly dependent upon the variation in the supply voltage of said transducer. However, in this type of transducer, all of the components are directly powered by a supply voltage source, which may lead to high electrical energy consumption, a drawback particularly when the voltage source is a battery. Moreover, if the transducer components are integrated in an integrated circuit, the size of the electronic elements of each component cannot be greatly reduced.

Electronic circuit for measuring a physical parameter supplying an analogue measurement signal dependent upon the supply voltage


Techniques are provided to determine service data features from an archive of web service transactions. Data features for functionally identical classes of service are determined. Differentiating data feature patterns uniquely identifying each service within the class are learned using machine learning, clustering, statistical analysis and the like. A service map associating services with the differentiating patterns is determined. The service map contains data feature patterns that differentiate among otherwise functionally identical services. The data features are optionally associated with past usage, objective and subjective service quality measurements and the like. The data features of the received service requests are compared to differentiating patterns in the service map. The service associated with the differentiating patterns matching the data features of the service request is selected. The data features of the service request may include, but document language, document genre, number of words or characters, type of images, subject matter of images and the like.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to brokering services.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional distributed processing systems use remote method invocation (RMI), web-services, remote procedure calls (RPC) and other services to perform information processing. These conventional distributed processing systems typically hard-code or embed selected service identifiers into the system. Other conventional distributed processing systems select services using a service discovery system. Conventional service discovery systems, such as the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration service (UDDI), the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and the Web Service Transactional Language (WSTL) and the like.
Conventional WSDL and WSTL services are further discussed in "Handling Dissimilarities of Autonomous Equivalent Web Services", by Valdino Azevedo, Paulo F. Pires, Marta Mattoso, in Workshop on "Web Services, e-Business, and the Semantic Web (WES): Foundations, Models, Architecture, Engineering and Applications", Conference on the Advanced Information Systems Engineering (Caise 2003), Klagenfurt/Velden Austria, 2003.
Other conventional systems such as the Web Services Management Layer (WSML) use rules to determine the recipient of a service request. The WSML framework is discussed further by Bart Verheecke et al in "AOP for Dynamic Configuration and Management of Web Services", part of the Proceedings of the International Conference ICWS-Europe 2003, in Lecture Notes in Computer Sciences Vol. 2853, pp. 137-151, 2003, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2003. These conventional routing systems allow for delayed binding of the service to service provider and/or service recovery through re-direction using rules. However, these conventional service discovery systems typically lack adaptable mechanisms to select between services offering the same service within a class of functionally identical services. Thus, systems and methods for brokering services based on data features would be useful.

Systems and methods for brokering services


The invention encompasses compositions and methods for treating or preventing kidney disease in a companion animal, wherein the compositions and methods include feeding the companion animal an edible composition including at least one pyruvate or salt thereof.

