A sensor product for electric field sensing. The sensor includes a substrate, at least one electrically conductive area on the surface of the substrate, an output, and at least one conductor between the at least one electrically conductive area and the output. Also a sensor product web.

Electric field sensing refers to a method for determining positions, movements and geometries of objects on the basis of disturbances which they cause to a surrounding electric field.
Most of the pioneering work in electric field sensing can be attributed to nature. Electric fields are, used by various aquatic animals for sensing their environment, especially in the dark, muddy waters where light is scarce (Bastian J., Electrosensory Organism, Physics Today, pages 30-37, February 1994).
Professor Neil Gershenfeld's group at the MIT Media Laboratory has applied electric field sensing for measurements of position, shape and size since the early 1990's. Prof. Gershenfeld's group has, for example, developed an interface for human-computer interaction based on electric field sensing and charge source tomography.
In the University of Queensland there has also been studied electric field sensing. A low frequency electric field is generated in order to induce a current and the induced current is measured at receiving nodes. When an object interferes with the electric field, the capacitance of the environment is altered and the received current values are changed. By modeling the effect of a foreign body in the field, the characteristics of this body can be derived by the current values obtained (O'Brien Christopher John, Electric Field Sensors for Non Contact Graphical Interfaces, Thesis, School of Information technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, 2001.).
A critical component of any intelligent environment is a user interface. All user interfaces, such as keyboard, mouse, touchpad and touch screen, have their pros and cons. Most of the user interface devices are typically relatively fragile and expensive, have limited scalability for large areas, and are poorly applicable for use outdoors or in harsh environments. Charge source tomography (CST) is a method for sensing an interaction between a user and flat or curved surfaces which are made sensitive by an addition of a conformable resistive sheet that is able to create electric fields. The CST-based user interface device comprises a resistive sheet, peripheral electrodes, and a current/voltage controller. During operation, a controller applies voltage patterns to points on the perimeter of the resistive sheet and measures the currents that arise as a consequence. The user appears in this system as a capacitive load localized to some region of the resistive sheet. (Post E Rehmi, Agarwal Ankur, Pawar Udai, and Gershenfeld Neil, Scalable Interactive Surfaces via Charge Source Tomography, 2nd International Conference on Open Collaborative Design of Sustainable Innovation. Dec. 1-2, 2002, Bangalore, India; Strachan John Paul, Instrumentation and Algorithms for Electrostatic Inverse Problems, Master's Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., 2001.)
The CST enables an interactive surface to be used with bare hands without touching. Furthermore, the CST makes it possible to manufacture low-cost and mechanically robust user interface devices that are scalable and easy to embed into a variety of surface materials and shapes.

Sensor product for electric field sensing


A communication device using orthogonal multiplexing carrier method for determining delay information of received radio waves. In this device, a known signal demodulator performs OFDM demodulation to output demodulated signal, and a divider performs a complex division of the demodulated signal with a data sector of known signal of a database for each sub-carrier. By the data section of the known signal, the computation result of the amount of shift can be determined for each of sub-carriers. A delay analytical calculation circuit uses the computation result of the amount of shift for sub-carriers to analyze the delayed waves. For delay analysis, ESPRIT method is used to determine delay information by means of computation result of the amount of shift for each sub-carrier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication device and more particularly to a communication device using a communication method of simultaneous transmission and reception of a plurality of carriers.
2. Related Art
Recently, multiplexing carrier methods are used for improving the wireless communication speed. In particular, OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) method uses a plurality of sub-carriers (carriers) placed on a frequency axis, the interval between adjoining two sub-carriers among the plurality of sub-carriers is implemented as the theoretical minimum. The OFDM method has thereby become one good candidate of orthogonal multiplexing carrier methods that allows the usage rate of frequencies to be improved.
The data structure of OFDM signals of orthogonal multiplexing carrier method includes a guard interval at the beginning. The period of time of the guard interval (the length of the guard interval) is preset so as to be longer than the delay at the reception of OFDM signals by taking into account the wireless communication environment (for example, indoor wireless communication environment for placing a transmitter and a receiver in a room). This enables demodulation of OFDM signals when the reception has a delay, if the delay is shorter in comparison with the guard interval time.
Communication devices using such an orthogonal multiplexing carrier method are devised so as to use in an indoor wireless communication environment between the transmitter and the receiver. However, in an outdoor environment the radio wave (OFDM signals) between a transmitter and a receiver is reflected by a variety of obstacles (for example, a building), and is carried from the transmitter to the receiver through a plurality of propagation paths. The path lengths of these propagation paths differ so that the receiver receives a plurality of radio waves with various delays.
That is, a plurality of radio waves to be received (for example the direct radiation wave, delayed wave, and so on) is received by the receiver with different delays. More specifically, in an outdoor environment, the probability of estimated time of arrival of delayed waves beyond the guard interval is higher than in an indoor environment. The receiver in turn has a problem that it cannot recognize the receiving radio waves delayed far more than the guard interval time correctly as the receiving radio waves.

