A method, system, and program is provided to redirect a client computer to an appropriate boot server after it has been directed to any initial boot server by preboot execution environment (PXE) or similar services. An apparatus includes a data file containing a set of addresses of managed boot servers in any syntax and a program file containing a network bootstrap program (NBP) that interprets the syntax of the data file. These files are placed on every initial boot server. The NBP requests a file from the initial boot server whose name is identified with the client computer. The initial boot server will not return that file if it is not an appropriate server for booting the client. In that case, the NBP requests the data file containing the boot server addresses. The NBP then polls each of those boot servers by requesting the client's unique file. A boot server that returns the file is an appropriate boot server for the client computer. The data file containing boot server addresses is changed to reflect current boot server load balancing requirements without involving the configuration or affecting the availability of PXE or similar services.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to client computers that are bootable over a network and, in particular, to client computers that are enabled to be serviced by multiple boot server computers. The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and program to direct client computers to their assigned primary or back-up boot server computer to achieve load balancing across multiple boot server computers.
2. Description of Related Art
Some current personal computer motherboards, network adapters, and boot diskettes include support for the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to download an operating system (OS) from the network. PXE relies on extensions to the bootstrap protocol (BOOTP) and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) to identify the source of the OS. PXE uses the trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) to download the OS. PXE requires the services of a DHCP server, a PXE proxy server, a boot image negotiation layer (BINL) server and a TFTP server.
BOOTP is a a protocol that operates on networks that can also operate the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). BOOTP was developed to be used by a diskless workstation or network computer (NC) to obtain its own IP address, the IP address of a boot server, and the name of the file on that boot server that the client could request to start the download of its OS. Upon startup, the client station sends out a BOOTP request to the BOOTP server, which returns the required information. The BOOTP request and response use an IP broadcast function that can send messages before a specific IP address is known. BOOTP requires that an IP address be manually pre-assigned to each client when the BOOTP server is configured. Only one OS file name can be entered when the BOOTP server is configured, so all clients must receive the same OS. The software that transfers the OS files to the client must run on the same physical server as the BOOTP server software that supplies the IP addresses and OS file name information to the client.
DHCP is a protocol based on the BOOTP protocol that was developed to offer improved flexibility for the configuration of computers attached to a network. DHCP servers operate software that automatically assigns IP addresses to client stations logging onto a TCP/IP network. DHCP eliminates having to manually assign permanent IP addresses to clients.
DHCP can also redirect client stations that need to be booted to a BINL server to obtain boot information, permitting client configuration and client boot to be administered separately. In fact, two different servers can respond to the initial DHCP request from a client. A "standard" DHCP server offers the client an IP address. A proxy DHCP, also called a "PXE proxy" server, redirects the client to a BINL server.
The BINL server references the address of a TFTP boot server and the name of the file to request from the TFTP boot server that contains a network bootstrap program (NBP). The client communicates with the BINL server using DHCP-formatted messages.
PXE enables a client network computer that lacks a native operating system to locate and identify an NBP through a network attachment using DHCP and its extensions. PXE also enables the client network computer to acquire the NBP from the TFTP server through that network attachment. PXE also provides a means for running the NBP on the client to continue the network acquisition of additional software required create a user software environment that makes the client capable of performing the more complex and useful tasks assigned to it by an enterprise.
A facilitating property of DHCP is that the client does not initially need to know the address of any other computer. The client performs a DHCP broadcast to discover any DHCP server or PXE proxy server that can recognize that the client is PXE-capable. The DHCP server or PXE proxy server sends a DHCP offer to the client, which contains the address of a BINL server. The client then sends a BINL request to that BINL server. The BINL server returns a BINL reply that references the address of a TFTP boot server and the name of a file from which the client may obtain the NBP. The client then obtains the NBP and all necessary software from the boot server via the TFTP.
Enterprises use PXE as well as DHCP and its extensions as tools to aid the deployment of user software environments to clients through a network from centrally managed boot servers. Recently, user software environments deployed in this manner often include more programs than just the OS and are specific to a selected user or class of users. Other programs, such as Web browsers, Java virtual machines and even business application programs that are needed to make client computers truly productive are being deployed and supported on widely dispersed clients from centrally managed servers through "server-managed client networks."
Information technology (IT) administrators can use server-managed client networks to centrally maintain user software environments as well as dynamically distribute, and redistribute, these user software environments to clients in response to the changing computational work needs of an enterprise. This provides increased efficiency to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of client computers and enhances IT as a strategic tool for enterprises.
As the number of server-managed clients and the size of user software environments both grow, it is increasingly unlikely that a single boot server can bear the entire load for boot services for an enterprise. Multiple boot servers are needed to distribute the boot services load as well as to provide back-up reliability. Applications supplied by vendors to help IT administrators configure server-managed client networks need to be able to perform boot services load balancing by allowing clients to at least be statically assigned to different boot servers. Load balancing would be enhanced if the application were also able to dynamically reassign clients to different boot servers as there are changes in the availability and loading of individual boot servers.
Current approaches to assigning PXE-capable clients to boot servers have a dependency on the server redirection configurations of DHCP, PXE proxy, and BINL services. These services are delivered by multiple vendors, such as Intel, IBM and Microsoft, with different implementations and behaviors on each platform. When attempting to manage the assignment of clients to boot servers for load balancing, there is the problem of how to seamlessly and concurrently update the server redirection configurations of these services without having to write a lot of unique code per service, per platform and per vendor. In addition, many of these services have to be stopped and restarted to make and integrate every configuration change. This is an expensive process, is platform specific, and adversely affects the availability of these services.
A recent enhancement to PXE and DHCP is the addition of optional extensions that can provide the user of the client computer with a list or menu of possible boot servers from which to choose. This improves upon the standard implementation where each client could only be directed to a single boot server based on a client machine identifier, architecture class, or network interface type. However, it is unlikely that users of client computers presented with these lists of boot servers would be sufficiently aware of the current availability and loading of boot servers to be able to make boot server selections that would optimize load balancing. These lists of boot servers could be updated to reflect options according to the current network environment, but this would require updates to the DHCP or PXE proxy service configurations with the disadvantages described previously. Also, not all PXE configurations deployed in enterprises support the new extensions that provide the list of boot servers.
Another possible network configuration option is to provide multiple sets of DHCP, PXE proxy and BINL servers, with each set statically configured to redirect clients to a different boot server. These services could simply be stopped when their associated boot server was unavailable or too heavily loaded so that no more booting clients would be directed to that boot server. These services would be restarted when the boot server was again able to service booting clients.
This solution requires the server-managed client application to manage the starting and stopping of these services, possibly even when they are located on different physical servers. It also does not support the assignment of clients or support of particular user software environments to one boot server or a subset of boot servers. This is because PXE definition does not specify how the PXE support resident on the client selects among the competing DHCP offer packets that it would receive from each DHCP and PXE proxy server. Therefore, there is no guarantee that a client would be directed to its appropriate boot server unless each DHCP and PXE proxy server were configured with a list of clients that it was allowed to respond to. This requires per-client configuration of these servers which is more arduous than per-server configuration because the population of clients is likely to be larger and more changeable than is the population of servers. Each change in the client population would require changes in the configuration of DHCP or PXE proxy servers, with the disadvantages described previously.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus for server-based network computer load balancing across multiple boot servers that is independent of the operation of PXE support on the client and independent of the operation and configuration of DHCP, PXE proxy, and BINL services.

Method, apparatus, and program for server based network computer load balancing across multiple boot servers

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for manufacturing a vertical light-emitting diode is described. In the method for manufacturing the vertical light-emitting diode, a sapphire substrate is provided. An illuminant epitaxial structure is formed on the sapphire substrate. Next, a first conductivity type electrode is formed on a surface of the illuminant epitaxial structure. Then, a local removal step is performed to remove a portion of the sapphire substrate from another surface of the illuminant epitaxial structure and to expose a portion of the other surface of the illuminant epitaxial structure, wherein the other surface is opposite to the surface of the illuminant epitaxial structure. Subsequently, a second conductivity type electrode is formed on the exposed portion of the other surface of the illuminant epitaxial structure, wherein the first conductivity type electrode and the second conductivity type electrode are opposite conductivity types.

