It is provided an apparatus, comprising base station means adapted to provide a base station functionality of a visited mobile network; selecting means adapted to select a user equipment, which is operably connected to the base station means, to report a result of a predefined measurement to the apparatus, wherein the selecting means is adapted to select the user equipment only if a roaming information of the user equipment received from a mobility management entity by which mobility of the user equipment is controlled indicates that a user of the user equipment is subscribed to one of one or more predefined mobile networks.

The present application is in the context of operation and management of a 3rd generation partnership (3GPP) network. An area based MDT campaign designates an automatic collection of certain UE measurements and the transmission of the measurement results to the eNB, to enable easier monitoring of network performance and consequently to replace expensive drive tests performed manually by the operator. The UEs performing area based MDT measurements are selected by the eNodeB (eNB). If measurements are not activated in the UE, the eNB may activate them in the UE.
The eNB may select UEs for MDT data collection and transmission that fulfill the MDT selection criteria, which are determined mainly by radio access parameters such as the location of the UE. There is no criterion defined whether roaming users may be participating in the MDT data collection or not. If the terminal of a roaming user is MDT capable it may be automatically selected for an MDT session. Only local regulations may be considered but privacy aspects of the users are not taken into account.
However, for user privacy different regulations may apply to roaming users than for home users. E.g. for a US resident having US subscription roaming in other countries than USA, there may be a need to apply stricter regulations than for local subscribers. Thus, the local operator may unconsciously violate the roaming user's privacy.
However, in case of the present selection criteria for MDT selection such as the location area of the UE, where the UE selection is up to the eNB, the eNB does not know whether a given user is roaming or not.
One prior art solution proposed to indicate whether the user consent for MDT data collection and transmission has been given. However, it does not necessarily mean that the consent given at home network can be equally interpreted in visited network. Regulations on user privacy may differ in different countries and an indication of e.g. one bit received e.g. from a home subscription server (HSS) may be misused. Furthermore, asking for user consent every time before sending MDT configuration message would require involving a chain of CN-RAN interfaces between home PLMN (HPLMN) and visited PLMN (VPLMN), thus it would not be a very desirable solution. In addition, area based MDT usability would be seriously endangered, i.e. so far area based MDT aims to collect statistical data on network performance provided from randomly selected anonymous users, whereas by asking about user consent for every user each time before selection, the operator would have to somehow contact the user to get its "user consent", introduce a lot of additional signalling and actually identify the user settings (violating his state of anonymity).

Excluding roaming users from area based MDT data transmission


Systems and methods are disclosed for recommending shared electronic content via an online service. In some embodiments, a server can identify a first subscriber and a second subscriber to an online service that have access via the online service to an application for using or editing electronic content. The server can also determine a correspondence between usages of the application by the first and second subscribers via the online service with respect to at least one attribute of the application. The server can also identify an electronic content item generated with the application by the first subscriber. The server can also provide, via the online service, a recommendation for the electronic content item to the second subscriber based on the correspondence between the first usage and the second usage with respect to one or more attributes of the application.

Online services may provide forums for selling, purchasing, or otherwise sharing creative content. For example, artists may wish to promote and sell artwork, video content, music, etc. Enterprises and other business that sell creative content may wish to connect prospective buyers and sellers, and thereby incentivize artists and other creative professionals to upload creative content to online forums. Moreover, subscribers to online services may wish to receive promotions of creative content from artists or enterprises that is more relevant to the subscriber.
Prior solutions for promoting the sale of creative content or other online content may be limited to tracking the expressed interest of a user in particular subjects. For example, recommendations for particular content or services may be presented to a user based on the user having looked at similar content or having browsed similar websites.
A disadvantage of these prior solutions is that creative content or other electronic content may be recommended to a user without regard to the application, computing environment, or other context in which the user may view or edit that content. In one example, a user who is an expert in utilizing certain content manipulation tools (e.g., an image editing application, a video editing application, etc.) may be uninterested in receiving promotions for relatively simplistic creative content. In another example, a user who wishes to purchase or otherwise obtain editable image content (e.g., a template for a design project) may use a version of a content manipulation tool with a reduced set of features (e.g., a trial version of the content manipulation tool). Such a user may have little interest in receiving recommendations for image content that was created using tools or features to which the user does not have access.
Improved methods for recommending electronic content for use by members of an online service are therefore desirable.

Recommending shared electronic content via online service


A printing apparatus including: an interface; a printing unit configured to print a print image included in a print job on a sheet; and a control device configured to: receive the print job via the interface; generate a log image in accordance with the print image included in the print job, the log image comprising the print image and attribute data; generate a job log in accordance with the print job, the job log comprising particular information, related to the print job, other than the print image; transmit the job log to a storage device via the interface; determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied; and transmit the log image to the storage device via the interface, when determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

There has been known a printing apparatus in which a job log storing information accompanying a print job and a log image storing print images are generated in response to execution of the print job. Also, there has been known a technology for using a memory of a printing apparatus or a server which performs communication connection with a printing apparatus as a storage destination for job logs or log images.
For example, related-art discloses a technology for generating a job log including a job ID and an apparatus ID and a log image related to print images after execution of a print job, and transmitting the log image to a server before printing and transmitting the job log to the server after the printing.
However, the above described technology according to the related art has the following problem. That is, the log image is transmitted to a storage device for logs before the printing. For this reason, there is a fear that an amount of data being communicated is large each time a print job is performed and thereby causing network load.

Printing apparatus and printing system including transmission of job log and log image


Systems and methods for performing data protection operations including garbage collection operations and copy forward operations. For deduplicated data stored in a cloud-based storage or in a cloud tier that stores containers containing dead and live segments or dead and live regions such as compression regions, the dead compression regions are deleted by copying the live compression regions into new containers and then deleting the old containers. The copy forward is based on a recipe from a data protection system and is performed using a serverless approach.

In many computing systems, data is often stored locally or on-site in an on-premise network. For many reasons, some entities desire to move at least some of their data to a target site such as a cloud-based storage system (the cloud). To reduce the storage costs associated with the cloud, it is useful to deduplicate the data before the data is written to the cloud. Entities that store their data in a deduplicated manner in the cloud may have the expectation that their cloud storage costs will decrease as data is deleted. This is not always true.
It turns out that deleting the objects can incur cost. This is due to deduplication. As new objects are written to the cloud, parts of data in previous object may be referenced by new files. When old objects are deleted, not everything in the objects becomes unreferenced. To delete the unreferenced portions, the objects need to be defragmented by reading the referenced parts of these objects and writing them into new objects. While writing to the cloud is inexpensive and often free, reading data from the cloud can be expensive. More specifically, in the context of conventional garbage collection operations, there is a need to transfer large amounts of data. Reading and transferring the data is expensive.
For example, transferring data from a cloud service provider may cost $0.0.09 per GB for the first 10 TB transferred. The cost of reading 1 TB per week is about $4,800 per year. Entities that are deleting many TBs of data may incur high network costs during garbage collection operations at least because of the need to transfer the data back to the local system in order to properly delete data that is stored in a deduplicated form.

Garbage collection for a deduplicated cloud tier using functions


A composition for inhibiting corrosion. The composition contains a mixture of a dessicant and a vapor-corrosion inhibitor. The mixture of dessicant and inhibitor is synergistic: the service life of the corrosion inhibitor is signficiantly longer when so used than when used alone or in in the presence of but not physically mixed with the dessicant.