Glomerulonephritis or glomerular nephritis ("GN") is a renal disease which is characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli or capillary loops of the kidney. It is a pathologic process associated with a number of diverse underlying diseases. The condition occurs in acute, sub-acute and chronic forms and also secondary to an infection. The former conditions, where a concurrent illness cannot be found, are generally referred to as idiopathic glomerulonephritis. The latter conditions are generally referred to as secondary glomerulonephritis. Whatever the underlying cause, immune complexes form and result in a series of events leading to glomerular injury and loss of renal function, proteinuria and ultimately, in some cases, renal failure.
Nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney, which may be a focal or diffuse proliferative or destructive disease involving the glomerulus, renal tubule or the kidney interstitial (or connective) tissue. The most common form of nephritis is glomerulonephritis. Nephritis may progress through a number of stages ending in end-stage kidney disease or end-stage renal failure.
Renal failure results from the inability of the kidney to maintain its normal functions. As a result, metabolic waste products and metabolites accumulate in the blood. These waste products and metabolites may adversely affect most bodily systems. Disturbances in the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balances are characteristics of renal failure.
Acute renal failure may occur suddenly due to trauma, infection, inflammation or exposure to nephrotoxic substances. This condition may result in dehydration, hypotension and circulatory collapse. Acute renal failure is frequently segregated into three categories: (1) pre-renal failure, which is associated with decreased renal blood flow; (2) intra-renal failure, which is associated with ischemia and toxins; and (3) post-renal failure, which results from obstruction of urine flow.
Chronic renal failure involves a progressive loss of kidney function that may eventually progress to end-stage renal disease or failure. At inception, chronic renal failure begins as a diminishing kidney function, without appreciable accumulation of metabolic waste products in the blood. As the glomerular filtration rate slows due to inflammation, waste products begin to accumulate. The disease progresses to uremia due to low kidney function, and high levels of protein end products start to accumulate and impair bodily functions. Common causes of chronic renal failure include: inflammation, infection, urinary tract obstruction and certain systemic diseases and toxicities, including hypercalcemia, lupus erythematosus, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
End-stage renal disease is marked by irreversible chronic renal failure. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels continue to rise and the resulting uremia impairs all bodily systems. The kidney can suffer permanent and almost complete loss of function on the order of 10% or less of normal kidney function. One cause of end-stage kidney disease is glomerulonephritis. Other causes include those mentioned for chronic renal failure.
Creatinine is a nitrogenous compound formed as a result of creatine metabolism. Creatine, in turn, is a non-proteinaceous substance that is synthesized in the body from three amino acids, arginine, glycine and methionine. The molecule is found in muscle in small amounts and, when combined with phosphate as phosphocreatine, serves as a storage form of high energy phosphate used in various metabolic processes. Creatinine is absorbed into the blood and ultimately is excreted in the urine. Thus, a simple laboratory test for measuring creatinine in the blood can be used to determine kidney function. The test is frequently referred to as a creatinine clearance test, which measures the amount of creatinine cleared from plasma in a given time interval. Because creatinine is formed from phosphocreatine in relatively constant amounts, a rise in creatinine levels in the blood is indicative of a kidney malfunction, i.e., loss of kidney function.
Glomerulonephritis may arise as a result of a biological insult to the immune system. Foreign substances may adhere to the basement membrane and cause an immune response resulting in the production of antibodies. These antibodies may combine with the foreign substances to cause immune complexes that become deposited on the walls of the tiny glomerular capillaries, resulting in damage to the nephron. Alternatively, in some individuals the immune system can create autoantibodies which are immunoglobulins that may attack kidney cells resulting in a so-called autoimmune response. If proteins in the body are altered, an autoantibody response may ensue because the autoantibodies recognize the altered proteins as non-self. These autoantibody-protein complexes may likewise be deposited on the basement membrane of the glomerulus causing a disruption of the functioning of the nephron.
Glomerulonephritis is a common cause of proteinuria in dogs and may be either the idiopathic or secondary form of the condition. In the latter situation, the condition may develop secondary to neoplasia, inflammatory diseases, endocrine malfunctions, infections or familial nephropathies. As in humans, glomerulonephritis in dogs is mediated immunologically, involving immunoglobulins and complement factors in the body of the animal. Injury occurs within the glomeruli of the kidney resulting in morphological changes to the glomeruli. Eventually the injury is irreversible and leads to malfunction of the nephrons.
Glomerulonephritis is characterized in the scientific literature in a number of different forms based on the histopathological changes taking place. Membranous glomerulonephritis involves thickening of the glomerular basement membrane. Proliferative or mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis is characterized by proliferation of cells in the mesangial matrix. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis involves a combination of the foregoing changes. Glomerulosclerosis is characterized by increased matrix formation and scarring. In some cases there are minimal changes to the glomeruli and only slight increases in mesangial cell proliferation.
Diet plays an important role in disease causation and progression because it is fundamentally involved in metabolism. Biological pathways are at some level regulated by nutritional factors. Thus, dietary components present in foods as nutrients may regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and translational level, as well as in certain post-translational modifications. They may similarly be involved in degradation and enzymatic activities. Nutrient levels may influence the equilibrium of metabolic pathways. Metabolic pathways are frequently complex and may involve many redundancies and interrelationships among different metabolic pathways. Altering the concentration of a single enzyme, growth factor, cytokine or metabolite may impact a number of metabolic pathways involved in disease-related physiology. Hormones and other cell signaling molecules are well-understood to be regulated by diet and are also known to be implicated in the development and progression of disease.
The same disease phenotype may result from disturbances in different metabolic pathways, and the genetic make-up of each animal differs, thereby causing variation in responses to the same factors, including nutritional and environmental factors. The interplay of genetic, nutritional and environmental factors is important in understanding the etiology, prevention, treatment and progression of diseases in animals. Finding gene expression responses to nutrients associated with various diseases and disorders permits formulation of diets for animals susceptible to disease such as kidney disorders, and further permits diagnosis, treatment and monitoring the prognosis of the underlying disease or disorder.
As a result, the use of biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of disease progression may enable prevention or treatment of diseases as well as new therapies to be developed for animals, particularly for companion animals. Diet is arguably the most important environmental factor affecting the phenotype of an animal, including susceptibility to disease.
The invention encompasses edible food compositions for companion animals, which have therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy and possess increased palatability over currently marketed companion food products.