FIGS. 1a through 1d are schematic flow diagrams showing the process for manufacturing a conventional vertical light-emitting diode. A sapphire substrate 100 is first provided. Next, an illuminant epitaxial structure 102 is formed on a surface of the sapphire substrate 100 by an epitaxial method, such as shown in FIG. 1a. Typically, the illuminant epitaxial structure 102 is mainly composed of a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, an active layer and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer. Because the sapphire substrate 100 is made of an electrically insulating material, another conductive substrate 104 usually has to be provided and the electrically insulating sapphire substrate 100 is removed when a vertical connecting electrode structure is fabricated. After the illuminant epitaxial structure 102 is completed, the illuminant epitaxial structure 102 is adhered to the conductive substrate 104 by a bonding method, such as shown in FIG. 1b.
After the illuminant epitaxial structure 102 is bonded to the substrate 104, the whole sapphire substrate 100 is removed from the illuminant epitaxial structure 102 by a laser ablation technique, so as to expose a surface of the illuminant epitaxial structure 102, such as shown in FIG. 1c. Then, a first conductivity type electrode 106 and a second conductivity type electrode 108 are respectively formed on the illuminant epitaxial structure 102 and the substrate 104. Subsequently, a dicing step is performed to form a plurality of light-emitting diode chips 110, such as shown in FIG. 1d.
However, in the aforementioned process of the light-emitting diode, when the laser ablation technique is used to remove the sapphire substrate 100, a stress, which is caused by the high temperature or large temperature difference during the laser treating process, damages the structure of the light-emitting diode. Moreover, the device quality is degraded by the excessively large energy transfer induced in the ablation process. Therefore, the operation quality and the product yield of the light-emitting diode are decreased. In addition, the ablation rate of the substrate is very slow, so it takes a long time to ablate the whole substrate, which increases the process cost and reduces the throughput. Besides, this process requires bonding the illuminant epitaxial structure to the additional substrate 104, further increasing cost and lowering yield.

Method for manufacturing vertical light-emitting diode


A display screen is capable of having regions having different switching speeds as well as regions that are not switched. One region having a first switching speed may be for colour mode display and the other region having a second switching speed different from the first may be for monochrome mode display. Other regions may be off and not switched. In alternative versions, three or more switched regions may be established on a display screen. For example, a monochrome region may be nested inside a colour region, in which the colour region may be nested between off regions.

The use of high resolution displays combined with high refresh rates to provide a video/animation/graphical user experience can significantly increase the load on a handheld's power system. The current result is that end-users are able to enjoy a highly graphical experience at the expense of reduced battery life and/or increased battery mass and size. High resolution displays with high refresh rates are susceptible to substantial power losses due to switching inefficiencies associated with driving many pixels on a display at high frequency. For example, 80-90% of power requirements of a field-sequential display, excluding backlight illumination, are related to switching losses associated when the screen is refreshed at a rate such as 2500 Hz Field-sequential display switching power losses are 5 to 10 times greater than the power losses in conventional liquid crystal displays based on colour filters.
Thus, it would be desirable to reduce the switching power loss in a liquid crystal display. Also, to provide greater versatility for the user in a video/animation/graphical environment, it would be desirable to provide different viewing modes simultaneously on the display screen,

Mixed monochrome and colour display driving technique


An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) comprises a first bus that communicates with inputs and outputs of N processing modules, where N is an integer greater than 1. A control module communicates with the first bus and a second bus that is different than the first bus, and that generates first control signals. A routing module communicates with the first bus, receives data via the second bus from a first memory, selectively routes the data to a first of the inputs, and selectively routes one of the outputs to a second of the inputs. The routing module selects the first and second of the inputs based on the first control signals.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Data processing systems that process complex data may perform several operations on the data. For example, systems that process video data and image data (collectively image data) (e.g., digitized photographs) may perform decoding, color space conversion (CSC), filtering, and scaling of the image data. Application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that are customized to perform the operations may be used to efficiently process the data.
Referring generally to FIGS. 1-3, different data processing system architectures are shown. In FIG. 1, a typical data processing system is shown. In FIG. 2, a data processing system utilizing a pipeline architecture is shown. In FIG. 3, an ASIC that utilizes the pipeline architecture to process image data is shown.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a data processing system (DPS) 10 is shown. The DPS 10 may process different types of data. For example, the DPS 10 may process image data comprising digital graphic images. The image data may conform to the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) standard. The DPS 10 may be used in handheld devices such as digital cameras and video recorders.
The DPS 10 may comprise a processor 12, a memory control module 13, a system memory 14, an I/O module 15, a data processing module (DPM) 16, and a system bus 18. The processor 12 may execute application programs including graphics-based applications. The memory control module 13 may control the system memory 14 and perform memory management functions. The I/O module 15 may receive image data from a source such as a camera (not shown). The image data may be stored in the system memory 14. The DPM 16 may communicate with the system memory 14 via the system bus 18 and process the image data. The DPM 16 may utilize direct memory access (DMA) to access the system memory 14.
Typically, the DPM 16 may comprise a plurality of processing modules 20-1, 20-2, . . . , 20-N (collectively processing modules 20), where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. For example, the processing modules 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 may include a decoder module, a CSC module, a filter module, and a scaling module, respectively (all not shown). A first processing module 20-1 comprising the decoder module may receive the image data from the system memory 14. The first processing module 20-1 may decode (i.e., uncompress) the image data and transfer the uncompressed data to the system memory 14. The second processing module 20-2 comprising the CSC module may receive the uncompressed data from the system memory 14. The second processing module 20-2 may perform CSC and transfer the color converted data to the system memory 14.
The processing by remaining processing modules 20 may continue until an Nth processing module 20-N generates and stores a final product of the image data in the system memory 14. For example, the final product be generated by the fourth processing module 20-4 comprising the scaling module and may contain uncompressed, color converted, filtered and scaled image data.
Thus, data may communicate via the system bus 18 2*N times between the system memory 14 and the DPM 16 when the DPM 16 comprises N processing modules 20. Transferring data 2*N times across the system bus 18 may adversely impact the bandwidth of the system bus 18. The impact may be reduced by using the pipeline architecture wherein individual first-in first-out (FIFO) buffers may be provided for each processing module 20. Instead of storing the data processed by each processing module 20 in the system memory 14, the FIFO buffer associated with each processing module 20 can store the data. Additionally, instead of receiving the data processed by a prior processing module 20 from the system memory 14, a subsequent processing module 20 may receive the data from the FIFO buffer of the preceding processing module 20.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a DPS 30 utilizing the pipeline architecture is shown. The DPS 30 may comprise the processor 12, the memory control module 13, the system memory 14, the I/O module 15, and a pipelined DPM 32. The pipelined DPM 32 may comprise a plurality of processing modules 36-1, 36-2, . . . , 36-N (collectively processing modules 36), where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The processing modules 36-1, 36-2, . . . , 36-N may include a decoder module, a color space converter module, a filter module, and a scaling module, respectively, where N=4. Each of the processing modules 36 is preceded by a FIFO buffer 34-1, 34-2, . . . , 34-N (collectively FIFO buffers 34), respectively. The FIFO buffer 34-1 is optional. The processing module 36-1 may receive data from the bus and the processing module 36-N may send data to the bus. A FIFO buffer may also be arranged at the output of the processing module 36-N. In other words, FIFO buffers may be arranged between the bus and the first/last modules are optional.
The processing modules 36 and the FIFO buffers 34 may be connected in series as shown and may have standard pipeline communication interfaces. Consequently, data needs to flow through the processing modules 36 and the FIFO buffers 34 (i.e., through the pipeline) in the sequence in which the processing modules 36 and the FIFO buffers 34 are connected.
Typically, the first FIFO module 34-1 may receive the image data from the system memory 14 and output the image data to a first processing module 36-1. The first processing module 36-1 comprising the decoder module may uncompress the image data and transfer the processed data to the second FIFO buffer 34-2. The second FIFO buffer 34-2 may output the uncompressed data to the second processing module 36-2. The second processing module 36-2 comprising the CSC module may perform CSC and output the color converted data to the subsequent FIFO buffer (not shown).
The processing by the remaining processing modules may continue in the sequence until an Nth processing module 36-N generates the final product of the image data. The final product is stored in the system memory 14. The final product may contain uncompressed, color converted, filtered and scaled image data.
Referring now to FIG. 3, an ASIC 50 that utilizes the pipeline architecture to process image data is shown. The ASIC 50 may comprise the processor 12, the memory control module 13, the I/O module 15, a DPM 51, and the system bus 18. The DPM 51 may comprise a decoder module 52, a CSC module 54, a filter module 56, and a scaling module 58 that communicate with the system bus. The ASIC 50 may communicate with the system memory 14 via the memory control module 13. The ASIC 50 may process the image data as follows.
The I/O module 15 may receive a compressed JPEG file. The file may comprise image data containing an 8.5″×11″ color image at 600 dpi. With 24 bit color and 10:1 compression ration, the file size may be 10.1 MB. The file may be stored in the system memory 14. The ASIC 50 may process the file to enlarge, shrink, or rotate the image, or alter colors of the image.
Specifically, the memory control module 13 may read the file from the system memory 14 by performing a DMA operation and forward the data in the file to the decoder module 52. The decoder module 52 may decode the data and generate uncompressed data. The uncompressed data may be very large (e.g., 101 MB). Accordingly, the memory control module 13 may write the 101 MB of uncompressed data back to the system memory 14 by performing a DMA operation. The DMA operation may be complex since the output of JPEG is an 8×8 array of pixels, and the JPEG data is not in raster order unless the DMA operation buffers and writes the array to several memory locations.
Subsequently, the memory control module 13 may perform another DMA operation, read the 101 MB of uncompressed data from the system memory 14, and forward the uncompressed data to the CSC module 54. After performing CSC, the CSC module 54 may forward the color converted data to the filter module 56. The filter module 56 may prepare multiple lines of the color converted data before applying a filter algorithm to the color converted data. A local SRAM buffer 57 associated with the filter module 56 may store the multiple lines during filtering.
After filtering, the filter module 56 may forward the filtered data to the scaling module 58. The scaling module 58 may scale the filtered data up or down depending on whether the image is to be enlarged or reduced. To perform scaling, at least one full line of the filtered data may have to be buffered. A local SRAM buffer 59 associated with the scaling module 58 may store the line during scaling.
After scaling, the memory control module 13 may write the scaled data back to the system memory 14 by performing another DMA operation. The DMA operation may be complex if the image is flipped or rotated, wherein the memory control module 13 receives data from the scaling module 58 and writes it in reverse line order in the system memory 14.
Thus, while the ASIC 50 processes the image data, the memory control module 13 may write large amounts of data twice to the system memory 14 and read the uncompressed data once from the system memory 14. Consequently, the adverse impact on the bandwidth of the system bus 18 may be somewhat reduced when the pipeline architecture is used. Also, the processing modules that process data and perform different functions on the data are connected to one another in a fixed order.