The present invention relates to the inhibition of the corrosion of metals by vapors to which the metals are exposed. More particularly, the invention relates to the inhibition of the corrosion of electrical components disposed in an enclosure.
It is well known that the presence of water molecules adsorbed on surfaces as a result of exposure to humid atmospheres enhances metal corrosion in such an atmosphere. It is likewise known that water molecules adsorbed on the surface of electrically-insulating materials can promote sufficient undesired electrical conduction between circuit components as to severely disrupt high-impedance electrical circuits. Airborne contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, and salt particles, particularly under conditions of high humidity, are a major cause of electrical circuit component corrosion and subsequent failure.
As used herein, the term "impedance" is meant to signify any form of electrical resistance, either to direct current or to alternating current.
The concept of employing dessicants and vapor-corrosion inhibitors independently and physically separated within the same enclosure is known in the art. A problem frequently encountered is the need for frequent and/or periodic replacement of the dessicant. Typical service life for a dessicant packet is from about three to six months. This situation and condition often precludes the use of dessicants in combination with but physically separated from vapor-corrosion inhibitors.
Vapor-corrosion inhibitors are materials which inhibit corrosion of the surface of metals contacted by vapors of the corrosion inhibitors. Ideally, a vapor-corrosion inhibitor would vaporize at a rapid rate when first placed in service, to provide immediate protection to electrical components within an enclosure, and thereafter vaporize at a slower rate, to increase the duration of protection. Many patents and scientific articles teach methods which attempt to achieve this ideal condition. Most prior-art techniques employ either mixtures of inhibitors having a wide range of vapor pressure, or provide means for limiting the vaporization and/or vapor diffusion rate of the inhibitors. Both approaches limit the choice of the vapor-corrosion inhibitor which can be utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,577,219 to Wachter et al, issued Dec. 4, 1951, discloses a method of preventing or inhibiting corrosion of metal surfaces by employing a plurality of vapor-corrosion inhibitors in the presence of each other under conditions in which at least two of the inhibitors are complementary to one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,176 to Wachter et al., issued Jun. 23, 1953, discloses compositions for protection of metals against corrosion. The compositions comprise a substantially solid material which contains, or is impregnated or coated with, a vapor-corrosion inhibitor.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,221 to Wachter et al, issued Jun. 26, 1956, discloses methods and compositions for use in protecting metals from corrosion, especially by water vapor and oxygen, as in humid air. The vapor-corrosion inhibitors comprise a basic agent and a water-soluble organic nitrite.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,007 to Skildum, issued Sep. 17, 1974, discloses a device for protecting structures from corrosion during storage. The device includes a carrier defining at least one opening therein. The opening contains a mixture of organic ammonium nitrites with varying vapor pressures, a chemical buffer system for neutralizing lead acids, and a volatile anti-oxidant for preventing the formation of varnish and scavenging oxygen from varnish deposits.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,926 to Rozenfeld et al., issued Jul. 6, 1976, discloses a method for inhibiting atmospheric corrosion of metals in a sealed space with inhibiting amounts of vapor-phase inhibitors. The method consists of disposing in the sealed space a carrier for storing a stock of inhibitors, and diffusing their vapors within the space. The carrier is silica gel or zeolite, and contains a liquid inhibitor selected from the group consisting of primary, secondary and tertiary amines, and mixtures thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,835 to Miksic et al., issued Jun. 30, 1981, discloses a corrosion-inhibiting device which includes an extremely stable, man-made synthetic carrier having chemical and physical stabilities compatible with hostile and adverse environments, for dispensing corrosion-inhibiting chemicals.
Scientific or technical articles which review the role of vapor-corrosion inhibitors in the electronics industry include "Corrosion Inhibitors in the Electronics Industry: Organic Copper Corrosion Inhibitors," by D. Vanderpool, S. Akin and P. Hassett, Corrosion/86, Paper No. 1, Houston, Texas, 1986; "COBRATEC.RTM. Inhibitors: Corrosion Protection for Electronics," by Gilbert K. Meloy, PMC Specialties Group, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio; and "Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors for Protection of Electronics," by Michael E. Tarvin and Boris A. Miksic, Corrosion/89, Paper No. 344, Apr. 17-21, 1989, New Orleans Convention Center, New Orleans, La.

Combination dessicant and vapor-corrosion inhibitor


One or more network routers include data path processors and a control path processor. A number of network protocols that are not installed on the data path processors are installed on the control path processor. When one of the data path processors receives a network packet that is in an unrecognized format, a header is appended to the network packet and forwarded to the control path processor. The control path processor removes the header and identifies a proper protocol associated with the network packet. Next, the control path processor places the network packet in a processing stack associated with an appropriately installed network protocol in order to process the network packet on behalf of the originally sending data path processor.

Efficiently interconnecting storage networks has become a major problem for organizations as these organizations attempt to leverage legacy storage devices and, at the same time, attempt to accommodate new network protocols emerging in the industry.
Typically, a storage environment will include a number of client computing devices interfaced to one or more network routers. The network routers will include external interfaces (interfaces associated with network traffic coming into an organizations internal networks and network traffic exiting the internal networks). The network routers also include internal network interfaces (Network Interface Cards (NIC) and the associated software) designed to translate and route external network traffic within the internal networks of the organizations. These network routers can also be viewed as gateways, bridges, hubs, firewalls, and/or switches that efficiently translate, route and/or forward network traffic through internal networks and out to external networks.
Generally, the network interfaces and protocols associated with internal networks are configured to have higher bandwidth transmissions and throughput than what might typically be available with external network interfaces connections that interface with the internal network. Generally, internal network interfaces and protocols are associated with Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), and/or Fibre-Channel (FC). External network interfaces may include Ethernet, GigE, FC, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay (FR), and/or Time Division Multiplexing (TDM).
Often the routers are interfaced within an organization's networks to other routers, gateways, switches, hubs, bridges, and the like. These additional routers may be dedicated to handling traffic associated with storage access, management, control, and monitoring. In a similar manner these routers have installed network interfaces along with available network protocols that are available for efficiently moving network traffic associated with storage internal and external to the organization's storage networks.
To optimize an organization's storage networks a storage-area network (SAN) can be configured. A SAN is a high-speed sub-network of shared data-storage devices, such as disk, tape, optical, and other drives. These networks are particularly advantageous not only because they spare other servers in a larger network, such as corporate intranet, from the burden of storing and managing large amounts of data, and thus allow use of these servers for other higher priority uses, but also because they facilitate data consolidation. Consolidation promotes manageability and scalability, by for example, simplifying backup, split, and/or restore procedures and by facilitating expansion of storage capacity.
Some SANs are structured so that an end user or client computer can access data on one or more target storage devices through a storage router FC interface switch. The FC interface converts data received from the storage router to a FC-compliant protocol, such as FC Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) standard, and directs the converted data via high-speed electrical or optical fibre lines to the proper target devices.
Generally, a storage router includes software that uses an implementation of the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) or Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol to route data packets across Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) (TCP/IP) enabled networks. iSCSI is a popular family of protocols for communicating between one or more client computers, i.e., one or more servers and one or more I/O devices, especially one or more storage devices.
Current SCSI/iSCSI operation on storage routers uses single processor architectures with an integrated FC switch, which runs the storage router software for SCSI/iSCSI operation, a GigE interface, which provides connection to an IP network for access by servers/clients, and the FC interface, which provides connection to a storage network for access to a storage device. In addition, current storage routers include High Availability (HA) and management interfaces, which provide a physical connection for high availability communication with another storage router and for managing the storage routers. These storage routers generally perform many functions, such as communicating with another storage router, management of user configuration, initialization tasks, handling error flags and crash files, processing of storage network packets and the like. Using a single processor to manage all these storage router functions generally lowers the data communication capabilities of storage routers.
Moreover because a single processor is used, each of the storage routers comprising an organization's SAN needs to have each of the available network protocols that can handle the available data formats associated with a variety of network protocols being used. As a result, any Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Trunking Protocol (VTP), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), or other protocols associated with network interfaces must be installed on each of the storage routers participating in the SAN. This means that when new protocols become available in the industry, each of these storage routers will need to be upgraded to include any new protocol desired within the SAN. As one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates, this is a time consuming, expensive, and resource intensive process, which is not desired or preferred by an organization.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved routing techniques that permit a centralized processor to have access to a set of desired network protocols, where the centralized processor can process network packets associated with its network protocols on behalf of other processors participating in a network. Thus, a desired number of network protocols do not need to be directly installed on each of the processors in order for the entire network to use these network protocols.

Processing an incoming packet of unknown protocol by encapsulating the packet and sending it to another processor


A wellbore servicing tool. The wellbore servicing tool comprises a tool body, an electromagnetic transmitter coupled to the tool body, an electromagnetic receiver coupled to the tool body and spaced apart from the electromagnetic transmitter, wherein a portion of the tool body between the electromagnetic transmitter and the electromagnetic receiver defines a direct signal path between the electromagnetic transmitter and the electromagnetic receiver, and an absorbing material coupled to the tool body in the direct signal path between the electromagnetic transmitter and the electromagnetic receiver, proximate to the electromagnetic receiver.

Downhole logging tools provide measurements of properties of subterranean formations that may provide useful insight into the structure of the subterranean geology. Understanding the subterranean structure can assist in directional drilling and in determining the probability that a given formation contains hydrocarbons. For example, it may be desirable to directionally drill parallel to but offset about 10 feet or some other predefined distance from the interface between two distinct subterranean formations or structures. Because this interface may vary at different places (e.g., the surface of this interface may undulate), it may be a challenge to maintain this desired distance offset. By using downhole logging tools, the distance from the downhole logging tool to the interface between the two distinct formations may be determined with sufficient precision to accomplish the drilling goals.
A variety of different physical signals can be used to sense the properties of a subterranean formation. One physical signal is an electromagnetic wave emitted from an electromagnetic transmitter coupled to the downhole tool and received by an electromagnetic receiver coupled to the downhole tool. Where the electromagnetic wave propagating in the subterranean environment encounters a change in electrical properties of the formation, some of the electromagnetic wave may reflect off the interface where the electrical properties change. From receiving and subsequently analyzing the reflected electromagnetic signals, inferences can be made about the structure of the subterranean formations, and those inferences can be applied in steering a drill bit (e.g., in directional drilling, possibly following a substantially horizontal trajectory) or for other purposes such as estimating the likelihood that a hydrocarbon bearing formation is present.

