According to one embodiment, a single-poly nonvolatile memory (NVM) cell includes a PMOS select transistor on a semiconductor substrate and a PMOS floating gate transistor series connected to the PMOS select transistor. The PMOS floating gate transistor comprises a floating gate and a gate oxide layer between the floating gate and the semiconductor substrate. A protector oxide layer covers and is in direct contact with the floating gate. A contact etch stop layer is disposed on the protector oxide layer such that the floating gate is isolated from the contact etch stop layer by the protector oxide layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of nonvolatile memory devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a single-poly nonvolatile memory cell structure with improved data retention.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Non-volatile memory (NVM) is a type of memory that retains information it stores even when no power is supplied to memory blocks thereof. Some examples include magnetic devices, optical discs, flash memory, and other semiconductor-based memory topologies.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,190 discloses a single-poly NVM having two serially connected PMOS transistors wherein the control gate is omitted in the structure for layout as the bias is not necessary to apply to the floating gate during the programming mode. A first PMOS transistor acts as a select transistor. A second PMOS transistor is connected to the first PMOS transistor. A gate of the second PMOS transistor serves as a floating gate. The floating gate is selectively programmed or erased to store predetermined charges.
It is desirable that the charge stored on a floating gate is retained for as long as possible, thereby increasing the data retention time of the NVM.

Nonvolatile memory structure and fabrication method thereof


A system and method for optimizing profitability is provided disclosing an intelligent customer scoring system (iCSS) for receiving a telephone number and transaction request. When the iCSS receives an initial transaction request, it accesses local information related to the number to predict a real-time initial customer score, wherein the requested initial transaction is allowed in real-time based on a comparison of the initial customer score, an expected profitability of the transaction, and a predetermined threshold level. The iCSS accesses information related to the number and the profitability of the transactions to refine the customer score. When the iCSS receives a subsequent transaction request, it is allowed or denied by comparing the refined customer score and expected profitability with the predetermined threshold. The system further comprises an intelligent revenue opportunity module (iROM) for implementing a plurality of revenue opportunity applications (ROA) responsive to the customer score and other specific transaction requirements.

The generation of revenue and profitability is the driving force behind most business models. To supplement the cash purchasing methods in today's credit-based society, most businesses depend on some form of credit or entitlement authorization mechanism allowing for customers to purchase products, services, or other such items without the immediate physical exchange of cash. Inherent in such business models is the reality that a percentage of parties who purchase on credit or entitlement authorizations may eventually not pay, thus, diminishing the business' overall profitability.
In order to balance the risk of such losses against the benefits of maintaining credit entitlement systems, businesses go to great lengths to pre-screen credit applicants with lengthy applications requiring a wealth of personal information. This process is often-times slow and many consumers may decide to take their business to a competitor rather than wait for the completion of the credit application process. Such verification methods maximize risk prevention, but are incompatible with situations that require more immediate determinations.
One example of a business that requires more immediate credit/authorization determinations is the telecommunication provider industry, and, more particularly, businesses that provide telecommunication services to controlled-environment facilities, such as prisons. Prisoners are generally given some form of access to telephones, but the calls must be paid for. Prisons typically do not allow inmates to receive calls, thus, most incoming calls that are not directed to prison administration numbers are blocked. Moreover, prisoners, in general, do not have ready access to cash; therefore, calls are typically made collect.
As with other credit/authorization systems, some of the collect calls may never be paid for by the called parties. In such circumstances, the telecommunication service provider fails to recover the costs of providing the call, which, in turn, causes a loss of profitability. Bad debt losses may sometimes reach into the tens of millions of dollars for each telecommunication service provider with the industry total well over $1 Billion. To address the risk of loss on some of the attempted correctional facility calls, telecommunication service providers sometimes obtain information on the called parties in order to establish a customer database for providing call verification/authorization. When an inmate attempts to make a collect call, the call or transaction request goes through a validation process. The telecommunication service provider accesses its customer databases and may be able to determine (1) can this call be billed (i.e., is there a billing arrangement with the local exchange carrier (LEC) or the called party), (2) if the destination number is already in the service provider's files, has the allotted credit limit been reached, and (3) has there been any information received from the LEC indicating that the called party has not been paying its bills. Depending on the extensiveness of the service provider's internal resources, the service provider may not be able to determine all three of these validation criteria. If favorable information is retrieved for each of the available validation criteria, the call is completed.
Conversely, if the inmate attempts to call a destination number that is not already on the customer database, or negative information is retrieved from the validation process, the service provider typically blocks the call from being completed. While these blocked calls save the telecommunication provider from losses for unpaid calls, some of those dropped calls represent lost potential revenue and profit that the provider would have generated.
Additional considerations that effect the revenue stream of telecommunication providers for prisons arise in the billing and collection (B&C) process. In providing collect calls, the service provider typically sends the collect call bill to the LEC that services the called number. LECs, such as Southwestern Bell, Verizon, BellSouth, Ameritech, and the like generally maintain accurate billing, name, and address (BNA) information, and may be authorized to bill third-party-provided telecommunication services if billing arrangements exists. It should be noted that for purposes of this disclosure, LEC is intended to include not only local exchange carriers, but also competitive LECs (CLECs), inter-exchange carriers (IXCs), and the like. LECs typically bill on a thirty-day billing cycle (i.e., provide a post-pay system that bills each customer for the telephone activity that occurred over the last thirty days). As with every other credit transaction, some LEC customers may fail to pay their bills. When this happens, the LECs recover any costs for providing the prisoner's call directly from the prison telecommunication service provider. Thus, the service provider carry all of the losses, which generally effects profit realization.
Moreover, because of the LECs' typical thirty-day billing cycle, the prison telecommunication provider may not become aware that the bill has become delinquent for a minimum of 120 days after the bill was originally sent to the LEC (LECs may not declare a particular bill uncollectable for 120 days or more in many circumstances). Thus, the service provider would not know to block further calls to that destination number for anywhere from four months to over a year. If calls continue to the delinquent destination number during that period, a substantial amount of revenue and profits would simply be lost.
A separate billing-related issue arises with LECs that do not have billing arrangements with the prison telecommunication service providers. If no billing arrangement exists with the LEC, the service provider must resort to billing the called party directly. In many circumstances, the service provider will not have accurate BNA information on the called party. The service provider may have to purchase this information from the LEC. Additional costs may then be expended generating the direct bill. Therefore, the costs of this "random" direct billing may exceed the actual value recovered in some cases, which decreases profits even further. In response, many of the current systems simply choose to block all calls to destination numbers serviced by non-contracting LECs in order to alleviate this problem. Thus, as with the calls blocked due to a failure to achieve immediate positive validation, the calls blocked due to non-existent billing arrangements with certain LECs may save some lost revenue and profits, but still represent potential lost profits at the point of demand for good paying customers.
Therefore, even though the business model of the prison telecommunications provider is centered on generating profits and recovering revenue, the service provider must account for the potential profit losses from (1) calls to destination numbers that are not blocked but which are ultimately not paid for; (2) continued calls to the same destination number that are allowed before the service provider becomes aware of delinquencies; (3) calls to destination numbers that may represent good credit risks and profit margins but which do not pass the initial validation process; (4) calls to destination numbers that represent good credit risks and profit margins that are nonetheless blocked because the destination number is serviced by LECs without billing agreements with the service provider. In addition to these different means for the service provider to lose revenue and eventually profits, service providers often contract with the prison or other such control-environment facility to pay the prison a commission on the value of each call provided for the privilege of providing the service to the prison. Because the commission typically is taken from the value of the call rather than the amount collected for the call, the commission will generally have to be paid regardless of whether the service provider actually ever collects the cost of the call. Many other different opportunities for revenue loss, such as governmental regulations, contractual commitments, and the like, also must be accounted for by these prison telecommunications providers.