Disclosed is an oxide sensor in which O.sub.2 contained in a measurement gas introduced into a first chamber through a first diffusion rate-determining section is removed by the aid of a pumping voltage applied between pumping electrodes, and then the measurement gas is introduced into a second chamber through a second diffusion rate-determining section to remove excessive O.sub.2 by the aid of auxiliary pumping electrodes. A detecting electrode is arranged to satisfy d.gtoreq.t provided that d represents a distance from an end of the auxiliary pumping electrodes on the side of the second diffusion rate-determining section to an end of the detecting electrode on the side of the second diffusion rate-determining section, and t represents a height of the second chamber. A predetermined pumping voltage is applied to the detecting electrode to decompose oxides contained in the measurement gas by the aid of the detecting electrode or a catalyst. The amount of oxygen produced by the decomposition is measured to determine the concentration of the oxides. Accordingly, the amount of the oxides in the measurement gas can be measured extremely highly accurately without being affected by water and carbon dioxide contained in the measurement gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oxide sensor for measuring oxides such as NO, NO.sub.2, SO.sub.2, CO.sub.2, and H.sub.2 O contained in, for example, atmospheric air and exhaust gas discharged from vehicles or automobiles. In particular, the present invention relates to an oxide sensor for measuring NO and NO.sub.2.
2. Description of the Related Art
Exhaust gas, which is discharged, for example, from vehicles or automobiles such as gasoline-fueled automobiles and diesel powered automobiles, contains nitrogen oxides (NOx) such as nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2), as well as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), water (H.sub.2 O), hydrocarbon (CnHm), hydrogen (H.sub.2), oxygen (O.sub.2) and so on. In such exhaust gas, about 80% of the entire NOx is occupied by NO, and about 95% of the entire NOx is occupied by NO and NO.sub.2.
The three way catalyst, which is used to clean HC, CO, and NOx contained in the exhaust gas, exhibits its maximum cleaning efficiency in the vicinity of the theoretical air fuel ratio (A/F=14.6). If A/F is controlled to be not less than 16, the amount of produced NOx is decreased. However, the cleaning efficiency of the catalyst is lowered, and consequently the amount of discharged NOx is apt to increase.
Recently, in order to effectively utilize fossil fuel and avoid global warming, the market demand increases, for example, in that the discharge amount of CO.sub.2 should be suppressed. In order to respond to such a demand, it becomes more necessary to improve the fuel efficiency. In response to such a demand, for example, the lean burn engine and the catalyst for cleaning NOx are being researched. Especially, the need for a NOx sensor increases.
A conventional NOx analyzer has been hitherto known as an instrument for detecting NOx. The conventional NOx analyzer is operated to measure a characteristic inherent in NOx, based on the use of chemical luminous analysis. However, the conventional NOx analyzer is inconvenient in that the instrument itself is extremely large and expensive. The conventional NOx analyzer requires frequent maintenance because optical parts are used to detect NOx. Further, when the conventional NOx analyzer is used, any sampling operation should be performed for measurement of NOx, and hence it is impossible to directly insert a detecting element itself into a fluid. Therefore, the conventional NOx analyzer is not suitable for analyzing transient phenomena such as those occur in the exhaust gas discharged from an automobile, in which the condition frequently varies.
In order to dissolve the inconveniences as described above, there has been already suggested a sensor for measuring a desired gas component in exhaust gas by using a substrate comprising an oxygen ion-conductive solid electrolyte.
FIG. 14 shows a system of a gas analyzer disclosed in International Publication WO 95/30146. This apparatus comprises a first chamber 4 into which a measurement gas containing NO is introduced through a narrow hole 2, and a second chamber 8 into which the measurement gas is introduced from the first chamber 4 through a narrow hole 6. Wall surfaces for constructing the first and second chambers 4, 8 are composed of partition walls 10a, 10b made of zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) capable of transmitting oxygen ion. A pair of measuring electrodes 12a, 12b and a pair of measuring electrodes 14a, 14b for measuring the partial pressure of oxygen in the respective chambers are arranged on portions of one ZrO.sub.2 partition wall 10a corresponding to the first and second chambers 4, 8 respectively. A set of pumping electrodes 16a, 16b and a set of pumping electrodes 18a, 18b for pumping out O.sub.2 in the respective chambers to the outside of the chambers are arranged on the other ZrO.sub.2 partition wall 10b.
The gas analyzer thus constructed functions as follows. Namely, the partial pressure of oxygen contained in the measurement gas introduced into the first chamber 4 through the narrow hole 2 is detected by a voltmeter 20 as an electric potential difference generated between the measuring electrodes 12a, 12b. A voltage of 100 to 200 mV is applied between the pumping electrodes 16a, 16b by the aid of a power source 22 so that the electric potential difference is adjusted to have a predetermined value. Accordingly, O.sub.2 in the first chamber 4 is pumped out to the outside of the apparatus. The amount of pumped out oxygen can be measured by using an ammeter 24.
The measurement gas, from which almost all O.sub.2 has been removed, is introduced into the second chamber 8 through the narrow hole 6. In the second chamber 8, an electric potential difference generated between the measuring electrodes 14a, 14b is detected by a voltmeter 26. Thus the partial pressure of oxygen in the second chamber 8 is measured. On the other hand, NO contained in the measurement gas introduced into the second chamber 8 is decomposed as follows by the aid of a voltage applied between the pumping electrodes 18a, 18b by means of a power source 28: EQU NO.fwdarw.(1/2)N.sub.2 +(1/2)O.sub.2
O.sub.2 produced by the decomposition is pumped out to the outside of the second chamber 8 by the aid of the pumping electrodes 18a, 18b. A value of an electric current generated during this process is detected by an ammeter 30. Thus the concentration of NO contained in the measurement gas is measured.
However, in the case of the gas analyzer constructed as described above, if the concentration of oxygen contained in the measurement gas is high, O.sub.2 in the first chamber 4 cannot be sufficiently pumped out to the outside of the chamber 4 by the aid of the pumping electrodes 16a, 16b. As a result, unprocessed excessive O.sub.2 enters the second chamber 8 together with NO. Therefore, an error due to the unprocessed excessive O.sub.2 is included in the current value obtained by decomposition of NO.
Therefore, in order to remove excessive O.sub.2 introduced into the second chamber 8, a system may be conceived, in which an auxiliary pumping electrode is arranged in the second chamber 8, and the excessive O.sub.2 is removed to detect a partial pressure of oxygen based on only NO so that the concentration of NO is detected highly accurately.
However, in the case of the system constructed as described above, an inconvenience arises in that when a large amount of, for example, H.sub.2 O and CO.sub.2 is contained in the measurement gas, the measured value of NO is lowered in a degree corresponding to the amount of the contained gas described above.
Namely, parts of H.sub.2 O and CO.sub.2 introduced into the first chamber 4 are decomposed on the pumping electrode 16b in accordance with the following reaction formulas: EQU H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.H.sub.2 +(1/2)O.sub.2 EQU CO.sub.2 .fwdarw.CO+(1/2)O.sub.2
O.sub.2 produced by the decomposition is pumped out to the outside by the aid of the pumping electrodes 16a, 16b, while H.sub.2 and CO as inflammable gases are introduced into the second chamber 8. In such a situation, if the H.sub.2 and CO introduced into the second chamber 8 arrive at the pumping electrode 18b without being oxidized, the H.sub.2 and CO react with O.sub.2 produced by decomposition of NO by the aid of the pumping electrode 18b. If such reactions occur, the amount of O.sub.2 pumped out to the outside of the second chamber 8 by the pumping electrode 18a, 18b is decreased. Therefore, the current flowing through the ammeter 30 is also decreased. It is noted that the amounts of H.sub.2 and CO which enter the second chamber 8 vary depending on the concentration of H.sub.2 O and CO.sub.2 in the measurement gas. Therefore, the amount of oxygen decreased upon being pumped out to the outside of the second chamber 8 is not constant, and hence it is difficult to measure the concentration of NO highly accurately.