Downhole logging tool incorporating metamaterial


A dielectric fluid (i.e., dielectric composition) that includes a perfluorinated 1-alkoxypropene compound represented by the following general Formula (I): RfO—CF═CFCF3 wherein Rf is CF3— or CF3CF2—. Such dielectric fluids may be useful in various electrical devices.

Dielectric gases are used in various electrical devices such as, for example, capacitors, transformers, electric cables or buses, circuit breakers, and switchgear. In such electrical devices, dielectric gases are often used in place of air as an electrical insulator due to their higher dielectric strength (DS). Such dielectric gases allow higher power densities as compared to air-filled electrical devices.
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) has become the dominant captive dielectric gas in many electrical applications. SF6 is advantageously nontoxic, nonflammable, easy to handle, has a useful operating temperature range, and has excellent dielectric and arc-interrupting properties. Within transformers, it also acts as a coolant. Blowers within the transformer often circulate the gas aiding in heat transfer from the windings. A concern, however, with SF6 is its 3200-year atmospheric lifetime and global warming potential (GWP) of about 22,200 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
As possible replacements, mixtures of SF6 with nitrogen, helium, or high-pressure nitrogen have been suggested. Also identified are perfluorocarbon (PFC) gases that might be mixed with nitrogen or helium; however, PFC gases also have high GWP values so the possible reduction in environmental impact of such strategies is limited. Some other replacement mixtures suffer from release of free carbon during arcing, increased toxicity during or after arcing, and increased difficulty in gas handling during storage, recovery, and recycling. Thus, other replacements for such dielectric gases and mixtures thereof are desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Perfluorinated 1-alkoxypropenes in dielectric fluids and electrical devices


This invention provides a method for automatically adjusting the sampling phase of a LCD control system. This method uses a special function to compute the image characteristic values under different sampling phases and to select the sampling phase with the largest image characteristic value as the correct sampling phase. The function is       C    =                  ∑                  i          =          0                n                          "LeftBracketingBar"                              2                                      P              i                                -                      P                          i              -              1                                -                      P                          i              +              1                                      "RightBracketingBar"              ,

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method for automatically adjusting the sampling phase of a LCD control system.
2. Related Art
Due to the tremendous progress in the thin film transistor (TFT), the liquid crystal display (LCD) using this technology of TFT is also popular. However, since the LCD is a digital display, the analogue video signals output from the video card has to be converted into digital ones for displaying when it connects to a usual personal computer (PC). Therefore, an analogue to digital converter (ADC) is needed between the LCD and the video card. The main parameters that control the ADC are the sampling frequency and the sampling phase. The precision of them has a great influence on the sampling signals of the ADC, which in turn affects the image quality. Thus, only the correct sampling frequency and sampling phase are used can one get correct image values.
Currently, the methods for finding the best sampling phase include the method of calculation in the frequency domain and the method of calculating the maximum sum of difference in the time domain. The method of maximum sum of difference is to sample an image by ADC under some different sampling phases, to sum the absolute values of the gray scale difference between adjacent two points for each sampling phase as the image characteristic value, and to select the sampling phase with largest image characteristic value as the correct sampling phase. The summation is done by using Equation (1):                     C        =                              ∑                          i              =              1                        n                                          "LeftBracketingBar"                                          P                                  i                  +                  1                                            -                              P                i                                      "RightBracketingBar"                                              (        1        )
Nevertheless, when computing the image characteristic value with Equation (1), it is possible to set an incorrect sampling phase. For example, FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show schematic diagrams of sampling points obtained at different sampling phases on the same input image. FIG. 2 has the correct sampling phase, while FIGS. 3 and 4 have wrong sampling phases. If Equation (1) is applied on FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the image characteristic values thus obtained are, respectively:                                           C            1                    =                      xe2x80x83                                                        ∑                              i                =                1                            n                                                  "LeftBracketingBar"                                                P                                      i                    +                    1                                                  -                                  P                  i                                            "RightBracketingBar"                                                                    =                      xe2x80x83                                          0            +            0            +                          Δ                                            xe2x80x83                                          1                        +            0            +                          Δ                                            xe2x80x83                                          1                        +            0            +            0                                                        =                      xe2x80x83                                          2                        Δ                                      xe2x80x83                                    1                                                                        C            2                    =                      xe2x80x83                                                        ∑                              i                =                1                            n                                                  "LeftBracketingBar"                                                P                                      i                    +                    1                                                  -                                  P                  i                                            "RightBracketingBar"                                                                    =                      xe2x80x83                                          0            +                          Δ                            2                        +                          (                                                Δ                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      1                                -                                  Δ                                    2                                            )                        +                          (                                                Δ                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      1                                -                                  Δ                                    3                                            )                        +                          Δ                            3                        +            0            +            0                                                        =                      xe2x80x83                                          2                        Δ                                      xe2x80x83                                    1                                                                        C            3                    =                      xe2x80x83                                                        ∑                              i                =                1                            n                                                  "LeftBracketingBar"                                                P                                      i                    +                    1                                                  -                                  P                  i                                            "RightBracketingBar"                                                                    =                      xe2x80x83                                          0            +                          Δ                            4                        +                          (                                                Δ                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      1                                -                                  Δ                                    4                                            )                        +                          (                                                Δ                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      1                                -                                  Δ                                    4                                            )                        +                          Δ                            4                        +            0            +            0                                                        =                      xe2x80x83                                          2                        Δ                                      xe2x80x83                                    1
The image characteristic values are all 2xcex941. So there is no way to get the largest image characteristic value, and this method cannot find the correct sampling phase. Furthermore, when changing the time domain to the frequency domain for calculation, though a better precision can be obtained, yet the complicated conversion needed makes it hard to implement by hardware.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method with less complexity and easy to implement for phase adjustment, which can correctly set the sampling phase of the ADC in a LCD control system.
The instant invention discloses a method for automatically adjusting the sampling phase of a LCD control system, which is used to adjust the sampling phase of the ADC in the LCD control system. This method comprises the steps of:
setting a correct sampling frequency;
setting the range of sampling phases;
computing the image characteristic value C under different sampling phases using the following equation:   C  =            ∑              i        =        0            n                  "LeftBracketingBar"                        2                                P            i                          -                  P                      i            -            1                          -                  P                      i            +            1                              "RightBracketingBar"
xe2x80x83where i""s are image points and Pi are the gray scale values of the corresponding image points; and
comparing obtained image characteristic values and selecting the sampling phase with the largest image characteristic value as the correct sampling phase.
The method for automatically adjusting the sampling phase of a LCD control system uses a special function to obtain the image characteristic value. It can effectively and correctly set the sampling phase of the ADC in the LCD control system for the LCD to display clear images. In addition, for systems with large noise, this method can remove noisy signals from the lower bits with a mask register so as to increase the precision of the sampling phase adjustment.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Method for automatically adjusting sampling phase of LCD control system

Abstract: where C denotes the image characteristic value, i""s are image points, and Pi are the gray scale values of the corresponding image points.


An ozone system for agricultural applications generally includes a water flow line having an inlet for receiving a flow of clean water from a water source, an ozone injector suitable for producing a high concentration of ozone in oxygen, preferably from oxygen-enriched air, and a venturi injector for injecting the ozone gas into the water flowing through the flow line to produce an ozonated water stream. The system preferably including a spray assist assembly which provides a stream of gaseous component to assist in dispensing the ozonated water fro agricultural application. The entire system, or at least a substantial portion of the system, is mountable on a motorized vehicle to provide ease in applying the ozonated water stream from the system to agricultural crops, particularly living grapevines.