Optimizing profitability in business transactions


Nonvolatile memory is provided on each module of a computer system including one or more modules with each module including a plurality of components including JTAG technology. A test bus operable in accordance with the 1149.1 standard is included in the computer system and is arranged to access the nonvolatile memory. Boundary scan information for the components on a module and also additional information, preferably fully describing all JTAG related characteristics and operations, is stored in the nonvolatile memory. A JTAG bus system is then able to access the module memory and obtain all information required to fully implement JTAG operations for the module.

The present invention relates generally to computer systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for maintaining JTAG component descriptions in a nonvolatile memory associated with the components such that a controlling JTAG system can control the components in accordance with standard JTAG operations without prior knowledge of the components.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE, has standardized a serial test bus for testing integrated circuit components, their interconnections on a printed circuit board and for observing or modifying circuit activity during normal operation of the components. The standardized bus is designated as the IEEE Std 1149.1 and was developed by a Joint Test Action Group, JTAG, composed of members from both Europe and North America such that it is often referred to as an 1149.1 or a JTAG bus.
The introduction of this standard has opened many new areas of opportunity for improved testing and control within computer systems. However, in order to perform testing and other operations via a JTAG bus, it is necessary for a JTAG controller to know how a boundary scan path defined by the standard is configured and also the characteristics of components which are in the scan path if multiple components are interconnected and to be tested. The boundary scan path and component characteristic knowledge is particularly critical since different vendors may implement JTAG technology differently within the specifications of the 1149.1 standard.
There is thus a need for providing JTAG information about a component or a series of components including JTAG technology such that a JTAG controller can properly interface with and control the JTAG technology without having to be programmed with such information.

JTAG component description via nonvolatile memory


The invention provides for methods and compositions for treatment of pain via craniofacial mucosal administration of an analgesic compound (e.g. a non-opioid analgesic peptide, an NOP agonist or N/OFQ). Intranasal administration of certain analgesic peptides such as N/OFQ results in global analgesic effects.

Pain is a perception mediated by the activation of certain brain structures. Pain is usually initiated when specialized neurons, termed nociceptors, which innervate the skin or other peripheral tissue, are activated by mechanical, thermal, chemical or other noxious stimuli. Pain is also experienced when peripheral or central neuronal structures involved in the processing of pain become hyperactive, e.g. as a result of trauma, ischemia or inflammation. Other causes of pain include disease-specific processes, metabolic disturbances, muscle spasm, and the onset of a neuropathic event or syndrome.
Pain treatment of almost any type usually includes one or more analgesic drugs which are usually classified into three groups: primary non-opioid, opioid, and co-analgesics, also known as adjuvants. Non-opioid analgesic drugs include acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. These drugs can be effective for treating mild to moderate pain, but may have significant side-effects such as liver damage in the case of acetaminophen and gastric ulcers in the case of NSAIDs. Opioid drugs, sometimes referred to as "narcotics", include natural substances such as opium, opium-derived substances, such as morphine, and semi-synthetic and synthetic substances, such as fentanyl. Co-analgesic medications are drugs that typically address indications other than pain relief, but possess analgesic action for certain painful conditions. An example of a co-analgesic drug is gabapentin, which has a primary indication for the treatment of epilepsy, but also is effective in treating some kinds of neuropathic pain.
Opioid drugs are commonly used to relieve moderate to severe pain. However, their usefulness is limited by tolerance and dependence that normally develop with chronic treatment. Opioid drugs such as morphine can be addictive and are associated with significant and potentially fatal side effects such as respiratory depression in addition to sedation and mental alteration, constipation, nausea, exaggerated pain sensitivity, hormonal disturbances, and alteration of the immune system.
Despite a wide range of available medical treatments, pain continues to afflict millions of individuals in the US alone and remains a profound burden to patients, health care, and business. New methods are required for increasing the efficacy of intervention and reducing the side effects associated with pain management in the clinical setting.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A gaseous component is extracted non-cryogenically from a feed gas containing condensable hydrocarbons. The feed gas is passed first through a module containing polymeric fibers useful for removing water vapor from the gas. The gas is then passed through a module containing polymeric fibers selected such that they remove some, but not all, of the carbon dioxide in the stream. The gas is then passed through a module containing polymeric fibers selected to remove at least some of the remaining carbon dioxide as well as heavy hydrocarbons, defined as C5 and heavier, from the stream. The invention is especially useful in processing raw methane taken from a well, and in producing methane which is relatively free of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and heavy hydrocarbons.

The present invention relates to the non-cryogenic separation of gas mixtures. The invention provides an improved method and system for separating a feed gas into components. The invention is especially suited to separation of a feed gas which contains condensable hydrocarbons.
It has been known to use a polymeric membrane to separate air into components. Various polymers have the property that they allow different gases to flow through, or permeate, the membrane, at different rates. A polymer used in air separation, for example, will pass oxygen and nitrogen at different rates. The gas that preferentially flows through the membrane wall is called the "permeate" gas, and the gas that tends not to flow through the membrane is called the "non-permeate" or "retentate" gas. The selectivity of the membrane is a measure of the degree to which the membrane allows one component, but not the other, to pass through.
A membrane-based gas separation system has the inherent advantage that the system does not require the transportation, storage, and handling of cryogenic liquids. Also, a membrane system requires relatively little energy. The membrane itself has no moving parts; the only moving part in the overall membrane system is usually the compressor which provides the gas to be fed to the membrane.
A gas separation membrane unit is typically provided in the form of a module containing a large number of small, hollow fibers made of the selected polymeric membrane material. The module is generally cylindrical, and terminates in a pair of tubesheets which anchor the hollow fibers. The tubesheets are impervious to gas. The fibers are mounted so as to extend through the tubesheets, so that gas flowing through the interior of the fibers (known in the art as the bore side) can effectively bypass the tubesheets. But gas flowing in the region external to the fibers (known as the shell side) cannot pass through the tubesheets.
In operation, a gas is introduced into a membrane module, the gas being directed to flow through the bore side of the fibers. One component of the gas permeates through the fiber walls, and emerges on the shell side of the fibers, while the other, non-permeate, component tends to flow straight through the bores of the fibers. The non-permeate component comprises a product stream that emerges from the bore sides of the fibers at the outlet end of the module.
Alternatively, the gas can be introduced from the shell side of the module. In this case, the permeate is withdrawn from the bore side, and the non-permeate is taken from the shell side.
An example of a membrane-based air separation system is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,953, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Other examples of fiber membrane modules are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,497,894, 7,517,388, 7,578,871, and 7,662,333, the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference.
Most gas streams, whether they originate from wells in the field, or whether they are taken from industrial processes, contain various impurities which must be removed, or minimized, if the gas stream is to be commercially useful. Typically, such impurities include water vapor, particulates, condensable hydrocarbon gases, and other less desirable gases.
Water vapor is usually removed with a vapor trap, while condensable hydrocarbon gases are removed by a carbon bed filter. Less desirable gases are often removed through the use of a selective membrane, or other gas separation method such as pressure swing adsorption or a cryogenic process.
Many polymer membranes become degraded in the presence of liquid water or water vapor. In such cases, the air directed into the membrane must be substantially free of water. For this reason, it is common to provide some form of dehydration unit which treats the gas before it flows through the membrane. Polymers have been developed which separate water vapor from a gas. An example of such a polymer is given in U.S. Pat. No. 7,294,174, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
A polymer membrane may also be degraded by oil particulates and oil vapor, which may leak from the compressor.
In addition to a dehydration module and a carbon bed, one may provide heaters, moisture traps, and/or filters between the compressor and the membrane unit, as needed.
Some membranes are degraded by the presence of condensable hydrocarbons, especially those of high molecular weight. Such hydrocarbons, if present in a feed stream, may condense in the membrane, and will thus reduce the processing rate with regard to the incondensable components. The condensation thus reduces the overall efficiency of the gas separation process. If such condensable hydrocarbons are removed from the feed stream, the useful life and stability of the membrane can be readily increased.
Systems of the prior art have addressed the problems caused by the presence of volatile higher hydrocarbons by using process stream chillers and/or carbon beds, positioned upstream of the gas separation unit. A chiller causes the hydrocarbon to condense, so that the hydrocarbon can be conveniently removed as a liquid, before the feed gas flows into the membrane module.
The temperature to which the gas may be chilled is effectively limited, however, because it is necessary to avoid freezing the components of the feed gas, such as hydrocarbons, water vapor, and/or hydrates which could cause plugging of the process lines. Thus, chillers are of limited utility in reducing the concentration of hydrocarbons in the gas.
Carbon beds are useful in pre-treating a gas mixture, but such beds can quickly become filled with hydrocarbons, and the beds are difficult to regenerate. Such regeneration typically requires extremely high temperatures, and the regeneration process may take considerable time, further reducing the efficiency of the process.
Other examples of prior art devices for removal of hydrocarbons from gas streams are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,553,983, 5,772,734, and 6,352,575.
One application in which the present invention is especially useful, is the production of natural gas (methane). The gas taken from the well typically includes water vapor, carbon dioxide, and some heavier hydrocarbons, in addition to the methane. The object is to remove everything but the methane, or to produce a gas which is mainly methane with some additional hydrocarbons. However, no single membrane will work well under these conditions. A membrane which may work well in removing carbon dioxide or water may degrade quickly in the presence of condensable hydrocarbons.
The present invention solves the problem caused by differences in the properties of different membrane materials. The invention provides a commercially workable system and method for membrane-based separation of a gas, making possible the efficient removal of various impurities. The invention is not limited to use in the example given above, but can be used in other gas-separation applications.