This invention is about a method for the prenatal diagnosis of preterm delivery, fetal infection, and fetal damage, and diagnostic reagent system and diagnostic kit for the diagnosis. The method, diagnostic reagent system, and kit are based on the finding that the level of MMP-8 in the amniotic fluid is significantly higher when the pregnant woman is at risk for preterm delivery, intrauterine infection, and fetal damage. The diagnostic reagent system and kit can be applied to patients with or without clinical signs of preterm labor or premature rupture of fetal membranes. With its superiority in sensitivity and specificity as well as its less invasiveness compared to the conventional method of measuring fetal blood cytokine levels, this diagnostic reagent system and kit is very useful in the prenatal diagnosis of preterm delivery, fetal infection, and fetal damage.

It has long been recognized in the medical world that the prevention of preterm delivery or premature rupture of fetal membranes is preferred to the post-treatment thereof. However, a great variety of factors are now known to cause preterm delivery or premature rupture of fetal membranes, making it difficult to prevent these undesirable events. The traditional approach to the prevention of preterm delivery has been identifying a high-risk group of women to which special attention should be paid based on the knowledge of obstetrics and gynecology, demography, and various syndromes (Main et al., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 151:892-898, 1985). However, this approach has the problem of being neither sensitive nor specific. To circumvent this problem, extensive research has been directed to finding biochemical markers for the prediction of impending preterm delivery and premature rupture of fetal membranes, resulting in the nomination of plasma estradiol-17 beta, progesterone, C-reactive protein as promising candidates. However, these candidates were found to be of poor accuracy.
Besides the identification of such biochemical predictable markers, significant attention has been paid to the biochemical role of collagen, based on the fact that the chorionic membrane is composed of fibrous connective tissue and the tensile strength of fibrous connective tissue is determined by its collagen content, as revealed through studies of the premature rupture of fetal membranes. On the basis of their findings that prematurely ruptured fetal membranes have low collagen content compared to normal membranes, some scientists concluded that the premature rupture of fetal membranes is attributable to their low tensile strength compared to that of normal fetal membranes (Obstet. Gynecol., 57:487-89, 1981). According to another study, it has been reported that the serum activity of collagenase was high in prematurely ruptured fetal membranes and preterm labor (Obstet. Gynecol., 75:84-88, 1990). However, the precise mechanism of such biochemical changes has not yet been elucidated (FEBBS Letters, 244(2):315-318, 1989).
Statistically, the frequency of preterm delivery before 37 weeks of gestation is estimated to be about 8 to 10%. In Korea, about 50,000 neonates are prematurely delivered every year. Preterm delivery often causes serious neonatal complications including sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis and cerebral palsy. The frequency and severity of such sequelae is greater the earlier the preterm delivery. Therefore, if preterm delivery is prevented, it will be possible to remarkably reduce the occurrence of premature neonates disabled by such diseases.
Recent reports disclose that at least 30 to 40% of preterm deliveries are associated with intrauterine infection (Butler N R., Bonham D G., Prenatal mortality. The first report of the British perinatal mortality survey, Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone, 115-145, 1963; Romero R., Avila C., Sepulveda W., Preterm birth. Cause, prevention, and management., McGrow-Hill Company, 97-136, 1993; Romero R., Mazor M., Clin. Obstet. Gynecol., 31:553, 1990; Gibbs R S., Romero R., Hiller S L., et al., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 166:1515, 1992).
Intrauterine infection may cause fetal damage by the following process. Intrauterine infection activates the maternal and fetal immune system to secrete inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines from lymphocytes and MMPs (matrix-metalloproteinases) from neutrophils. When the inflammatory mediators reach a certain level, prostaglandin, which promotes uterine contraction, is produced causing active labor leading to preterm delivery. Additionally, increased levels of inflammatory mediators cause the fetus to be affected by fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS). Inflammatory mediators cause sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome or damage organs as a result of autoimmune diseases in adults. Likewise, fetal organs can be systemically injured by inflammatory mediators, resulting in brain white matter lesions and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Therefore, the prenatal diagnosis of intrauterine inflammation is essential for the prevention of preterm delivery and fetal damage.
Generally, the prenatal diagnostic methods of intrauterine fetal infection in current use are cordocentesis, in which fetal blood cytokine levels are measured, and histologic examination of the umbilical cord to identify funisitis. However, cordocentesis is limited in its usage due to its invasiveness, and funisitis can be diagnosed only after delivery (Yoon B H., Romero R., Park J S., Kim C J., Choi J H., Han T R., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 182:675-81, 2000; Yoon B H., Romero R., Kim K S., Park J S., Ki S H., Kim B I., Jun J K., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 181:773-9, 1999; Romero R., Gomez R., Ghezzi F., Yoon B H., Mazor M., Edwin S S., Berry S M., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 179:186-93, 1998).
The white blood cell count in the amniotic fluid is increased in cases of infection or inflammation of the amniotic cavity. Neutrophils in the amniotic fluid are considered to be of fetal origin (Knauper V., Kramer S., Reinke H., Tschesche H., Eur. J. Biochem., 189:295-300, 1990; Blaser J., Triebel S., Massjosthusmann U., Romisch J., Krahl-Mateblowski U., Freudenberg W., Fricke R., Tschesche H., Clinic. Chim. Acta., 244:17-33, 1996; Segura-Valdez L., Pardo A., Gaxiola M., Uhal B D., Becerril C., Selman M., Chest., 117:684-94, 2000; Romanelli R., Mancini S., Laschinger C., Overall C M., Sodex J., MaCulloch C A., Infect. Immun., 67:2319-26, 1999; Maymon E., Romero R., Pacora P., Gomez R., Athayde N., Edwin S., Yoon B H., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 183:94-9, 2000). Therefore, it is postulated that secretory products of neutrophils in amniotic fluid might reflect a fetal inflammatory response. The focus of the present invention is the level of MMP-8 in the amniotic fluid. The determination of MMP-8 in amniotic fluid may be a marker of the fetal inflammatory response syndrome which can be diagnosed currently by histologic examination of the umbilical cord after delivery or by cordocentesis with the determination of fetal blood cytokines.
MMP (matrix metalloproteinase) series, also collectively known as matrixins, are zinc-dependent endopeptidases that function to degrade extracellular matrix proteins. These proteases constitute a large and growing family of proteins which share similar structures and enzymatic properties. MMPs are broadly classified into five groups. Along with MMP-1 and MMP-13, MMP-8 belongs to an interstitial collagenase group. MMP-8 is similar in size to other interstitial collagenases but is glycosylated to a far greater extent. A fully glycosylated proenzyme form of MMP-8 has a molecular weight of 85 kDa. The proenzyme is converted into an active form of 60-70 kDa with the loss of a 15-25 kDa segment. ProMMP-8 is activated in vitro by various proteinases, including trypsin, chymotrypsin and cathepsin G. Organomercurial compounds were also found to activate proMMP-8. The activation mechanism of MMP-8 in vivo has not yet been fully clarified.
The prior technique concerning MMP-8 is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,341, which discloses methods and test kits capable of sensitive and specific diagnosis of periodontal diseases based on monoclonal antibodies against MMP-8. The patent describes that since MMP-8 is directly associated with the destruction of periodontal connective tissues during the progression of periodontitis and diffused into the oral cavity through the gingival pocket containing gingival crevicular fluid, measurement of the MMP-8 level in the oral cavity enables the site-specific diagnosis of periodontitis. For the specific and sensitive biochemical detection of periodontal diseases in progression, these methods measure the conversion of a proform of MMP-8 into an active form because the conversion takes place during the process of periodontal infection. Nothing is mentioned about the use of MMP-8 in connection with preterm delivery and fetal infection and damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,636 refers to a method of predicting the onset of fetal membrane rupture based on the activity of another matrix collagenase, MMP-9, which belongs to a different group of enzymes from that of MMP-8. MMP-9 is a 92-kDa type IV collagenase/gelatinase or gelatinase B with the largest molecular weight among MMPs. For activation, the proenzyme form of MMP-9, i.e. proMMP-9, is initially cleaved into an intermediate active form of about 83 kDa with concurrent production of a 9 kDa inactive cleavage fragment. The intermediate active form is further processed proteolytically into an active form of MMP-9 with 67 kDa (J. Biol. Chem., 267 (30):21712-21719, 1992). The activation of MMP-9 means the conversion into the 83 kDa intermediate active form or the 67 kDa fully active form with gelatin degradation activity. This patent measures the hydrolytic activity of MMP-9 in degrading denatured collagens, e.g. gelatins, to diagnose the premature rupture of fetal membranes. However, because MMP-9 is already present in the amniotic fluid before the onset of parturition, this method has limited value in predicting the premature rupture of fetal membranes.
Approximately 30 to 40% of patients with preterm labor or premature rupture of fetal membranes undergo preterm delivery. In this condition, various substances, including interleukin-6, interleukin-8, TNF-α, interleukin-1β, GROα, RANTES, white blood cells, MIP-1α, MCP-1, glucose, PGE2, and angiogenin, are known to be present at increased levels in the amniotic fluid. However, these substances are of poor utility for the prediction of preterm delivery because their levels remain unchanged or are not detected in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women without clinical signs of preterm labor and are increased only after the onset of preterm labor or premature fetal membrane rupture.