The present invention generally relates to ozone systems and methods and more specifically relates to such systems and methods for agricultural applications, for example for treating living grapevines in vineyards.
Ozone exists as an unstable blue gas. It has been found to be an effective oxidizing agent, and has been used for the purification of drinking water, in industrial waste treatment, for deodorizing air and sewage gases, as a bleach for waxes, oils and textiles, and as an oxidizing agent in chemical processes. Furthermore, in sufficient concentrations, ozone is known to destroy bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms. Various devices and processes have been developed for disinfecting air and surfaces using ozone gas or ozonated water.
Ozonated water can be used for sanitizing surfaces without heat treatment and without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. This is of particular interest in the development of processes using ozone for treating the surfaces of food products. Unlike other rinse agents, an ozone/aqueous rinse does not leave behind a residue that later needs to be removed from the food product surface.
Not surprisingly, therefor, various methods and systems for treating food products using the known antimicrobial properties of ozone have been developed. More recently, processes using ozone for the treatment of living, agricultural crops have been proposed.
Typically, treatment of crops using ozonated water is accomplished as follows. A stationary water station is provided, for example a stationary tank having a 500 gallon capacity. Ozone gas is introduced into the water tank to form an ozone water mixture in the tank. A tractor or other vehicle is filled with a portion of this ozone water mixture, which is then transported and sprayed onto agricultural crops to treat diseases and pests, such as unwanted or harmful microorganisms.
Smith, Jr. et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,498, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this specific reference, discloses an ozone spray system and method for treating bacteria or fungi on agricultural crops, namely a crop of growing Vidalia onions. The Smith Jr. et al system is an agricultural field and crop sprayer that produces and applies ozonated water to such an agricultural crop. According to Smith Jr. et al, ozonated water is produced by recirculating water to a tank initially containing water free of ozone. The water from the tank is passed through a venturi injector connected to an ozone generator, and then back into the tank until a desired ozone concentration is reached in the tank. A vehicle, for example a tractor driven vehicle, is used to transport a portion of the ozone water mixture through a field of agricultural crops. Ozonated water is sprayed from the tank and onto the crops.
One drawback of the Smith Jr. et al system, as well as other similar systems, is that ozone concentration in the water tank is increased incrementally and gradually as the water is recirculated continuously through an ozone injector, until the desired concentration is reached. Thus, the Smith Jr. et al system therefor requires careful monitoring of the ozone level in the tank, as well as a relatively long waiting period before an effective concentration is reached.
Entire vineyards of grapevines have been seriously damaged or destroyed by the rapid spread of microbial infestations on the growing plants. Generally, these organisms take up residency in the woody stock of a vine and spread to the foliage throughout the growing season, ultimately damaging the berries and contaminating the juice. Such damage/destruction has substantial adverse economical impact, for example, on the wine industry.
It would be advantageous to provide new systems and methods which address one or more of these concerns, for example, while treating agricultural crops, such as living and/or growing grapevines in vineyards.
New ozone systems and methods for agricultural applications have been discovered. The present invention provides safe and effective systems and methods of ozone treatment for agricultural applications which address one or more of the above-noted and other problems. The present ozone systems and methods are highly effective in the treatment of agricultural crops, particularly in the treatment of grapevines in vineyards for control of mildew, other fungi and other microorganism-based infestations. The present systems are straightforward in construction and use. The present methods are easy to practice and provide effective treatments with no significant detrimental effect on the crop or crops being treated.
An ozone system for agricultural applications, in accordance with the present invention, generally comprises a portable unit that functions to combine a stream or flow of water, preferably substantially free of ozone, with ozone, preferably produced from oxygen-enriched air, to create an ozonated water stream which, substantially directly after being formed, is used to treat agricultural crops, such as plants, fruit on plants, foliage on plants, grapevines and the like. Unlike earlier systems using ozonated water to treat plant diseases, the present invention uses an ozonated water stream formed by a single pass stream of water through an ozone injector, dispensed or applied substantially directly after formation to the crops, preferably employing a spray assist assembly which advantageously provides a high volume, low pressure gaseous component to assist the dispensing of the ozonated water stream.
Moreover, unlike other ozonated water spray systems, the present systems preferably are designed as self-contained, preferably portable, units. The systems include a fluid passageway having an inlet for receiving a flow of water, for example, from a water source. An ozone generator is included. Preferably, ozone is generated using a corona discharge ozone generator for producing a gaseous stream comprising a high concentration of ozone from oxygen, an oxygen-enriched gaseous stream or air. Preferably, the corona discharge generator is adapted to generate ozone in quantities of between about 5 and about 30 grams per hour, and at a concentration of between about 1% and about 5% by weight of the ozone-containing gaseous stream. The ozone preferably is generated directly from an oxygen-enriched gaseous stream, e.g., produced by an oxygen concentrator assembly, for example, of conventional design, or air. The ozone from the gaseous stream is introduced into the water stream or flow by any suitable means, for example, using a venturi injector or like injection assembly. The venturi injector provides a source of suction which urges the ozone-containing gaseous stream from the ozone generator into the water stream or flow. The water is passed through the venturi injector only once prior to dispensing the ozonated water onto the crops through an outlet assembly connected to the fluid passageway. A spray assist assembly preferably is included, as described elsewhere herein, to assist in dispensing the ozonated water for agricultural application.
Optionally, the present ozone systems may include one or more of several subsystems, such as a degassing assembly, hereinafter sometimes also referred to as a degas/separator assembly, for removing undissolved ozone gas from the ozonated water stream, and an ozone destruct assembly in communication with the degassing assembly, for destructing the undissolved ozone gas, and preferably venting the product of ozone destruction, preferably oxygen, into the atmosphere. To ensure effective destruction of ozone gas, a two step process is preferably employed in the destruct assembly. Thus, the undissolved ozone gas stream preferably is both heated and thereafter passed through a catalytic chamber to provide for enhanced ozone destruction.
One or more components of the present systems, such as the oxygen concentration assemblies, the ozone generators, the ozone injection assemblies and the spray assist assemblies, preferably all of such system components, are sized and adapted to be mountable, directly or indirectly, to a motorized vehicle for transporting during operation thereof. Using such a motorized vehicle allows the present systems to be used effectively in relatively large crop fields, e.g., vineyards. The xe2x80x9cone-thruxe2x80x9d ozone generation feature of the present systems also enhances the ability of the present systems to treat relatively large fields.
In addition, in one advantageous embodiment of the invention, a pressure regulating subsystem is provided for maintaining a consistent, regulated internal pressure of the aqueous stream as the stream is processed within the unit or system. The pressure regulating subsystem preferably includes a plurality of, for example three, pressure regulator valves for controlling pressure in various parts of the unit, both upstream and downstream of the venturi injector. In this embodiment, the system is adapted to receive a flow of water from any suitable water source, for example, a municipal water supply, which may have different pressures at different locations, a water reservoir, a stationary water tank, or a transportable water tank mounted to a motorized vehicle. Advantageously, the system is adapted to meet different, varied parameters that are customer or user specific, for example, water reservoir pump capacity. Because the system is a xe2x80x9conce throughxe2x80x9d or single pass ozone generation system, there is no recirculation of ozonated water back to the water source, for example, the water tank. Therefore, the volume of water in the tank or other water source may fluctuate as the source is emptied and refilled, without affecting the concentration of ozone in the ozonated water being applied to the crops.
In addition, initial water pressure to the system may be provided by a pump assembly which is powered by a motorized vehicle on which the remainder of the system is mounted and/or transported during operation, for example, in a crop field, e.g., vineyard. Thus, for example, while the tractor is pulling the system between rows of crops at a substantially constant speed, constant incoming water pressure is being supplied by the pump, thus enabling consistent dispensing of the ozonated water to the crops.
In another broad aspect of the present invention, methods for treating an agricultural crop are provided. Such methods, in general, comprise:
providing a flow of water;
generating a gaseous stream containing ozone;
introducing the ozone from the gaseous stream into the flow of water to form an ozonated water stream;
combining the ozonated water stream with a flowing gaseous component, preferably comprising air, to produce a mixed gaseous component/ozonated water stream; and
dispensing the mixed gaseous component/ozonated water stream to an agricultural crop.
The present systems, as described elsewhere herein, may be employed in practicing the present methods.
In one very useful embodiment, the present methods further comprise transporting the ozonated water stream on a motorized vehicle prior to the dispensing step.
Although the present methods may be used to treat any suitable agricultural crop, such methods are particularly useful to treat living grapevines in vineyards. Such treatment methods have been found to be very effective in controlling/managing/preventing microbial infestations on grapevines while having no significant detrimental effect on the grapevines, on the foliage or on the fruit or wine produced therefrom. In addition, such methods are environmentally friendly and do not present any significant health risks to the humans practicing the methods or who are otherwise in the vineyards.
Each and every feature described herein, and each and every combination of two or more of such features, is included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in such combinations are not mutually inconsistent.

Ozone systems and methods for agricultural applications


This invention discloses an apparatus for stabilizing a payload assembly including a payload, a maintaining apparatus for at least temporarily maintaining the payload in an airborne environment, and an elongate connection apparatus, which when extended has a vertical length greatly in excess of the combined vertical lengths of the payload and the maintaining apparatus, whereby angular stabilization is a function of the vertical length of the connection apparatus when extended.. A method for stabilizing a payload assembly is also disclosed.

An early aerial photographic system described in U.S. Pat. No. 894,398, photographs the earth during free fall of the camera. The system is limited because the sharpness of the exposure depends on the shutter speed and no means is provided for stabilizing the camera against environmental effects such as wind perturbances.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,846 describes a camera which is stabilized by attaching it to a plurality of relatively short lengths of cable which are connected to a main suspension cable. This arrangement is inadequate for high resolution photography.


