The present invention makes it possible to change over a volume transparently with respect to a host. A first storage device 2A and a second storage device 2B are connected through a communication network 3B; a volume 8 provided by the second storage device 2B is mapped as a volume of the first storage device 2A. A host 1 is capable of accessing either of the volume 6 or volume 8 via a virtual LU 4. A connection control unit 5, which may be constructed of tables or the like, connects the virtual LU 4 to either one of volume 6 and volume 8. Changeover of the connection target is performed transparently with respect to the host 1 and so is not recognized by the host 1. Consequently, the actual data storage target volume can be changed over while the host 1 always accesses the same virtual LU 4.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage device and a device changeover control method for storage devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a storage device, there may be provided a storage region using a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Inexpensive Disks) in which disk drives such as for example hard disk drives or semiconductor memory devices are arranged in array fashion. A host computer (hereinbelow called "host") performs data reading and writing by accessing a logical storage region provided by the storage device.
A storage device is required to have high usability and high reliability. To achieve this, it is known to protect against occurrence of faults by constituting a disk array using a plurality of mirror disks that mirror the current disk and standby disk (Laid-open Japanese Patent Application No. H. 7-129331). In the technique disclosed in this reference, when it is anticipated that a fault may occur, the disk that is the source of data reading is arranged to be changed over from the current disk to the standby disk. It should be noted that the technology disclosed in this reference merely discloses respective mirroring simply of the various constituent elements of the disk array; it does not disclose changeover of a volume logically provided on a physical storage region.
The host may change over the volume (LDEV: logical device that is used for various reasons. When an LDEV is changed over, the currently used LDEV and the LU (logical unit) must be disconnected and a new LDEV connected with this LU. However, since the LU that is disconnected from the LDEV temporarily loses recognition from the host, during the period until the changeover of LDEV is completed, recognition of the LU by the host is temporarily interrupted.
If fault monitoring software or the like is operating on the host, there is a possibility that the interruption of recognition of the LU during LDEV changeover may be detected by the fault monitoring software as occurrence of a path fault. Also, if the host OS is Windows (registered trademark), the interruption of recognition of the LU during LDEV changeover may cause so-called PnP (plug-and-play) to occur.
Accordingly, if an LDEV changeover operation is performed during execution of a data processing task by the host, there is a possibility that the disconnection of the LU and the LDEV by this changeover operation will be recognized by the host and may affect the task of data processing on the host.

Storage device and device changeover control method for storage devices


A housing of electric switch is composed of a main body, a top cover, and a cover plate. The component parts of the electric switch are mounted in the main body. The top plate by the plurality of fastening bolts. The main body and the cover plate are made of a bakelite material resistant to heat and nonconductive to electricity. The top cover is made of a pliable plastic material and is therefore elastically deformable.

The conventional housings of the electric switch are generally made of a plastic or bakelite material. The housing made of the plastic material is not resistant to heat and is therefore susceptible to deformation. The housing made of a bakelite material is susceptible to severance even though it is resistant to heat.


A diffuser-reflector assembly for use with a photographic flash lamp (800) comprises, in one aspect, an elastic base (100) having rigid first inserts (125 and 130), two arms (105 and 110), a shaft (135), a pivot assembly (150), and one or more frames (116, 121) that hold second inserts (115, 120). The diffuser-reflector assembly installs slidably onto the light-emitting end of a flash lamp (800). The second inserts can have various optical properties. They can be specular or diffuse reflectors, color or neutral density filters, or a combination. The frames and inserts can be swung on the arms and independently pivoted over a wide range of angles above the lamp, thereby providing a wide range of lighting effects. The frames and arms are held in place by friction and can be adjusted by manual force. The entire assembly can be made of simple parts that snap together.

1. Field
The field is photographic illumination, and in particular reflectors and diffusers for light emanated by photographic flash lamps.
2. Prior-Art Diffusers and Reflectors
The following is a list of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
PatenteePatent or Pub. Nr.Kind CodeIssue or Pub. Dateor Applicant2910573B11959-10-27Bing et al.3258586B11966-06-28Blizzard4078170B11978-03-07Sloop4099221B11978-07-04Carrillo4122333B11978-10-24Crouse4194234B11980-03-18Geissler4233648B11980-11-11Geissler4242616B11980-12-30Takematsu4272169B11981-06-09Stone4380787B11983-04-19Stone4539624B11985-09-03Stone4777566B11988-10-11Lowell et al.5136312B11992-08-04Weaver et al.5194885B11993-03-16Spencer5337104B11994-08-09Smith et al.5778264B11998-07-07Kean6234638B12001-05-22Beverly6614999B22003-09-02Hagiuda
Flash lamp diffusers and reflectors are used in photography to produce various lighting effects. A simple, forward-facing flash lamp and reflector are used in low-cost cameras to illuminate the subject being photographed. While such an arrangement provides an adequate light level for a photograph, the resultant image is often over-illuminated at the center, under-illuminated at the edges, and contains shadows.
Improved results are obtained when light from a flash lamp is reflected from a surface, such as a ceiling, before reaching the subject. This type of illumination is called a "bounce flash". The reflected light effectively emanates from a larger source than the flash lamp itself, resulting in more uniform illumination of the subject. A diffuser can be added to the flash lamp assembly to further smooth variations in light as it strikes the subject.
Bing et al. show a bracket that is interposed between a camera and a flash lamp assembly. Without the bracket, the flash assembly mounts on the camera so that the light from the flash is projected along a line parallel to the lens axis. With the bracket, the flash assembly is repositioned so that its light is projected perpendicular to the lens axis and typically aimed at a ceiling. While this apparatus eliminates direct illumination of a subject, light emanates from this apparatus in only a single direction, thereby providing limited bounce capabilities.
Carrillo shows a reflector assembly and flash lamp mounting bracket combined. The bracket orients the flash lamp so that the light from the lamp is projected upward. A reflector is mounted at an angle on an adjustable arm and positioned directly above the flash lamp. The reflector is oriented so that light from the flash lamp strikes the reflector and is deflected in the direction of the subject being photographed. This provides a portable "ceiling" for a bounce flash. Sloop shows a similar device with two mounting brackets. A first bracket extends upward from a camera and holds a flash lamp. A second bracket extends from the first and holds a reflector at an angle above the flash lamp. This assembly is cumbersome, in that it requires a bracket to hold a camera, the flash lamp, and the reflector together as a unit.
Blizzard, Lowell et al., and Beverly show bounce light deflectors and diffusers that are similar to the previous devices, except they attach directly to the flash lamp assembly. Lowell's device primarily shapes the beam of light leaving the flash.
Kean shows a reflector that mounts onto a camera and through multiple reflections enlarges the area of the camera's own forward-facing flash. Light leaving the reflector is directed along the lens axis of the camera. This reflector only enlarges the apparent area of the flash lamp. The bounce effect is limited since light is not bounced from a distant surface.
Smith et al. show a reflector assembly similar to a periscope that is mounted on a camera. Light from the camera's own flash unit emerges parallel to, but is displaced from the camera's flash lamp. This device is helpful in reducing "red-eye", the retinal reflection that commonly occurs when light from the camera's flash is reflected from a subject's eyes back into the camera's lens. This assembly does not effectively enlarge the source of light by bouncing the light off a distant surface, such as a ceiling.
Other prior-art devices, such as the model Mecablitz 58AF-1, manufactured by Metz-Werke GmbH & Co. KG, Zirndorf, Germany, incorporate a flash lamp into a tilting reflector. The assembly comprising the lamp, reflector, and associated electronics mount in the "hot shoe" on a camera, in well-known fashion. The lamp assembly can also swivel on the shoe, providing a light source that can be beamed in many directions, thereby producing a bounce flash. This flash assembly can be arranged to act independently or in concert with the flash unit contained in a camera. Light emanates from this apparatus in only a single direction, thereby providing limited bounce capabilities.
Takematsu shows a swivel lamp similar to the above with the addition of a second flash lamp. A first lamp provides a movable bounce flash, while the second lamp directs its light toward the subject. While this apparatus provides bounced light, it requires two flash lamps and does little to prevent red-eye.
Hagiuda et al. show a flash assembly that combines a bounce flash, similar to the Mecablitz above, with a dimming structure for a forward-facing camera flash lamp. An external bounce flash mounts on a camera. The external flash includes a fold-down dimming plate that partially blocks the direct light from the camera's flash. Again, as in Takematsu, both direct and indirect light illuminate the subject for an improved result. As with the Mecablitz, however, the bounce light travels from the flash lamp to the bounce surface at only a single, predetermined angle.
Crouse shows a reflective device for use with a source of flash illumination for providing either indirect or simultaneous direct and indirect illumination of a subject. The amount of reflected illumination is variable through the use of means such as movable shutters or polarizer sheets mounted on the reflective member. The amount of direct illumination is determined by the size of a pass-through in the reflector. Bounce light provided by this device emanates at a predetermined angle with respect to the camera, thus only a single source of bounce light is produced.
Weaver et al. show a flash apparatus having two flash lamps. A first lamp and reflector are directed toward the subject. A second lamp and reflector rotate about an axis perpendicular to the line between the camera lens and the subject. A third, infrared, illumination source emanates vertically from the flash apparatus and bounces off a ceiling or panel above the camera that is parallel to the line between the camera lens and the subject. The infrared light reflected from the ceiling is received by the flash apparatus which determines the distance between the flash and the ceiling. This distance is used to calculate the proper angle of rotation of the second lamp in order to maximize illumination of the subject by that lamp. While this apparatus maximizes the light from the bounce lamp, it does not provide bounce light from a plurality of surfaces.
Spencer shows a similar illuminator apparatus that uses range finders on a camera to determine the vertical distance, D, from the camera to the ceiling and the horizontal distance, H, from the camera to the subject. These values are used by a logic circuit that drives a servomechanism to angularly position the illuminator on the camera for optimum illumination of the subject. As with Weaver, this illuminator provides optimal bounce light intensity from a single bounce surface, but not from a plurality of surfaces
Geissler shows several bounce flash assemblies, each comprising a single tubular flash lamp situated within a partitioned reflector. The reflectors are arranged to rotate about the axis of the flash lamp. Part of the reflector directs a portion of the light from the flash lamp in a first direction, while the rest of the reflector directs the remaining light in a second direction, thereby providing adjustable illumination of the subject. This bounce flash has similarities to the Mecablitz unit described above. Light is reflected from a horizontal bounce surface above, and possibly below, the camera. However, bounce light cannot be obtained from vertical surfaces such as walls located to the sides of the flash lamp.
Stone shows several devices that clamp onto flash guns. In a first device, a bracket that is attached to a flash lamp unit forms a slot for mounting reflectors and diffusers. In a second device, a clamp that slips over a flash lamp assembly includes slots into which reflectors and diffusers can be inserted. In a third device, a diffusion device that slips over a flash lamp assembly includes a slot that can retain a reflector. Stone's reflectors and diffusers are inserted into their slots at fixed angles and thus can not be rotated or pivoted to direct light in any desired direction.
All of the above prior-art deflectors and diffusers thus have one or more of the following disadvantages. While they all work as described, none combine a plurality of independently positionable, dual-purpose panels that independently tilt, pivot, move longitudinally and laterally with respect to the center of a flash lamp assembly in a simple structure.