Diagnostic agents for the prenatal diagnosis of preterm delivery, fetal infection, and fetal damage, and diagnostic kit containing the same

Seoul National University Industry Foundation


A radio transmitter/receiver having a QoS control unit for outputting the transmission data in order taking the quality of service (QoS) into consideration. In the case where the information transmission rate for a radio section is not lower than a threshold value, the QoS control operation of the transmission data is omitted, and the transmission data are output in the order of input. In the case where the information transmission rate for the radio section is lower than the threshold value, on the other hand, the QoS control mode is switched in accordance with the information transmission rate for the radio section.

The present invention relates to a radio transmitter/receiver, or in particular to the QoS (Quality of Service) control of the transmission data in a radio transmitter/receiver.
In recent years, IP (internet protocol) has come to be employed for more and more networks with the extension of the internet and an inexpensive IP communication network. In the IP network, data are delivered to a destination from a transmitter in accordance with the IP. The IP is a protocol for a network layer (third layer) in the OSI reference model. Upper protocols include a TCP (transmission control protocol) and a UDP (user datagram protocol) in the transport (fourth) layer. The TCP and UDP have the function of acting as an intermediary between the IP and an application program. The protocols lower than IP, on the other hand, include those for a data link layer (second layer) and a physical layer (first layer). The Ethernet defined under IEEE802.3 and the radio LAN defined under IEEE802.11 are examples.
The radio LAN technique is used also for radio access to realize a subscriber network by radio, and various applications (including the WEB access, IP telephone and TV conference) have become possible to execute with the IP network in both a radio system and a wire system. Applications include those requiring the real-time operation such as video distribution and IP telephone, and those requiring no real-time operation such as the file data downloading.
In the IP network, on the other hand, in order to deliver time critical data such as the voice and video to the destination device within a predetermined time, the QoS control operation is used in which the transmission data are classified according to traffic type in the network and transferred by each node taking the QoS into consideration. The QoS control technique well known for the IP network includes, for example, MPLS or DiffServ at the network layer level and IEEE802.1D at the data link layer level.
The disclosure of IEEE802.1D is hereby incorporated by reference.
MPLS is described, for example, in "Multipleprotocol Label Switching Architecture" by E. Rosen et al., RFC3031, pp. 8-11, January 2001. DiffServ, on the other hand, is described, for example, in "An Architecture for Differentiated Services" by S. Blake et al., RFC2475, pp. 10-18, December 1998.
IEEE802.1D concerns a QoS control technique for the wire LAN, and implemented in such a manner that a priority indication label is attached to the header of the Ethernet frame, for example, and each bridge unit sets the transfer frames in a queue in the order of priority. According to IEEE802.1D, as shown in the priority classification of FIG. 13, for example, the traffic is divided into seven types 311 including "network control", "voice", "video", "controlled load", "excellent effort", "best effort" and "background", and the priority 312 is defined for each traffic type.
The "network control" is the traffic required for maintaining the network environment and handled with the highest priority "7". The "voice" and "video" which are limited in delay time and jitters, on the other hand, have the next highest priority of "6" and "5", respectively, following the network control. These traffic types are followed by the "controlled load", the "excellent effort", the "best effort" and the "background" in that order of priority. The priority of the normal LAN traffic including the mail and WEB are set in the category of "best effort".
In radio communication, on the other hand, an adaptive modulation system has been proposed in which high-speed communication is established under satisfactory conditions of the radio section, while the communication rate is reduced in a deteriorated radio environment. Refer, for example, to "Symbol Rate and Modulation Level-Controlled Adaptive Modulation/TDMA/TDD System for High-Bit-Rate Wireless Data Transmission" by Toyoki Ue et al., IEEE Trans. on Vehicular Technology, Vol. 47, November 1998, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, and JP-A-10-93650, JP-A-2002-290246 and JP-A-2002-199033.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

QoS control method for transmission data for radio transmitter and radio receiver using the method


A device for storing and reading data media such as disks read by laser beam comprises at least one column of storage platters mobile in their own planes, a transfer system mounted to move parallel to the column and at least one player provided with a drawer adapted to be placed facing a predetermined position of the transfer system. The device preferably comprises a plurality of columns of storage platters mounted on a rotatable assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device for storing and reading flat data media such as disks read by a laser beam, for example; it is more particularly concerned with a device of this kind in which a large number of such data media can be stored under optimum conditions whilst providing fast access to any one of them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In just a few years compact disks read by a laser beam have largely supplanted vinyl disks. Entire record collections have been quickly replaced by private individuals and by radio and TV studios, such are the numerous advantages of this data medium. However, managing a large number of these disks is not so simple because of their compact size. The information printed on the case of a compact disk is necessarily printed in very small type and, failing a strictly alphabetical filing system, it is by no means uncommon to have to spend some time looking for a particular title among all the disks disposed side by side on a shelf. Any filing error requires a time consuming and fiddly search to locate the misfiled disk.
To provide for a relatively long playing time, for example for listening to a work recorded on more than one disk, some player manufacturers offer systems which can automatically change a limited number of disks. A cartridge capable of holding several disks can be filled by the user who is provided with appropriate programming means for playing the disks in given order. This system makes it necessary to manipulate the disks, however. They must be taken out of their case, inserted into the cartridge and then, once they have been listened to, they must be manually removed from the cartridge, put away one by one in their case and the latter put away in turn. All these operations are time consuming, fiddly and prone to error.
The invention proposes a different concept enabling all the data media (typically disks) to be stored so that they are available to the user in a common and compact cabinet in which they are stored under optimum conditions and protected from mishandling and also enabling this storage system to have integrated into it means for automatically manipulating the data media to move them between their respective storage location and one or more data media playback devices.

Device for storing and reading flat data media


A automated banking machine (10) and method of operating the machine is provided. The method comprises causing with a terminal application, at least one transaction function device of the automated banking machine to operate through at least one communication with an XFS layer of the automated banking machine. The automated banking machine may include a cash dispenser and the transaction function may include dispensing cash. The method further comprises causing with at least one diagnostic application, at least one internal component of the at least one transaction function device to perform at least one function without communicating with the at least one transaction function device through the XFS layer. The internal function may include operating a motor or sensor of the cash dispenser.

