Provided are a kit including a first component that is a compound of formula (1) below bound to a first material and a second component that is a ligand bound to a second material, wherein each of the first and second materials is independently selected from the group consisting of a solid phase, a biomolecule, an antioxidant, a chemical therapeutic agent, an anti-histaminic agent, a cucurbituril dendrimer, a cyclodextrin derivative, a crown ether derivative, a calixarene derivative, a cyclophane derivative, a cyclic peptide derivative, a metallic ion, a chromophore, a fluorescent material, a phosphor, a radioactive material, and a catalyst; and the ligand can non-covalently bind to the compound of formula (1); a method of separating and purifying a material bound to a ligand using the compound of formula (1) bound to a solid phase; a method of separating and purifying the compound of formula (1) or a material bound to the compound using a ligand bound to a solid phase; a sensor chip including a compound of formula (1) bound to a first material and a ligand bound to a second material; and a solid-catalyst complex including the compound of formula (1) bound to a first material and a ligand bound to a second material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a kit comprising a first component that is a compound of formula (1) bound to a first material and a second component that is a ligand bound to a second material and capable of non-covalently binding to a cucurbituril derivative; a method of separating and purifying a material bound to a ligand using a compound of formula (1) bound to a solid phase; a method of separating and purifying a compound of formula (1) or a material bound to the compound of formula (1) using a ligand bound to a solid phase; a sensor chip comprising a complex of a compound of formula (1) bound to a first material and a ligand bound to a second material; and a solid-catalyst complex comprising a compound of formula (1) bound to a first material and a ligand bound to a second material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Host molecules, such as cyclodextrin (U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,399), and crown ether (Korean Patent No. 026382), have the ability to retain guest molecules in their structure and thus research has been conducted into their application in separating and removing materials. To use such a host molecule as a column packing material, the host molecule has to be covalently bound to a solid substrate selected from among polymers, such as silica gel, zeolite, titanium oxide, cellulose, etc. Such host molecules covalently bound to solid substrates are used as stationary phases of various column packing materials for column chromatography and used to separate various samples.
Cucurbituril was first reported by R. Behrend, E. Meyer, F. Rusche in 1905 (Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1905, 339, 1). W. Mock et al. characterized cucurbituril as a hexameric macrocyclic compound having the chemical formula of C36H36N24O12 and confirmed the chemical structure by X-ray diffraction (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1981, 103, 7367). They named this compound cucurbit[6]uril. Since then, improved synthetic methods of cucurbit[6]uril have been disclosed (refer to DE 196 03 377 A1).
Cucurbituril is a macrocyclic compound having a lipophilic cavity and two hydrophilic entrances at upper and lower portions. Accordingly, lipophilic interactions occur in the cavity of cucurbituril, and hydrogen bonds, polar-polar interactions, positive charge-polar interactions, etc. occur in the two entrances having n carbonyl groups. Therefore, cucurbituril has the ability to retain various compounds through more stable non-covalent bonding bond than commonly used cyclodextrin. In addition, cucurbituril has the ability to retain ionic materials and large-polarity materials, for examples, various organic materials, such as gaseous compounds, aliphatic compounds, aromatic compounds, etc., and various compounds, such as insecticides, herbicides, amino acids, nucleic acids, ionic compounds, metallic ions, organic metallic ions, etc. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 11316: European Patent No. 1094065; and J. Org. Chem. 1986, 51, and 1440).

Application using non-covalent bond between a cucurbituril derivative and a ligand


Bicycle derailleur mounting apparatus for use with a suspension bicycle including a front triangle and a rear triangle coupled to allow limited relative pivotal movement or travel therebetween during operation. The apparatus includes a derailleur link having a derailleur mounted thereon. Mounting structure mounts the derailleur link relative to one of the front triangle and the rear triangle to move independently of the front triangle and the rear triangle during travel. The independent movement is driven as a function of travel position of the front triangle and the rear triangle. The mounting structure is designed to position the derailleur to maintain shifting performance, to maintain chain retention, and to maintain good front derailleur to chainstay clearance, at desired points along the travel.