Compact, steerable, multidirectional photographic light diffuser and reflector


A first circuit generates and outputs a transmission signal to a first end and a second end of a first coil in response to variation in logical value of an input first signal. A detection circuit detects a voltage signal generated at each of a first end and a second end and outputs a second signal which reflects the first signal based on a result of detection. A control circuit controls a voltage to be applied across opposing ends of each of a first diode and a second diode of a first rectifier circuit and a voltage to be applied to opposing ends of each of a third diode and a fourth diode of a second rectifier circuit.

A device including a non-isolated line driver and a non-isolated line receiver, an insolated device implemented by an optical coupler, or an isolated device including a transformer has been known as a circuit device which transmits a digital signal.
For example, a signal transmission circuit which transmits a signal through a transformer described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-15589 (PTL 1) is configured as below.
The signal transmission circuit includes a matching impedance connected in series to a primary side of the transformer and a non-linear impedance with limit characteristics connected to a secondary side of the transformer. A limit voltage value of the non-linear impedance is set to a value smaller than a voltage generated on the secondary side when a normal transmission signal is applied to a pulse transformer. The signal transmission circuit is characterized in that the non-linear impedance has limit characteristics by a diode.

Signal transmission circuit and power conversion device


The invention concerns a stabilizer shoe (13) intended for a shelf (1) for storing objects, which has on its corner points vertical longitudinal posts (2) with lockable recesses (7). Into which a strut (8) provided with mounting hooks (12) is suspended, which possesses a prestressed, open upward retaining pocket (10), in which one or several shelf bottoms (3) are held in a self-clamping manner. The stabilizer shoe (13) is designed as a separate one-piece component and substantially in the form of an L. One branch (14) is designed flat and is inserted between the longitudinal post (2) and the strut (8). The other branch (15) has respectively a right-angled folded edge (17) at its opposed longitudinal sides and hence forms a U-shaped profile (18), into which the longitudinal external side (4) of a shelf bottom (3) is inserted.

The invention concerns a stabilizer bracket intended for a shelf for storing objects, which has on its corner points vertical longitudinal posts with lockable recesses, into which a strut provided with mounting hooks is suspended, which possesses a prestressed, open upward retaining pocket, in which one or several shelf bottoms are held in a self-clamping manner.
A large number of shelves or shelving systems are known, whose individual parts, such as longitudinal posts, side ladders or struts and shelf bottoms are connected to each other by means of different fastening types. Such shelves usually present several longitudinal posts on the shelf corner points to which one or several horizontal shelf bottoms are fastened at certain vertical distances on which objects and/or bulk goods are stored.
The shortcoming of such shelves or shelving systems is that said elements cannot be disassembled any longer depending on the type of connection, for example by welding or gluing, nor adapted to suit the users' requirements. Thus, said shelves or shelving systems still present a high stability, however the variation in size and number of the shelf bottoms in the shelf or shelving system is strongly limited. Moreover, these shelves or shelving systems are difficult to transport due to the space required by the fixed connection.
Moreover, a large number of shelves or shelving systems are known, in which the shelving parts, such as shelf bottoms, longitudinal posts, struts etc. are joined for example using groove-spring-connections. With certain systems, the shelf bottoms are simply laid on stays or pins on the struts. This provides high instability of the shelving system. Screwed shelves or shelving systems which are connected by special connection elements can only assembled or disassembled at great expense so that said people in charge have assembly or disassembly problems. Additionally, connection elements whose design is often complicated are necessary for connecting the shelf bottoms, whose manufacturing technique is tricky.
Documents EP 101 48 174 A1 and EP 101 60 364 A1 disclose a shelving system, comprising at least one shelf, in which struts for fastening shelf bottoms are arranged between respectively two front-sided longitudinal posts. The longitudinal posts present recesses for receiving pairs of hooks spaced apart vertically and horizontally and directed downwards on the struts. To do so, a downward directed front tab of the shelf bottom is clenched between the strut and the longitudinal posts of the shelf which support said strut to prevent said shelf bottom from being lifted.
Since such a shelf or shelving system operates as such without screw connections and without using any tool, stability can only be achieved inasmuch that the rear longitudinal posts are connected to each other through several stays extending diagonally and crossing each other, generally on the back of the shelf. The production and the assembly of these stays is not only material intensive and costly, but these are also optically unattractive. Moreover, the most various gusset plates and pieces are used to increase the stability of a shelf.

Stabilizer bracket for a rack for supporting objects


A stackable, durable, portable apparatus for simultaneously charging multiple mobile electronic devices (including phones, tablets, game consoles, music players, flashlights, BLUETOOTH headsets and cameras) is disclosed herein. The apparatus is suitable for use in public social settings, easily removed or replaced for restoring the internal charge without requiring cable attachment, expertise or training.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for charging multiple mobile devices. The present invention specifically relates to an apparatus and method for charging multiple mobile devices in a public restaurant or bar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile electrical devices, such as mobile phones, have become a necessary component of most people's life. Most people constantly carry have a mobile electrical device. However, these devices require charging. In public venues, such as restaurants and bars, charging a mobile electrical device is difficult. Unless the patron is carrying a mobile charger for the mobile electrical device, and the patron is seated near a power outlet, charging a mobile electrical device is impossible. Further, leaving a mobile electrical device on a table of a restaurant or bar opens the possibility of water damage to the device due to the presence of food and drink. Thus, restaurants and bars are hazardous environments for mobile electrical devices.
The prior art discusses various methods for charging mobile communication devices such as mobile phones and tablet computers.
Corbins, U.S. Patent Publication Number 20070205744 for a Portable Mobile Phone Charger, discloses a mobile phone charger that includes a housing with a receptacle mounted therein for receiving a power cord adapter, and a power source housed therein and electrically connected to the receptacle for electrically charging a mobile phone.
Rodarte et al., U.S. Patent Publication Number 20060261778, for a Method And Apparatus For Charging A Portable Electrical Device, discloses a charger-to-device interface that self aligns the portable electrical device in the charger for charging.
Purdy et al., U.S. Patent Publication Number 20120119693, for a Battery Charger For Portable Devices And Related Methods, discloses a battery charger that may be used with numerous types of portable devices and associated batteries, and yet which may account for differences between the charging parameters thereof.
The prior art fails to disclose a portable device charger that can charge multiple mobile devices in a hazardous environment such as a restaurant or bar.