The present invention is directed towards an auxiliary hand table which is removably mounted to a main surgical table. The hand table is mounted, via first and second mounting devices, to the rails provided on each side of the main surgical table. The first mounting device includes upper and lower jaws, the upper jaw being provided with a fastener to positively attach the device to the rail. The second mounting device includes a pair of interconnected hook-shaped members which are hooked over the opposite rail. The second mounting device further includes a series of mounting studs which facilitate attachment of a hand table support structure, thereby supporting the hand table. The vertical position of the hand table relative to the main table is adjusted by altering the mounting position of the support structure to the second mounting device. A tensioning bar interconnects the mounting devices, one end of the bar being received by an elongated bore provided by the first mounting device. Adjustment of the tension between the devices is accomplished via a tensioning device which is threadably mounted to the first mounting device and engages an end of the tensioning bar. As the tension between the first and second mounting devices reaches the desired amount for correct mounting of the hand table, the terminal end of the hand table moves slightly upward relative to the main table, providing visual indication that the hand table is properly mounted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to surgical tables and, more particularly, to auxiliary arm or hand tables which are removably mounted to a main surgical table.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the years, hand tables have been developed to aid surgeons in supporting and positioning a patient's arm during a medical procedure thereon. The resulting hand tables have generally tended to be either an independent table or a table which is removably mounted to the main surgical table. The hand tables which are removably mounted to the main table have evolved into two general types: a first type which uses a separate supporting structure to maintain the table in position relative to the main table and a second type which has an integral support structure extending between the main table and the hand table.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,482, which is incorporated herein by reference, is illustrative of the first type of removably mounted hand tables. The table disclosed therein is provided with rail engaging means to attach the hand table to the main surgical table and with a main support leg or post. The support post bears a substantial portion of the tables weight and thereby maintains the hand table in a generally constant position relative to the main table. U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,914, which is also incorporated herein by reference, discloses a similar arrangement wherein the hand table is mounted to the rail by means of clamps which provide a slot to receive a projection carried by the table.
The second type of removably mounted hand table is vertically supported by means which engage the main surgical table, eliminating the necessity of an extra support leg. In hand tables of this sort, one end of hand table is releasably attached to the rail provided by the main surgical table and the support means extends from the main table to the hand table at a location removed from the main table. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,073,932 and 4,045,011, each of which are incorporated herein by reference, are representative of the second type of hand surgical tables.
The hand surgical tables thusfar described suffer from inherent disadvantages which limit their desirability to the medical profession. In removably mounted tables of the first type, although the support leg helps to provide a stable platform for the surgeon, it also represents an unnecessary obstacle or hazard to the surgeon and associated surgical staff during performance of the surgery. Also, tables of this type tend to be rather bulky and ungainly during setup and removal, further lessening their desirability.
The removably mounted tables of the second type tend to be rather flimsy and unstable during use due to the lack of a solid support system, and have a tendency to wobble on the rail due, in part, to the manner in which they are attached to the main table. Moreover, the support tends to be rather elastic, resulting in an unwanted "springboard" effect is rather awkward and undesirable during surgery.
Additionally, hand tables of both types tend to lack the ability to vertically adjust the position of the hand table relative to the main table while maintaining the hand table in a generally horizontal attitude. Finally, such devices do not include visual feedback that the hand table is properly mounted on the main table.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a hand table which provides a stable surface without requiring extra ground engaging support legs. There also exists a need for a hand table which is easily vertically adjustable relative to the main table while being maintained in a generally horizontal position relative to the supporting surface. Finally, there exists a need for a hand table which provides some visual indication when properly mounted on the main surgical table.


A ground connector for grounding a small diameter cable enclosed by an exposed shield employs a collapsible tube formed by a strip of material wound in a spiral shape. A braided connector engages the shield and connects with a ground lead. An elastomeric covering biases the braided connector against the shield. The connector is forced against the shield when a pull-out force is applied to the strip.

This invention relates generally to ground connectors employed for fiber optic cables, buried service wires and telephone cables. More particularly, the present invention relates to ground connectors which ground the shields of small diameter buried service wires, fiber optic cables and telephone cables.
A number of shield connectors have been developed for implementing bonding and grounding connections with the shields of buried service wires, fiber optic cables and telephone cables. The shield connectors employ means for establishing an electrical connection between the shield and a ground wire. The ground wire typically is affixed with a terminal connector which may connect to a binding post, ground point or other connection. The relatively small sheath and shield of some buried service wires, fiber optic cables and telephone cables increase the difficulty of mounting an effective ground connector. Because the small diameter service cables may also have a range of diameter sizes, conventional ground connector assemblies have often required a different size connector which is specifically dimensioned for a given service cable diameter.
The ease with which the connector may be installed in the field as well as the integrity of the ground connector over time are additional desirable features for an effective ground connector for small diameter cables.