Communication device having delay information calculating function


This invention is an improved continuous process for drying and solvent extraction of water-wet solids without experiencing sticky solids comprising the steps of (1) mixing the input water-wet with solvent, (2) feeding said mixture into two or more stages of evaporation in parallel or in series to evaporate some of the water present in the input solids or sludges and to extract some of the indigenous solvent-soluble compounds from the solids, (3) feeding the slurry from the parallel or serial stages of evaporation in series to one or two final evaporation stages operated at pressures above atmospheric at preferably between pressures of 18 psia and 150 psia and more preferably between pressures of 18 psia and 50 psia, (4) feeding the slurry from the final stages of evaporation to a centrifuge or other device for separating most of the solvent from the solids, (5) subjecting the water-wet solids to none, one, or multiple extraction stages before, during, or after the evaporation stages, (6) at times, feeding the centrifuge centrate to a solvent distillation system to recover the extracted solvent-soluble compounds from the solvent, and (7) at times, feeding the final centrifuge cake to a desolventizer to remove and recover virtually all of the residual solvent from the solids.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved process for the drying of water-wet solids of various kinds, for solvent-extraction of indigenous solvent-soluble compounds from said solids, and for recovering solids, water, and indigenous solvent-soluble compounds for further use. More particularly, it deals with improvements to a continuous process for drying and solvent-extraction of water-wet solids wherein the input material is mixed with water-immiscible solvents of various kinds to obtain a mixture that remains fluid and pumpable even after virtually all of the water has been removed (at least 85% of the water present in the feedstock), and to extract indigenous solvent-soluble compounds from the input material.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Drying and solvent-extraction of water-wet solids is the object of large and varied industries. Examples of water-wet solids requiring such treatment include, but are not limited to:
(1) Municipal and industrial sewage sludges, such as raw primary sludges, waste activated sludges, anaerobically digested sludges, and bio-sludges; PA1 (2) Animal wastes, such as pig manures, wool-scouring wastes, chicken manures, and cow manures; PA1 (3) Contaminated soils, such as soils contaminated with crude oils, fuel oils, polychlorinated biphenyls, polynuclear aromatics, coal tars, and oil drilling muds; PA1 (4) Refinery sludges, such as API separator sludges, dissolved air flotation floats, and slop oil emulsion solids; PA1 (5) Ink and dye sludges; PA1 (6) Alum sludges; PA1 (7) Wood pulp mill activated sludges and black liquors; PA1 (8) Pharmaceutical plant wastes; PA1 (9) Brewery sludges; PA1 (10) Dairy and food products and wastes, such as milk whey by-products, coffee wastes, and chocolate wastes; PA1 (11) Peats, lignites, and brown coals; and PA1 (12) Meat rendering wastes.
Drying and solvent-extraction of water-wet solids present many processing problems relative to the efficiency and reliability of production. Various typical processes for dehydrating water-wet solids using solvent extraction technologies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. Re 26,317; Re 26,352; 3,323,575; 3,716,458; 3,855,079; 3,950,230; 4,013,516; 4,270,974; 4,418,458; 4,336,101; 4,702,798; 5,076,895; 5,256,251; and 5,518,621.
In general, the processes and apparatus described in the aforementioned patents involve slurrying water-wet solids, such as one or a combination of the types listed above, with a water-immiscible solvent to obtain a mixture which remains fluid and pumpable even after virtually all of the water has been removed. The properties of the solvent can be varied over a wide range to achieve the desired characteristics. The solvent should be immiscible in water and should have an atmospheric boiling point of 300.degree. F. or higher to prevent excessive evaporation of the solvent during the evaporation of water from the solvent. The viscosity of the solvent should be low enough, typically less than 500 cp, so that the slurry is pumpable at the flowing temperatures. Extraction of compounds from the input water-wet solids can be enhanced by changing the chemical composition of the solvent to increase the solubility of the compounds in the solvent. The chemical composition of the solvent can also be adjusted to improve the dispersibility of the water-wet solids in the solvent. Isopar "L" and Ashland 140 Solvent 66 are the trade names for solvents which meet the above criteria and have been used in these processes. Iso-octanol is an example of another solvent which has been used in these processes.
The resulting mixture of solvent and water-wet solids is passed through a sequence of drying steps in which the mixture is dried by heat evaporation. Economies of energy consumption are realized by utilizing the evolved vapor from each evaporation step except for one, typically the first step to supply a substantial portion of the heat requirements of another evaporation step. The evaporation steps generate a slurry of dried or partially-dried solids in solvent which is withdrawn and fed to a centrifuge (or other apparatus for separating liquids from solids) to separate a substantial portion of the solvent from the solids. The solids leaving the centrifuge are sometimes processed further by heating them in a "desolventizer", referred to as a cake deoiler and an example of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,974. In the desolventizer, blowing steam, purge gas, and/or vacuum are used to recover most of the remaining solvent from the solids. In many cases, the centrifuge centrate is fed to a distillation system where the indigenous solvent-soluble compounds extracted from the solids are separated from the solvent and recovered for final disposition.
An important consideration in the design of a multi-effect evaporation drying facility is to select optimum operating conditions for the evaporation steps. Water evaporation rates are directly proportional to the temperature differentials between the condensing steam vapor on one side of the evaporator system heat exchangers and the material being dried on the other side of the heat exchangers. To create temperature differentials, the condensing temperature of the steam leaving some of the effects is reduced by operating the stages under vacuum; and to maximize the temperature differentials available, the lowest practical pressures are used. Thus, in the prior art, a common example would be to have three evaporators, with the first evaporator operating at about 1.5 psia, the third evaporator operating at atmospheric pressure (14.7 psia) and the second evaporator operating at an intermediate pressure. In a simplified example, the operating temperature (and the condensing temperature of the steam generated in that stage) would be about 116.degree. F. in the first stage whereas the steam leaving the third evaporator would have a condensing temperature of about 212.degree. F. Thus, the temperature differential to provide evaporation in the heat exchangers for the first and second evaporators would be about 96.degree. F.
For example:
______________________________________ Operating Operating "Steam" Condensing Pressure Temperature Temperature ______________________________________ 1st Stage 1.5 psia 116.degree. F. 116.degree. F. 2nd Stage 5.2 164 164 3rd Stage 14.7 212 212 Temperature Differentials: (3rd Stage Steam - 2nd Stage Operating) = 48.degree. F. (2nd Stage Steam - 1st Stage Operating) = 48 Total 96.degree. F. ______________________________________
However, all of this differential is not available to create heat transfer in the evaporator heat exchangers due to a phenomenon known as a boiling point rise. In prior practice, it had been found that the measured boiling point temperature of water when in contact with most types of solids is greater than the boiling point temperature of water at the same pressure when the solids are not present. This temperature difference is called a boiling point rise (BPR).
In practice, the BPR's for all stages in an evaporator system must be subtracted from the total temperature differential in order to determine the net amount of temperature differential available for heat transfer. Thus, in the above example, if the BPR's in the first and second evaporators were 10.degree. F. each, the temperature differential available to provide evaporation in the first and second stage heat exchangers would total 96.degree. F. minus 20.degree. F. or 76.degree. F.
To illustrate:
______________________________________ Operating Operating "Steam" Condensing Pressure Temperature BPR Temperature ______________________________________ 1st Stage 1.5 psia 126.degree. F. 10.degree. F. 116.degree. F. 2nd Stage 5.2 174 10 164 3rd Stage 14.7 262 50 212 Temperature Differentials: (3rd Stage Steam - 2nd Stage Operating) = 38.degree. F. (2nd Stage Steam - 1st Stage Operating) = 38 Total 76.degree. F. ______________________________________
In the prior art, it was believed that as the ratio of solids to water as increased and the BPR increased also; however,the BPR was strictly a function of the solids/water ratio and that for a particular solid, the BPR was unaffected by other variables, such as pressure or temperature. Thus, when practicing the prior art in designing or operating a multi-stage evaporator system, all that was required to be known was the solids/water ratio of the material being dried in a particular stage; this quantity then determined the BPR and from it the required design basis or operating conditions could be set. Furthermore, if it were desired to design or operate the evaporator system at a different pressure or temperature, only the solids/water ratio would be needed to predict the performance at the the new conditions. If the solids/water ratio was the same as that used previously, no additional data would be needed to predict the new performance.
However, for the present invention, it has been discovered that the BPR is actually a function of solids/water ratio and evaporator operating pressure and temperature. It was found through experimentation that different curves of BPR point rise versus solids/water ratio are obtained at different temperatures. In general, the higher the operating pressure and temperature, the lower the BPR for a given solids/water ratio.
Thus, if one were to contemplate the effect of increasing the operating pressure of the atmospheric pressure evaporator to significantly higher pressures, the associated higher operating temperature provides some unexpected benefits: Not only does the total temperature differential between the lowest and highest pressure evaporators increase, but the BPR unexpectedly declines, resulting in a larger than expected temperature differential available for heat transfer in the evaporator heat exchangers.

Process for drying and solvent-extraction of water wet solids


A new seed platform for suspending below a bird feeder to catch feed that falls from the feeder. The inventive device includes a platform having a perimeter frame portion and a central portion. The central portion of the platform is generally flat and has a plurality of apertures of a predetermined size through it. A number of hooks are coupled to the upper face of frame portion of the platform. Each of the hooks has one end of an associated flexible member hooked thereon. The other end of each of the flexible members is attachable to the bottom of a bird feeder to suspend the platform below the bird feeder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bird feed accessories and more particularly pertains to a new seed platform for suspending below a bird feeder to catch feed that falls from the feeder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of bird feed accessories is known in the prior art. More specifically, bird feed accessories heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art bird feed accessories include U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,319; U.S. Pat. No. 2,524,502; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 359,146; U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,108; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 376,964; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,652.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new seed platform. The inventive device includes a platform having a perimeter frame portion and a central portion. The central portion of the platform is generally flat and has a plurality of apertures of a predetermined size through it. A number of hooks are coupled to the upper face of frame portion of the platform. Each of the hooks has one end of an associated flexible member hooked thereon. The other end of each of the flexible members is attachable to the bottom of a bird feeder to suspend the platform below the bird feeder.
In these respects, the seed platform according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of suspending below a bird feeder to catch feed that falls from the feeder.