Apparatus for charging multiple mobile devices


A method for improving flow conditions in a porous media while servicing a well penetrating to the porous media includes: stopping drilling or production activities on the well; introducing a well control fluid into the well and the porous media, the well control fluid comprising a mixture of a surfactant, a co-surfactant and a carrier fluid; holding the well control fluid in the well and the porous media in the presence of water while the well is being serviced, such that the fluid penetrates the porous media and forms a water film on surfaces of the porous media; and when well servicing is finished, resuming drilling or production activities on the well.

The invention relates to a formulation and method of using same for improving well productivity in hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Improvement in productivity of heavy and extra heavy oil wells such as those found in the Orinoco River Belt in Venezuela is clearly desirable. Some of the largest reservoirs of heavy and extra heavy oil in the world are in Venezuela and hold oil having API gravity within the range of 6 to 16. Unfortunately, the production rate of much of this oil is unacceptable.
It is a high concern in the exploitation of heavy and extra heavy oil reservoirs to increase productivity during the well lifetime. With these wells, primary cold production schemes are quickly abandoned in favor of thermal methods to improve well flowability by reducing oil viscosity in the reservoir. These processes are costly and also still produce a low output in terms of final recovery. They also have serious problems of production of sour gas such as H2S and CO2 which are very costly to address. Such thermal recovery methods typically produce final oil recovery below 35-40%.
Venezuelan heavy and extra heavy Orinoco River Belt oil sandstones are exceptional reservoirs. 60% of the reservoirs of this type have a KH/U value between 40 and close to 1,000 in very many cases. Unlike other reservoirs, however, the oil in Venezuelan extra heavy oil reservoirs is flowable at reservoir conditions.
Even these wells, however, have a final recovery by cold production which is very low and perhaps in most cases below three (3) percent of the original oil in place. The conditions for flow of oil in those reservoirs, with even excellent petrophysical properties, are very unfavorable to the flow of oil. The components of the heavy and extra heavy oil, particularly the asphaltenes in natural form in the native oil, are capable by natural fluid-rock interactions of generating an oil-wet condition at the surface of the natural mineral components of the sandstone. This produces the most adverse conditions to flow of oil in a porous media. This is a natural oil-wet condition of the reservoir media, which is a completely different condition as compared to formation damage in the well resulting from drilling or production activities, which could also happen in the well.
The need exists for improvement in production rates from wells producing from formations containing heavy and extra heavy wells, particularly those which contain asphaltenes and other hydrocarbons which lead to oil wet flow environments.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Working/control fluid for heavy and extra-heavy crude wells


The invention relates to novel competitive immunoassays that are useful in detecting and quantitatively measuring analytes down to the nanomolar range. The invention also includes methods of selecting antibodies from libraries of polypeptides expressed on a cell surface. In conducting immunoassays, anti-analyte antibody molecules are expressed on the surface of a bacterial cell and then used to bind with labeled analyte. Quantitation is performed by competitively displacing the bound labeled analyte with a known amount of analyte and measuring the label. The method is rapid and inexpensive and may be performed with readily available safe labeling reagents such as fluorescent compounds.

I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to antibody selection and immunoassay technology and specifically to remarkably efficient and rapid polypeptide library screening methods. The invention also includes competitive immunoassays for analyte detection. The disclosed methods open the way for production of kilogram quantities of antibodies from inexpensively maintained microorganism cultures.
II. Description of Related Art
Antibodies are of increasing importance in human therapy, assay procedures and diagnostic methods. However, methods of identifying antibodies and production of antibodies is often expensive, particularly where monoclonal antibodies are required. Hybridoma technology has traditionally been employed to produce monoclonal antibodies, but these methods are time-consuming and result in isolation and production of limited numbers of specific antibodies. Additionally, relatively small amounts of antibody are produced; consequently, hybridoma methods have not been developed for a large number of antibodies. This is unfortunate as the potential repertoire of immunoglobulins produced in an immunized animal is quite high, on the order of >10.sup.10, yet hybridoma technology is too complicated and time consuming to adequately screen and develop large number of useful antibodies.
One approach to this problem has been the development of library screening methods for the isolation of antibodies (Huse et al, 1989; McCafferty et al, 1990; Chiswell & McCafferty, 1992; Chiswell & Clackson, 1992; Clackson, 1991). Functional antibody fragments have been produced in E. coli cells (Skerra & Pluckthun, 1988; Better et al, 1988; Orlandi et al, 1989; Sastry et al, 1989) as "libraries" of recombinant immunoglobulins containing both heavy and light variable domains (Huse et al, 1989). The expressed proteins have antigen-binding affinity comparable to the corresponding natural antibodies. However, it is difficult to isolate high binding populations of antibodies from such libraries and where bacterial cells are used to express specific antibodies, isolation and purification procedures are usually complex and time-consuming.
Combinatorial antibody libraries generated from phage lambda (Huse et al, 1989) typically include millions of genes of different antibodies but require complex procedures to screen the library for a selected clone. Methods have been reported for the production of human antibodies using the combinatorial library approach in filamentous bacteriophage. A major disadvantage of such methods is the need to rely on initial isolation of the antibody DNA from peripheral human blood to prepare the library. Moreover, the generation of human antibodies to toxic compounds is not feasible owing to risks involved in immunizing a human with these compounds.
Currently the most widely used approach for screening polypeptide libraries is to display polypeptides on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage (Smith, 1991; Smith, 1992). The polypeptides are expressed as fusions to the N-terminus of a coat protein. As the phage assembles, the fusion proteins are incorporated in the viral coat so that the polypeptides become displayed on the bacteriophage surface. Each polypeptide produced is displayed on the surface of one or more of the bacteriophage particles and subsequently tested for specific ligand interactions. While this approach appears attractive, there are numerous problems, including difficulties of enriching positive clones from phage libraries. Enrichment procedures are based on selective binding and elution onto a solid surface such as an immobilized receptor. Unfortunately, avidity effects arise due to multivalent binding of the phage and the general tendency of phage to contain two or more copies of the displayed polypeptide. The binding to the receptor surface therefore does not depend solely on the strength of interaction between the receptor and the displayed polypeptide. This causes difficulties in the identification of clones with high affinity for the receptor; thus, there remain distinct deficiencies in the methods used to isolate and screen polypeptides, particularly antibodies, even in view of the development of phage libraries.
Moreover, there is a significant need for procedures that are rapid and inexpensive relative to cost of currently used techniques.
Immunoassays have typically been used for the detection of antigens or antibodies, less frequently for determination of other classes of compounds. Immunoassays can be generally divided into two types: heterogeneous assays requiring multiple separation steps, and homogeneous assays which are performed directly. Heterogeneous immunoassays in general involve a ligand or antibody immobilized on a solid matrix. A sample containing an analyte is contacted with the immobilized antibody and the amount of complex formed on the matrix support is determined from a label attached directly or indirectly to the immobilized complex.
Heterogeneous immunoassays may be performed as sandwich assays in which a molecule of interest is reacted with an immobilized antibody that specifically binds that molecule with high affinity. In a second step, a conjugate formed from the same or different antibody to the antigen and a marker molecule is reacted with the antigen-antibody complex on the immobilization matrix. After removal of excess free marker conjugate, the bound marker conjugate, which is proportional to the amount of analyte in the sample, is measured.
ELISA or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is one example of an immunoassay. ELISAs are extensively used in biotechnology applications, particularly as immunoassays for a wide range of antigenic substances. The sensitivity of ELISA is based on the enzymatic amplification of the signal.
However, despite such widespread use, ELISA has several disadvantages, including inconvenience and expense that preclude more general use. Additionally, immunoassays depend on the availability of antibodies, which is frequently a major consideration in terms of cost or feasibility of a specific assay. Several washing steps may often be required in ELISA procedures to remove excess antibody not bound to the immobilization support or to remove excess analyte or antibody following the primary binding reaction. The steps necessary to remove excess enzyme-conjugate that does not bind to the immobilized antibody-analyte complex may significantly increase assay time and cost.
There has been some effort to provide semi-automation of ELISA, for example the apparatus and method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,785. However, these methods involve not only the expense of the equipment and training of specialized personnel, but also fail to provide rapid and economical quantitation of analytes.
Unfortunately, alternative analytical methods for quantitative determination of trace amounts of many analytes, including not only polypeptides but also organic species such as toxic chemicals, typically involve relatively complex and inconvenient procedures. In most cases, samples must be collected, extracted and prepared for specific analyses. Procedures frequently involve use of hazardous chemicals such as organic solvents and/or radioactive material, thereby adding to cost.
Recent advances in biotechnology, specifically the advent of monoclonal antibodies and the use of enzyme labels in place of radiolabels, have promoted a rapid expansion of immunoassay applications to include the detection of certain toxic chemicals (Collins, 1985; Gould and Marx, 1988; Stanker, 1989; Watkins, 1989; Roberts, 1989). Enzyme labels, for example, are particularly useful because the catalytic properties of the enzyme provide powerful biochemical amplification, thereby allowing detection of extremely low analyte concentrations. However, the utility of this type of detection may be limited if the binding site of the antibody is not available or the sample solution contains interfering substances.
Enzyme-amplified immunoassay techniques have been applied to the determination of different drug species. In this system a hapten-enzyme conjugate is prepared so that enzyme activity is retained after conjugation. When the conjugate binds with the hapten-specific antibody there is a loss in enzyme activity. Any free hapten (drug) in a sample reduces the inhibition by competing for antibody binding sites. Enzyme activity is thus proportional to concentration of free hapten. This type of assay has been developed by the Syva Company (Palo Alto, Calif.) under the trademark EMIT. However, the EMIT assay is less satisfactory for detection of relatively large molecules such as proteins.
Immunodetection technology employing solid phase enzyme immunoassay for detection of certain environmental waste by-products has been reported (Huber, 1985). For example, the agricultural chemical Atrazine was reported detectable in the 1.1 to 2200 ppb range. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) sensitivity was further improved by using spheres as antibody carriers and by using affinity purified antibodies. While this is a step forward in the ability to detect low levels of environmental contaminants, the procedures are time-consuming and costly.
Immunoassays represent a powerful technique for the identification and quantification of specific molecules. Radio Immunoassay (RIA) and ELISA techniques currently form the basis of many medical diagnostic procedures. However, solid phase immunoassays rely on isolated and purified antibodies that may be prohibitively expensive. In cases where the detection reagent is an enzyme or radiolabeled material, additional considerations are safety, equipment and technical manpower cost.
Despite some progress and ongoing efforts to expand the availability and identification of useful antibodies for immunoassays, there is a lack of rapid and inexpensive antibody screening methods. Available technologies have failed to provide means to cost effectively produce large quantities of such antibodies. Additionally, despite the wide application of immunoassay methods, most are complex, often slow and frequently employ hazardous reagents.