Antibodies and fragments thereof which activate an erythropoietin receptor and stimulate erythropoiesis are described. Also described are hybridoma cell lines which produce the antibodies and methods and compositions for the treatment of anemia.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone involved in the growth and maturation of erythroid progenitor cells into erythrocytes. EPO is produced by the liver during fetal life and by the kidney of adults and stimulates the production of red blood cells from erythroid precursors. Decreased production of EPO, which commonly occurs in adults as a result of renal failure, leads to anemia. EPO has been produced by genetic engineering techniques involving expression and secretion of the protein from a host cell transfected with the gene encoding erythropoietin. Administration of recombinant EPO has been effective in the treatment of anemia. For example, Eschbach et al. (N. Engl J Med 316, 73 (1987)) describe the use of EPO to correct anemia resulting from chronic renal failure.
The purification of human urinary EPO was described by Miyake et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 252, 5558 (1977)). The identification, cloning, and expression of genes encoding erythropoietin is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,008 to Lin. A description of a method for purification of recombinant EPO from cell medium is included in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,016 to Lai et al.
Little is known about the mechanism by which EPO stimulates erythropoiesis. While it is clear that EPO activates cells to grow and/or differentiate by binding to specific cell surface receptors, the specific mechanism of activation as well as the structure of the receptor and any associated protein(s) is not completely understood. The erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R) is thought to exist as a multimeric complex. Sedimentation studies suggested its molecular weight is 330.+-.48 kDa (Mayeux et al. Eur. J. Biochem. 194, 271 (1990)). Crosslinking studies indicated that the receptor complex consists of at least two distinct polypeptides, a 66-72 kDa species, and 85 and 100 kDa species (Mayeux et al. J. Biol. Chem. 266, 23380 (1991)); McCaffery et al. J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10507 (1991)). A distinct 95 kDa protein was also detected by immunoprecipitation of EPO receptor (Miura & Ihle Blood 81, 1739 (1993)). Another crosslinking study revealed three EPO containing complexes of 110, 130 and 145 kDa. The 110 and 145 kDa complexes contained EPO receptor since they could be immunoprecipitated with antibodies raised against the receptor (Miura & Ihle, supra). Expression of a carboxy-terminal truncated EPO receptor resulted in detection of the 110 kDa complex but not the 145 kDa complex. This suggests that the higher molecular weight complex contains polypeptides present in the 110 kDa complex and an additional 35 kDa protein.
Further insight into the structure and function of the EPO receptor complex was obtained upon cloning and expression of the mouse and human EPO receptors (D'Andrea et al. Cell 57, 277 (1989); Jones et al. Blood 76, 31 (1990); Winkelmann et al. Blood 76, 24 (1990); PCT Application No. WO90/08822; U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,065 to D'Andrea et al.) The full-length human EPO receptor is a 483 amino acid transmembrane protein with an approximately 224 amino acid extracellular domain and a 25 amino acid signal peptide. The human receptor shows about an 82% amino acid sequence homology with the mouse receptor. The cloned full length EPO receptor expressed in mammalian cells (66-72 KDa) has been shown to bind EPO with an affinity (100-300 nM) similar to that of the native receptor on erythroid progenitor cells. Thus this form is thought to contain the main EPO binding determinant and is referred to as the EPO receptor. The 85 and 100 KDa proteins observed as part of a cross-linked complex are distinct from the EPO receptor but must be in close proximity to EPO because EPO can be crosslinked to them. The 85 and 100 KDa proteins are related to each other and the 85 KDa protein may be a proteolytic cleavage product of the 100 KDa species (Sawyer J. Biol. Chem. 264, 13343 (1989)).
A soluble (truncated) form of the EPO receptor containing only the extracellular domain has been produced and found to bind EPO with an affinity of about 1 nM, or about 3 to 10-fold lower than the full-length receptor (Harris et al. J. Biol. Chem. 267, 15205 (1992); Yang & Jones Blood 82, 1713 (1993)). The reason for the reduced affinity as compared to the full length protein is not known. There is a possibility that other protein species may also be part of the EPOR complex and contribute to EPO binding thus increasing the affinity. In support of this possibility is the observation of Dong & Goldwasser (Exp. Hematol. 21, 483 (1993)) that fusion of a cell line with a low affinity EPO receptor with a CHO cell which does not bind EPO resulted in a hybrid cell line exhibiting high EPO binding affinity of the receptor for EPO. In addition, transfection of a full length EPOR into CHO cells resulted in a cell line with both high and low affinity receptors as measured by Scatchard analysis. Amplification of the EPOR copy number increased the low affinity but not high affinity binding. These results are consistent with the presence of a limited quantity of a protein present in CHO cells that converts the low affinity EPOR to high affinity.
Activation of the EPO receptor results in several biological effects. Three of the activities include stimulation of proliferation, stimulation of differentiation and inhibition of apoptosis (Liboi et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 11351 (1993); Koury Science 248, 378 (1990)). The signal transduction pathways resulting in stimulation of proliferation and stimulation of differentiation appear to be separable (Noguchi et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 8, 2604 (1988); Patel et al. J. Biol. Chem. 267, 21300 (1992); Liboi et al. ibid). Some results suggest that an accessory protein may be necessary for mediating the differentiation signal (Chiba et al. Nature 362, 646 (1993); Chiba et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 11593 (1993)). However there is controversy regarding the role of accessory proteins in differentiation since a constitutively activated form of the receptor can stimulate both proliferation and differentiation (Pharr et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 938 (1993)).
Activation of the EPO receptor may be due to its dimerization. That is, EPO may act as a crosslinker between two EPO receptor molecules. There is evidence in support of this proposal. An arginine to cysteine mutation at position 129 of the murine EPO receptor results in constitutive activation of the receptor, presumably because of a disulfide bond formed between two receptors subunits (Yoshimura et al. Nature 348, 647 (1990)). In addition EPOR is found in multimeric complexes in cells (Miura & Ihle Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 306, 200 (1993)). However, isolation of a stable multimeric form of purified EPO soluble receptor has not been reported. In addition, dimerization of EPOR may be required, but not by itself be sufficient for complete activation of cells. For example, dimerization may result in a proliferative signal but not a differentiation signal. That is, accessory proteins may be required to send the differentiation signal.
The possible relationship between EPO receptor dimerization and activation may be exploited to identify compounds which are different from EPO but activate the receptor. For example, antibodies possess two identical binding sites for antigen. An anti-EPOR antibody can bind two EPOR molecules and could bring them into close proximity to each other to allow dimerization. In order to function in vivo, these antibodies must recognize the EPOR on surfaces of cells and bind in a way that allows activation of the signal transduction pathway. In addition, it is desirable that activation result in both proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitors. A similar approach to understand the activation of human growth hormone receptor (Fuh et al. Science 256, 1677 (1992)) and epidermal growth factor receptor (Schreiber et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 7535 (1981)) has been reported
It would be desirable to identify molecules which have the property of activating the EPO receptor and stimulating erythropoiesis. In order to do so, an understanding of the mechanism of EPO receptor activation and signal transduction is important. One approach to elucidating this mechanism may be to identify antibodies which recognize the EPO receptor so as to activate the receptor and stimulate erythropoiesis. Such antibodies are useful in therapeutic and diagnostic applications and would also be useful for probing EPO receptor function.
The following references describe antibodies which bind to the mouse or human EPO receptor:
D'Andrea et al. in The Biology of Hemtaopoiesis, Wiley-Liss, Inc. (1990) pp. 153-159, generated polyclonal anti-peptide antibodies against an amino-terminal and a carboxy-terminal peptide of murine EPO receptor. The antibodies were shown to react with mouse EPO receptor in a Western blot.
Bailey et al. Exp. Hematol. 21, 1535-1543 (1993) generated polyclonal anti-peptide antibodies against synthetic peptides homologous to the extraceullular and cytoplasmic domains of the mouse EPO receptor. Receptor activation by these antibodies, as measured by 3H thymidine uptake into spleen cells from phenylhydrazine treated mice, was not detected .
Baynes et al. Blood 82, 2088-2095 (1993) generated a polyclonal antibody to an amino-terminal peptide in the human EPO receptor. The antibody was shown to react with a soluble form of the receptor present in human serum.
D'Andrea et al. Blood 82, 46-52 (1993) generated monoclonal antibodies to human EPO receptor. The antibodies bind to Ba/F3 cells transfected with the human EPO cDNA clone and some inhibit EPO binding and neutalize EPO-dependent growth.
Fisher et al. Blood 82, 197A (1993) used the same monoclonal antibodies as described in D'Andrea, supra to distinguish erythroid progenitor cells having EPO-dependent growth and maturation from those having EPO-independent growth and maturation.
None of the antibodies described in the aforementioned references were reported to activate the EPO receptor or stimulate the growth and/or maturation of erythroid progenitor cells.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to produce antibodies which recognize an EPO receptor and bind to it such that the receptor is activated. It is a further object of the invention to produce antibodies which bind to an EPO receptor and stimulate erythropoiesis by stimulating the proliferation and/or differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells to erythrocytes. Such antibodies are useful in the treatment of anemia or in the diagnosis of diseases characterized by dysfunctional EPO receptor. Further, such antibodies may lead to the identification of therapeutic agents for the treatment of anemia.

Antibodies which activate an erythropoietin receptor


Analytics processing circuitry can include a data scavenger and a data analyzer coupled to receive the data from the data scavenger. The data scavenger collects data from at least one element of interest of a plurality of elements of interest of an IC. The data analyzer identifies patterns in the data from the data scavenger over a time frame or for a snapshot of time based on a predefined metric. The analytics processing circuitry can further include a moderator and a risk predictor. The risk predictor generates a risk assessment regarding whether the data collected by the data scavenger is indicative of normal behavior or abnormal behavior based at least on the output of the data analyzer and a behavioral model for the IC, which can be device and application specific. A threat response can be performed based on the risk assessment.

In conventional computers and computer networks, an attack refers to various attempts to achieve unauthorized access to technological resources. An attacker may attempt to access data, functions, or other restricted areas of a susceptible computing system without authorization. Computing systems generally include one or more integrated circuits (ICs). ICs are manufactured on chips and may be in the form of a system on a chip (SoC) or in discrete components coupled together in packaging such as 3D ICs or on a board. Attacks may be software based, physical (e.g., probing of IC components), or side-channels (e.g., capturing information from power consumption, timing information, and electromagnetic leakages).