Provided is a method for manufacturing a nano-gap electrode device comprising the steps of: forming a first electrode on a substrate; forming a spacer on a sidewall of the first electrode; forming a second electrode on an exposed substrate at a side of the spacer; and forming a nano-gap between the first electrode and the second electrode by removing the spacer, whereby it is possible to control the nano-gap position, width, shape, and etc., reproducibly, and manufacture a plurality of nano-gap electrode devices at the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nano-gap electrode device having a nano-gap with a width of several nanometers or less between two electrodes and, more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a nano-gap electrode device that the nano-gap position and width can be adjusted readily and a plurality of nano-gaps can be fabricated.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As information and communication technology have been developed, a quantity of transferable information increases geometrically. As a result, integrity for processing the large quantity of information in a semiconductor device has been enhanced continuously. In a prior art, the integrity of the semiconductor device has been improved by a top-down method that a size and a line width of the device are reduced through an enhancement of a resolving power in a photolithography process. However, it is not applicable for a practical use since the process thereof is difficult and it is required a high cost. Thus, a nano molecular device has been developed so as to solve the aforementioned problems and improve an economical efficiency. Recently, a nano molecular device fabricated by a bottom-up technology has been proposed.
The molecular device is such a device that applies electronic transport through molecules each having a length of several nm or less, contrary to a silicon based semiconductor device of a prior art. The molecular device has been considered as a next generation technology since a high-integrated high-speed circuit can be implanted with low costs. The molecular device requires external electrodes connected to both sides of the molecule for an electrical characteristic evaluation. For this, it is necessary to implant electrode devices that are spaced apart from each other across a nano-gap corresponding to a molecular length of several nm or less.
Conventionally, the nano-gap electrode device has been manufactured by a method that a certain portion of a metal line is broken by mechanical stress or electromigration, or a method that a gap having a width of hundreds of nm is formed first by electron beam lithography, and then an electrode material is further deposited on surfaces of the two electrodes by means of an electrochemical deposition method to thereby narrow the width of the gap. However, the methods as mentioned above have demerits that the processes thereof are complex and the precise control of the gap position and width is difficult. As a result, reproducibility and reliability get deteriorated. In addition, it is not applicable for the fabrication of integrated molecular device circuits since a plurality of nano-gap devices each having the same shape and width cannot be implanted at the same time.
FIGS. 1A to 1E are typical views for explaining a method for manufacturing a nano-gap electrode device according to a prior art, in which a metal line is broken by mechanical stress. And, FIGS. 1B to 1E are enlarged views of A portion shown in FIG. 1A.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a metal line 12 is formed with a gold (Au) and etc. on a substrate 11 that is covered with an insulation film and composed of a silicon and so on, and then a central portion of the metal line 12 is dipped in a solution 13 including a certain molecular material. A configuration 14 is contacted with a bottom side of the substrate 11, where corresponds to the central portion of the metal line 12, and mechanical configurations 15 are contacted with an upper side of the substrate 11, at both sides of the metal line 12.
Referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C, if a mechanical stress is applied to the substrate 11 in an upper direction by raising the configuration 14 while the mechanical configurations 15 being fixed, the central portion of the substrate 11 comes to be bent upward by the applied stress.
Referring to FIG. 1D, a certain portion of the metal line 12 is broken, resulting in a gap 16 if bending of the substrate 11 becomes larger with an increase of the stress. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) 17 is formed on surfaces of two facing metallic electrodes 12a and 12b across the gap 16.
Referring to FIG. 1E, the bent substrate 11 is flattened, so that the two metallic electrodes 12a and 12b come to be contacted each other again across the monolayer 17, if the lower configuration 14 goes down and is returned to an original position.
Therefore, an electric signal may be applied to the monolayer 17 through the two metallic electrodes 12a and 12b.
As described above, the method for manufacturing the nano-gap electrode device of the conventional art, in which the metal line is broken by the mechanical stress, has demerits that the process thereof is complex and the precise control over the gap position and shape is difficult, so that reproducibility and reliability get deteriorated and a plurality of nano-gap electrode devices cannot be fabricated at the same time. In addition, it is difficult to apply to a fabrication of an integrated molecular device circuit, since the mechanical stress applied to a certain position affects the other regions of the periphery.
FIGS. 2A to 2C are typical views for explaining a method for manufacturing a nano-gap electrode device according to a prior art, in which the metal line is broken by electromigration.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a metal line 21 with a line width of several tens of nm to hundreds of nm is formed by using a conventional semiconductor process technology
Referring to FIG. 2B, large quantity of currents 23 pass through the metal line 21 by applying a voltage through terminals 22 at both sides of the metal line 21.
Referring to FIG. 2C, atoms inside the metal line 21 come to move gradually due to an effect of electron flow when the currents pass through, as mentioned above. The aforementioned phenomenon is referred to as an electromigration, by which a certain portion of the metal line 21 is broken, resulting in a nano-gap 24 having a width of several nm. The method for manufacturing the nano-gap electrode device of the prior art, in which the metal line is broken by electromigration, has a merit that the process thereof is simple relatively. However, it has demerits that the precise control over the gap position, width, and shape is difficult, thereby reproducibility being deteriorated, and a plurality of nano-gap electrode devices cannot be fabricated at the same time.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross sectional views for explaining a method for manufacturing a nano-gap electrode device using electrochemical deposition method, according to a prior art;
Referring to FIG. 3A, two metallic electrode patterns 34 are formed on a semiconductor substrate 32 on which an insulation film 31 is formed, wherein the two metallic electrode patterns are spaced apart from each other across a predetermined gap 33. The metallic electrode patterns 34 may be formed by using a conventional semiconductor process technology such as electron beam lithography, and a width of the gap 33 may be about hundreds of nm.
Referring to FIG. 3B, an electric terminal (not shown) is connected to the metallic electrode pattern 34, and the whole substrate 32 including the metallic electrode patterns 34 are dipped in a certain electrolyte solution. Electrode layers 35 are deposited on surfaces of the metallic electrode patterns 34 if a voltage is applied to the metallic electrode patterns 34 through the electric terminal. The width of the gap becomes thin more and more as the thickness of the deposited electrode layers 35 become thicker. As a result, a nano-gap 36 is fabricated.
However, the method for manufacturing the electrode device using the electrochemical deposition in accordance with the prior art has demerits that the process thereof is complex, the precise control over the width of the nano-gap is difficult, and a plurality of the nano-gap electrode devices cannot be fabricated at the same time.

Method for manufacturing nano-gap electrode device

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A method of identifying technology design candidates from a design space of design candidates leverages specialized operators which are smooth in the sense that the operators are capable of producing small changes in the performance or behaviour when applied to a design to modify it. The method includes determining a smooth operator for effecting incremental structural change to a technology design when the smooth operator is applied to the technology design and then applying the smooth operator to at least one technology design in the population to determine an updated population. The technology designs in the updated population are evaluated to identify a preferred semiconductor technology design. If the stopping condition is satisfied then the search terminates otherwise the steps are repeated.

The problem of structural optimization is to find improved or optimal structural designs from a space of possible structural designs. There is a means to evaluate the performances of each candidate design. A search algorithm traverses the design space getting feedback from the performance measures in order to propose new designs. To traverse the design space, the algorithm applies "operators" that take one or many designs and produce another design from those designs. Other problem domains outside of circuit design include design of neural networks, Bayes nets, industrial designs (e.g. chairs), and schedules.
One way to define the space of possible designs is to begin with initial designs and include all the designs reachable through the application of a finite number of operators. In traditional optimization problems, the design space typically only contains parameters, not structures. This can be called the problem of "parameter optimization." Operators in parameter optimization only vary the parameters of the design, not the structure. An example parameter optimization problem in neural network design is to find the values for all the weights of the neural network that give the lowest mean-squared error in approximating the neural network to fit target data. In structural optimization, there are also one or more structural operators. These operators actually alter the structure of a candidate design. A simple example of a structural operator from the domain of neural network design is to merely remove a randomly chosen hidden node.
Structural optimization has benefits over parameter optimization for the reason that the design space is broadened to include different possible structures. With a broader design space than parameter optimization, there is the potential for even better designs to be achieved.
Unfortunately, structural optimization is typically very inefficient because it takes large amounts of computational effort to optimize structures. A major reason for the inefficiency is that when structural changes are made (i.e. structural search operators are applied), there is typically a low probability of improving the performance measure of the design.
Generally, structural operators are "non-smooth" operators because they typically result in large changes in design behaviour. A non-smooth operator has typically been designed without consideration of the effects that parameters have on changes in behaviour in the specific domain of application. Applying a non-smooth operator typically leads to non-negligible changes in behaviour. So, on average, expected changes in behaviour are high. Large changes in behaviour usually lead to large changes in performance measures. The larger an expected change in a performance measure, the lower the expected probability of successfully improving the measure.
In the neural network design domain for example, consider the application of the non-smooth operator in which a hidden node is randomly removed. In all likelihood, the network's behaviour in terms of flow of signal strengths will be radically changed. A large change in the signal behaviour likely means a large change in the subsequent performance measure, e.g. a large change in mean-squared error. With such a large change in mean-squared error, there is a small likelihood that the change has been for the better. Successful changes to the network's structure are thus rare.
The main benefit of structural optimization over parameter optimization is the ability to create better designs, given enough time, because the scope of possible designs is larger. Unfortunately, structural optimization is too computationally expensive for many applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Smooth operators in optimization of structures


A sand control screen assembly (200) positionable within a production interval of a wellbore that traverses a subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation comprises a base pipe (202) having openings (204) in a sidewall section thereof that allow fluid flow therethrough. A filter medium (210) is positioned about the exterior of at least a portion of the base pipe (202). The filter medium (210) selectively allows fluid flow therethrough but prevents the flow of particulate of a predetermined size therethrough. A seal member (218, 220, 222) is operably associated with the base pipe (202). The seal member (218, 220, 222) has a one-way valve configuration and a valve open configuration such that the seal member (218, 220, 222) controls fluid flow through the openings (204) of the base pipe (202).