Antibody selection methods using cell surface expressed libraries

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


Devices and methods for intelligent handover requests and management are disclosed. IRAT handover failure can be prevented by ensuring that user equipment (UE) is asked to handover to a target cell that it has already measured, and that resource allocation in the base station sub-system (BSS) is made in the correct cell. For instance, a radio network controller (RNC) can maintain cell identification and corresponding node information when an updated measurement control message is sent to the UE. According to certain aspects, a relocation cancellation message can be sent from an RNC to a mobile switching center (MSC) if a new measurement report, such as a 3a report, is received by the RNC.

In order to maintain the highest service quality and continuity for a wireless user, user equipment (UE) will not only maintain a connection with its serving cell, but also monitor neighboring cells. A UE will typically perform mobility decisions, such as handover and cell reselection, towards base stations in the same radio access technology (RAT), but also towards additional networks or RATs. Accordingly, a UE (and one or more network entities) often monitor and evaluate serving cell quality, initiate periodic cell search activity for candidate neighbor cells, perform various measurements regarding neighboring cells, and perform mobility evaluations, e.g., determining whether the UE should move to another serving cell.
If a better serving cell than the current serving cell is identified, handover to the other cell can be initiated. The handover can be requested to, for example, the same carrier (intra-frequency handover), to cells on other carriers (inter-frequency handover) and to other cells of a different RAT (inter-RAT handover). The handover itself may consist of multiple steps, such as a handover initiation followed by radio link establishment with the target cell. This process may be understood, for instance, with respect to the exemplary signal flow illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to the example of FIG. 1, an IRAT handover procedure is initiated upon the reception of a measurement report 102 by a radio network controller (RNC), for instance a serving RNC (SRNC), from a UE in a Cell-DCH state. The measurement may be, for example, a 2d or 6b measurement report according to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol. After evaluation of the measurement report 102, the link may be placed into a Compressed Mode Control state, which places gaps in the downlink and uplink transmissions, allowing the UE to perform measurements on neighboring cells. If the measurement report 102 indicates that the current frequency is below an acceptable threshold, the RNC can send a measurement control message 104 to the UE to start measurements on listed neighboring cells. For instance, in the case of an inter-RAT (IRAT) handover, such as from Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) RATs, the UE may start measurements on neighboring GSM cells. When the 3a criteria are fulfilled, the UE sends a measurement report 106, including the measurements on the neighboring GSM cells, to the RNC. The RNC evaluates the report and proceeds with the execution of the IRAT handover.
To execute the handover, the RNC sends a relocation required message 108 to the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) to request handover to the GSM network and starts a timer, Trelocprep. In the example of FIG. 1, the message 108 contains identification of the target cell, information about mobile capabilities, and security information. The MSC generates a handover request message 110, which is sent to the target base station sub-system (BSS). When the BSS receives the handover request message 110, it takes the necessary actions to allow the UE to access the radio resources of the BSS. Once resource allocation 112 has been completed, the BSS returns a handover request acknowledgement 114 to the MSC. A relocation command 116 will then be sent by the MSC to the RNC. The RNC stops the timer Trelocprep and starts the timer Trelocoverall, and upon receipt of the relocation command 116, sends an RRC handover from Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) command 118 to the UE, which contains the Handover Reference number previously allocated by the BSS. The RNC may also include which Radio Access Bearers (RABs) are handed over to GSM in the handover message.
The UE can then access the new radio resource using the Handover Reference number contained in the handover access message 118. The target BSS uses this reference number to ensure that the correct mobile device is accessing the system for handover. Accordingly, the BSS may send a handover detect message to the MSC. When the UE is successfully communicating with the BSS, a handover access/complete message 120 will be sent by the UE to the BSS, which will in turn send a handover complete message 122 to the MSC. The MSC will then initiate an IU Release Command 124. The Trelocoverall timer is stopped as the IU release command is received by the RNC, according to the Radio Access Network Application Part (RANAP) protocol. Radio links used by the UE can then be deleted on the UTRAN side.
However, existing implementations fail to provide intelligent handover requests and processing that can accommodate certain scenarios discussed herein.


A signal presence detection device has a first reference voltage generation device in the form of a first voltage divider, a second reference voltage generation device in the form of a second voltage divider and a third reference voltage generation device in the form of a third voltage divider. The detection device also has a signal conditioning device such as a hysteretic amplifier with an output that is coupled to the first and second voltage dividers. A comparison device is coupled to all three voltage dividers to compare a voltage of the first voltage divider to a voltage of the third voltage divider and to compare a voltage of the second voltage divider to the voltage of the third voltage divider. The comparison device is coupled at two outputs thereof to two respective inputs of an XOR device. The XOR device receives respective signals from the first and second outputs of the comparison device and produces a signal presence output that serves to indicate whether an incoming signal is present or absent.