Analytics processing circuitry for mitigating attacks against computing systems


Multi-rate optical disc recording method and apparatus wherein data are recorded on the optical disc in accordance with a transfer rate of data, thereby preventing an unnecessary waste of a storage area in the optical disc and also enhancing a recording time of the optical disc. Said method and apparatus exploit a transfer rate detector for detecting a transfer rate of a digital signal generated at a digital signal source. This transfer rate detector allows a rotation velocity controller to rotate the optical disc at a speed corresponding to the transfer rate of the digital signal, in response to the transfer rate of the detected digital signal. Also, the transfer rate detector allows a recording portion to record the digital signal on the optical disc at the detected transfer rate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus that optically accesses the optical disc, and more particularly recording method and apparatus of a multi-rate optical disc wherein the optical disc can be adaptively driven based on a transfer rate of data to be recorded.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus, light beams are irradiated onto the optical disc such as Compact Disc (CD) and Digital Versatile (or Video) disc (DVD) in order to access data. Such optical discs record binary data representing audio signals, video signals, text information, etc.
Digital signals recorded onto the optical disc and reproduced therefrom include various recording signals such as a video signal, an audio signal, digital data or a digital broadcasting program including a combination of all of said signals, etc. Each of these signals has a different data quantity, for example digital bit quantity per second, respectively. Also, in the same broadcasting program, the data quantity is different according to the attribute of a broadcasted program. Specifically, the data quantity is about 6 to 7 Mbps in the case of a sports program, whereas the data quantity is generally about 3 to 4 Mbps in the case of a movie program. Moreover, the data quantity may differ according to the number of pixels of a program being provided. Specifically, the data quantity is about 5 to 6 Mbps in the case of the existed NTST and PAL signals having an array of about 720.times.480 pixels (normal video signal hereinafter), whereas the data quantity is generally about 10 to 15 Mbps in the case of a high density signal having an array of 1024.times.1024 pixels (high resolution signal hereinafter). Optical disc apparatuses must therefore be capable of recording and reproducing digital programs having such various data quantities.
However, a conventional optical disc has only a single-rate recording means. The following is a description of an example of a conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus, which records and reproduces the normal video signal of 5 Mbps and the high resolution signal of 10 Mbps to/from a conventional optical disc. The conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus drives the optical disc at a transfer rate of 10 Mbps on the optical disc. Consequently, when recording the high resolution video signal of 10 Mbps in a real time, the conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus can exploit the entire recording area of the optical disc, that is, 100% of recording area in the optical disc. By contrast, when recording the normal video signal of 5 Mbps in real time, the conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus wastes half the record area, that is, 50% of record area in the optical disc unnecessarily. Such a conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus also wastes the recording area unnecessarily when recording the audio signal and the text signal with different transfer rates.
For reference, the following describes the process in which the high resolution video signal and the normal video signals are recorded, respectively, using the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a time chart for explaining the process in which the high resolution video signal of 10 Mbps is recorded by the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus. The frame dividing signal FDS shown in FIG. 1 assigns odd number and even number frames of the video signal. The high logic region and the low logic region of the frame dividing signal FDS represent the odd number frames and the even number frames, respectively. The high resolution video data divided into frame units according to this frame dividing signal is inputted to optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus at a rate of 10 Mbps. Then, the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus formats the high resolution video signal HVD in a certain form required by an optical disc, and records on the optical disc. At this time, the optical disc is rotated at a constant velocity by the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus like DSS shown in FIG. 1. As a result of this, an information pit train IPT is formed on the information track of the optical disc having frame video data pits arranged continuously, as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a time chart for explaining the process in which the normal resolution video signal of 5 Mbps is recorded by the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus. In FIG. 2, the normal video data NVD are divided into frame units by the frame dividing signal FDS. This normal video data is inputted to the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus at a transfer rate of 5 Mbps, and formatted, like FNVD in FIG. 2, by the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus. The formatted normal video data FNVD consists of compressed frame video data and null data inserted between the compressed frame video data. These null data are generated because the normal video data NVD of 5 Mbps is temporally compressed into 1/2 by the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus operating at a rate of 10 Mbps. In turn, the formatted normal video data FNVD are recorded on the optical disc using the optical recording and reproducing apparatus. At this time, the optical disc rotates at the same velocity used to record the high resolution video data. As a result of this, an information pit train IPT is formed on the information track of the optical disc in which video data pit regions and null data pit regions are arranged alternately.
As described above, the conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus causes the null data to be recorded on optical disc because it records data on the optical disc at a fixed transfer rate, regardless of the transfer rate of data. The conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus therefore wastes the recording area of the optical disc unnecessarily.

Multi-rate optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus


A hand-held bagel slicer is described for circumferentially slicing a bagel into two equal halves. The slicer comprises a generally U-shaped clip attached to a handle. The clip comprises a generally semi-circular bight and two flexible legs. The legs converge slightly from the bight to their free ends to hold the bagel sideways, and the free ends are outwardly flared to facilitate insertion of the bagel for slicing. Midway between the two legs is a 2 edged knife blade. The blade has a base secured to the bight and a tip terminating in a point. The blade is about 50 to 75% of the length of the legs. The free end of the handle is generally elliptical in cross section. The handle decreases in cross-sectional size and becomes generally rectangular in shape toward the flared end. The clip is joined to a core which has one or more small cross ribs extending laterally from a center rib to match with a similarly shaped recess in the handle to prevent relative rotation between the handle and the clip.

Bagels have become enormously popular in recent years. They are prepared from plain yeast dough which is dropped briefly into boiling water and then baked. The product is a ring-shaped roll having a tough chewy texture. There are many varieties of bagels including pumpernickel, raisin, whole wheat, sesame seed, and others too numerous to mention. Typically, the bagels are sliced in half before eating. They then are made into a sandwich, or are served with suitable spread such as jam or cream cheese.
Because of the chewy texture of the bagel, as well as its irregular shape, it is not always an easy task to cut the bagel into two halves which are of equal size. A number of devices have been designed for slicing the bagel into halves, but they have all suffered from one or more deficiencies which have limited their commercial utility. These devices have been unduly complex, have been difficult to clean, or are unsafe to use. Some of them utilize a powered rotary slicer, or movable parts. Others do only a marginal job of dividing the bagel into two approximately equal halves.


A voltage regulator circuit for a memory circuit comprises a voltage divider, a capacitor, an active-mode voltage regulator and a standby-mode voltage regulator. The active-mode voltage regulator is always on while in active mode, and turned on whenever a refresh is requested. The standby-mode voltage regulator is periodically turned on while in standby mode, and turned on whenever a refresh is requested. In addition, the active voltage regulator uses stronger transistors than those used by the standby-mode voltage regulator, and both the active-mode voltage regulator and the standby-mode voltage regulator are coupled to the voltage divider and the capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voltage regulator circuit for a memory circuit, and more particularly, to a voltage regulator circuit having a capacitor for a memory circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voltage regulators are used to regulate voltage levels of a circuit and supply internal power. In memory devices, such as DRAM, many voltage regulators are used, which unavoidably consume a lot of power. To solve such problem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,553 discloses a method that turns off the voltage regulators while in standby mode unless a self-refresh in standby mode is requested. Although such method can save power, it is not easy to maintain or immediately generate the voltage level needed for power-up upon a self-refresh request.
US20070001752 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,248,532 disclose another method that reduces the operating voltage in standby mode to 1.5 volts in contrast with 2 volts in active mode. However, because the charge stored in the DRAM cells in standby mode is smaller than the charge needed in active mode, the refresh cycle must be shortened to maintain system operability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,119 discloses one large power voltage-drop regulator and one small power voltage-drop regulator. The large power voltage-drop regulator is turned on while in active mode only. In addition, the small power voltage-drop regulator is always on, including during active, active pause and standby modes. However, the small power voltage-drop regulator still consumes power while in standby mode, and does not perform well upon a self-refresh request.

Voltage regulator circuit for a memory circuit

Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology Inc.


A cooking appliance is provided, including a multi-level gas burner with a body having a lower burner section on a lower side and an upper burner section on an upper side. The lower burner section is separated from the upper burner section. The lower side of the body has a first injection point for receiving a first air-gas mixture for the lower burner section and a second injection point for receiving a second air-gas mixture for the upper burner section. The first injection point is partitioned from the second injection point thereby separating the first air-gas mixture from the second air-gas mixture. The body includes a passageway fluidly connecting the second injection point on the lower side of the body to the upper burner section on the upper side of the body.

Conventional gas surface cooking units, such as a gas range, stove, or cooktop, may include one or more gas burners for heating foodstuff in a cooking vessel, such as a pot, pan, kettle, etc. To provide more cooking options, some conventional cooking units include a separate simmer or warming burner with a lower BTU, or a gas burner with a simmer function that can operate at low BTUs. To provide a simmer functionality, some conventional cooking units cycle a burner on/off in order to reduce a heat output of the burner, while others generally stack two burner assemblies on top of each other to provide two flame rings capable of providing different BTUs.

Multi-level gas burner having ultra low simmer


Pressure can build up on one side of a valve bore sealing mechanism when it is closed. This can make the mechanism difficult to open. A bore network is provided which extends through the valve housing side wall from the inlet end of the valve bore to its outlet end. The network bypasses the sealing mechanism and its sealing areas. Needle valves, operative from outside the valve, are used to open or close the network. The network can be temporarily opened to enable pressure to equalize across the closed sealing mechanism, thereby freeing the mechanism so that it can be turned.

The present invention has been developed in connection with a tubing blow-out preventer ("BOP") having a ball as a valve bore sealing mechanism. The invention will be described in connection with that particular form of valve. However, it is anticipated that the invention will have application to other valves, including other forms of plug valve and gate valves, in situations where controlled pressure equalization may be desirable.
The tubing BOP is a piece of equipment brought to a well in connection with service rig operations. It is mounted to the upper end of the tubing string projecting from the wellhead. It commonly has a truncated ball, having a through bore, which can be rotated through 90.degree. to open or close the bore of the valve.
At the end of the working day, it is usual practice for the service rig crew to close the BOP to seal the tubing string. In some cases, considerable pressure (e.g. 2000 psi) can build up overnight in the tubing string. This pressure acts to press the ball upwardly against the upper seal ring of the valve housing. When the crew arrive the next day, the ball can be very difficult to turn. In many cases, a line and pump have to be tied to the top outlet of the BOP and pressure applied to the outlet side of the ball, to free it. This is time-consuming to carry out. Some inexperienced personnel don't understand the problem or what to do about it. This can result in delay until an experienced person arrives to organize pressure equalization.
There is therefore a problem of long standing for which no practical solution has been provided, as far as applicant is aware. It is the object of the invention to provide such a solution.
At this point, it is useful to describe a conventional tubing BOP having a ball as its bore sealing mechanism, such as the BOP, illustrated in FIG. 1. It comprises:
A tubular housing comprising a lower body and an upper sub. The body is internally threaded at its lower end for connection with the tubing. The body and sub are threadably connected. The sub is internally threaded at its upper end; PA1 The housing side wall forms a through bore. This bore consists of an inlet bore and ball chamber formed by the body and an outlet bore formed by the sub; PA1 The housing includes lower and upper seal rings which bracket the ball. Each seal ring forms an annular seal area against which the ball seals; PA1 The ball has flat sides. A stem (not shown) is secured to one side of the ball for turning it; PA1 The ball forms an axial through bore extending parallel to its sides, for connecting the inlet and outlet bores of the housing; PA1 The seal rings carry external O-rings for sealing against the internal surface of the housing; PA1 A clearance is formed between the outer surface of the ball, external of the annular seal areas, and the internal surface of the housing; and PA1 A spring is positioned between the base of the lower seal ring and the housing, for biasing the lower seal ring and ball tightly against the upper seal ring, to preserve the annular seals.
The present invention is an improvement to a conventional valve, of which a tubing BOP, having a ball sealing mechanism, is representative. This improvement will now be described.