It is well known in the subterranean well drilling and completion art that relatively fine particulate materials may be produced during the production of hydrocarbons from a well that traverses an unconsolidated or loosely consolidated formation. Numerous problems may occur as a result of the production of such particulate. For example, the particulate causes abrasive wear to components within the well, such as tubing, pumps and valves. In addition, the particulate may partially or fully clog the well creating the need for an expensive workover. Also, if the particulate matter is produced to the surface, it must be removed from the hydrocarbon fluids using surface processing equipment.
One method for preventing the production of such particulate material is to gravel pack the well adjacent to the unconsolidated or loosely consolidated production interval. In a typical gravel pack completion, a sand control screen is lowered into the wellbore on a work string to a position proximate the desired production interval. A fluid slurry including a liquid carrier and a relatively coarse particulate material, such as sand, gravel or proppants which are typically sized and graded and which are typically referred to herein as gravel, is then pumped down the work string and into the well annulus formed between the sand control screen and the perforated well casing or open hole production zone.
The liquid carrier either flows into the formation or returns to the surface by flowing through a wash pipe or both. In either case, the gravel is deposited around the sand control screen to form the gravel pack, which is highly permeable to the flow of hydrocarbon fluids but blocks the flow of the fine particulate materials carried in the hydrocarbon fluids. As such, gravel packs can successfully prevent the problems associated with the production of these particulate materials from the formation.
It has been found, however, that following a gravel packing operation, the fluid inside the sand control screen tends to leak off into the adjacent formation. This leak off not only results in the loss of the relatively expensive fluid into the formation, but may also result in damage to the gravel pack around the sand control screen and the formation by, for example, fracturing a formation when it is not desirable to fracture that formation. This fluid leak off is particularly problematic in cases where multiple production intervals within a single wellbore require gravel packing as the fluid remains in communication with the various formations for an extended period of time.
In other cases, it may be desirable to perform a formation fracturing and propping operation prior to or simultaneously with the gravel packing operation. Hydraulic fracturing of a hydrocarbon formation is sometimes necessary to increase the permeability of the formation adjacent the wellbore. According to conventional practice, a fracture fluid such as water, oil, oil/water emulsion, gelled water or gelled oil is pumped down the work string with sufficient volume and pressure to open multiple fractures in the production interval. The fracture fluid may carry a suitable propping agent, such as sand, gravel or proppants, which are typically referred to herein as proppants, into the fractures for the purpose of holding the fractures open following the fracturing operation.
The fracture fluid must be forced into the formation at a flow rate great enough to fracture the formation allowing the entrained proppants to enter the fractures and prop the formation structures apart, producing channels which will create highly conductive paths reaching out into the production interval, and thereby increasing the reservoir permeability in the fracture region. As such, the success of the fracture operation is dependent upon the ability to inject large volumes of hydraulic fracture fluid along the entire length of the formation at a high pressure and at a high flow rate.
It has been found, however, that it is difficult to fracture multiple formations traversed by the wellbore that are within a relatively close proximity of one another. This difficulty is the result of the complexity and length of the permanent downhole tools and the associated service tools used to perform the fracture operation. Accordingly, if formations are closer together than the axial length required for the permanent downhole tools and service tool, then certain of the formations cannot be isolated for individual treatment processes.
Therefore, a need has arisen for an apparatus and a treatment method that provide for the treatment of multiple formations that are located relatively close to one another by allowing the use of relatively simple and compact permanent downhole tools and service tools. A need has also arisen for an apparatus and a treatment method that allow for the gravel packing of one or more production intervals while preventing fluid loss into adjacent formations.

Sand control screen assembly and treatment method using the same


Embodiments of the invention are directed to system and method for managing parallel development of projects. One embodiment of the invention is a method of automatically managing processes in the parallel development of an application through a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface manages the automated processes, which are able to complete their tasks without further user interaction. The automated processes managed by the graphical user interface include, provisioning a first development environment and second development environment. The processes also includes deploying a second release of an application to the second development environment, and merging modifications to the second source code and the second content of the second release into a first source code and a first content of the first release. After the releases have been merged together, the process automatically deploys the third release of the application to a production environment for use by users.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the parallel development of applications, and more specifically to automating the parallel development process throughout the development, testing, and deployment processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Developing and deploying applications in a robust manner to be accessed by users, especially web applications, requires a number of processes. For a web application, these processes include managing source code, testing code, and deploying the code along with content to a production system where it can be accessed by users. These processes can take a substantial amount of time (and be prone to error), meaning that some changes cannot be tested or implemented until other changes have been tested and implemented. This need to wait slows down the overall development of an application.
IT developers perform parallel development tasks using source control tools for example MKS source code control system. MKS provides support for parallel development by allowing multiple development paths, or multiple versions of the same file, to exist in the same location. However, managing of source code in parallel is only one part of the process of developing, testing, and deploying robust applications, especially web applications. Aside from source code, throughout a web application's lifecycle, a change to a web application's underlying page definitions, URLs, metadata, content, graphics, documents, and resources may need to be worked on or tested in parallel.
By using a parallel development process, multiple changes and additions to an application can be implemented at substantially the same time. In general, the problem of parallel development and managing resources in parallel can basically be described as modifying the same resource or a collection of artifacts at the same time. This can be complicated by the fact that a resource may be indirectly changed if there are cross or inter-resource dependencies and references. The basic ability to manage business and IT resources in parallel (pages, content and portlet applications, or business functions) is further complicated by the underlying technology that supports the platform. For example, IBM Portal Server does not provide an automated framework which enables development of resources in parallel.
In general, parallel development requires the ability to develop, virtualize, test and deploy the same resource or collection or resources at the same time; making modifications in parallel, with changes to one resource not having any affect on the other versions of that resource.
Methods to extend parallel development throughout the entire application development process have to this point been ad-hoc, manual or user-intensive, and prone to error. What is needed is an overall system and process, preferably automated, to perform parallel development of an application.

Automated methods and systems for developing and deploying projects in parallel


Upon detection of an error such as a malfunction occurring at a drive mechanism, a sensor transmits an error signal to a control section. The control section selects character information about details of the error corresponding to the error signal and an image representing the drive mechanism where the error occurs and a position of the sensor in the drive mechanism, and reads out the character information and the image from a storage part. Then, the control section allows a liquid crystal display device to display error information in which a first image of character information is combined with a second image of an error occurrence site in the drive mechanism. After correction of the error, an operator touches a GUI on a screen to thereby check an operation of the drive mechanism.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an error display system for displaying an error such as an abnormality or a malfunction occurring at an apparatus including various drive mechanisms such as a workpiece processing mechanism and a workpiece transporting mechanism.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In an apparatus including various drive mechanisms such as a workpiece processing mechanism and a workpiece transporting mechanism and a process performed by the apparatus, there has been adopted a display system for notifying an operator of an error such as an abnormality or a malfunction occurring at each drive mechanism. For example, an IC transporting apparatus includes a display device capable of readily identifying a transport error occurrence site in course of transport of an IC among respective processing mechanisms from a loader to an unloader.
This display device schematically displays main processes performed by the respective processing mechanisms from the loader to the unloader, and allows a light emitting diode, corresponding to a process in which an error occurs, to flash. In addition, the display device displays a message about the error on a lower portion of a display region thereof (refer to, e.g., JP-A 06-148251 (FIG. 1)).
However, a conventional display device has the following problems.
The conventional display device is effective at identifying a process in which an error occurs. However, the conventional display device only uses character information in order to notify an operator of a state of the error occurring at a drive mechanism in the process. This results in the following disadvantage: only a skilled operator can promptly identify an error occurrence site in the drive mechanism based on the character information. In particular, as a result of advanced automation of an apparatus in recent years, an operator does not necessarily to manage the apparatus constantly. Consequently, skilled operators are reduced in number, and there arises a problem that it takes much time to correct an error.
In addition, an operator must visually check whether or not a drive mechanism subjected to error correction is normally actuated in a state that the drive mechanism is actually actuated, resulting in complicated work.