Hybrid membrane system for gas streams with condensable hydrocarbons


A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant characterized by its large white colored flowers, early flowering, good heat tolerance, nice rounded shaped growth habit with excellent basal branching and good vigor.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri and referred to by the cultivar name 'Ingwhit'.
The new cultivar was developed in a controlled breeding program conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new New Guinea Impatiens cultivar is very floriferous with large flowers, early flowering on a strong growing, basal branching plant with good heat tolerance.
The new cultivar is propagated from cuttings resulting from the cross in September 1998 of the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selection identified as 'E120-1' as female parent and the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selection identified as 'E 28-2' as male parent. 'E120-1' is not commercially available and has not been patented. 'E 28-2' is not commercially available and has not been patented.
As a result of this cross the present cultivar was selected in September 1999 in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, in Gilroy, Calif., and in Angers, France over a period of several years. The distinctive characteristics of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 12 to 14 weeks to produce a finished plant, depending on temperature.

New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingwhit’


A thermochromic writing instrument contains a thermochromic ink, wherein a writing body is accommodated in a barrel movably in a longitudinal direction, an operation portion is provided on the outer surface of the barrel, a pen tip of the writing body is constituted so as to be projectable/retractable from/into a front-end hole of the barrel by operating the operation portion, the thermochromic ink is contained in the inside of the writing body, the pen tip capable of ejecting the thermochromic ink is provided at the front end of the writing tool, and a friction portion capable of thermally changing the color of the handwriting of the thermochromic ink by the frictional heat generated when the handwriting is rubbed with the friction portion is provided on the outer surface of the barrel.

Hitherto, Patent Document 1 proposes a thermochromic writing instrument containing a thermochromic ink, in which a friction body for thermally changing the color of the handwriting of the thermochromic ink by frictional heat is provided on a top of a cap and in which the friction body is provided at a rear end of the barrel.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. JP-A-2004-148744


Surface treating articles having varying degree of smear-resistance and their methods of manufacture are presented. One preferred article is characterized by an organic matrix substantially engulfed by a novel, tough, adherent elastomeric resinous binder system comprising the reaction product of either. (1) a polyurethane prepolymer, or PA1 (2) a polyurethane polymer emulsion with an epoxy-functional material and an amine-functional material in an aqueous system.

1. Brief Description of the Invention
The present invention relates to surface treating articles formed from an organic matrix at least partially coated with or engulfed by an organic binder. The articles may be substantially rigid or flexible, depending on the binder glass transition temperature.
2. Related Art
Surface treating articles formed from an organic polymeric matrix formed of a solid or foamed organic polymer or a nonwoven fiber web find utility in treating a surface to either prepare it for further coatings or to provide a decorative final finish. Burrs and flashings from cast, drilled or punched parts must be removed to produce a desired shape or surface finish. Surface treating articles in the form of wheels, discs, or belts operating at high speeds and high pressures must have sufficient strength and durability when subjected to high use pressure against the workpiece. In some instances, it may be desirous for the article to be flexible to intrude into crevices in the workpiece, in other instances, it may be desirous for the article to be rigid. In addition, the propensity of the article to smear onto the workpiece must be taken into consideration. Smearing is generally considered deleterious.
Polymeric resinous binders used to bond the matrix or to secure abrasive particles within the matrix of such products have generally been either of the hard thermosetting type or the strong, tough elastomeric type. Hard thermosetting resins, such as base catalyzed phenol formaldehyde, are widely used to secure abrasive particles to sheet-like backings or to the fibers of a nonwoven web. Such hard resin binders, while usually having high tensile strength, low elongation at break or failure, and resistance to significant change when subjected to elevated temperatures, are undesirably susceptible to brittle fracture. Strong, tough elastomeric resin binders are more desirable in certain applications which require tougher, more durable surface treatment products. Such elastomeric binders have excellent tensile strength, a high elongation at break, and resistance to brittle fracture but may exhibit significant softening at elevated temperatures as might be encountered when the surface treatment article is urged against a workpiece at high speeds and pressures. Such softening may result in smearing or transfer of portions of the article to the surface of the workpiece, which as described previously is not desired by the user.
The surface treating industry is continually striving for articles which more closely meet user demands. In addition, methods of producing surface treating articles that are kind to the environment, particularly the air and water, are especially strived for.
In light of the above user-driven demands it would be advantageous if surface treating articles could be developed which, by virtue of simple adjustment of binder ingredients, can be tailored to be flexible or rigid, substantially non-smearing at use pressure and temperature, all while using manufacturing processes which do not require use and subsequent removal of volatile organic hydrocarbons.

Surface treating articles and methods of making same

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A suspension for, and a method for suspending, a vehicle having a body is provided. The suspension includes a first suspension assembly and a second suspension assembly. The first suspension assembly extends between a first surface contact assembly and the body, and the second suspension assembly extends between a second surface contact assembly and the body. The first and second suspension assemblies each have a transverse instant center. The first suspension assembly and the second suspension assembly are aligned so that a vertical centerline of each surface contact assembly lies within a transverse vertical plane that extends therebetween. The transverse instant center of each suspension assembly is located within the transverse vertical plane, below a roll center located within the transverse vertical plane.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle suspensions in general, and to vehicular suspensions having vehicle roll and pitch control mechanisms, in particular.
2. Background Information
The suspension of a vehicle determines the ride characteristics of the vehicle such as its roll and pitch. The term "roll" refers to rotational movement of the vehicle body about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Roll is typically encountered during cornering. The term "pitch" refers to rotational movement of the vehicle body about a widthwise axis of the vehicle. Pitch is typically encountered during acceleration (acceleration "squat") and during braking (braking "dive").
Vehicle suspension systems can be characterized as either active or passive. "Active" suspension systems typically adjust suspension elements during use in response to sensed operating conditions. Active suspension systems are often relatively complex, prohibitively expensive, or both. Passive suspension systems, on the other hand, typically include anti-roll or stabilizer bars, or the like that cannot be adjusted during use. Passive suspension systems are typically relatively simple and affordable.
In passive suspension systems that utilize elements such as springs and anti-roll bars to reduce cornering roll, there is a trade-off between reduction in roll and the smoothness of the ride. Spring and shock rates that increase the smoothness of the ride often counteract the effect of conventional anti-roll devices. Moreover, such anti-roll devices do not compensate for variations in weight distribution of the vehicle that can also significantly affect rolling characteristics.
What is needed, therefore, is a vehicular suspension system that provides favorable roll and pitch characteristics.