Bicycles including a front triangle and a rear triangle (suspension bicycles) coupled for pivotal movement during operation, are well known in the art. Generally, in bicycles of this type the frame is formed of two components, a front triangle and a rear triangle, that are pivotally coupled with shock-absorbing type cylinders connected therebetween to allow limited relative pivotal movement. Relative movement between the front and rear triangles during use is generally referred to as suspension movement or travel. One purpose of the pivotal movement is to smooth the ride during high stress rides such as cross-country travel, mountain biking, etc.
A major problem that occurs in suspension bicycles is that as the rear triangle and/or front triangle move relative to each other, the drive chain can move several inches from its normal position. Thus, the position of the chain relative to the chainstay and the derailleur shifts substantially and can in some instances move sufficiently to impair operation of, or damage the derailleur.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object the present invention to provide a new and improved suspension bicycle derailleur mounting apparatus for movably mounting the derailleur.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suspension bicycle derailleur mounting apparatus for movably mounting the derailleur to maintain shifting performance, to maintain chain retention, and to maintain good front derailleur to chainstay clearance at desired points along the travel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suspension bicycle derailleur mounting apparatus for movably mounting the derailleur that produces a shorter drop in drive side chainstay in order to clear the front derailluer cage through travel and allows for a stronger lighter frame design.
Another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suspension bicycle derailleur mounting apparatus for movably mounting the derailleur that allows a wider range of rear suspension pivot locations.
Yet another object of the present invention is to maintain chain retention at desired points along the travel.


A nuclear reactor having structural members made of austenitic stainless steel which is corrosion-resistant in an environment of neutron irradiation, and can suppress stress corrosion cracking and embrittlement. At least one additive selected from the group consisting of Ti more than 0.2% by weight but not more than 0.6%, Zr more than 0.2% but not more than 1.14%, Hf more than 0.2% but not more than 2.24%, V more than 0.2% but not more than 0.64%, Nb more than 0.5% but not more than 1.17% and Ta more than 0.5% but not more than 2.27% is added to austenitic stainless steel containing Cr, Ni and so on, and said at least one exists in a solid-solution state. In addition, the steel has a wholly austenitic structure substantially free of carbide. In order to maintain the irradiation-induced segregation prevention effected by the addition element, the C content is limited to 0.01 to 0.008%, and the N content is limited to 0.001 to 0.0%. The irradiation-induced segregation, of the constituent elements, such as Cr and Ni, occurring in a grain boundary under irradiation, can be prevented, and the deterioration of the corrosion resistance of the material, as well as the embrittlement, can be prevented.

This invention relates to austenitic stainless steel for use as a material for constituting a reactor such as a light water reactor, a fast breeder reactor and a nuclear fusion reactor, and more particularly to austenitic stainless steel having a superior irradiation-induced segregation resistance best suited for preventing the concentration change of the constituents in the crystal grain boundary (that is, for preventing irradiation-induced segregation) when the steel is exposed to a neutron-irradiating environment.
Conventionally, austenitic stainless steel SUS304 or SUS316 has been used as equipment parts of a reactor core of a light water reactor. During the operation of the nuclear reactor, the equipment parts of the reactor core is subjected to neutron irradiation, and therefore it is desired to use a material of a superior irradiation resistance for the equipment parts. Particularly, the most important properties with respect to the irradiation resistance of the material are irradiation embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking. It has been pointed out, for example, in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 57-155352 that the irradiation embrittlement can be improved by adding a trace amount of an additional element to the material. It is described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-93075 that the stress corrosion cracking under irradiation can also be improved by adding a trace amount of an element.
In the above prior art for the present invention, however, the resistance to the irradiation embrittlement of the austenitic stainless steel due to the concentration change of the constituents in the crystal grain boundary which is induced upon receipt of high dose of neutron irradiation in the nuclear reactor, as well as the deterioration of the stress corrosion cracking resistance under irradiation, has not been recognized. Therefore, proper amount of the additive elements have been not studied.

A nuclear reactor comprising a reactor vessel and structural members made of an austenitic stainless steel having superior resistance to irradiation-induced segregation


Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that monitors a connection in a computer system between a connector and a component coupled to the connector. During operation, a first motion parameter of the connector, and a second motion parameter of the component are measured. Then, the connection is monitored by comparing information related to the first motion parameter and information related to the second motion parameter.