Automated banking machines are known. A common type of automated banking machine used by consumers is an automated teller machine ("ATM"). ATMs enable customers to carry out banking transactions. Examples of banking transactions that are sometimes carried out with ATMs include the dispensing of cash, the making of deposits, the transfer of funds between accounts, the payment of bills, the cashing of checks, the purchase of money orders, the purchase of stamps, the purchase of tickets, the purchase of phone cards and account balance inquiries. The types of banking transactions a customer can carry out at an ATM are determined by the particular banking machine, the system in which it is connected and the programming of the machine by the entity responsible for its operation.
Other types of automated banking machines may be operated in other types of environments. For example certain types of automated banking machines may be used in a customer service environment. For example certain types of automated banking machines may be used for purposes of counting currency or other items that are received from or which are to be given to a customer. Other types of automated banking machines may be used to validate items which provide the customer with access, value or privileges such as tickets, vouchers, checks or other financial instruments. Other examples of automated banking machines may include machines which are operative to provide users with the right to merchandise or services in an attended or a self-service environment. For purposes of this disclosure an automated banking machine shall be deemed to include any machine which may be operated to carry out transactions including transfers of value.
ATMs may include various types of transaction function devices. These devices are operated to carry out transactions. Different types of ATMs include different types of devices. The different types of devices enable the ATM to carry out different types of transactions. For example, some types of ATMs include a depository for accepting deposits while other ATMs do not. Some ATMs have a "touch screen" while others have separate displays and input buttons. ATMs can also be fitted with devices such as cash and coin acceptors, statement printers, check validators, bill acceptors, thumb print readers and other types of devices, while other ATMs do not include such devices.
Many financial institutions wish to add new functionality to their existing ATMs. For example, a bank with ATMs for dispensing cash may wish to add a statement printer to each of the ATMs for printing a customer's banking statement. Such new functionality usually requires additional software modifications to the ATM in addition to the new hardware. Unfortunately, the process of updating ATM software is typically complicated by the fact that many financial institutions purchase ATM hardware from more than one manufacturer. Thus, to add new software for performing a new function such as printing banking statements, separate applications must be written or modified for each vendor-specific ATM platform. Compounding this complexity, vendor-specific ATM platforms may similarly incorporate transaction function devices from a variety of other sources so within a vendor-specific ATM platform, significant variation may also be present in vendor-specific transaction function device drivers. Porting applications to multiple ATM platforms, significantly reduces the productivity of the ATM software developers. Consequently, there exists a need for an architecture that enables developers to write ATM applications that work with minimal modification on a plurality of proprietary ATM platforms, with a plurality of proprietary transaction function devices.
To achieve this goal, industry standards are being developed which are designed to enable ATM hardware and software to be cross-vendor compatible. One example of such a standard is WOSA/XFS (Windows Open Services Architecture/eXtensions for Financial Services) which is defined by the CEN/ISSS XFS standard committee. FIG. 26 shows a schematic view of an exemplary WOSA/XFS architecture. An exemplary WOSA/XFS enabled ATM 1110 may include a WOSA/XFS Manager 1112. The WOSA/XFS Manager 1112 includes a standardized interface to enable an ATM terminal application 1114 to communicate with ATM transaction function devices 1116. Each transaction function device 1116 includes a corresponding service provider interface component 1118. The service providers 1118 are supplied by the vendors of the ATM devices 1116 and are specially designed to accept requests from the WOSA/XFS Manager 1112 and pass those requests on to the corresponding device 1116. Theoretically, the ATM terminal application 1114 will be able to run on any vendor's ATM hardware 120 as long as both the ATM terminal application 1114 and the vendor's implementation of the service providers 1118 adhere to the WOSA/XFS specifications.
Another example of an emerging industrial standard for an ATM hardware/software architecture is J/XFS (Java/eXtensions for Financial Services). Unlike WOSA-XFS which is designed for Microsoft Windows® platforms only, J/XFS is a Java-based architecture that may be implemented on any hardware/software platform that supports a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). As shown in FIG. 27, an exemplary J/XFS enabled ATM 1210 may include a J/XFS Kernel. The J/XFS Kernel is similar in functionality to the previously described WOSA/XFS Manager 1112, however the J/XFS Kernel runs in a JVM 1224. The J/XFS Kernel is operative responsive to commands from an ATM terminal application 1214 to have a device service layer 1220 control the operation of ATM devices 1216. Like the previously described service providers 1118, the device service layer 1220 includes vendor provided device services 1218 that correspond to the vendor's hardware devices 1216.
In general the previously described XFS architectures define a standard for the lowest common denominator of ATM hardware features. Unfortunately, by including only those features that are common to all ATM hardware devices, the XFS standards cannot include interfaces to unique features associated with a vendor's particular implementation of a transaction function device. One example of unique features that are not implemented in the XFS interfaces includes access to low level diagnostic testing of individual hardware components of a device. Such control over low level hardware functionality can be very useful when troubleshooting problems with a specific component such as a motor or sensor. Unfortunately, as each vendor may mechanically and/or electronically construct a particular type of device completely differently than another vendor, the XFS standards have not attempted to implement methods for testing low level vendor specific hardware.
It is desirable to keep automated banking machines in operation at all appropriate times to the extent possible. If a machine should experience a malfunction, it is useful to return the machine to service as quickly as possible. The inability to perform low-level diagnostic testing, and the wide variation in vendor developed transaction function device diagnostic testing methods and capabilities may create significant delays in diagnosing and resolving such malfunctions. Thus there exists a need for low level diagnostic tools and testing of ATM hardware which may be used in either single vendor or cross-vendor XFS enabled terminals. There further exists a need for improvements in the operation, reliability, servicing and repair of automated banking machines.

Cash dispensing automated banking machine diagnostic system and method

Diebold Self-Service Systems divison of Diebold, Incorporated


Disclosed is an electronic switch. The electronic switch includes a fixed contact point; a movable contact point; and an actuating unit for moving the movable contact point, wherein at least one gas inflow space is formed in at least one of the fixed and movable contact points, a gas which is injected into a space where the fixed and movable contact points make contact with or are separated from each other flows into the at least one gas inflow space while the fixed and movable contact points make contact with each other, and the gas in the at least one gas inflow space is exhausted to the space where the fixed and movable contact points make contact with or are separated from each other while the fixed and movable contact points are separated from each other.

The disclosure relates to an electronic switch.
An electronic switch is a kind of an electrical contact switching device for supplying or shutting off current, and is installed in various industrial equipments, machines or vehicles. Such an electronic switch includes a fixed contact point and a movable contact point which selectively make contact with each other, and an electric actuator for driving the movable contact point according to an electrical signal in order to allow the fixed and movable contact points to make contact with each other or to be separated from each other.
As generally known in the art, the electric actuator includes a coil for generating electromagnetic force, a fixed core fixed in the coil, a movable core movable closely to or away from the fixed core, a movable rod which moves in connection with the movement of the movable core and to which the movable contact point is fixed, and a return spring for applying elastic force to the movable core in order to allow the movable core to move away from the fixed core.
In this case, if power is applied to the coil, the magnetic field is generated from the coil and the movable core moves toward the fixed core while overcoming the elastic force of the return spring by Fleming's left-hand rule. Thus, the movable rod moves in the same direction with the movable core, so that the movable contact point makes contact with the fixed contact point.
To the contrary, if the power applied to the coil is shut off, the movable core moves away from the fixed core due to the elastic force of the return spring. Thus, the movable rod moves in the same direction with the movable core, so that the movable contact point is separated from the fixed contact point.
According to the related art described above, the movable contract point is separated from the fixed contact point only by the elastic power of the return spring. Thus, since the fixed contact point is not rapidly separated from the fixed contact point, arc having the high temperature is generated while the fixed and movable contact points are being separated from each other, so that the fixed contact point and/or the movable contact point may be damaged.


A method of making a drug eluting stent comprises forming a porous stent body surface layer by ion implantation, applying a layer of ceramic particles on the porous layer and compressing the layer of ceramic particles. The layer of ceramic particles can be compressed to successively higher densities. Drugs can be loaded into the layer of ceramic materials at a relatively low density before the layer of ceramic materials is compressed to a higher density to achieve a desired low drug release rate.

Stents are prosthetic devices typically intraluminally placed by a catheter within a vein, artery, or other tubular body organ for treating conditions such as, occlusions, stenoses, aneurysms, dissection, or weakened, diseased, or abnormally dilated vessels or vessel walls, by expanding vessels or by reinforcing vessel walls. Stents can improve angioplasty results by preventing elastic recoil and remodeling of the vessel wall and treating dissections in blood vessel walls caused by balloon angioplasty of coronary arteries.
Stents are typically tubular and expandable from a collapsed state to an expanded state. In a typical operation to implant a stent, the stent is initially configured in the collapsed state, with a cross-sectional size sufficiently small for ease of passage to the intended site. After the stent reaches the intended site, the stent is typically deformed to increase its cross-sectional size to fully engage the stent with the surrounding tissues. The stent thereafter remains in place in the expanded state.
In some cases, stents are impregnated with drugs, i.e., therapeutic agents, to be released over time to treat various conditions. Drugs are typically dispersed in porous drug reservoir layers formed on the surfaces of metallic stent bodies. Bonding between the drug reservoir layers and the stent bodies is of significant concern as the stents typically undergo significant deformation during deployment, and detachment of the drug reservoir layers from the stent bodies would generally be undesirable.
While conventional stent technology is relatively well developed, technologies related to drug-delivering stents are still being developed.

Stents with ceramic drug reservoir layer and methods of making and using the same