Method and apparatus for suspending a vehicle


An image processing apparatus comprising: background generation means for generating, on each of corresponding pixel positions of more than one input image, a pixel value involved in a predetermined distribution among pixel values of the input images as a background pixel value in the pixel position; degree-of-difference generation means for generating, on each of the pixel positions, a degree-of-difference indicating a degree to which each input image pixel value has a difference from the background pixel value; and output image generation means for generating, on each of the pixel positions, an output image pixel value by reflecting the input image pixel values depending on the degree-of-difference.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, more particularly, an image processing apparatus that displays a locus involved in an image provided by being imaged in time series, an image processing method thereof, and a program adapted for a computer to perform the method.
2. Description of Related Art
Simple synthesis of more than one image (which is hereinafter referred to as a frame image) by overlapping, for instance, is suggested as one method for generating an image indicative of a moving object locus from more than one frame image provided by being imaged in time series. According to the simple synthesis of this type, a rate of single frame contribution to a synthesis result decreases as the number of frames is increased, causing a problem that the moving object locus displayed becomes light-colored. When assuming that there are five frame images as shown in FIG. 10, for instance, the synthesis simply made on these frame images causes the rate of each pixel contribution to the synthesis result to decrease down to 20%. And, in a pixel position at which a moving object traverses, the synthesis is provided in a moving object-to-background ratio of 20:80, leading to an occurrence of light-colored display of the moving object locus as shown in FIG. 11C.
On the other hand, one technique provided by making improvements on the simple synthesis is suggested to synthesize a single still image by, after extracting more than one frame image from video data, giving weighting suited for a luminance value (See Japanese Patent Application Publication Hei. 10-290450 (FIG. 1), for instance). The technique according to this related art provides the synthesis on same positional pixels involved in each frame image by heavily weighting the pixels that are away from a mean luminance value by a distance or more of a dispersion of the luminance values, while lightly weighting the pixels that are away from the mean luminance value by the distance or less of the above dispersion, followed by output of the synthesis result as the same positional pixels of an output image. This technique ensures that in a synthesized image, the moving object is more heavily weighted than a background, causing the moving object locus to be displayed more clearly, as compared with the simple synthesis.
In addition, one different technique is suggested to provide the synthesis of the moving object locus by extracting and tracing the moving object (See Japanese Patent Application Publication 2005-123824 (Refer to FIG. 1), for instance). The technique according to this related art ensures that an enhanced accuracy of extraction and tracing of the moving object is obtained by, when the tracing of the moving object results in a failure, interpolating the moving object based on a moving object characteristic amount and/or position provided at the time of successful tracing.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program


A fast, accurate, low offset comparator may be configured with multiple gain stages. A low gain, low input impedance, and fully differential common-gate amplifier may be configured as a first stage in the multi-stage comparator, providing a wide bandwidth for small power consumption. The inputs of the comparator may comprise a pair of differential inputs at respective source terminals of gate-coupled metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices configured in the input stage of the common-gate amplifier. A pair of differential outputs of the first stage may be coupled to a pair of differential inputs of a second stage, which may be a differential input current-mirror amplifier that may perform differential to single-ended conversion. The single-ended output of the second stage may serve as the input into a latch, which may be a bistable set-reset (SR) latch configured to increase the gain and response time while protecting against multiple switching, with the single-ended output of the latch configured as the output of the comparator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to voltage comparators, and more particularly to designing fast comparators that can accurately compare signals to ground level.
2. Description of the Related Art
Comparators are devices that typically compare two voltages or two currents, switching their respective outputs to indicate which of the two input signals is larger. Oftentimes comparators are analog circuits used in a variety of applications. One implementation of comparators may be directed towards detecting the level of an input signal relative to a zero-level voltage, or ground, in switching power regulators operating in a PFM (pulse-frequency-modulation) mode. Many different types of comparators exist, each with different advantages and disadvantages. Open loop, uncompensated two-stage operational amplifier (op-amp) based comparators implemented with PMOS (P-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor) input devices are capable of sensing ground level, typically have a high gain, but may be rather slow when consuming low power.[1] Generally, PMOS input, cross-coupled comparators have a high offset and feature a low gain, but are not suitable for sensing near zero-level (ground) voltages. [1] Philip Allen, "CMOS Analog Circuit Design", chapter 7. Oxford, 1987
One type of comparator that may typically be used for sensing ground within a switching power regulator features a PMOS input, gain-enhanced current-mirror configuration. One example of such a comparator (100) is shown in FIG. 1. Comparator 100 is implemented with source-coupled differential input pair PMOS devices 102 and 104 receiving current from current source 128, with positive feedback to provide a high gain and increase response time. Surprisingly, comparator 100 shows a relatively low gain in simulation. When configured to sense ground (or zero voltage), input Vin− 122 may be coupled to a zero volt (ground) reference. If Vin+ 124 is below ground level, for example at −10 mV, and VGS[102] (the gate-source voltage of PMOS device 102) is at 1V, then because of Vin− 122 residing at a zero volt level, the voltage at node A would be at 1V, with VDS[102] (the drain-source voltage of PMOS device 102) following the voltage at node A. In general, PMOS devices 102 and 104 would not be in saturation, resulting in a very low DC gain of the first stage. A low DC gain would in turn lead to comparator 100 having a high offset and operating with low efficiency.
Many other problems and disadvantages of the prior art will become apparent to one skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with the present invention as described herein.

Fast, low offset ground sensing comparator


The present invention provides a new sensitive direct sandwich assay for determining the presence of COMP in a clinical sample. Two monoclonal antibodies directed against separate antigenic determinants of the COMP molecules are used in the assay. The invention also relates to three particularly advantageous monoclonal antibodies per se that are directed against human COMP. Cell cultures manufacturing these antibodies have been deposited according to the Budapest Treaty at Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH, and have been assigned accession numbers DSM ACC2406, DSM ACC2408 and DSM ACC2418, respectively. A diagnostic kit comprising at least two of these monoclonal antibodies also constitute a part of the present invention.