Compositions including pyruvate for companion animals and methods of use thereof


A system includes a suite of business applications and an add-on module coupled to the suite of business applications. The add-on module is configured with Commerce eXtensible Markup Language (cXML) and is operable to enable the suite of business applications to communicate with a network using cXML and a direct web service call to the network. The network is configured to operate using cXML. The direct web service call uses no middleware between the suite of business applications and the network.

At times in the business world, especially after an acquisition of one business organization by another, the information technology (IT) systems of the two organizations must be combined, or at least modified in some way so that the two IT systems can co-exist and preferably communicate. For example, if a first business organization has a vast suite of business applications, and a second business organization has a vast network of users, it would be beneficial to marry the two IT systems together. The organization with the suite of business applications could have a rather large customer base, and the organization with the network could have an extensive hardware and software network, which could be of benefit to the large customer database. In such situations, it is typical to install middleware in connection with a cloud application, and further to use XML, IDOCS, or some other Internet-based language to enable communication between the two IT systems. However, the installation of middleware is not an easy or inexpensive endeavor, and many customers of the suite of business applications may balk at such an upgrade. The art is therefore in need of a simpler and cleaner manner of joining two IT systems.

System for business suite and network integration


A cable gland assembly includes a mounting member mounted in a predetermined object, one or multiple connection members, an outer cap, and one first packing device and one or multiple second packing devices mounted in the mounting member between the connection members and the outer cap and compressible by the outer cap and the connection members to wrap about the periphery of an inserted cable and to provide multiple packing effects. Thus, the cable gland assembly has high IP rating, and is practical for dynamic mechanical application, or application in a deep-water environment or high explosive atmosphere.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cable glands and more particularly, to a cable gland assembly, which provides enhanced protection and multiple packing, airtight, waterproof, dustproof and anti-tensile effects.
2. Description of the Related Art
After installation of a cable in an electric box or any junction box of a machine, telecom or network system by means of a cable gland, the cable may be disconnected or loosened from the gland when stretched accidentally by an external force, causing leakage. To avoid this problem, many improved cable gland designs are created, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,892 entitled "Device for fastening a cable to a board", U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,513 entitled "Cable gland and gasket ring assembly", U.S. Pat. No. 8,288,667 entitled "Double-packing cable and flexible conduit gland". These prior art designs commonly comprise a mounting member, a clamping member, a packing ring and an outer cap. The mounting member is connected to a board member and screw-connected with the outer cap. The clamping member is sleeved onto the packing ring in the outer cap and compressed by the outer cap to wrap the packing ring about the periphery of the inserted cable, thereby locking the cable and protecting it against moisture and water.
However, the aforesaid prior art designs simply has one packing ring set between the mounting member and the outer cap to wrap about the inserted cable, i.e., these prior art designs simply provide one single packing effect that is insufficient to firmly hold down the cable. When the cable is stretched accidentally by an external force, a water leakage can occur.
According to the cable gland with water seal rings of U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,513 and the double-packing cable and flexible conduit gland of U.S. Pat. No. 8,288,667, the packing member comprises a first packing segment compressible to clamp on the inserted flexible conduit, and a second packing segment compressible to clamp on the inserted cable, achieving double-layer packing effects. However, because the first packing segment and the second packing segment are formed in one single packing member, the first packing segment and the second packing segment can be destructed to lose its packing functioning when the flexible conduit or cable is stretched by an external force. Actually, these designs simply provide one layer of packing effect.
Further, when a cable gland is selected for dynamic mechanical application, outdoor application, or application in a deep-water environment or high explosive atmosphere, it must have a very high IP (International Protection) rating. However, the IP ratings of the aforesaid prior art designs are insufficient for dynamic mechanical application, or application in a deep-water environment or high explosive atmosphere.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a gasket ring for cable gland, which eliminates the aforesaid problems.