Systems and methods for estimating power consumption in a network of computing devices are described. Operational information of a target server is periodically received and compared to benchmark data of a model of the target server. The operational information comprises performance data of the target server during a predefined time interval. Power consumption of the target server is estimated using the performance and benchmark data. The benchmark data is recalibrated if an error in the estimated power consumption is detected. An agent installed on the target server for collecting performance data is described. The target server can be a virtualized server, in which case, the agent acquires at least some of the performance data from a hypervisor of a physical server that hosts the target server.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power management and more particularly to power usage estimation and monitoring systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Power consumption of servers, memory devices and network equipment is a major issue of concern in the design and operation of data centers. Apart from consuming electrical power, servers and associated equipment must be cooled to ensure that they operate in the envelope of conditions for which they have been designed. Operating outside this envelope reduces the life-span and increases the failure rate of these devices. For every 2 dollars spent powering a server, typically 1 dollar is spent cooling it. Consequently increasing server power efficiency, reduces consumption and the costs of cooling.
Conventional systems employ methods for power estimation that compare real-time data obtained from sensors in a monitored electrical system with data generated by a predictive modeled virtual system. If a predicted value of some electrical or physical entity is outside a set value or an alarm condition value, a re-calibration of the system is generated utilizing mathematical equations with the new real-time data, However, such systems tend to have limited application and are used mainly for monitoring electrical power consumption in large complex networks such as factories, processing plants, ships, etc. However, such conventional systems often cannot cope with electrical systems of a much smaller scale such as electronic systems due to the substantially smaller size. Additionally, the greater variances between different instances of these small systems render it economically and difficult, if not impossible, to install meters into the systems,
Although severs are becoming more power efficient, they are also getting smaller, for example Blade-servers. Consequently, the power density, the amount of electrical power that must be concentrated in a given area of the data center, is increasing. The implications for the data center are increased power demand per unit area of data center space, and a greater cooling capacity requirement.
Another unaddressed problem in data centers arises when servers are being installed in a rack system. Each rack must be adequately provisioned for power, otherwise the power unit supplying a rack may be insufficient. Overestimating the power consumption of servers in a rack, can result in the selection of an inappropriate power unit which is not power efficient, or under-utilization of the rack system capacity. Underestimating the server power demand can result in power failure for the rack. Conventional systems cannot accurately determine the server power demand in a rack without significant increased complexity and cost.
Data centers also operate under a complex range of electricity tariffs, Failure by a center to operate in a predicted, narrow window of power consumption can incur severe financial penalties. Thus, centers have a need to accurately predict future power demands.
Power measurement in data centers is traditionally performed at the rack-level, using a power meter integrated in the PDU (Power Distribution Unit) supplying power to the rack. Alternatively, a meter is externally connected to the supply line of the rack. However, this approach can, at most, achieve only a rack-level power resolution, as it is not possible to determine the power consumption of the individual servers. Another approach uses a radio-transmitter device which measures power through a sensor located around the server power cable. This, and other approaches, incur significantly increased expenses and complexity. Indeed, all of these conventional methods involve physical sensors and have intrinsic limitations when deployed across a population of several thousand servers.
The cost of power meters ranges from $100's to $1000's, Complexity is increased due to the mass of physical wires required to power and connect the meters, and the large number of communication channels or signals. Significantly, it is not possible/practical to determine the power consumption of the individual processes and applications executed on an individual server using external measuring devices. Because dynamic scheduling and execution of multiple processes occurs in micro-second time frames on the server, it is impossible to synchronize the measurement of these activities with an external physical meter.
Conventional power estimation systems are further limited because most of these systems assume a power model that is linear for CPU and memory usage and for network I/O activity. These conventional models are generated using measurements of server power consumption, while executing a series of benchmarks. Linear interpolation is used to obtain a best-fit linear equation which is thought to describe the server's power behavior. However, such equations are naive and produce results which can have an average error of at least 5% and which often deliver results which are 25% or more in error. Because of this level of inaccuracy, these conventional systems cannot be used for billing purposes related to power consumption in most countries, because they fall below the standards required by laws regulating the accuracy of meters used for billing utilities.

Power profiling and auditing consumption systems and methods


Methods and apparatus for generating images and/or photographs from digital data files with data, e.g., audio data, stored on the photograph are described. Ink which is invisible or almost invisible to the human eye but which can be detected using an optical reader is used for printing the data on the photograph. When the ink used for printing audio data is slightly noticeable to a human, the color or colors of the photo are adjusted to mask the visual effect of the ink. In order to identify the presence and/or location of printed audio data, the audio data region on the photograph is identified using a non-destructive technique. In one embodiment, the optical density of all or a portion of the image area corresponding to the audio data region of a photograph is reduced slightly from that of the original image to identify the presence and location of the printed audio data. This approach identifies the presence and location of audio data without destroying the content of the image on which the audio data is printed. In another embodiment, audio data markers, e.g., in the form of small lines or marks, are printed on the photograph to identify the presence and/or location of printed audio data. To avoid destroying the image content of the photograph the audio data region identification marks may be printed on the edges or boarder of the photograph. The audio data may be read and played using a hand held scanner.

As the price of digital cameras continues to decrease, they are becoming ever more popular. Many digital still cameras have the capability of recording audio signals as well as a digital image. The recording of audio sounds, e.g., music at a wedding, is often optional. When audio signals are recorded, they are normally saved within the camera in a digital audio file which is associated with one of the digital image files also stored in the camera. Alternatively, the audio and associated image data may be stored in a single file with the audio and/or video data being identified by a file header.
Thus, for each optical image captured by a digital camera, audio data may, optionally, be associated therewith.
Digital audio and image files generated using a digital camera can, and often are, downloaded to a computer system capable of displaying the image files and playing the audio files. In addition, many computer systems include image processing and printing capabilities.
Unfortunately, at the present time, known systems do not provide a satisfactory way of storing recorded audio information, associated with a photograph, directly on the photograph.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there is a need for methods and apparatus which will allow the storing of audio data directly on a printed photograph. It is desirable that any such methods do not significantly interfere with the quality of the printed image or block out portions of the image. In addition, it is desirable that it be relatively easy for a person to visually detect the presence or absence of audio data on a photograph. It is also desirable that a person be able to visually identify the region of a printed image or photograph where the audio data is stored, e.g., to facilitate the reading back and playing of the audio data via, e.g., the use of a hand held scanner.

Method and apparatus for visually identifying an area on a photograph or image where digital data is stored


A removable cargo shelf assembly for a vehicle includes a platform assembly, a removable frame assembly and an elongated member. The platform assembly includes at least one panel. The removable frame assembly includes support means for maintaining that at least one panel in a first substantially horizontal position at a desired elevation relative to the floor of the vehicle. The elongated member is operably engageable with the panel for maintaining the panel in a second stowed position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to platforms and shelves for vehicles and more particularly to a removable cargo shelf assembly for the rear cargo area of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mini-vans, utility vehicles, recreational and conventional vehicles may have large cargo areas which are under-utilized because of an inability to adapt the area to a user's needs.
Several deck/panel systems have been proposed to enhance the utility of the cargo space of vehicles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,709, issued to R. L. Huber, discloses an auxiliary vehicle deck. The deck includes tubular legs that are attached to the lower surface of the deck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,555, issued to A. Hashimoto, relates to a foldable panel for an automobile vehicle in which two plates are interconnected via hinge pins each having two parallel spindles which are respectively rotatably received in cylindrical envelopes formed in reinforcing members fixedly attached to the plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,034, issued to G. Beggs, discloses a folding platform for a vehicle comprising a first series of panels and a second series of panels which may be unfolded within the vehicle to form load carrying shelves or a platform which may be used to support a mattress. The first series of panels, one of which is affixed to a shaft, rotate as a unit with a shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,520, issued to A. M. Smith discloses a storage deck for a vehicle which comprises opposed ledge-forming members fixedly secured to sidewalls at a level spaced upwardly above the storage deck.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,248, issued to J. A. Lown, discloses the use of guide blocks for sliding a platform in and out.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,097, issued to C. W. Broehl, discloses the use of brackets affixed to the automobile to support an auxiliary surface.
The aforementioned devices are generally bulky and often require various forms of permanent attachment to the automobile.