Pathological conditions resulting in cartilage degeneration constitute a major medical, social and economical problem. Of persons older than 65 years of age, 486 per 1,000 have arthritis. Traditionally, the clinical diagnosis of arthritis is based on the patient's history, physical examination, and radiographs. The prognosis, treatment, and clinical outcomes of patients with arthritis are assessed by serial examinations. In order to minimise permanent tissue damage caused by pathological conditions involving cartilage degeneration, it is important to be able diagnose such conditions at an early stage. However, many patients do not develop symptoms until late in the disease process. When a diagnosis is established, permanent tissue damage has often already been formed, and then it is no longer possible for the patient to recover completely.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods for diagnosing pathological cartilage degeneration based upon detection of biologic markers, which markers are released early in the disease progress. Much efforts have been made in finding suitable markers, and parts of this work are reviewed in Lohmander. Ballière's Clinical Rheumatology, vol. 11, p. 711-726; and in Scher et al., the American Journal of Orthopedics, April 1996, p. 263-272.
One possible marker that could be used in such a diagnosis method is COMP, Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein. Elevated serum levels of COMP has previously been associated with joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (Månsson et al., J. Clin. Invest. (1995), vol. 95, pp. 1071-1077; Wollheim et al., British Journal of Rheumatology (1997), vol. 36, pp. 847-849; Petersson et al., British Journal of Rheumatology (1998), vol. 37, pp. 46-50). Significant amounts of small fragments of COMP have also been found in synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammatory arthritis (Neidhardt et al., British Journal of Rheumatology 1997, 36: 1151-60).
It has also been suggested to use COMP or nucleic acid sequences encoding COMP for preparing a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and/or treating arthritic conditions in a mammal (WO 98/46253). Accordingly, COMP can be regarded as a key compound when diagnosing and/or treating different forms of arthritis.
Up till now, COMP has been analysed by an ELISA assay which is based upon polyclonal antibodies (Saxne et al., British Journal of Rheumatology (1992), vol. 31, pp. 583-591). A sample that is suspected to contain human COMP is added to polystyrene microtiter plates. The present COMP is then adsorbed to the plates. Rabbit antihuman COMP antibodies are added and are allowed to bind. Subsequently porcine anti-rabbit antibodies conjugated with alkaline phosphatase are added. A substrate for alkaline phosphatase, para-nitrophenyl phosphate, is finally added and the resulting absorbance at 405 nm can be regarded as a measurement of COMP.
Because of the fact that COMP is such an interesting pathological cartilage degeneration marker is very important to have access to an accurate and sensitive assay rendering it easy to make a distinction between healthy and pathological samples. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved assay method for determining the presence of COMP in a clinical sample.

Sandwich immunoassay and monoclonal antibodies for COMP, Cartillage Oligomeric Matrix Protein


It is to provide a vapor phase growth apparatus which can perform vapor phase growth of a thin film having a good uniformity throughout a surface of a wafer. The vapor phase growth apparatus includes at least a sealable reactor, a wafer containing member (wafer holder) installed within the reactor and having a wafer mounting portion (pocket hole) on a surface thereof for holding a wafer, a gas supply member (gas inlet pipe) for supplying raw material gas towards the wafer, a heating member (heater) for heating the wafer, and a heat uniformizing member (susceptor) for holding the wafer containing member and uniformizing heat from the heating member, wherein raw material gas is supplied into the reactor in a high temperature environment while heating the wafer by using the heating member via the heat uniformizing member and the wafer containing member, to form a film grown on a surface of the wafer, and wherein a recess portion depressed in a dome shape is formed at a back side of the wafer containing member.

Vapor phase growth is employed in various areas of the industry world today. Needless to say, it is required for this vapor phase growth that a thin film grown on a wafer has a uniform thickness, composition, and doping concentration throughout the plane thereof. In order to unformalize in-plane film thickness and the like, various possible methods to be used are considered. Among them, a technology to achieve uniform temperature of a wafer when the wafer is heated, is the most important factor.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a construction example of a typical conventional vapor phase growth apparatus. As shown in FIG. 5, a vapor phase growth apparatus 100 includes a reactor 1, a wafer holder 3 on which wafers 2 are placed, a susceptor 4 on which the wafer holder 3 is mounted, a heater 5 provided below the susceptor 4, a rotation mechanism 6 which rotatably supports the wafer holder 3 and the susceptor 4, gas inlet pipes 7 through which raw material gas or carrier gas is supplied, a gas exhaust pipe 8 through which unreacted gas is exhausted, and the like.
FIG. 6 is enlarged views showing construction of the wafer holder 3 in detail; (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of (a). On one side of the wafer holder 3, a plurality (6 in FIG. 6) of circular pocket holes 3a are formed along the same circumference, in which wafers 2 are placed, and on the other side, the wafer holder 3 is in contact with the susceptor 4.
Note that the susceptor 4 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity (for example, molybdenum and the like) in order to transfer heat from the heater 5 uniformly. It is also typical to use graphite or molybdenum having high thermal conductivity, for the wafer holder 3.
In the vapor phase growth apparatus having the above construction, by heating the bottom of the susceptor 4 using the heater 5, heat is transferred to the wafers 2 via the susceptor 4 and the wafer holder 3 so that the wafers 2 reach a predetermined temperature. In addition, by rotating the susceptor 4 at a predetermined rotating speed using the rotation mechanism 6, vapor phase growth of a thin film is performed while supplying raw material gas and carrier gas that has been introduced from the gas inlets 7 onto the surfaces of the wafers 2 uniformly.
Further, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wafer holder 3 on which the wafers 2 are mounted is made from a single member. However, when a plurality of wafers are mounted, there is a proposed vapor phase growth apparatus in which a plurality of wafer holders are provided to correspond to a plurality of wafers mounted thereon, and the plurality of wafer holders are mounted on predetermined positions of a susceptor. (For example, see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Heisei 11-8119


A fuel injection valve for use in fuel injection systems of compressed-mixture, externally ignited internal combustion engines has a core provided with a wear-resistant layer that has a greater layer thickness than a layer thickness of a wear-resistant layer of an armature facing the core. This greater layer thickness is present at least in an immediate contact area between the core and the armature.

The present invention relates to an electromagnetically actuated valve. Several electromagnetically actuated valves, in particular fuel injection valves, are known where components subject to wear are provided with wear-resistant coatings.
German Published Patent Application No. 29 42 928 describes the application of wear-resistant diamagnetic material coatings on parts subject to wear, such as armatures and nozzle bodies. These coatings, applied in accurately dimensioned layer thicknesses, are used to limit the stroke of the valve, thereby minimizing the effect of residual magnetism on the movable parts of the fuel injection valve.
European Published Patent Application No. 0 536 773 also describes a fuel injection valve where a hard metal coating is applied by electroplating to the armature of its cylindrical peripheral surface and annular stop surface. This coating, made of chromium or nickel, has a thickness of 15 to 25 .mu.m, for example. As a result of electroplating, a slightly tapered layer thickness distribution is formed with a minimally thicker layer achieved at the outer edges. The layer thickness distribution of coatings formed by electroplating is physically predefined and can barely be influenced.


Antenna systems for handheld wireless communication devices (100) that comprise a first unbalanced feed antenna (112, 718, 802, 1204, 1812) and a second balanced feed antenna dipole antenna (202, 716, 804, 1202, 1802) that are located next to a ground structure (116, 810, 1210, 1824) for the handheld wireless communication devices are provided. The balanced feed dipole antenna and the unbalanced feed antenna exhibit disparate spatial-polarization patterns which are suitable for use with a MIMO transceiver, and the decorrelation of signals received by the two antennas is preserved due to a low level of coupling through the ground structure, which is due, in part, to differences in the symmetry properties of current patterns in the ground structure that are associated with the operation of the two antennas. The two antennas can also be used in a transceiver (629) that uses separate antennas to receive and transmit.

The adaptation of wireless communication devices over the past decade has brought about a sea change in the area of personal communications. Handheld wireless communication devices allow instant and nearly ubiquitous access to telephone networks and the internet.
Looking to the future, there is an interest in enabling handheld wireless communication devices to handle higher bandwidth communication. Among other things, this would facilitate sending and receiving of video, music, and performing other high speed file transfer via handheld wireless communication devices. However, any such plans must work within the bandwidth constraints imposed by government regulations. In order to maximize the effective data bandwidth of a given frequency band, researchers have developed a new class of physical layer communication techniques known as Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO). MIMO methods use multiple antennas having different radiation patterns, but operated in the same frequency band to establish, at least partially, independent channels. Thus, using the same frequency band, enhanced bandwidth, or enhanced data reliability can be obtained. The enhancements afforded by MIMO methods depend on the degree of decorrelation between signals transmitted from or received by multiple antennas. In endeavoring to apply MIMO methods to handheld devices one faces limitations imposed by constraints on the practical external design of handheld devices (having multiple antennas protruding in different directions is undesirable), the limited size of handheld devices, and in particular the limited size of the ground structures (e.g., Printed Circuit Board (PCB) ground planes) of handheld devices which serve as ground references or counterpoises for antennas of handheld devices. The foregoing limitations tend to constrain the achievable decorrelation (increase the correlation) between signals associated with multiple antennas, and thereby limit the enhancement that MIMO methods can yield. What is needed is a handheld device design that meets foregoing limitations but can effectively utilize MIMO.
Another goal in designing handheld wireless communication devices, especially for certain market segments, is cost reduction. Handheld wireless devices typically include a transmit/receive switch network which allows a single antenna to be used for both receiving and transmitting signals. At present the high cost of transmit/receive switch networks presents an impediment to further reduction of the costs of handheld wireless communication devices.