A differential amplifier, of such as a comparator or operational amplifier, has two base input terminals. The base-emitter junctions in the two input transistors are protected by corresponding protective transistors connected as diodes, i.e., the emitter and base of each protective diode are connected. The effective pn-junction in the protective transistors is the junction between the base and collector which normally has a larger breakthrough voltage than the pn-junction between the base and emitter. The protective transistors may be made in substantially the same way as the input transistors with substantially the same electrical properties as the input transistors, and therefore, are quite practical for use in ICs.

The invention relates to protection of differential input terminals of amplifiers and comparators, and in particular, to an amplifier of differential type having protected input terminals.
In many practical circuits comprising an operational amplifier, the voltage between the two input terminals of such an amplifier is very close to zero due to the fact that feedback is used and that the gain of an operational amplifier is very high. In contrast, a comparator is designed to provide an output signal representing the voltage between the two input terminals of the comparator and thus, in normal use in a circuit generally some voltage exists between the input terminals of the comparator. However, due to the exterior circuits providing signals to the input terminals the input voltage can become too large and destroy the comparator circuit If the feedback for an operational amplifier is not functioning properly, the amplifier can also be destroyed if the input voltage becomes too large. The feedback may be non-operative be cause a large voltage is provided to the input at the same time as xe2x80x9cslew-ratexe2x80x9d-limiting is made on the output terminal of the operational amplifier or because the output terminal of the operational amplifier is connected to a too great load. Therefore, protection circuits are require both for operational amplifiers, and in particular, for comparators. Comparators do not, in conventional circuits, have a mechanism limiting the voltage between the input terminals.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and efficient protection of the input terminals of an amplifier of differential type.
The two input terminals of a transistor-based amplifier of differential type are the base terminals of the input, active, amplifying transistors. The base-emitter junctions in the input transistors are protected by transistors connected as diodes in which the emitters and bases are connected to each other. The active pn-junctions in the protection transistors are the junctions between base and collector, which normally have a greater breakthrough voltage in the backward direction than the pn-junction between the base and the emitter. The protection transistors can advantageously be made in substantially the same way as the input transistors and have substantially the same electrical properties making it simple to introduce the protection in an electronic integrated circuit.
Thus an amplifier of differential type comprises two amplifier transistors. The input terminals of the amplifier are directly connected to the bases of each of the amplifier transistors for receiving the input voltage, the difference of which is to be produced and/or amplified and is obtained as an output voltage on an output terminal of the amplifier. The output voltage thus represents the voltage between the input terminals. Preferably, the output terminal is directly connected to the collector of one of the amplifier transistors.
For protection of the input terminals, and in particular, to prevent excessive currents from flowing through the amplifier transistors, protective diodes are connected directly in series with the emitter of each of the first transistors. Each of the protective diodes is connected to have the same direction or polarity as the diode formed by the pn-junction between the base and the emitter of the transistor to which it is connected. Furthermore, the protective diodes are formed by protective transistors, the emitter and the base of which are electrically connected to each other.
Generally, a protective diode is connected in series with that one of the pn-junctions in each of the amplifier transistors which has the lowest breakthrough voltage in the backward direction and has the same direction or polarity as the diode formed by the pn-junction of the first transistor having the lowest breakthrough voltage. The protective diodes each comprise a protective transistor of the same polarity type as the amplifier transistors, which in a differential amplifier generally are substantially identical or at least have substantially identical electrical characteristics or properties. That one of the first and second pn-junctions in each of the protective transistors which has the lowest breakthrough voltage in the backward direction is short-circuited by a electrical connection.
The amplifier transistors and the protective transistors can be npn-transistors of substantially the same kind or pnp-transistors of substantially the same kind.