Removable cargo shelf assembly for a vehicle


Provided is a switched-capacitor variable gain amplifier having high voltage gain linearity. According to the above amplifier, a sampling capacitor is shared and used at a sampling phase and an amplification phase, and thus a voltage gain error caused by capacitor mismatch can be reduced. Also, using a unit capacitor array enables circuit design and layout to be simplified. Further, in the amplifier, a voltage gain can be easily controlled to be more or less than 1, as necessary, and power consumption and kT/C noise can be reduced by a feedback factor that is relatively large, so that gain amplification performance can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switched-capacitor variable gain amplifier having high voltage gain linearity, and more particularly, to a variable gain amplifier having a limited gain step and small gain nonlinearity in a large gain section.
The present invention is derived from a project entitled "Elements and Module for Ubiquitous Terminal [2006-S-006-02]" conducted as an IT R&D program for the Ministry of Information and Communication/Institute for Information and Technology Advancement (Republic of Korea).
2. Discussion of Related Art
A variable gain amplifier (VGA) is a circuit in which a front end of a signal processing circuit adjusts the amplitude of an input signal to keep it within a dynamic range of the signal processing circuit or to give it a specified value. For example, when an analog voice or image signal is processed in an analog circuit, a VGA may be used to adjust the amplitude of an input signal to prevent saturation of an output signal. Also, when an input digital signal input through a channel is attenuated, which causes considerable loss in a digital circuit, a VGA may be used to amplify the digital signal to comply with specifications.
FIG. 1A is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional VGA 100 having a switched-capacitor structure, and FIG. 1B illustrates an array of gain capacitors of the VGAs 100 illustrated in FIG. 1A.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the conventional VGA 100 includes an operational amplifier 110 for amplifying a difference between two input voltages, and digital-to-analog converters (DACs) 120A and 120B for adjusting a voltage input to the operational amplifier 110 to adjust an amplification rate.
However, in the VGA 100 having the above structure, in order to obtain a limited gain step, an array of DAC capacitors 120A and 120B having various sizes is required. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, in order to control a voltage gain having a dB-linearity of 9-bit, 10 different capacitors including 9 gain capacitors (C1 to C9) and a scaling capacitor Cb other than a sampling capacitor Cs and a feedback capacitor Cf should be used.
However, the array of different-sized capacitors complicates circuit design and layout. Also, independently using a sampling capacitor Cs and a feedback capacitor Cf may cause mismatch when an extremely small voltage gain step is implemented. In addition, in a conventional VGA, since a feedback factor of a capacitor array has a small value, more power is required to obtain the same unit gain frequency.
In view of these drawbacks, an exponential gain control variable gain amplifier using a unit capacitor array and a positive feedback method has been suggested.
FIG. 2A is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional VGA 200 having an exponential gain control structure, and FIG. 2B illustrates a gain capacitor array of the VGA 200 illustrated in FIG. 2A.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the VGA 200 having an exponential gain control structure controls actual values of the capacitor array by first order approximation of an exponential function in the variable gain amplifier having the switched-capacitor structure (refer to FIGS. 1A and 1B). Since unit capacitors constitute the capacitor array, a gain step control circuit can be easily obtained, and a relatively large feedback factor can be obtained, so that power consumption can be reduced.
Here, the first order approximation of an exponential function can be represented by the following Equation 1.
                              ⅇ                      2                        x                          ≃                              1            +            x                                1            -            x                                              [                  Equation                                                              1                ]
According to Equation 1, to implement a function of the form (1+x)/(1−x), a value of a feedback variable capacitor Cx can be represented as a negative value (−x).
For this purpose, the VGA 200 having the exponential gain control structure should have a variable capacitor Cx connected to a negative output voltage −Vout rather than to a positive output voltage +Vout, so that the variable capacitor Cx has a negative value at an input part of the operational amplifier 210. That is, the variable capacitor Cx having a negative value necessary for first order approximation of an exponential function can be implemented through a capacitor array having the positive feedback structure.
The voltage gain of the VGA 200 having the exponential gain control structure can be represented by the following Equation 2:
                              A          v                =                                            C              a                        +                          C              x                                                          C              a                        -                          C              x                                                          [                  Equation                                                              2                ]
According to Equation 2, in order to obtain a gain of 0 dB or lower, i.e., a gain between 0 and 1, the variable capacitor Cx should have a negative capacitance.
However, since no capacitor has a negative capacitance, it is impossible to implement a voltage gain of 0 dB or lower using the VGA 200 having the exponential gain control structure, and thus a large input voltage may result in a malfunction.

Switched-capacitor variable gain amplifier having high voltage gain linearity


A liquid crystal display includes: a first insulation substrate; a gate line and a data line formed on the first insulation substrate; a first electrode and a second electrode formed on the gate line and the data line and overlapping each other via an insulating layer interposed therebetween; a second insulation substrate facing the first insulation substrate; and a chiral dopant inserted between the first insulation substrate and the second insulation substrate. A content of the chiral dopant may be within about 1%, and liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal layer may be twisted with a pitch of about 10 μm to about 100 μm by the chiral dopant.

Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid crystal display.
Discussion of the Background
A liquid crystal display, currently one of the most common types of flat panel displays, is a display device in which liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal layer are rearranged when voltage is applied to an electrode. This configuration controls an amount of transmitted light.
The liquid crystal display has an advantage of being thin, but has a disadvantage in that side visibility is reduced when compared with front visibility. As a result, various liquid crystal arrangements and driving methods have been developed in order to improve side visibility. As a method of implementing a wide viewing angle, a liquid crystal display in which a pixel electrode and a common electrode are disposed on one substrate has received attention.
In the liquid crystal display with an increased viewing angle, at least one of two field generating electrodes of the pixel electrode and the common electrode has a plurality of cutouts, and a plurality of branch electrodes defined by the plurality of cutouts.
However, when resolution of the liquid crystal display is increased, a size of a pixel is decreased, and thereby transmittance of the liquid crystal display may be decreased.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