Multi-antenna handheld wireless communication device


A screw of the self-drilling and self-tapping kind intended to be used in fastening corrugated or similar cladding to a support structure is disclosed. The screw shank is provided with a feature, such as, for example, a circumferential series of axially extending ribs, which is operable to enlarge (such as, for example, by means of a reaming process) a hole formed through the cladding by means of the drilling tip of the screw. The hole enlarging feature is positioned at or adjacent to the junction defined between a threaded section of the shank and a non-threaded section which extends from the screw head. The hole enlarging feature is arranged so as to ensure that the aforementioned hole, as enlarged, has a diameter which is not less than that of the non-threaded section of the shank. There is also disclosed a method of forming such a screw in which the thread is formed by means of a thread rolling operation, and the thread rolling die is modified so as to automatically produce the hole enlarging feature upon the screw shank during the course of the thread rolling operation.

One use of self-drilling screws is to secure metal cladding to roof and wall structures. Such cladding is commonly of a corrugated or similar form in cross-section so as to have a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys. The crest of each ridge, and the base of each valley, may be curved or flat. Metal cladding of such kind may be secured to an underlying frame of metal or timber.
When a self-drilling screw is used to secure such metal cladding to a frame, it is generally arranged with its head bearing against the crest of a ridge of the cladding while the threaded end section of the screw is engaged within the underlying frame member. A section of the screw shank, which is not screw threaded, extends between the cladding ridge and the frame member. When installing the screw, the drill tip of the screw cuts a hole through the cladding so as to permit passage of the screw to the underlying frame member, and the drill tip subsequently serves to cut a hole within the frame member. The threaded section of the screw then forms a co-operating complementary thread within the sidewall portions of the frame member which define the hole and the screw is thereby fastened to the frame member.
A problem arises when the screw is to be used under high load situations or conditions and particularly in those situation which require the screw to have substantial resistance to corrosion. An example of such a situation is where the screw is used to fasten roof cladding to an underlying frame structure or member within a high wind region having a corrosive environment--such as, for example, a region located close to saltwater. In such cases, the corrosion resistance factor is generally created by providing the screw with a suitable coating --such as, for example, by galvanizing, electroplating, mechanical platting, or by means of the application of a barrier coating system. The integrity of any such coating is important with respect to the ability of the screw to resist corrosion.
It is quite common in screws of the foregoinq kind for the non-threaded shank section to have a diameter which is greater than that of the hole formed by means of the drill tip. Thus, when the screw is being installed, the shank needs to be forced through the hole defined within the cladding, and that tends to cause removal of the protective coating from portions of the screw shank. It will often be the case that such portions of the shank will remain exposed between the cladding and the frame member when the screw is finally fastened in position, and consequently will be subjected or exposed to the corrosive environment.
Such partial destruction of the protective coating can have serious consequences, and will not be readily observable in many cases. That is, there may be no knowledge or forewarning of the loss of the corrosion resistance until the screw fails under load conditions due to corrosion occurring at the damaged regions.


A new and distinct cultivar of Caladium plant named ‘Rosemary’, characterized by its intermediate plant habit; vigorous and dense growth habit; rapid growth rate; and strap-type leaves that are rose red in color in the center with mottled light and dark green-colored borders.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Caladium plant, botanically known as Caladium×hortulanum, commercially referred to as a strap leaf-type Caladium and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Rosemary'.
The objective of the Inventor's breeding program is to create new Caladium cultivars that have uniform plant habit, exceptional performance and attractive foliage coloration.
The new Caladium plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in April, 2001, in Lake Placid, Fla. of Caladium×hortulanum 'White Wing', not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Caladium×hortulanum 'Florida Red Ruffles', disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,136, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Caladium plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Lake Placid, Fla. on Jun. 15, 2002.
Asexual reproduction of the new Caladium plant by tuber divisions in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Lake Placid, Fla. since Apr. 15, 2003 has shown that the unique features of this new Caladium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.


A phase detector customized for Clock Synthesis Unit (CSU) is disclosed. The phase detector improves jitter performance by providing minimal activity on VCO control lines and pushing ripple frequency to one octave higher, while maintaining wide linear characteristic. Moreover, it provides a frequency-scalable circuit that unlike a conventional phase-and-frequency detector (PFD), does not rely on asynchronous elements.

Phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits are used in both clock synthesis and clock recovery circuits. In clock synthesis circuits, a stable reference clock is used to produce an output clock generally of a frequency that is a multiple of the input clock frequency. In clock recovery circuits a data stream, usually Non-Return-to-Zero (NRZ) type, is the input and the clock associated with this input data stream is extracted by the PLL circuit and output.
FIG. 1 shows the block diagram of a phase-locked loop (PLL) consisting of a phase detector 10, a charge pump 12, a loop filter 14, a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) 16 and a divide-by-N feedback 18. The phase detector is a key block of the PLL that affects locking properties such as acquisition range and transient response, as well as the jitter performance.
A Phase-and-Frequency Detector (PFD) is widely used in clock synthesizer PLLs, also known as CSUs (Clock Synthesis Units). On the other hand, a Hogge phase detector is an attractive choice for high-speed clock and data recovery circuits, also known as CRUs (Clock Recovery Units). A Hogge phase detector adjusts the edge of extracted clock to be at the center of the data eye and automatically provides built-in data retiming.
Phase-and-Frequency Detector (PFD)
In a conventional CSU based on a PFD and a divide-by-N feedback, the synthesized output frequency is N times the reference frequency: fOUT=N×fIN. FIG. 2a shows a typical PFD circuit combined with switched current sources 20 and 22 representing a charge pump, and a capacitor 24 representing a loop filter. The two inputs to the PFD are a reference clock (REFCLK) 26, and a feedback clock (FBCLK) 28. As shown in FIG. 2b, the rising edge of REFCLK sets the output UP, and the rising edge of FBCLK (i.e. VCO frequency divided by N) sets the output DOWN. Phase error is obtained by comparing the widths of UP and DOWN pulses. At ideal locked condition, the rising edges of REFCLK and FBCLK are perfectly aligned and net output of the charge pump is zero due to complete overlap of UP and DOWN pulses. If FBCLK moves with respect to REFCLK, the position of DOWN pulse moves accordingly and there will be an incremental (positive or negative) charge and voltage adjustment on the capacitor 24 that provides the control voltage VC to the VCO.
Combined with a charge pump, a PFD potentially suffers from a dead zone in its transfer characteristic, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2c. The dead zone, which is due to inherent delay in turning on charge pump currents, directly translates to an equivalent peak-to-peak phase jitter in the PLL. To eliminate the dead zone, a larger delay τ is added in the reset path of the PFD. The resulting characteristic is shown with dashed line in FIG. 2c. Despite its popularity, this approach has some drawbacks that are typical of any asynchronous design. As the delay varies over process, temperature and power supply, if it becomes too small at some design corner, the dead zone or nonlinearity will appear there. On the other hand, the delay may not be made arbitrarily large, partly because it will eat into the dynamic range of the PFD from the two sides (see FIG. 2c). From a design point of view, the PFD circuit is not scalable, i.e. for a new frequency or process technology the delay element must be carefully readjusted.
Hogge Phase Detector
FIG. 3a shows the schematic of a Hogge phase detector. An attractive choice for high-speed clock and data recovery, the Hogge circuit adjusts the recovered clock edge at the center of data eye and automatically provides data retiming. For each input (data) transition, an UP pulse is generated at the output, followed by a DOWN pulse, causing a triangle-like activity on VC, i.e. the control voltage of the VCO. When there is no data transition, there is no activity on VC. Typical waveforms are shown in FIG. 3b. If the phase of Din varies (or jitters), the width of UP pulse and the corresponding charge varies, but DOWN pulse is fixed and provides a reference discharge. Thus, at the end of each UP-DOWN sequence there can be a net incremental voltage adjustment on VC. The Hogge phase detector has a linear characteristic with no dead zone as shown in FIG. 3c. However, the Hogge phase detector is not normally used in a low-jitter CSU since the periodic transitions of the reference clock make a triangular ripple always present on the VCO control line, corresponding to a small deterministic clock jitter.
The input dynamic range of a Hogge phase detector is in theory smaller than that of a PFD, i.e. ±π vs. ±2π. In practice the input dynamic range of a PFD is considerably narrowed from each side by the amount dedicated to reset pulse width (which depends on design margin, process, temperature, etc.). Also, the Hogge circuit as a phase detector (as opposed to a frequency detector) requires a frequency acquisition aid. For instance, some CRUs employ a PFD at start-up transient and switch to a Hogge phase detector after the frequency acquisition. In other designs, the center frequency of the VCO is swept by means of its control voltage (or current). In either case, a digital control circuit (a.k.a. digital wrapper) may supervise the transient process and switching action.
It is an object of the invention to realize a phase detector with improved jitter performance for clock synthesis units.
It is a further object of the invention to present a scalable design for the phase detector that does not rely on asynchronous elements.