Data communication systems and methods are used in the transmission of information for an increasing variety of purposes, including the control of equipment. As such, improving the performance of data communication systems has become an important focus of attention. For example, optical communication systems are continually undergoing improvement in many areas related to transmission performance such as capacity, bandwidth, and instantaneous data transmission rate.
Certain communication networks require that signals be transmitted continuously, in order to ensure that clock and data recovery devices (e.g., including phase locked loop (PLL) devices) at the receiver are always synchronized and locked to receive the transmitted data. In such networks, if no payload data is awaiting transmission, a special "idle" signal is transmitted. The idle signal maintains the clock and data recovery devices in a synchronized and locked state.
Other data communication systems and methods involve the use of signals that include "burst mode" data. In burst mode data communication, one or more data packets are transmitted substantially continuously over a signal channel during a data transmission time interval. During another quiescent time interval, the signal channel is substantially free of signals. Accordingly, in some data transmission schemes a plurality of quiescent time intervals are disposed chronologically between a corresponding plurality of data transmission time intervals. The combination of the data transmission time intervals and the quiescent time intervals is known as a "datastream." The quiescent time intervals are referred to as "gaps" in the datastream.
Burst mode data transmission is employed in various applications including automatic control applications. For example, burst mode data transmission is included in various "fly-by-wire" vehicle control systems for vehicles such as wheeled vehicles and aircraft.
An exemplary fly-by-wire control system is used to actuate the aerodynamic control surfaces of an airplane. In such a system, a transducer in an airplane cockpit detects a motion of, for example, a steering yoke. The transducer produces a control signal such as an optical control signal. The signal is conveyed to an actuator over a communication medium. In the case of an optical control signal, a communication medium such as an optical fiber is used to couple the control signal from the transducer to the actuator. The control signal is received at the actuator and the actuator responsively applies a force through a mechanical linkage to an aerodynamic surface of the airplane. For example, the actuator causes a force that pivots an elevator surface in the tail of the airplane.
In some control systems, including some fly-by-wire systems, local servo devices maintain a substantially constant orientation of the control surface until a change is ordered by an action of the transducer. In such a system, active control signals are transmitted between the transducer and the actuator primarily when a change in control surface position is required. The result is a control signal that includes intervals of active data transmission and quiescent intervals. As noted above, such data transmission is referred to as burst mode data transmission.
Burst mode data transmission is also employed in other communication systems, such as computer network and telephony systems. In such systems, it is advantageous to maintain a quiescent communication channel when no payload data is available for transmission. For example, in an optical communication network, a light source, such as a laser, may be used for signaling between two devices. When no data is available for transmission, it may be preferable to extinguish the light source. By turning off the light source during quiescent periods, an operational lifetime of the light source may be extended, power may be conserved, and a risk of personal-injury to, for example, maintenance personnel, may be reduced.
FIG. 1. shows a time domain graph of an exemplary burst mode digital data signal 100. The digital data signal 100 includes bursts 102, 104 of one or more packets of data separated by gaps 101, 103, 105 during which no data is transmitted. In some systems where data is not transmitted continuously, clock and data recovery devices are required to re-synchronize and re-lock for each individual burst or packet of data. To enable such re-synchronization and re-locking, a "preamble" is attached to each burst or packet. The preamble follows a pattern predefined by a communication protocol. An exemplary protocol preamble includes a succession of alternating high and low values (i.e., "1" and "0") prepended to the data as illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 shows a time domain graph of an exemplary datastream 200. The datastream 200 includes a data burst 202 between gaps 201, 203 of the datastream. In some circumstances, it is desirable to detect the arrival of a data burst after a data gap. For example, receiving equipment or automatic gain control devices may be activated and deactivated depending on whether data is present. Accordingly, it is useful to have a signal presence detector that detects the arrival of a burst of data after a data gap.
It is known to use an integrating device to detect the arrival of a data signal. For example, a diode may be placed in series with the arriving signal. A current flowing through the diode is allowed to accumulate on a capacitor. When an electrical potential across the capacitor reaches a threshold voltage, a signal is deemed to be present. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that it does not respond rapidly to an arriving signal. The time constant of such a system can be shortened by various methods such as using a differential input signal and a corresponding pair of diodes. Because time is required for the capacitor(s) to accumulate electrical charge prior to indicating single arrival, it is difficult to respond to a first transition of an incoming signal.


The invention provides methods and compositions for use in treating diseases associated with excessive cellular proliferation, such as cancer.

Cancer is a term used to describe a wide variety of diseases that are each characterized by the uncontrolled, malignant growth of a particular type of cell. It begins in a tissue containing such a cell and, if the cancer has not spread to any additional tissues at the time of diagnosis, may be treated by, for example, surgery, radiation, or another type of localized therapy. However, when there is evidence that cancer has metastasized from its tissue of origin, different approaches to treatment are typically used. Indeed, because it is not possible to determine the extent of metastasis, systemic approaches to therapy are usually undertaken when any evidence of spread is detected. These approaches involve the administration of, for example, chemotherapeutic drugs that interfere with the growth of rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.
Halichondrin B is a structurally complex, macrocyclic compound that was originally isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai, and subsequently was found in Axinella sp., Phakellia carteri, and Lissodendoryx sp. A total synthesis of halichondrin B was published in 1992 (Aicher et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 114:3162-3164, 1992). Halichondrin B has been shown to inhibit tubulin polymerization, microtubule assembly, betas-tubulin crosslinking, GTP and vinblastine binding to tubulin, and tubulin-dependent GTP hydrolysis in vitro. This molecule has also been shown to have anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo. Halichondrin B analogs having anti-cancer activities are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,865 B1.
Eribulin is a synthetic analog of halichondrin B. Eribulin is also known as ER-086526, and has been assigned CAS number 253128-41-5 and US NCI designation number NSC-707389. The mesylate salt of eribulin (eribulin mesylate, which is marketed under the trade name HALAVEN® and is also known as E7389) is approved for the treatment of patients with breast cancer who have previously received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of metastatic disease that should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting.
The chemical name for eribulin mesylate is (2R,3R,3aS,7R,8aS,9S,I0aR,11S,12R,13aR,13bS,15S,18S,21S,24S,26R,28R,29aS)-2-[(2S)-3-amino-2-hydroxypropyl]hexacosahydro-3-methoxy-26-methyl-20,27-bis(methylene)-11,15:18,21:24,28-triepoxy-7,9-ethano-12,15-methano-9H,15H-furo[3,2-i]furo[2′,3′:5,6]pyrano[4,3-b][1,4]dioxacyclopentacosin-5(4H)-one, methanesulfonate (salt), and it can be depicted as:

E7080 (also known as lenvatinib mesylate) is an active inhibitor of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (e.g., receptor tyrosine kinases involved in angiogenesis and tumor proliferation) including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα), KIT, and RET proto-oncogene receptors. It has been assigned CAS number 857890-39-2 (also see 417716-92-8). The chemical name for lenvatinib mesylate is 4-[3-chloro-4-[[(cyclopropylamino)carbonyl]amino]phenoxy]-7-methoxy-6-quinolinecarboxamide, methanesulfonate (1:1). [It is also named as 4-[3-chloro-4-(N′-cyclopropylureido)phenoxyl]-7-methoxyquinoline-6-carboxamide, and N-{4-[(6-carbamoyl-7-methoxyquinolin-4-yl)oxy]-2-chlorophenyl}-N′-cyclopropylurea monomethanesulfonate.] Lenvatinib mesylate can be depicted as:

Use of eribulin and lenvatinib as combination therapy for treatment of cancer


A pliers for a hose includes a pair of arms pivotally connected together at intermediate portions of the arms. Each arm has a handle section and an end section opposite the handle section, and a "floating" gripper attached to the end section of each arm. Each gripper has an internal surface which substantially conforms to the configuration of a portion of the external surface of the hose being engaged by the grippers upon grasping the hose with the pliers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hose pliers used to attach or detach a hose to a point of connection such as a nipple or the like, and particularly to hose pliers used in the automotive industry for attaching and detaching automotive hoses in an engine.
2. Background Discussion
In many industries, hoses are attached or detached to nipples located in areas which are very difficult to access. Sometimes such hoses attached to nipples become over time difficult to remove. This commonly occurs in the automotive industry where hoses carrying water and other engine fluids must be attached to nipples which are difficult to locate, or have become bonded to nipples and are very difficult to remove. Saw-toothed pliers are commonly employed to grasp the hose and twist it to remove it from the nipple. The saw teeth of such pliers can easily damage the hoses, which are typically made of rubber reinforced, for example, with nylon cords. Such automotive hoses usually have a cylindrical shape with outside diameters ranging typically from about 0.25 to about 3.5 inches, and inside diameters ranging from about 0.125 to about 3.375 inches.


Systems and methods that enable LED drivers to generate drive signals by implementing a modulation technique referred to herein as “stochastic frequency pulse modulation” (SFPM) are disclosed. The SFPM is based on randomly increasing or decreasing, during every cycle of a drive signal, the amount of time the drive signal is high or low, tracking the deviation of the total amount of time (i.e., for multiple cycles) that the drive signal is high or low from what it should be to provide to a LED a target average power dictated by a target dimming level, and using the tracking to set limits of ranges from which the durations of the time periods when the drive signal is high or low may be randomly selected.

LED drivers are components that generate drive signals for LEDs to provide power to the LEDs. A drive signal generated by an LED driver controls electrical current through one or more LEDs, causing these LEDs to emit light (e.g., in the time periods when the drive signal is high) or not emit light (e.g., in the time periods when the drive signal is low). By modifying the duration of when LEDs emit light and when the LEDs do not emit light, a technique known as "modulation," the LEDs may be dimmed as desired.
Designing an LED driver is not a trivial task because each application may have different needs in performance, power, cost and size. Improvements in providing LED drivers are always desired.

Stochastic frequency pulse modulation for light-emitting diode drivers

ANALOG DEVICES INTERNATIONAL UNLIMITED COMPANY


A receiver for a serial link. The receiver has an analog input configured to receive a received signal and includes a first front end comprising a first sampler configured to sample a signal at an input of the first front end, and a first correction circuit configured to add a first correction to the signal at the input of the first front end, the first correction including a first offset correction. The offset correction is updated by a modified sign-sign least mean squares method.