A polypeptide which specifically binds to the .gamma.-chain of the human interleukin-2 receptor and selectively inhibits the binding of the .gamma.-chain of human interleukin-2 receptor to the .beta.-chain of the same is provided. The polypeptide has an activity of blocking the human interleukin-2 response. Also provided are an immunosuppressant containing the polypeptide, a DNA gene coding for the polypeptide, a recombinant DNA having the gene, a transformant having the recombinant DNA, and a method for producing the intended polypeptide by incubating the transformant. The novel polypeptide can be used independently, or with substances capable of inhibiting the binding of interleukin-2 to the interleukin-2 receptor, as a medicine for preventing the rejection of grafts after transplantation and also for curing inflammatory diseases such as allergic diseases and autoimmune diseases.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polypeptide which specifically binds to the .gamma.-chain of human interleukin-2 receptor to selectively inhibit the binding of the .gamma.-chain of human interleukin-2 receptor to the .beta.-chain of the same. The polypeptide has the biological activity of blocking the human interleukin-2 response. The invention also relates to an immunosuppressant containing the polypeptide, a DNA coding for the polypeptide, a recombinant DNA having the gene, a transformant having the recombinant DNA, and a method for producing the intended polypeptide by cultivating the transformant.
The polypeptide of the present invention is a valuable substance which is usable, independently or along with substances capable of inhibiting the binding of interleukin-2 to interleukin-2 receptor, as a medicine effective in preventing the rejection after transplantation and also in curing inflammatory diseases such as allergic diseases and autoimmune diseases, the possibility that interleukin-2 will participate in the rejection and also in such inflammatory diseases having been suggested. "Interleukin-2" may be hereinafter referred to as "IL-2".
2. Discussion of the Background
Now that surgical techniques for transplantation have been improved noticeably, success in transplantation essentially depends upon inhibiting the rejection of a graft after the operation. The rejection phenomenon results from a series of immunoreactions occurring through the interaction of the graft with organs of the recipient which have recognized the graft as foreign matter and reject them. Therefore, so-called immunosuppressants such as various steroids, azathiopurine, methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine have heretofore been used as rejection-inhibiting medicines. However, since the safety range of such medicines is narrow and their effects are weak, extreme improvement in the take of grafts in recipients could not be attained.
Using cyclosporin A, a drug which has been developed recently, the take of grafts in recipients has improved surprisingly. However, it has been recognized that cyclosporin A has serious nephrotoxicity, which has obliged us to limit its use. Given this situation, it is desirable to develop more safe, more specific and more effective immunosuppressants.
IL-2 is a protein that is produced by helper T-cells and is an extremely important factor for the host defense machinery, having various functions of broad range. For example, it is involved in induction of proliferation and differention of killer T-cells and induction of differention of B cells in living bodies. It has been said that killer T-cells activated by IL-2, etc. participate strongly in the host vs. graft reaction (HVG reaction) or the graft vs. host reaction (GVH reaction) which is considered to be the key to the take of grafts in transplantation of organs or bone marrow.
On the other hand, it is considered that autoimmune diseases are caused by an imbalance of the immune system in the living body, resulting in the body attacking itself. In particular, there is a great possibility that excess production of factors participating in the immune system, such as IL-2, as well as excess reaction thereto, will essentially cause an imbalance of the immune system.
Thus, it is possible that if the IL-2 response may be selectively and effectively inhibited, then rejection after transplantation may be prevented and autoimmune diseases may be cured. In fact, there have been published reports in which IL-2 and a cytotoxin were fused together to prepare a polypeptide capable of selectively damaging IL-2 responding cells having IL-2 receptors. The polypeptide was administered to a rat with adjuvant arthritis, which is one of the animal models with an autoimmune disease, with the result that the onset of the symptoms of arthritis was delayed in the rat and the presented symptoms of arthritis were slight. The report further revealed that when the polypeptide was administered, during the transplantation, to a mouse that had received a cardiac graft by transplantation from an allogenic mouse, then rejection of the transplanted cardiac graft in the recipient mouse was inhibited. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., Vol. 86, page 1008, 1989.)
However, the polypeptide obtained by fusing IL-2 and a cytotoxin has a short half-life period in blood so that a large amount of the polypeptide must be dosed in order to attain the intended effect, which, however, also causes some harmful side effects. Therefore, the development of a medicine which is safer, more specific and more effective in inhibiting the IL-2 response has been desired.
Heretofore, it has been known that the IL-2 receptor on IL-2 responding cells is composed of two glycoprotein molecules, one being an .alpha.-chain having a molecular weight of about 55 kd and the other being a .beta.-chain having a molecular weight of about 75 kd. The dissociation constant of binding between these molecules and IL-2 is 10.sup.-8 M for the .alpha.-chain and 10.sup.-9 M for the .beta.-chain, respectively. It has been considered that, when both the .alpha.-chain and the .beta.-chain are bound to IL-2 at the same time, then the resulting association has high-affinity binding with a dissociation constant of 10.sup.-12 M.
However, it has recently been clarified that, even when a human .beta.-chain cDNA is transfected into mouse non-lymphocytic cells, it does not bind to IL-2, and that even when both human .alpha.-chain and .beta.-chain cDNA's are transfected into the same, they may bind to IL-2 only to an intermediate degree without forming any high-affinity binding to the same. (Science, Vol. 244, page 551, 1989.) Hence, the existence of a third molecule different than the .alpha.-chain and the .beta.-chain, which is crucial for the binding to IL-2, has been suggested.
We, the present inventors have cloned a gene coding for a glycoprotein molecule having a molecular weight of 64 kd which is the third molecule constituting the IL-2 receptor complex (hereinafter referred to as IL-2 receptor .gamma.-chain) (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-104947 and Science, Vol. 257, page 379, 1992) by which the IL-2/IL-2 receptor system has been clarified completely.
Specifically, it has been shown that the association formed by transfection of both human .beta.-chain and .gamma.-chain cDNA's into mouse non-lymphocytic cells shows an intermediate degree of binding between them, which was previously attributed to the .beta.-chain only; and that the transfection of all human .alpha.-chain, .beta.-chain and .gamma.-chain cDNA's into the same cell gives high-affinity binding between them. The latter effect has previously been attributed to the .alpha.-chain and the .beta.-chain only. In addition, it has been shown that the internalization of an IL-2/IL-2 receptor complex into cells, which is considered to be a prerequisite for signal transduction for IL-2, does not occur in cells expressing only the .beta.-chain or in cells expressing both the .alpha.-chain and the .beta.-chain, but may occur in cells additionally expressing the .gamma.-chain. Accordingly, the present inventors have clarified for the first time that the IL-2 receptor .gamma.-chain molecule is not a molecule which merely defines its binding to IL-2, but is a molecule which is indispensable for the signal transduction triggered by IL-2.
It is known that the IL-2 receptor .gamma.-chain molecule binds to the extracellular site in the IL-2 receptor .beta.-chain in the presence of IL-2. (Science, Vol. 257, page 379, 1992.) Therefore, it is considered that if the binding between the .beta.-chain and the .gamma.-chain were inhibited, the .beta.-chain alone could not bind to IL-2, or both the .alpha.-chain and the .beta.-chain might bind to IL-2 to some intermediate degree while the IL-2-signal transduction would be blocked. Namely, if the binding between the IL-2 receptor .beta.-chain and the IL-2 receptor .gamma.-chain on IL-2 responding cells is inhibited, the IL-2 signal transduction can be completely blocked and the cells then become unresponsive to IL-2. Therefore, by the inhibition, the rejection of transplanted tissue, in which IL-2 is believed to participate, can be prevented and autoimmune diseases, in which IL-2 is considered to also actively participate, can be cured. Up to the present time however, no substance having the activity of inhibiting the binding between the IL-2 receptor .beta.-chain and the IL-2 receptor .gamma.-chain was known.

.gamma.-chain humaninterleukin-2 receptor polypeptide and method of making


A heat pump employing CO2 as refrigerant and utilizing heat source of natural water, e.g. well water, ground water, river water or sea water, effectively is applied to an air conditioning system in order to enhance heating/hot water supplying capacity and refrigeration capacity without requiring a large scale appurtenant facilities.

A variety of systems applying a heat pump employing CO2 as a refrigerant and utilizing natural water such as well water, underground water, etc. as a heat source or cold source to air-conditioning or hot-water supplying, has been proposed in the past.
For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 8-247496 (prior art 1) is disclosed a system utilizing a heat pump which performs snow melting, room heating, room cooling, etc. utilizing underground water as a heat source or cold source. In the system, pumped-up underground water is used directly to melt snow, and the water after used to melt snow is utilized as a heat source for the evaporator of a heat pump, then the water after use is returned to a well.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publications No. 2002-54856 and (prior art 2) and No. 2002-54857 (prior art 3) are disclosed systems in which a heat pump utilizing underground water is applied for the purpose of air conditioning and hot-water supplying for residential houses. In the system, switching between cooling and heating cycle is performed by a four-way valve.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-146852 (prior art 4) is disclosed a system for performing air conditioning, etc. utilizing underground water as a heat source or cold source.
However, these prior arts have such problems that there are technical problems to be solved when applying to practical use, that a large-scaled facility is required, and that high efficiency is not expected, and they are not put into practical use in the present circumstances.


A method of processing digital samples of a signal received at a receiver of a wireless communication system includes monitoring channel conditions and generating a channel indicator including at least one channel parameter by performing at least one of: estimating a channel mobility parameter and comparing it with a threshold; estimating a channel parameter of the energy of the channel outside a predefined temporal window and comparing it with a threshold; estimating a channel temporal duration parameter and establishing if it meets predetermined criteria; estimating a channel-zero location parameter and establishing if it meets predetermined criteria; estimating a received-signal signal-to-disturbance power ratio and comparing it to a threshold; estimating an estimated-channel-response signal-to-disturbance power ratio; estimating the degree of non-stationarity of the disturbance at the receiver input; and selecting one of a plurality of processing routines for processing the digital samples based on said channel indicator. Related receivers are also described.