Phase detector customized for clock synthesis unit


There are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating an integrated trace output file on a system having a first computing device and a second computing device. The first computing device generates a first trace output and receives a second trace output from the second computing device. The first computing device generates an integrated trace output file by combining the second trace output with the first trace output.

The present invention relates to data processing by a computing device, and more particularly to trace management techniques in client-server applications.
User interfaces facilitate the interaction between humans and computers by inviting and responding to user input. User interfaces come in many varieties, and are designed to work in concert with application programs. A common scenario involving user interfaces is a network application, where a network connects an application program running on a server and one or more user interfaces running on client devices. The client/server relationship is one in which a server provides services to the client devices. Both the client devices and the server typically have a network interface for accessing networks such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.
In a network environment, a common client device is a personal computer and a common client program with a user interface is a Web browser. The client program enables networked communication between the client device and a server using a data transfer protocol, e.g., the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), to exchange files, images, or programs. HTTP is a request/response-type protocol that specifies how the client device and the server communicate with each other. The server may receive a request from the client device using HTTP, respond to the request, and then close the connection. HTTP is a stateless protocol, meaning that each time a client device requests a Web page, the server will respond to the request independently of any previous requests by the client device, and without recording the request.
The contents of a file transmitted from the server and intended for display in the client program on the client device may be marked up with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) code or Extensible Markup Language (XML) code. HTML is a language that is used to describe the structure of a document, such as a Web page. Client programs interpret HTML code to determine how to display the information contained in the page. A user may request a Web page from a server by clicking on a hyperlink or specifying a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) string. A URL can be used to identify the address of a file that may be accessed on the Internet. The address identifies the Web server on which the file is stored and the directory in which the file is located. When the server receiving the URL request finds the sought Web page, the server sends the page to the client device so that the client device can use that Web page, for example, by generating a display for a user according to the Web page.