In high-speed electrical links, the transmitter's internal high-speed clock may leak (e.g., couple) to the transmit signal. The magnitude of the coupled clock may be as high as 5-10% of the transmit swing. The coupled clock signal may have a fundamental tone at the bit-rate frequency (since one edge may be used for every bit), and may have sub-harmonics at one half or one quarter of the bit-rate frequency. The coupled clock may reduce the signal to interference ratio at the receiver input and may increase bit-error ratio.
A serial link receiver may include DC offset cancellation circuits that may increase a receiver front end's sensitivity by canceling any DC offset caused by transistor mismatch or other sources. Offset cancellation may be done by shorting the P and N inputs of the differential input of the receiver and adjusting the offset so that the output of the analog front end (or "front-end") is balanced around zero. In some cases, the bit-rate clock superimposed on the received signal may appear as a DC offset to the receiver samplers, because a sinusoid with frequency f0 sampled by a clock at rate f0 may appear as DC. As a result, it may be possible to cancel the effect of a coupled clock by utilizing the same circuits as those used for DC offset cancellation. To accomplish this, however, it may be necessary to cancel the total effective offset while the signal is transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver, and to de-couple the effect of the coupled clock from the transmit signal so that it may be measured and cancelled. This may be inconvenient, costly, or difficult to accomplish effectively.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method for the cancellation of coupled clock signals.

Adaptive cyclic offset cancellation for the receiver front-end of high-speed serial links


A method and system for implementing programmable texture lookups from texture coordinate sets. The method includes the step of generating a plurality of texture coordinates using a shader module. The shader module executes floating point calculations on received pixel data to generate the texture coordinates. A plurality of texture values are fetched using the texture coordinates. The fetching is performed by a texture unit coupled to receive the texture coordinates from the shader module. The fetching of the texture values is programmable with respect to the texture coordinates such that the number of texture coordinates are decoupled from the number of textures.

Recent advances in computer performance have enabled graphic systems to provide more realistic graphical images using personal computers and home video game computers. In such graphic systems, some procedure must be implemented to "render" or draw graphic primitives to the screen of the system. A "graphic primitive" is a basic component of a graphic picture, such as a polygon, e.g., a triangle, or a vector. All graphic pictures are formed with combinations of these graphic primitives. Many procedures may be utilized to perform graphic primitive rendering.
Early graphic systems displayed images representing objects having extremely smooth surfaces. That is, textures, bumps, scratches, or other surface features were not modeled. In order to improve the quality of the image, texture mapping was developed to model the complexity of real world surface images. In general, texture mapping is the mapping of an image or a function onto a surface in three dimensions. Texture mapping is a relatively efficient technique for creating the appearance of a complex image without the tedium and the high computational cost of rendering the actual three dimensional detail that might be found on a surface of an object.
Prior Art FIG. 1 illustrates a graphics pipeline with which texture mapping may be performed. As shown, included is a transform engine 100, a set-up module 102, a rasterizer 104, a texture math module 106, a level of detail (LOD) calculator 108, a texture fetch module 110, a texture filter 112 and a texture combination engine 114. It should be noted that the transform engine 100 and set-up module 102 need not necessarily be required in the graphics pipeline of a graphics integrated circuit.
During operation, the transform engine 100 may be used to perform scaling, rotation, and projection of a set of three dimensional vertices from their local or model coordinates to the two dimensional window that will be used to display the rendered object. The setup module 102 utilizes the world space coordinates provided for each triangle to determine the two dimensional coordinates at which those vertices are to appear on the two dimensional window. Prior Art FIG. 2 illustrates the coordinates 200 of the vertices 201 which define a triangle 202. If the vertices 201 of the triangle 202 are known in screen space, the pixel positions vary along scan lines within the triangle 202 in screen space and may be determined.
The setup module 102 and the rasterizer module 104 together use the three dimensional world coordinates to determine the position of each pixel contained inside each of the triangles. Prior Art FIG. 2A illustrates a plurality of pixels 298 identified within the triangle 202 in such a manner. The color values of the pixels in the triangle 202 vary from pixel to pixel in world space. During use, the setup module 102 and the rasterizer module 104 generate interpolated colors, depth and texture coordinates. The setup module 102 and the rasterizer module 104 then feed the pixel texture coordinates to the texture math module 106 to determine the appropriate texture map colors. In particular, texture coordinates are generated that reference a texture map using texture coordinate interpolation which is commonly known to those of ordinary skill in the art. This is done for each of the pixels 298 identified in the triangle 202. Prior Art FIG. 2A illustrates texture coordinates 299 for the pixels 298 identified within the triangle 202.
Next, a LOD calculation is performed by the LOD calculator 108. Generally, a level of detail (LOD) calculation is used to determine whether a displayed image will be a magnified or minified representation of the texture map. For example, in some occasions, one texel, or texture element, will correspond directly to a single pixel that is displayed on a monitor, where the texel is neither magnified nor minified. In other occasions, the texture map is magnified, where multiple pixels will represent a single texel, or minified, where a single pixel represents multiple texels.
After the LOD calculation, the texture coordinates generated by the texture math module 106 are used to fetch the appropriate texture map colors using the texture fetch module 110. These texture map colors are then filtered by the texture filter module 112. The combiner engine 114 combines together the various colors and textures fetched by the texture fetch module 110 and filtered by the texture filter module 112.
A problem exists with the prior art rendering pipeline described above, with respect to the fact that the hardware of the pipeline is optimized to support an essentially linear topology. Prior art type linear pipelines, and other simplistic non-linear pipelines, tightly couple texture fetch operations with the texture calculation operations. For example, in a given rendering pass, one texture calculation (e.g., texture coordinate calculation) is used to fetch one corresponding texture. Even with parallel texture calculation and fetches, the texture calculations are tightly coupled with their corresponding texture fetches (e.g., 4 texture calculations are directly tied to their corresponding 4 texture fetches. This is a limited design that is static in nature. Since a large amount of state data is associated with the texture calculations, such limited static designs do not scale efficiently.
Thus, there exists a need for a pipeline that allows for more dynamic texture fetches and shading calculations, and in particular, the ability for increasing the number of texture fetch operations that can be performed without an expensive, redundant build up in the amount of texture calculation state data that must be maintained. The present invention provides a novel solution to the above needs.

Method and system for implementing programmable texture lookups from texture coordinate sets