The present invention relates to a control method for a communication network that has a transmitter with an array of transmit antennas and that has at least one receiver communicating with the transmitter. The receiver performs a channel measurement for a receive antenna of the receiver using a signal transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver. The receiver further determines channel coefficients for each of an array of transmit antennas at the transmitter from an output of the channel measurement, and then applies a linear, reversible and orthogonal transform to the channel coefficients, thus ascertaining channel component coefficients indicative of the individual weight of respective channel components in a transform domain. The receiver then selects one or more channel components in the transform domain and communicates to the transmitter a control signal indicative of one or more preferred channel components or a magnitude of one or more channel component coefficients, or both, in quantized form. The transmitter receives the control signal and constructs a beam pattern in the transform domain using the information received from the receiver.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a technology for next generation wireless systems to enhance the capacity and robustness of the communication link. MIMO technology is based on the presence of multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas in the communication link. Application of MIMO technology is envisioned for cellular communication, broadband wireless access, as well as for wireless local area networks (WLANs). A plurality of two or more transmit antennas is also referred to as an array of transmit antennas herein.
The benefits of MIMO communication are obtained through a combination of antenna arrays that provide spatial diversity from the propagation channel and algorithms that can adapt to the changing multivariate channel.
In future mobile systems and in the long-term evolution of the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS LTE) the use of multiple-antenna techniques will become increasingly important to meet spectral efficiency requirements. A significant gain in spectral efficiency can be achieved in a downlink transmission by multiplexing multiple codewords in the spatial domain to either a single user or multiple users sharing the same time-frequency resource block. These single-user or multi-user MIMO schemes exploiting the multiplexing gain of multi-antenna transmission are sometimes referred to as spatial division multiplexing (SDM) and spatial division multiple access (SDMA) techniques. An SDMA scheme enables multiple users within the same radio cell to be accommodated on the same frequency or time slot. The realization of this technique can be accomplished by using an antenna array, which is capable of modifying its time, frequency, and spatial response by means of the amplitude and phase weighting and an internal feedback control.
Beamforming is a method used to create a radiation pattern of the antenna array by constructively adding the phases of the signals in the direction of the communication targets (terminal devices) desired, and nulling the pattern of the communication targets that are undesired or interfering.
In this context, the beamforming vector plays an important role. For purposes of illustration of the meaning of the beamforming vector, in an exemplary single-user communication system employing transmit beamforming and receive combining, assuming that signaling is done using M transmit and N receive antennas, the input-output relationship of this communication system is given by:y=zHHwx+zHn where H is a N×M channel matrix connecting the transmitter and the receiver, z is the receive combining vector, zH is its Hermitian transpose, w is the transmit beamforming vector, x is the transmitted symbol from a chosen constellation, and n is independent noise added at the receiver.
One of the challenges in the design of the beamforming vectors for SDM and SDMA techniques is the need for the base station to know the channels for all the users and receiving antennas of each user. This would require a large amount of feedback to be signaled from the users to the base station.
Solutions have been proposed to reduce this signaling information by introducing a codebook of few possible beamforming matrices. Each user then applies a greedy procedure to select one or more preferred beamforming vectors out of the codebook, by evaluating the Signal-to-Noise-Ratios (SINRs) of different beamforming combinations. Thus, each user has to signal one or several indexes of the preferred vector or vectors, respectively, plus one or more Channel-Quality-Indicator (CQI) values, indicating the corresponding SINRs.
An issue with codebook-based solutions is that the beamforming vectors are not jointly optimized according to the channel conditions. The base station uses the feedback information from the users only to schedule transmission to the set of users reporting the best CQI values.
Alternatively, significant gain in the cell throughput can be achieved if the base station could implement an ad-hoc design of the beamformer. This is possible, for example, if the users report all the channel coefficients, after some quantization operation. However, this requires signaling as many complex values as the product, MN, between the number M of transmit antennas and the number N of receive antennas per user.

Transform-domain feedback signaling for MIMO communication


A device and method for marking a horizontal surface, such as a roadway, and applying reflective particles to the marked surface. The device monitors the flow of the reflective particles and warns an operator when the flow is interrupted. This device prevents remarking of the surface caused by interruptions in the flow of particles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for applying glass beads to a surface. More particularly, this invention relates to a sensor for a glass bead application system which monitors the application of glass beads to a road.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of glass beads in marking a surface is well known as can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,821,890; 3,057,273; 3,286,605; and 4,856,931.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,890 to Wilson teaches marking a road or highway surface with a coating material having small particles intimately mixed therewith. The small particles are made of a reflective material, for example, glass spheres, that have an auto-collimating that is effective in outlining traffic lanes during the evening when headlights or overhead lights reflect from the striping. However, this patent does not provide any means for monitoring the supply of reflective material. Hence, it is possible that the device could run out of the reflective particles, but marking of the roadway would continue as the person utilizing the equipment may not be aware that the flow of reflective material has ceased.
U.S Pat. No. 3,057,273, also to Wilson, suffers from the same deficiency as the device described above. That is, without means to monitor the supply of reflective material, it is quite possible that the roadway could be marked with a paint having no reflective particles combined therewith. This deficiency is particularly evident where the reflectivity of the marker is produced immediately upon application with a spray gun that ejects glass spheres onto the painted marker. These spheres are larger in size than those which are admixed to the paint itself. Where the topical application of reflective particles ceases, markings are produced which are not reflective until highly worn to thus expose the smaller particles premixed with the paint.
Wilson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,605, teaches an apparatus and a method for marking the surface of a road. This patent suffers from the same problem as the two Wilson patents discussed above. That is, there is no way of monitoring the stream produced by spray gun, and it possible that the supply of glass particles will cease, unnoticed, resulting in only paint being applied to the roadway.
Even further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,931 to Bollag teaches a device that lays a marking line. The line is first sprayed on the surface by spray gun. The painted is has reflective beads mixed therein. Subsequent to the painting of the line, reflective beads are applied with the beads adhering to the painted line. However, no device or method is suggested for monitoring the supply or flow of the reflective beads.


A high speed input buffer of the type having a first connection in electrical communication with a positive voltage source and a second connection in electrical communication with a negative voltage source. A first native transistor is functionally disposed between the positive voltage source and the first connection. A first contact of the first native transistor is electrically connected to the positive voltage source and a second contact of the first native transistor is electrically connected to the first connection. A second native transistor is functionally disposed between the negative voltage source and the second connection. A first contact of the second native transistor is electrically connected to the negative voltage source and a second contact of the second native transistor is electrically connected to the second connection.

This invention relates to the field of integrated circuits. More particularly the invention relates to voltage tolerant high speed input circuits.
The input circuits of an integrated circuit are particularly susceptible to overvoltage conditions, because they are directly connected to devices that are external to the integrated circuit. Therefore, they may receive voltage spikes both during normal operation of the system of which they are a part, and when abnormal conditions are present. For example, when components within the system are powered up or powered down, voltage spikes may be generated along the buss that ties the various components together. The input buffers need to be resilient to these voltage spikes, in order to protect the rest of the circuits of the integrated circuit in which they reside.
Various input buffer designs have been developed to protect an integrated circuit from the damage that is created by overvoltage. However, these designs tend to impede the desired operation of the input circuit as a whole, in that the buffer tends to not propagate a signal with the speed that is required by modern electrical systems.
What is needed, therefore, is an input buffer design that protects an integrated circuit from overvoltage conditions, and does so without unduly compromising the speed of the input buffer.
The above and other needs are met by an improvement in a high speed input buffer of the type having a first connection in electrical communication with a positive voltage source and a second connection in electrical communication with a negative voltage source. A first native transistor is functionally disposed between the positive voltage source and the first connection. A first contact of the first native transistor is electrically connected to the positive voltage source and a second contact of the first native transistor is electrically connected to the first connection. A second native transistor is functionally disposed between the negative voltage source and the second connection. A first contact of the second native transistor is electrically connected to the negative voltage source and a second contact of the second native transistor is electrically connected to the second connection.
Thus, the input buffer of the present invention avoids various problems associated with prior art devices by utilizing native pass gate transistors between the buffer circuit and the high and low voltage input pads. Using native pass gate transistors in this manner advantageously limits the voltage exposure of the input buffer to a value that is relatively close to, but preferably no more than the value of the supply voltage. The threshold voltage and the back bias coefficient of threshold voltage of the native pass gate transistors are preferably very low, such that the transistors are able to pass voltages all the way to the supply voltage.
In various preferred embodiments, one or both of the first native transistor and the second native transistor are native NMOS transistors. The high speed input buffer alternately includes at least one leakage element having a first electrical connection and a second electrical connection. The first electrical connection of the leakage element is electrically connected to the second contact of the first native transistor and the second electrical connection of the leakage element is electrically connected to a VSS line. Alternately or additionally, the first electrical connection of the leakage element is electrically connected to the second contact of the second native transistor and the second electrical connection of the leakage element is electrically connected to a VSS line. The leakage element or elements may be one or more of either a resistor or an NMOS transistor, where a gate contact of the NMOS transistor is also electrically connected the second contact of either the first or second native transistor with which it is associated.


Provided herein is technology relating to the amplification-based detection of nucleic acids and particularly, but not exclusively, to methods and compositions for minimizing variability in the activity between different samples or manufacturing lots of DNA polymerases, such as Taq DNA polymerase.