Trace management in client-server applications


This invention concerns a process to convert a hydroxyl group (bold in R3C—OH) in a tigliane-type compound to a hydrogen (bold in R3C—H) to obtain deoxytigliane-type compounds or structural or functional analogs thereof. The process has wide application particularly to produce specific biologically active compounds in quantity for use as pharmaceuticals. In particular the process can be used to convert phorbol to a 12-deoxytigliane (prostrating which is a therapeutic lead for the treatment of AIDS. New compositions of matter are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a process to convert a hydroxyl group (bold in R3C—OH) in a tigliane-type compound to a hydrogen (bold in R3C—H) to obtain deoxytigliane-type compounds or structural or functional analogs thereof. The process has wide application particularly to produce specific biologically active compounds in quantity for use as pharmaceuticals. In particular the process can be used to convert phorbol to 12-deoxytiglianes (e.g., prostrating, which are therapeutic leads for the treatment of AIDS.
2. Description of the Problems and Related Art
Availability of Prostratin
In the treatment of disease, many therapies use components from natural sources or from synthetic modifications of natural products. Aspirin was found early in the bark of a willow tree. Many natural and non-natural beta-lactam antibiotics are produced from natural sources often by semi-synthesis from a common fermentation product.1 Naturally-occurring and non-natural steroids used as therapeutics have been obtained directly or through semi-synthesis from plant sources.
More recently, taxol, an effective anti-cancer agent, was originally extracted from a natural resource, e.g., the bark and needles of the Western Yew, Taxus brevifolia. The total synthesis of taxol has been reported by the groups of Holton,2,3 Wender,4 Nicolaou,5 Danishefsky,6 Kuwajima,7 and Mukaiyama.8 While taxol is thus available through total synthesis, it has proven to be significantly more practical to produce it through semi-synthesis from a more readily available and structurally related plant natural product of the baccatin family. Semi-synthesis has also led to the production of non-natural taxanes like taxotere that have proven to be more effective in some therapeutic applications than the natural product taxol. A recent compilation of natural products as sources of new drugs indicates that a significant percentage of all new drugs introduced over the last 25 years were either natural products or derived from natural products through semi-synthesis.1 Not unlike the examples cited above and references cited therein, prostratin is currently available only in low natural abundance from Euphorbia cornigera, Homolanthus nutans and other organisms.9 Other approaches are being explored, but none has yet addressed supply. Thus, there is a need in the art for a new process for production of prostratin and structural or functional analogs thereof through semi-synthesis from readily available starting materials.
AIDS and the HIV Reservoir Problem
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a pandemic disease caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). In a recent report, UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) estimated that 33.2 million people were living with HIV and 2.1 million people lost their lives to AIDS in the year 2007.10
HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) has been successful in decreasing HIV-I in the plasma to undetectable levels in many treated patients. However, latent virus reservoirs remain in patients even after HAART. Such latent virus reservoirs are not targeted by current drug treatments and slowly produce the active virus over time. Therefore, interruption of treatment on such patients often results in viral rebound at a later stage.
Because HAART treats only active virus, the latent virus reservoirs decrease only very slowly in patients on HAART. It is estimated that decades of treatment would be required to deplete the latent viral reservoirs. Such long treatment is undesirable due to the side effects arising from prolonged use of the required therapeutic agents, the expense associated with this chronic therapy, patient compliance concerns, and the eventual emergence of resistance to the chronically administered therapeutics by viral mutation. Therefore, agents that can controllably flush the latent virus from its reservoirs could, in principle, provide a means to eradicate the virus when used as adjuvants in combination with HAART11.
Prostratin's Activity—A Potential Solution to the HIV Reservoir Problem
Prostratin (12-deoxyphorbol-13-acetate) (FIG. 1) is a tigliane diterpene first isolated from Pimelea prostrata and reported by Cashmore et al. in 1976.12 In 1985, Miana et al. reported isolation of prostratin from Euphorbia cornigera.13 More recently, prostratin has been found in limited quantities in the Western Samoan plant Homalanthus nutans and other organisms. FIG. 2 shows a photograph of Homalanthus nutans (left) and a Samoan healer preparing an extract from the bark of the Samoan mamala tree (right). Prostratin demonstrated multiple promising activities against HIV, which are described in the following sections.14
Prostratin Induces Activation of Latent HIV Virus.15
In latently infected CD4+ T cells, prostratin induces HIV gene expression. NF-κB and PKC (α and θ) activation are the key events triggered by prostratin. Although other phorbol esters such as PMA (phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate) are also shown to activate latent HIV, prostratin differs markedly from these and offers distinct therapeutic value because it does not exhibit the tumor-promoting activity of these other agents. Therefore, prostratin is a promising therapeutic lead as an adjuvant to be used in HAART.
Prostratin Protects HIV-Infected Immune Cells from Cell Death
In an in vitro study, prostratin was shown to protect T-lymphoblastoid CEM-SS and C-8166 cell lines. At a prostratin concentration of approximately 1 μM, cell viability was restored to the level of uninfected controls, and no sign of cytotoxicity was observed up to about 25 μM. The mode of action is unclear, but the Ki of prostratin for PKC is 12 nM, suggesting the involvement of PKC in the process.14a
Prostratin Inhibits HIV Invasion into Healthy Cells by Downregulating the Expression of HIV Receptors on Cell Surfaces16
In CEM-SS and MT-4 cell lines, CD4 receptors were significantly reduced on cell surfaces, and mRNA array assay confirmed that CD4 gene expression along with other HIV-1 receptors (CXCR4 and CCR5) were downregulated in THP-1 cells. Staurosporine, a PKC inhibitor was shown to reverse the CD4 downregulation by prostratin, implying the involvement of PKC activation in the process. In addition, prostratin stimulates the internalization and subsequent degradation of CD4 and CXCR receptors in CEM cells. PKC translocation studies on this cell line showed PKCβ and PKCδ remained in the cytosol, whereas PKCα, τ, θ, and ε were effectively translocated to the plasma membrane.
In a more recent study, DPP (12-deoxyphorbol 13-phenylacetate), another non-tumor promoting phorbol ester, was reported to be 20-30 fold more potent than prostratin in activating latent HIV-1. DPP also downregulates CD4 and CXCR4 receptors at nanomolar concentrations.17 As is true for many therapeutic agents, greater potency could lead to improved therapeutic potential. This invention also provides a process for the production of DPP and other structural or functional analogs that may have superior clinical activity.
Potential Use of Prostratin as a Protective Adjuvant in Anticancer Radiotherapy
Activators of NF-kappaB pathway can protect healthy cells from the radiation during anticancer radiotherapy. In studies with mice and rhesus monkeys, the survival rate of the animals after radiation therapy was significantly improved when the NF-kappaB activators were injected to the animals.18 Therefore, prostratin and its functional analogs, being NF-kappaB activators without the tumor-promotion effect, hold great promise as adjuvants in anticancer radiotherapy.
Prostratin's Supply—A Hurdle in Clinical Trials and Future Human Use
Prostratin has most recently been extracted from the bark and stemwood of Samoan mamala tree (Homalanthus nutans). However, the isolation process requires multiple chromatographic separations (one Sephadex column chromatography and two HPLC purifications) and the isolation yield is very low (15 mg of prostratin from 1.05 kg of fresh stemwood).14a In addition, the prostratin content varies significantly between samples (0.2 μg/g to 52.6 μg/g).19 Other natural sources have been identified but they too suffer from low prostratin content, seasonal variation in content, and difficult separation procedures. Therefore, based on existing natural product sources, it would be difficult to economically produce prostratin in large quantities needed for human clinical trials (50 mg per treatment session).20 Such large scale harvest could place significant burden on the ecosystem. In addition, at present it is not clear that farmed trees could produce prostratin at the same levels as the wild type.
A research group at UC Berkeley signed an agreement with the Samoan government to use the mamala tree to identify and isolate the genes required to biosynthesize prostratin.23 Their goal is to engineer bacteria by inserting the genes responsible for prostratin biosynthesis and produce prostratin by fermentation. However, this technology is still in its early development stage and its feasibility is yet to be demonstrated.
These limitations on supply account for the limited research that has been done on prostratin and DPP, and the paucity of improved analogs. Accordingly, a need exists to obtain quantities of synthetic materials for use in the control of diseases.

Process to produce prostratin and structural or functional analogs thereof

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


The disclosure relates to a steering apparatus for a vehicle having an impact absorption device for absorbing an impact force introduced via a steering wheel. The steering apparatus has a fastening device for fastening to a vehicle carrier or a vehicle body. The fastening device has a bracket for holding a steering column. The bracket has at least one connecting portion for connecting to the fastening device by a fastening element. At least one target breaking portion is designed to break starting from a predetermined impact force. In order to simplify the construction and/or to be able to realize production more economically, the bracket has and/or forms the target breaking portion, with the connecting portion being separated from the bracket after breaking the target breaking portion and remaining on the fastening device.

A steering apparatuses are known from EP 3 572 299 A1. According to this publication, a fastening device and a bracket have holes which merge into one another in an assembled state and are cast using a plastics material. By means of these plastics material pins thus formed and the bracket is held on the fastening device in normal use. In an accident situation that deviates from normal use, a driver of the vehicle can hit the steering wheel, in particular a triggered airbag on the steering wheel. In the event of a sufficiently large impact force introduced as a result, the plastics material pins break, which are thus designed as a target breaking portion. This arrangement already absorbs impact energy. In addition, the bracket is now released from the fastening device and the bracket with the steering column can move relative to the fastening device or shift in a predetermined manner. The steering column is preferably designed telescopically so that in the event of an accident in which the driver of the vehicle is thrown onto the steering wheel, it can be pushed together and the steering wheel can move together with the driver.
The disadvantage in this case is that the formation of a target breaking portion from plastics material or by means of an injection molding process causes a high level of effort in the production and/or in ensuring a sufficiently firm connection between the bracket and the fastening device in normal use.
What is needed is to further develop a steering apparatus of the type mentioned above in such a way that the construction is simplified and/or production can be implemented more cost-effectively. For example, arrangements that permit dispensing with complex injection molding of a target breaking portion would be desirable.

Steering apparatus for a vehicle having an impact absorption device


An apparatus for repairing a hole in a wall. The apparatus comprises an end section, a connection section and a fastener section. The end section may have an area larger than the hole and a cross-section smaller than the hole. The end section may be a continuous piece. The connection section generally has a first end connected to the end section. The fastener section is generally connected to a second end of the connection section.

Drywall is a common construction material used in both new and used residential and business applications. After drywall is installed, damage can occur from a number of sources. For example, a door handle may poke a hole into an existing drywall installation. Conventional systems for patching such holes involve placing some sort of backing material inside the hole. The backing material needs to be glued or otherwise secured to the inside of the damaged drywall area. Since the inside of a wall is often also enclosed by another sheet of drywall on the opposite side of the wall, access to the interior portion of the wall is not easily obtained. Conventional drywall repair approaches often involve increasing the size of the hole to a sufficiently large size to wedge a backing material into the hole with a pair of pliers or other similar tool. After the backing material drys, a drywall patching material (often in a paste form) is applied, sanded, finished, etc. However, since the backing material is glued in place from the outside, if the glue does not hold until the patch is dry, the drywall patch can fall into the inside of the wall, either during the patching processing or after the patching process, making the patch unacceptable and/or unuseable.
It would be desirable to implement a drywall patch that provides a secure backing without the need to enlarge the damaged area.

Method and/or apparatus for drywall repair