A method of calibration according to one embodiment includes moving a table to a plurality of exposure positions. At each position, a first part of a measurement system measures a position of the table along each of two orthogonal axes in the plane, and a mark is exposed onto the substrate. For each mark, and for two different orientations of the substrate, a second part of the measurement system measures measurement positions of the table corresponding to the mark. Based on the measured positions, a characterization of a position measurement error of the measurement system along one of the orthogonal axes, as a function of position along both of the orthogonal axes, is obtained.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that may be used to apply a desired pattern onto a target portion of a substrate. Lithographic apparatus are used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that circumstance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer) that has a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively exposed. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through the projection beam in a given direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction.
The concept of a mask is well known in lithography, and it includes mask types such as binary, alternating phase shift, and attenuated phase shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. Placement of such a mask in the radiation beam causes selective transmission (in the case of a transmissive mask) or reflection (in the case of a reflective mask) of the radiation impinging on the mask, according to the pattern on the mask. In the case of a mask, the support structure will generally be a mask table, which ensures that the mask can be held at a desired position in the incoming radiation beam, and that it can be moved relative to the beam if so desired.
Another example of a patterning device is a programmable mirror array. One example of such an array is a matrix-addressable surface having a viscoelastic control layer and a reflective surface. The basic principle behind such an apparatus is that, for example, addressed areas of the reflective surface reflect incident light as diffracted light, whereas unaddressed areas reflect incident light as undiffracted light. Using an appropriate filter, the undiffracted light can be filtered out of the reflected beam, leaving only the diffracted light behind. In this manner, the beam becomes patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix addressable surface.
In current apparatus, employing patterning by a mask on a mask table, a distinction can be made between two different types of machine. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion at once. Such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus, commonly referred to as a step and scan apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. Since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally <1), the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as here described can be seen, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792.
In a known manufacturing process using a lithographic projection apparatus, a pattern (e.g. in a mask) is imaged onto a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation sensitive material (resist). Prior to this imaging, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures, such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement and/or inspection of the imaged features. This array of procedures may be used as a basis to pattern an individual layer of a device, e.g. an IC. Such a patterned layer may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, chemical, mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off an individual layer.
If several layers are required, then it may be necessary to repeat the whole procedure, or a variant or portion thereof, for each new layer, with the overlay (juxtaposition) of the various stacked layers being performed as accurately as possible. For such purpose, a small reference mark is provided at one or more positions on the wafer, thus defining the origin of a coordinate system on the wafer. Using optical and electronic devices in combination with the substrate holder positioning device (referred to hereinafter as "alignment system"), this mark can then be relocated each time a new layer has to be juxtaposed on an existing layer, and can be used as an alignment reference. Eventually, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc. Further information regarding such processes can be obtained, for example, from the book "Microchip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing," Third Edition, by Peter van Zant, McGraw Hill Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 0-07-067250-4.
Although specific reference may be made in this text to the use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it should be understood that the lithographic apparatus described herein may have other applications, such as the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms "wafer" or "die" herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general terms "substrate" or "target portion", respectively. The substrate referred to herein may be processed, before or after exposure, in for example a track (a tool that typically applies a layer of resist to a substrate and develops the exposed resist) or a metrology or inspection tool. Where applicable, the disclosure herein may be applied to such and other substrate processing tools. Further, the substrate may be processed more than once, for example in order to create a multi-layer IC, so that the term substrate used herein may also refer to a substrate that already contains multiple processed layers.
The terms "radiation" and "beam" used herein encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength of 365, 248, 193, 157 or 126 nm) and extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength in the range of 5–20 nm), as well as particle beams, such as ion beams or electron beams.
The term "patterning device" used herein should be broadly interpreted as referring to any device that can be used to impart a beam with a pattern in its cross-section such as to create a pattern in a target portion of the substrate. It should be noted that the pattern imparted to the beam may not exactly correspond to the desired pattern in the target portion of the substrate. Generally, the pattern imparted to the beam will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit.
A patterning device may be transmissive or reflective. Examples of patterning devices include masks, programmable mirror arrays, and programmable LCD panels. Masks are well known in lithography, and include mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. An example of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of small mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted so as to reflect an incoming radiation beam in different directions; in this manner, the reflected beam is patterned.
The support structure holds the patterning device in a way depending on the orientation of the patterning device, the design of the lithographic apparatus, and other conditions, such as for example whether or not the patterning device is held in a vacuum environment. The support can use mechanical clamping, vacuum, or other clamping techniques, for example electrostatic clamping under vacuum conditions. The support structure may be a frame or a table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required and which may ensure that the patterning device is at a desired position (for example, with respect to the projection system). Any use of the terms "reticle" or "mask" herein may be considered synonymous with the more general term "patterning device."
The term "projection system" used herein should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection system, including refractive optical systems, reflective optical systems, and catadioptric optical systems, as appropriate for example for the exposure radiation being used, or for other factors such as the use of an immersion fluid or the use of a vacuum. Any use of the term "projection lens" herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general term "projection system."
The illumination system may also encompass various types of optical components, including refractive, reflective, and catadioptric optical components for directing, shaping, or controlling the beam of radiation, and such components may be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a "lens."
The lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two (dual stage) or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In such "multiple stage" machines the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposure.
The lithographic apparatus may also be of a type wherein a surface of the substrate is immersed in a liquid having a relatively high refractive index, e.g. water, so as to fill a space between a final element of the projection system and the substrate. Immersion liquids may also be applied to other spaces in the lithographic apparatus, for example, between the mask and a first element of the projection system. Immersion techniques are well known in the art for increasing the numerical aperture of projection systems.
Interferometric systems (e.g. systems including one or more laser interferometers) are conventionally used to accurately position the substrate table (or "chuck") so as to present different target portions of the substrate in the path of the beam. The system may be arranged such that a laser beam is reflected off of a mirrored side surface of the substrate table. The table will typically include at least one such mirror for measurement in each of the x and y directions. In practice, these mirrors albeit finished to be flat have some unflatness. The unflatness of the mirrors of the substrate table can lead to errors in positioning which may ultimately lead to, for example, errors in overlay of individual layers of a device.
Substrate table position measurement error can arise, not only from the unflatness of the mirrors as discussed above, but also from a non-orthogonality between x-y mirrors as well as (typically to a lesser degree) a difference in scale between measurements along the various coordinate axes. The measured position of the table may thus include a deviation from the actual position of the table. Consequently, calibration may be required to support compensation for the effects of nonidealities in the measurement system.

Method of calibration, calibration substrate, and method of device manufacture


Systems and methods for optimizing the allocation of resources to serve different types of data flows in a wireless communication system are disclosed. An exemplary method involves calculating data metrics for data in a plurality of queues. Each queue corresponds to a different data flow in the wireless communication system. The data metrics are used to determine a separate transmission metric for each of a plurality of possible transmission formats. The transmission metric for a given transmission format is dependent on the data metrics corresponding to allocated data for the given transmission format. A transmission format is selected that has an optimum transmission metric. The allocated data for the selected transmission format is transmitted on the forward link in accordance with the selected transmission format.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to wireless communications systems, and more specifically, to systems and methods for optimizing the allocation of resources to serve different types of data flows in a wireless communication system.
2. Background
In a wireless communication system, data that is transmitted from a transmitter to a remote station may be associated with different types of applications. Some of these applications may be throughput intensive but delay tolerant. Other applications may have low throughput but may be highly delay sensitive. As a result, it is desirable to meet the diverse needs of applications that are residing on remote stations that are receiving data over the air from a base station. It is desirable to allocate resources at the base station in an optimum manner so as to cater to the needs of these applications to the maximum extent possible, while consuming as few resources as possible. Accordingly, benefits may be realized by systems and methods for optimizing the allocation of resources to serve different types of data flows in a wireless communication system.


A device for signal transmission between units which are movable relative to each other along predetermined paths comprises at least one transmitter associated with a first unit for generating electrical signals, at least one conductor arrangement associated with the first unit and connected to the transmitter for carrying the electrical signals along a course of the conductor arrangement extending substantially along a path of the movement, and at least one receiver associated with a second unit for decoupling electrical signals from the conductor arrangement. Means for balancing the electrical signals are provided along the course of the conductor arrangement for reducing interference radiation or susceptibility to interference.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for transmitting electrical signals or energy between a plurality of units that are movable relative to each other.
For the sake of clarity of presentation, no distinction will be made in this document between a transmission between units that are movable relative to each other, and between one fixed unit and units movable relative thereto, because this is only a matter of positional relationship and does not affect the manner of operation of the invention. Similarly, no distinction will be made between a transmission of signals and of energy, because the mechanisms of operation are the same in both cases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the case of linearly movable units such as crane and conveyor systems, and also computer tomographs, it is necessary to transmit electrical signals or energy between units that are movable relative to each other. A device suitable for this is described in the German laid open Patent Application DE 44 12 958 A1. Here a signal to be transmitted is fed into a strip conductor line of the first unit that is disposed along a path of movement of the units that are movable relative to each other. The signal is tapped off from the second unit by means of a capacitive or inductive coupling. An improved device for transmission, as described for example in WO 98/29919, is based on a specific conductor structure that also possesses filter characteristics. Extremely wideband transmission systems operating in a range from a few MHz up to Ghz may be obtained with structures of this kind. In the following expositions, the term conductor structures relates to all conceivable configurations of conductor structures which are suitable for carrying electrical signals. The signals are decoupled in the near field of the conductor structure. In an ideal case, a decoupling of signals should occur exclusively within range of the second unit. Further emission of signals in other ranges of the conductor structure is not desirable, as distinct from the case of known leakage lines, because the wide band signals can lead to interference in other instrument parts or instruments.
The principles of designing and dimensioning leakage lines, such as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,203, cannot be applied to conductor structures of this kind. Leakage lines are specifically designed to radiate a certain portion of the carried high frequency energy outwards along the entire length. This is exactly what is to be avoided here.
Technically similar to a non-contacting decoupling of signals is also a contacting decoupling of signals. However, a non-contacting decoupling is usually preferred, because it is more reliable and free from needing maintenance.
The conductor structures described here may be optionally designed to be contacting or also non-contacting. In this case, of course, adaptations are possible according to the purpose of the transmission. Thus, a conductor structure for contacting transmission may have a particularly well conducting surface, for example with a silver coating. Contrary to this, a conductor structure for non-contacting transmission may be provided with a lacquer coat on the surface as corrosion protection. However, in these cases the basic principles for designing the conductor structures are identical. A special design of a contacting transmission means is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,581. Here an unbalanced conductor system is also described. Although here the configuration is symmetrical, the conductor system is fed with an unbalanced signal. The signal flow from the transmitter to the receiver is effected via a central conductor, and is returned partly via one or both outer conductors, or even via the computer tomograph system itself. Here the instrument itself is a reference surface. Here the configuration of the reference surface is not designed to be unequivocally symmetrical. Because of the unbalanced signals that have a not unequivocally defined signal path, and the undefined reference surface, this system radiates high HF power. Already with data rates of 50 Mbaud, current EMC Standards can no longer be satisfied without additional costly screening.
The conductor arrangements used here for transmission are usually constructed to be strip conductor lines or conductor structures by means of double-sided printed circuit boards. Glass-fiber reinforced plastics usually serve as a support and a dielectric. This support is provided on one side with a continuous conductor surface as electrical reference surface or mass, and on the other side with a strip-shaped conductor or the conductor structure.
One of the most difficult technical problems with transmission systems of this kind is the achievement of a high resistance to interference and also a low emission of radiation emission. Now, in order to achieve a signal transmission with particularly low interference, for example two parallel conductors or conductor structures are symmetrically supplied with a differential signal. This makes the far field approximately equal to zero, at least for conductor spacings that are smaller than the wavelength. Thus, only extremely low energy is radiated. In the opposite case, in the event of undesired coupling-in of electromagnetic waves from the outside, the same signal is produced in both conductors. This may now be filtered off by a receiving circuit having a high common mode rejection. Symmetry of the entire arrangement is essential for a high resistance to interference.
Normally, the signal level of the transmitter cannot be increased arbitrarily in order to increase the resistance to interference. Despite high symmetry, low radiation will always occur. The radiation decreases with higher symmetry, and the signal levels can be increased further.
At large bandwidths or data rates within the range from a few 100 MHz up to several GHz, attenuations or distortions of the signals, which are not negligible, will occur. Thus, attenuations of the order of magnitude of 10 dB per meter were measured for usual conductor materials and a frequency of 1 GHz. For great lengths this leads to unacceptable attenuations. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of non-symmetries, because the dielectric cannot be fabricated to be as symmetrical or homogeneous as desired.
A solution that avoids these problems from the outset is set out in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,117. With this, the conductor arrangement is replaced by a plurality of small antenna segments. These may be manufactured with high quality materials on printed circuit boards of small area. Feeding via long distances can be effected with high quality coaxial cables having highly screening characteristics and low attenuation. However, here too, owing to the large number of antenna segments, large requirements of material and, in particular, a large outlay of assembly work result, which leads to high fabrication costs.