The transmission of radio signals in modern wireless communications can be realized based on a number of different communications systems, often specified by a standard. There are increasing requirements for devices which are able to operate to support more than one of these wireless communications systems. Mobile radio receiver devices include analog radio frequency (RF)/intermediate frequency (IF) stages, which are arranged to receive and transmit wireless signals via one or more antennas. The output of the RF/IF stages is typically converted to baseband, where an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) converts incoming analog signals to digital samples, which are then processed for signal detection and decoding of the information data. The ADC may alternatively operate directly at IF, in which case the conversion to baseband is performed in the digital domain. A number of different types of front end processing of the digital samples are known to implement signal detection, including rake receiver processing and channel equalisation processing.
In Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless systems, different physical channels are multiplexed in the code domain using separate spreading sequences. In the case of orthogonal spreading codewords, the original data symbols can then be effectively separated at the receiver by despreading.
In a Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) cellular system, downlink code multiplexing is performed using Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor (OVSF) codes. However, the OVSF codewords are orthogonal to each other only under the condition of perfect time alignment. In the presence of multipath propagation, the code orthogonality is lost, and the operation of despreading is affected by Multiple Access Interference (MAI).
CDMA mobile radio receivers conventionally employ a rake processor which relies on the correlation properties of the spreading sequences. A rake processor is described for example in J. G. Proakis, "Digital Communications", New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995. This type of receiver is subject to performance degradation in the presence of code correlation, if the MAI between code-multiplexed transmission is comparable to the other sources of noise and interference. Under these conditions, a performance advantage may be achieved by attempting to restore the orthogonality between the codes before despreading. The sub-optimality of conventional 3GPP receivers based on rake processing causes a significant performance penalty, especially for downlink data rates increasing from the 384 kbps for WCDMA Release 99 to High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HDSPA) rates of several Mbps. When the code orthogonality is destroyed by multipath, an effective approach is to use channel equalisation instead of rake processing.
Channel equalisation techniques have been widely employed over the last decades for combating intersymbol interference on frequency selective transmission channels. Channel equalisation techniques are described in J. G. Proakis, "Digital Communications", New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995, and S. Benedetto, E. Biglieri, and V. Castellani, "Digital Transmission Theory", Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1987. Channel equalisers have recently found application in receivers for Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile wireless systems. An example of application of channel equalisation to a CDMA cellular system is described in A. Klein "Data Detection Algorithms Specially Designed for the Downlink of CDMA Mobile Radio Systems", IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, vol. 1, Phoenix Ariz., May 1997, pp. 203-207. In particular in asynchronous CDMA cellular systems, as in the case of the forward link of the 3GPP WCDMA standard, chip level equalisation allows to significantly improve the performance over conventional rake receivers, at the cost of an increased implementation complexity. This advantage is especially important for high rate data transmission, as in 3GPP high speed downlink packet access (HDDPA).
However, channel equalization may not be able to provide superior performance in all possible scenarios. In particular, the use of a channel equaliser does not provide an advantage under single-ray propagation conditions, i.e., in the absence of multipath propagation.
The above limitations generally depend on the particular equalization algorithm under consideration. In the case of a linear MMSE equaliser, in the presence of a non-frequency selective or flat channel response, the equaliser processing still relies on the estimation of the channel impulse response, with a channel estimation error proportional to the number of the channel impulse response samples. In this situation, the use of a rake receiver not only does not correspond to a performance loss caused by MAI, but in fact reduces to a minimum the channel estimation error, relying on the estimate of a single channel tap.
Similarly, in the case of a Least-Squares (LS) equaliser, the receiver performance may be penalized by using the estimation of the channel statistics performed with a dimensionality higher than required in the specific conditions of non dispersive channel, i.e., of channel propagation profile with a single tap.
It is an aim of the present invention to optimise the processing facilities of a receiver in a wireless communication environment, in particular taking into account required signal processing performance set against the computing resources and/or power consumption required to obtain that processing performance.
It is another aim of this invention to identify n-ray propagation conditions, which is capable of resolving the above issue.

Processing digital samples in a wireless receiver


Electronic equipment switches inputs and outputs of audio-visual equipment when inputs and outputs that are not connected are selected. A microcomputer determines whether the electronic equipment is placed in a mode for automatically switching an input terminal. When the automatic mode is not set, an input terminal is switched to a designated input. When the automatic mode is set and a signal at a digital signal input terminal is detected, the input terminal is switched to the digital signal input terminal. When a digital signal is not detected, the electronic equipment sequentially selects a signal at optical, coaxial and analog terminals.

The present invention relates to electronic equipment for use with audio-visual (AV) equipment. Particularly, the present invention relates to electronic equipment which can remove the risk such that a user will be disturbed, incorrect input and output will be misunderstood as a failure and that a digital signal of high tone quality will not be reproduced if incorrect input and output are selected when the input/output of audio and visual signal are selected.
In audio visual (AV) equipment, for example, recently, there are developed a variety of signal source apparatus, and one of the most important functions of equipment is to select a signal from a variety of these signal source apparatus.
FIG. 8 shows a diagram of a system arrangement of such audio-visual (AV) equipment. In FIG. 8, signal source apparatus such as an optical disk player 51 such as a so-called compact disc player, a tape deck 52, a recording and reproducing apparatus 53 using a recordable optical disk, a digital video disk player 54 and a video tape recorder 55 are connected to a main amplifier apparatus 50, and audio and visual signals from these signal source apparatus 51 to 55 are inputted to and selected by the main amplifier apparatus 50. Then, the audio and visual signal selected by the main amplifier apparatus 50 is outputted to a television receiver 56, speakers 57, 58 and the like, and also outputted to the recording and reproducing apparatus 53 using the recordable optical disk, the video tape recorder 55 and the like.
According to the prior art, when the input/output of the audio and visual signal is selected, the input/output of the audio and visual signal is directly selected by operating keys corresponding to the input and output or the like or sequentially selected by using a rotary encoder or the like. However, according to such a selection method, when the input to which the signal source apparatus is not connected is selected in somewhere of the sequential selection, for example, there is then the risk that the television receiver 56, the speakers 57, 58 and the like will not be operated and that a noise will be outputted to disturb a user.
Also, when the input/output is directly selected, for example, if the input and output to which the signal source apparatus is not connected is selected, there is then the risk that the whole of the system will not be operated, which will be misunderstood as a failure or an extra burden such as when the user should memorize the input and output which are not in use will be imposed upon the user. Further, it becomes extremely difficult for other persons than the ordinary users to select the input and output by the above-mentioned procedure.
Furthermore, as the audio and visual signals inputted from such signal source apparatus 51 to 55 or the like, in addition to the conventional analog signal, there are recently supplied a variety of digital signals. In that case, as the digital signals, there exist a variety of signal forms such as a signal modulated by an RF signal, a signal supplied by an optical cable and a signal supplied by a coaxial cable.
Also, these digital signals may be supplied solely or supplied at the same time the analog signal is supplied. Further, in a reproduced signal supplied from the video tape recorder apparatus 55 or the like, for example, when a digital audio signal is recorded in response to a software being reproduced, the digital audio signal and the analog audio signal are supplied simultaneously. When the digital audio signal is not recorded, only the analog audio signal is supplied.
Accordingly, when the input of such audio and visual signal is selected by the above-mentioned rotary encoder, for example, when the digital audio signal and the analog audio signal, for example, are supplied simultaneously, if the analog audio signal is selected first, then the digital audio signal cannot be distinguished from the analog audio signal by man""s ordinary auditory sense. There is then the risk that the digital audio signal of high tone quality will not be reproduced. On the other hand, it is frequently observed that a user should listen to sounds of, in particular, the analog audio signal.
The present invention sets use/non-use at every input and output terminal and makes a processing on the selection of the input and output terminal which are not in use by using the above-mentioned setting. Also, when the input is switched, the signal of the digital signal input terminal is selected and used to switch the input. Also, when the input of the digital signal is not detected, the analog signal input terminal is selected. The present invention discloses electronic equipment according to the present invention in association therewith.

Electronic device for selecting inputs and outputs of audio-visual equipment


A developing device includes a frame, a developing roller, and first and second seals. The frame has a seal adhesion surface and a seal placement portion. The first seal is provided between the frame and a peripheral surface at an end portion of the developing roller. The second seal is in contact with the peripheral surface and has an end region positioned between the first seal and the peripheral surface. The second seal has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is adhered to the seal adhesion surface and has an end part adhered onto the first seal. The second end portion is in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller. The first seal is compressed in the seal placement portion by the second seal to abut on a stepped portion of the seal placement portion.

A developing cartridge to be assembled in an electrophotographic type image forming device is well known. The developing cartridge includes a cartridge frame for accommodating therein developing agent (toner), a developing roller rotatably supported to the cartridge frame, and a seal member for restraining leakage of toner out of the cartridge frame.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-150269 discloses a developing cartridge provided with seal members including a pair of side seals each positioned between each axial end portion of a developing roller and a developing frame, and a lower film extending over a length of the developing roller and between the developing roller and the developing frame. Each axial end portion of the lower film is in contact with each side seal.
With this structure, each side seal is adapted to restrain toner from leaking through a gap between each axial end portion of the developing roller and the developing frame, and the lower film is adapted to restrain toner from leaking through a gap between the lengthwise portion of the developing roller and the developing frame.

Developing device capable of restraining leakage of developing agent