Valve having pressure equalizing conduit


A method in one example comprises the steps of establishing a location database for a first network that associates Internet Protocol address information for VOIP telephony devices with physical locations for the VOIP telephony devices; upon detecting registration of a VOIP telephony device through a network port of the first network, determining physical location of the VOIP telephony device by identifying physical location of the network port through which the VOIP telephony device is connected, and updating the location database; and, upon detecting IP telephony activity originating from a remote VOIP telephony device connected to the first network through a VPN gateway, determining physical location of the remote VOIP telephony device connected through the VPN gateway by identifying physical locations of network resources of a second network to which the remote VOIP telephony device is connected, and updating the location database; such that updated location information is provided to a 911 server in the event that an emergency call is originated by any VOIP telephony device or remote VOIP telephony device.

This application is directed generally to communication systems and in particular to telecommunication networks that support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) operation, and is more particularly directed toward providing accurate location information in conjunction with emergency calls placed through 911.
One of the larger obstacles in implementing VOIP/IP telephony solutions is the need for up-to-date E911 information in the case of an emergency. Most systems commercially available now require that configuration changes be made in back-end databases manually, or through some user submission, each time the phone is moved, or that information be maintained in the phone itself that must be configured if the phone is moved, or service will not be provided for a 911 call if placed within the system.
For most users of desk-based sets (in an enterprise environment or at home), this is not a major problem, as once the set is installed it does not usually move. However, this limits one of the major benefits of moving to this type of phone service: the ability to move the phone with you as you move throughout a campus, neighborhood, or other diverse locations.

Dynamic E911 updating in a VoIP telephony system


A precision chuck has a chuck body, top jaws movable radially with respect to a center axis for gripping and releasing a workpiece, master jaws slidably mounted in recesses in the chuck body for radial movement with respect to the center axis and fixedly connected to the respective top jaws, jaw actuators movable linearly parallel to the center axis having inclined cam surfaces slidingly engaged with corresponding surfaces on the master jaws, and an air-operated piston or power bar for moving the jaw actuators. Each of the jaw actuators is positioned at the middle of a respective master jaw and has a pair of spaced-apart actuator leaves engaging opposite sides of the width of the master jaw, thereby applying a balanced driving force to the master jaw without torquing. Further, an improved mounting employing a combination of threaded screw and concentric tubular pin is used to connect the top jaw to the master jaw. Particularly for small-diameter chucks where the mounting area on the master jaw is restricted, the improved mounting takes up a minimum of space so as to allow two screw/pin combinations to be used. The tubular pin can have collet-like slits at an upper part thereof to adjust for any misalignment during jaw assembly.

Precision air chucks generally have a number of (typically three) top jaws arranged symmetrically around a center axis which are moved radially inwardly and outwardly by jaw actuators for gripping and releasing a workpiece. The jaw actuators typically have inclined cam surfaces which slide in axial movement along correspondingly inclined surfaces formed in master jaws fixedly connected to the respective work jaws in order to displace the work jaws radially inwardly and outwardly. The jaw actuators are driven by an air-operated piston. For precision air chucks, it is desirable that the work jaws be able to open and close on a workpiece with exacting repeatability, for example, of the order of 0.000050" (1.25 .mu.), and to hold the workpiece in an exact axial position under heavy loading.
An example of a conventional air chuck is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, of which FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the air chuck shown in plan view in FIG. 2. The air chuck has a chuck body 11 on which three master jaws 12 are mounted in symmetric configuration around a center axis X. The master jaws 12 are slidably retained in linear recesses formed in the chuck body 11 for radial movement inwardly toward and outwardly from the center axis X (indicated by the double-headed arrows in the figures). Each master jaw 12 is fixedly connected to a respective top jaw 21 by screws 23. The top jaws 21 at the front portion of the chuck body 11 are driven by the movement of the master jaws 12 within the chuck body to open and close on a workpiece (not shown). Loading on the top jaws 21 is distributed to the master jaws 12 and chuck body through tightly-fitting dowel-type pins 24 extending through matching bores formed in the master jaws and top jaws.
Each master jaw 12 has an associated jaw actuator 13 which drives the master jaw in radial movement by means of inclined cam surfaces 13a in sliding engagement with correspondingly inclined surfaces 12a formed in the master jaw 12. The jaw actuator is connected to a piston 15 movably arranged in an air cylinder formed between a rear portion of the chuck body 11 and a back cover 16. An air tube 22 is coupled to a manifold 17 at the rear portion of the chuck body, and pressurized air is introduced through air hole 22a to move the piston 15 toward the front of the chuck body, thereby driving the master jaws radially outwardly to open the top jaws 21, and through air hole 22b to move the piston 15 toward the rear of the chuck body, thereby driving the master jaws radially inwardly to close the top jaws 21. A retaining ring 18 couples the piston 15 to the air tube manifold 17, and a center seal 19 is provided at the front end of the air tube manifold. A front cover 20 is provided over each jaw actuator 13.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, it is found that the conventional air chuck, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is subject to jaw actuation errors due to torquing of the master jaw 12 by the jaw actuator 13 arranged at one side thereof. When the jaw actuator 13 moves upward, the friction force of the actuator cam surfaces 13a against the corresponding surfaces 12a generates a torque which tends to push the master jaw 12 up on one side, causing a displacement error EU which can lead to misalignment of the master jaw. Similarly, when the jaw actuator 13 moves downward, the torque generated tends to push the one side of the master jaw 12 down, causing a displacement error ED. These displacement errors tend to degrade the precision repeatability of the opening and closing positions of the master jaws.
Another type of air chuck is shown in FIG. 4 having top jaws 41, master jaws 42, air cylinder cover 44, back cover 45, piston 46, and air tube 47. In this type of air chuck, a center plunger or wedger 43 has pairs of inclined cam surfaces 43a formed at symmetric positions thereon which coact with opposed inclined surfaces formed at the respective inward ends of the three master jaws 42. However, as shown in FIG. 5, this type of power chuck also has the problem of displacement errors EU and ED caused by torquing of the master jaws. Since the wedger 43 exerts frictional forces on the inward ends of the master jaws, the master jaws tend to be deflected upward and downward at their inward ends.
Another problem that occurs particularly with small diameter chucks, e.g., 2-inch or 3-inch diameter chucks, is distortion of the top jaws under loading forces. As illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, a small-diameter chuck includes a chuck body 60, top jaws 61, master jaws 62, and jaw actuators 63 as previously described. The small-diameter chuck has a relatively small mounting area available on the chuck face, thus the length of each master jaw 62 is relatively short, e.g., of the order of 0.75 to 1.0 inch. As a result, the connecting elements between the master jaw 62 and top jaw 61 are limited by the restricted space usually to a single screw 65 and two dowel-type pins 64a and 64b. As shown schematically in FIG. 8, the top jaws usually have a step 66 for seating the workpiece W on the chuck. The step 66 raises the level of the workpiece around the height of the head of the screw 65. Thus, the loading forces F from the workpiece W become applied at an intermediate height of the top jaw 61 against the head of the single screw 65. The high loading forces on the single screw can result in slight deflection LD of the top jaw from the master jaw, causing misalignment and loss of precision. Particularly in the case of a workpiece having a cylindrical shape, the deflection can reduce the narrow band of contact between the top jaw and the workpiece, thereby reducing the gripping force on the workpiece.
Moreover, the dowel-type pins 64a and 64b of the chucks are very difficult to assemble between the master jaw 62 and the top jaw 61 because the bores for the pins in the two jaw parts must be precisely the same dimension and matched in position. The top jaw 61 is often replaced or changed with other top jaw parts and may have bores that do not precisely match those in the master jaw, thereby making it difficult to assemble it to the top jaw.

Precision air chuck with split cam actuator assembly