Device for wideband electrical connection of two units that are movable relative to each other


The present interactive recording and playback technique provides the ability to archive the content, the discussions and the metadata of a meeting or similar event; then aggregate, search and annotate across this data; and finally edit, combine, or split various recordings to create new presentations. This interactive recording and playback technique provides rich productivity and innovation that is unavailable today.

Recording is a core component of many web conferencing systems as it provides an asynchronous access to the content and proceedings of a meeting. High level usage scenarios include:                1. creating training material (prepared presentations) for reuse or broad distribution;        2. preserving material and context for an absent attendee;        3. archiving for offline note-taking or preserving discussions; and        4. archiving content for compliance with various rules and laws.
The fundamental principle currently driving the investment in recordings is the notion that the meeting content and discussions have value far beyond the meeting.
The components of a typical recording system are generally the same and include a capture process that captures meeting proceedings. It also includes a publishing process that converts the captured data into a format that can be rendered readily by a playback application. The playback application renders the published data and ideally imposes minimum system requirements to achieve greatest reach. Besides the capture process, the publishing process and the playback process, a typical recording system also includes a content management system to access and manage recordings. Finally, some recording systems include an editor that enables post processing for error correction of the content or overall fit and finish.
Many previous meeting recording systems suffer from various drawbacks. They are often difficult to set up and use, requiring much manual effort to effectively capture and playback meeting data. The recordings additionally do not lend themselves to readily being searched and they cannot be split out to play back only certain tracks of data. Additionally, proprietary software is often needed to playback the recorded data which makes broad distribution and play back of the recorded data difficult.

Interactive recording and playback for network conferencing


Secondary air is supplied to a position upstream of a catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage of an engine. An oxygen sensor is disposed between a secondary air supply portion of the exhaust passage and the catalyst. The supply amount of the secondary air is feedback controlled so that the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas detected by the oxygen sensor approaches a target value corresponding to a theoretical air/fuel ratio. A second oxygen sensor for air/fuel ratio control is disposed upstream of the secondary air supply portion. Air/fuel ratio feedback control adjusts the air/fuel ratio of air entering the engine so that the oxygen concentration at the second oxygen sensor approaches the same target value as at the other oxygen sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for controlling the secondary air for an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the invention relates to a technology for improving the conversion efficiency of a catalyst by controlling the amount of the secondary air to be supplied to an exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst, in an internal combustion engine to which the catalyst is provided for emission control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are internal combustion engines which are equipped with catalytic converters for purification of CO, HC and NOx contained in exhaust gas. In such catalytic converters, it is required to maintain an exhaust gas temperature (catalyst temperature) at the inlet of the catalyst to be high enough for promoting a chemical reaction (oxidation and reducing reaction) in the catalyst and thus for assuring the necessary converting ratio.
Therefore, in the prior art, there has been proposed a technology, in which the secondary air (oxygen) is supplied to the exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst for promoting burning (oxidation of CO and HC) in the exhaust system so that the inlet temperature of the catalyst is maintained high enough. (see Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 53-9663)
When the secondary air is supplied as set forth above, burning of CO and HC contained in the engine exhaust can be promoted upon starting up of the engine where an air/fuel ratio mixture is richer than the theoretical value. By this, the exhaust temperature can be increased to elevate the temperature of the catalyst to an active temperature thereof.
On the other hand, while the catalyst temperature is already at the active temperature, it becomes possible to supply the oxygen by supplying secondary air for promoting an oxidizing reaction between HC and CO while the combustion in the engine is performed using a richer air/fuel ratio mixture than the theoretical value, to cause a lowering of the conversion ratio (oxidizing reaction) of HC and CO in the catalyst due to lack of oxygen.
On the other hand, in the supply of the secondary air as set forth above, it is desired to supply an optimal amount of the secondary air depending upon the air/fuel ratio condition (the concentration of CO and HC). For instance, if an excess amount of the secondary air is supplied upon starting up the engine, an increase in the catalyst temperature can be interfered with by excessive secondary air which is not used for burning of CO and HC. On the other hand, if the amount of the secondary air is too small, burning of CO and HC becomes insufficient and thus makes it impossible to achieve quick elevation of the catalyst temperature as expected for supply of the secondary air.
Furthermore, when the secondary air is supplied after the catalyst reaches the active temperature, the excess amount of the air may cause the lean exhaust air/fuel ratio to lower the conversion ratio of NOx in the catalyst. On the other hand, if the amount of the secondary air is too small, the exhaust air/fuel ratio becomes too rich, making it difficult to achieve satisfactory improvement of the conversion ratio of HC and CO.
As set forth above, the amount of supply of the secondary air is desired to be controlled depending upon the current air/fuel ratio condition. In the control of the secondary air in the prior art, however, the supply of the secondary air is switched between ON and OFF depending on the engine driving condition, or, in the alternative, is controlled on the basis of a predetermined secondary air amount depending upon the engine load and engine speed. Therefore, it has not been possible to control the secondary air precisely depending upon the actual air/fuel ratio, making it difficult to stabilize the conversion ratio of the catalyst at a high level, and thus making it difficult to stably maintain the exhaust characteristics.

Method and system for controlling secondary air for internal combustion engine

Japan Electronic Conrol Systems Co., Ltd.


A radiation imaging apparatus, comprising a sensor panel on which a plurality of sensors are arrayed, a scintillator that is arranged over a base member and is made of an alkali halide, and a protective film configured to suppress deliquescence of the scintillator, wherein the protective film includes a first portion that covers a side face of the scintillator and an end of the scintillator on a side opposite to the base member, and a second portion that is smaller in a content of fluorine than the first portion and covers at least part of a surface of the first portion.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation imaging apparatus, a method for manufacturing the same, and a radiation inspection apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
A radiation imaging apparatus includes, for example, a sensor panel in which a plurality of sensors for detecting radiation are arrayed on a substrate. In a detection method of converting radiation into light and photoelectrically converting the light into an electrical signal, the radiation imaging apparatus further includes a scintillator.
The scintillator is formed by, for example, an evaporation method, and has a structure made of a plurality of columnar crystals of thallium doped cesium iodide (Tl:CsI) or the like. Since the scintillator is deliquescent, a protective film for suppressing the deliquescence of the scintillator is formed to cover the scintillator. The scintillator is fixed to a base member such as a sensor panel, so the protective film needs to have adhesion (adhesive force).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-103934 exemplifies a structure in which a first protective film that covers a scintillator and contains a silane-based compound as a monomer, and a second protective film that covers the first protective film and contains a fluorine compound unsaturated hydrocarbon as a monomer are arranged.
The present inventor has found that, when a resin is used for the protective layer of a scintillator, a larger content of fluorine in the resin is more advantageous for suppressing the deliquescence of the scintillator, while a smaller content of fluorine in the resin increases the adhesion of the resin. As described above, the protective film of the scintillator needs to suppress the deliquescence of the scintillator and have adhesion. Therefore, how to use the resin with contradictory properties to form the protective film needs to be considered.

Radiation imaging apparatus, method for manufacturing the same, and radiation inspection apparatus