Methods for the quantification of nucleic acids are important in many areas of molecular biology and in particular for molecular diagnostics. At the DNA level such methods are used, for example, to determine the copy numbers of gene sequences amplified in the genome. Further, methods for the quantification of nucleic acids are used to determine mRNA quantities as a measure of gene expression.
Among the number of different analytical methods that detect and quantify nucleic acids or nucleic acid sequences, variants of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have become the most powerful and widespread technology, the principles of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195; 4,683,202; and 4,965,188. Automated methods of amplification typically rely on the use of thermostable DNA polymerases, e.g., from Thermus aquaticus and other thermophilic organisms, or engineered by truncation, modification, or chimerization of proteins from thermophilic organisms. Accordingly, many manufacturers now produce thermostable polymerases from a variety of sources. For example, the DNA polymerase I from Thermus aquaticus ("Taq" polymerase) is produced by a number of different manufacturers and one concern is the variability in the activity of such enzymes between the producers of the enzyme, and/or between different lots of enzyme from a single producer.
In order to minimize the consequences of spurious reactions at temperatures below the optimal PCR conditions, such as during reaction set up, a number of methods have been developed for suppressing the activity of the Taq polymerase prior to the desired start of the reaction, known collectively as "hot start PCR" or "hot start Taq." These include chemical modification of the Taq (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,677,152 and 5,773,258), binding antibody to the Taq enzyme (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,338,671 and 5,587,287), and aptamer binding to the Taq (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,693,502 and 6,020,130, as well as others methods of hot start. One of the practical consequences of hot start technology is that assaying and adjusting the activity of the Taq enzyme becomes technically more challenging for Taq enzyme vendors.
In addition, the maturation of PCR and related amplification techniques has produced powerful technologies to detect nucleic acids with increasing accuracy and precision. These techniques require that variability in the activity of polymerase be minimal, not only as it varies between suppliers but also as it varies among lots of a single supplier's production runs. As such, minimizing the variability of polymerase activity in nucleic acid detection reactions is a problem for some amplification methods.


An improved bird figure having a multi-vaned wing structure which is mounted to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the wing structure to provide a somewhat blurred motion simulating the rapid beating of hummingbird wings.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to bird figures for use as lawn ornaments and the like and is particularly directed to bird figures having movable wings which are wind-actuated to provide somewhat life-like action.
2. Prior Art
It has long been popular to provide figures of birds and other animals as lawn ornaments and the like. Moreover, it is common to provide lawn ornaments in figures, such as windmills, birds, gnomes, etc. having vanes, wings or arms which are wind-actuated to rotate about an axis generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vane, wing or arm to create motions which revolve in large circular patterns to provide animation for the figures. It is also popular to provide bird figures having wings which flap, due to various mechanisms, to provide animation. However, while such circular revolving and flapping wing motions are satisfactory in providing animation for many birds, especially large birds, such as geese, such motions do not provide appropriate animation simulation for hummingbirds. Because the beat rate of hummingbird wings is too fast for human observation, the wings of real hummingbirds generally appear as a blur and the revolving or flapping motions of prior art lawn figure birds provide inadequate simulations of this motion. A search in the United States Patent Office has revealed the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 2,217,111 A. Gould Oct. 8, 1940 334,812 F. Shaw Jan. 26, 1886 450,495 A. Pugsley Apr. 14, 1891 1,727,700 A. P. Dickson Sep. 10, 1929 ______________________________________
Each of these references is subject to the limitations discussed above. Thus, none of the prior art bird figures have been entirely satisfactory


The invention comprises a method of amplifying nucleic acids by primer extension with reduced formation of primer-primer byproducts.

Primer dimers and other primer-primer interactions are undesirable artifacts of in vitro nucleic acid synthesis reactions. Primer design tools are commonly used to avoid primer sequences capable of cross-hybridization or self-hybridization. However, studies have shown that: little or no complementarily is required for primer dimers to form and become extended or replicated Brownie, J., et al. (1997) The elimination of primer dimers during PCR, Nucl. Acids Res., 25:3235. The suggested explanation is that high concentration of primers and low concentration of the target sequence create thermodynamically favorable conditions for primer-primer annealing and extension.
Primer dimers can lead to undesirable side products that consume reagents and compete with amplification of true targets. There is therefore a need for a method of eliminating or reducing primer-primer interactions. Such a method will especially benefit applications where rare nucleic acid targets are to be detected. Such a method will especially benefit clinical diagnostics and the newly emerging field of liquid biopsy, or detection of multiple rare nucleic targets in human plasma.

Elimination of primer-primer interactions during primer extension


A method and system for managing a physical object is provided. The system includes a RFID module for reading RFID tag information from a RFID tag in a RFID tag reading area, a handheld terminal being operable as a stand-alone device, a docking station for operably coupling the handheld terminal to the RFID module, and a storage for holding a physical object having the barcode and the RFID tag to locate the physical object in the barcode reading area and the RFID tag reading area. The method uses a system having a RFID module, a handheld terminal having a barcode scanner and being operable as a stand-alone device, a docking station for operably coupling the handheld device to the RFID module, and a storage for holding the physical object having a barcode and a RFID tag, the handheld device driving the RFID module via the docking station.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
RFID tags and barcode labels are used in a variety of applications, such as tracking physical objects, inventory management, warehouse operations. For example, a RFID tag having a memory chip is programmed to encode information on an object, and is allocated to the object. A barcode label having information on the object is printed on the surface of the object.
Typically, a RFID printer is used to print a RFID label on the surface of the object and encode information to a tag embedded into the label with the same ID number. However, in many applications, tags are not printable. Such applications include, for example, but not limited to, those using tags embedded into the object or those using tags with rugged packages. In these applications, an object is positioned so that a barcode label printed on the object is scanned by the barcode scanner, and then the object is relocated so that a tag allocated to the object is read by the RFID reader subsequently. The barcode label information and the tag information will be associated after these operations. The barcode label and the RFID tag association takes time since it requires manually moving the object to read and associate the barcode label and the RFID tag, and there is a high risk of error in the association process.

Method and system for multiple identifiers association


In a top guide having a bridge, if a length of the bridge is increased and the slant of the bridge is made gentle in order to enhance the entangled fishing line release effect, the weight is increased, and it is necessary to increase the thickness of a plate to compensate for the decreased bend-resistant mechanical strength. An annular frame 7 for retaining a guide ring 5, a support leg piece 9 and bridge pieces 25 are formed integrally with each other by a metal plate, a portion other than an inner circumferential portion of the frame 7 is drawn toward the rear portion to thereby form a cylindrical portion 19 surrounding the guide ring 5, the bridge pieces 25 extend gently obliquely rearwardly from an edge 21 of the cylindrical portion 19 facing rearwardly, rear ends of the bridge pieces 25 are continuous at a position separate rearwardly from a rod insertion pipe 17, and the bridge pieces 25 are bent so that their cross-sections perpendicular to a longitudinal direction form L-shapes.

The present invention relates to a top guide for a fishing rod, and more particularly to a top guide for a fishing rod having a bridge extending rearwardly from an annular frame holding a guide ring.
A variety of performances are required to a line guide for a fishing rod. Among these, the line guide should be light in weight and high in strength, a line entanglement is easy to be released or the like. These factors are the most important factors. These features are strongly demanded for the top guide to be mounted on the fishing rod.
A bridge is known as one of the means that may respond to these requirements. This bridge is provided to extend in a direction that is slanted from the frame holding the guide ring to reinforce the frame and function as a guide portion for guiding the entangled line in a releasing direction. In many cases, the bridge is provided on the top guide having a size that is greater than the medium one.
A variety of forms of the bridges to be provided on the top guide have been proposed. The cases where a linear material rod-shaped member or a rod made of metal is used for the bridges are disclosed in the Gazettes of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 9416/1989, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 33250/1981, Japanese Design Publication Gazette No. 531487 or the like. In the top guide disclosed in these publications, an end of the bridge is brazed to the frame portion or the guide ring, and the other end is overlaid on an outer circumferential surface of the fishing rod body.
Also, the top guides having the bridges made of a metal plate which are similar to the present invention are found in the Gazette of Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 41167/1983, Japanese Design Publication Gazette Nos. 531483 and 505945, three of the design patents based upon Japanese Design. In the top guide disclosed in these Gazettes, the bridge is pressed integrally with the frame.
In the top guide provided with the bridge, as a countermeasure for further enhancing the release effect of the line entanglement by the bridge, the slant angle of the bridge might be made gentle as much as possible so that the fishing line is likely to be smoothly moved.
However, in order to make the slant of the bridge gentle without changing the position of the bridge extending from the frame or a height of the frame, it is necessary to extend a length of the bridge. Thus, the weight of the bridge is increased. Also, in order to compensate for the mechanical strength against bending, that decrease in accordance with the increased length of the bridge, it is necessary to increase a thickness of the bridge. As a result, a weight increase would be rather remarkable. In particular, in a type in which the rear end of the bridge is fixed to the fishing rod insertion pipe like a top guide disclosed in Japanese Design Publication Gazette No. 531483, the length of the mounting pipe has to be extended so that the increase in the weight is remarkable and at the same time, the tone (flexibility) of the rod is offset.
On the other hand, in a type in which the metal made rod or the linear material rod-shaped member is used as a bridge, in order to braze one end thereof to the guide ring or the frame part, it is inevitable to generate a step corresponding to a size of the cross-sectional surface of the bridge. Also, in a type in which the bridge is formed integrally with the frame by a metal plate, it is inevitable for a bend portion, that is a continuous section between the bridge and the frame, to expend outwardly of the frame to form an edge. These step and edge would from time to time obstruct the release of the entangled fishing line around the bridge. In particular, since the fishing line is actually wet in fishing, the entangled fishing line is stuck to the bridge. Depending upon the state of the entanglement of the fishing line, there is a fear that the release of the fishing line would be prevented even if the slight step or edge is present.