1. Field
The present invention relates to techniques for monitoring the performance of computer systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring a connection in a computer system between a connector and a component.
2. Related Art
In computer systems, the quality of the electrical contact between a component and a connector it is inserted into is important for signal integrity and potentially proper operation of the computer system as a whole. Wear-out of a connection can cause failures that can potentially lead to computer system errors, unplanned downtime and even loss of data.
Vibration can significantly accelerate the wear-out mechanisms. For example, in the presence of excessive vibration, the motion of connector pins may result in the accumulation of debris that is not removed and as a result can cause an increase in the resistivity of the connection or even in a complete open circuit. Although the wear-out of a connection is inevitable due to electrical and environmental factors, connections are typically design so that there will not be any noticeable effects of wear until after the planned life cycle of the computer system has ended. However, as new generations of computer systems are built that require more cooling, vibrations from the more powerful cooling fans can cause premature wear-out of a connection.
Hence what is needed is a method and system that monitors a connection in a computer system.

Monitoring a connection in a computer system


An original blanking period of a video signal is shortened to a set blanking period, and audio data is multiplexed into a resulting superimposing period. Table distinguishing data indicating the length of the superimposing period is inserted into the period as a blanking signal. With this configuration, it is possible to enable transmission and reception of an audio signal in a system capable of transmitting and receiving a video signal.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for transmitting information, an apparatus and a method for receiving information, a system and a method for transmitting and receiving information, a recording medium and a program, and particularly to an apparatus and a method for transmitting information, an apparatus and a method for receiving information, a system and a method for transmitting and receiving information, a recording medium and a program that make it possible to transmit audio data more efficiently by multiplexing the audio data into video data.
A blanking period of video data is often used when the video data has other data superimposed thereon for transmission. In teletext broadcasting, text data is inserted into a vertical blanking period, for example.
Since the blanking period is extremely short as compared with a period for transmitting original video data, however, types of data capable of being multiplexed are limited to low-volume data such as text data.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Information transmitting apparatus and method, information receiving apparatus and method, information transmitting and receiving system and method, recording medium and program


The present invention is directed to a novel composition, and to a method of making the composition, the composition being useful in catalyst systems for the homopolymerization and/or copolymerization of olefins, wherein such catalyst systems display a higher level of activity and stereoselectivity than previously reported. The present invention is also directed to novel polymeric compositions made with such catalyst systems, such as a novel syndiotactic polypropylene that melts at temperatures higher than previously reported.

Constrained geometry catalysts (CGCs) have received considerable attention because of their ability to copolymerize ethylene with α-olefins, forming linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) on the commercial scale of several billion pounds per year (see Stevens et al., Eur. Patent Appl. EP 416815-A2, 1991 (Dow Chem. Co); Canich, Eur. Patent Appl. EP 420436-A1, 1991 (Exxon Chem. Co.); Shapiro et al., Organometallics, vol. 9, pp. 867–869, 1990; Shapiro et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 116, pp. 4623–4640, 1994; McKnight et al., Chem. Rev., vol. 98, pp. 2587–2598, 1998; McKnight et al., Organometallics, vol. 16, pp. 2879–2885, 1997; Lanza et al., Organometallics, vol. 21, pp. 5594–5612, 2002; and Xu et al., Macromolecules, vol. 34, pp. 2040–2047, 2001). Reportedly, α-olefin incorporation exceeds that with other organometallic catalyst systems because of the steric accessibility afforded by the linked cyclopentadienyl-amido ancillary ligand. Although the precatalyst Me2Si(η5-C5Me4)(η1-N-tBu)TiMe2 is considered to be the commercial standard for ethylene/1-octene copolymerizations (Boussie et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 125, pp. 4306–4317, 2003), it has been shown that indenyl-amido CGC systems such as Me2Si(η5- 2-Me-benz[e]Ind)(η1-N-tBu)TiCl2/MAO (MAO=methylaluminoxane) can induce high activity and moderate α-olefin incorporation in ethylene/1-octene copolymerizations (see Xu et al., Macromolecules, vol. 31, pp. 4724–4729, 1998). In contrast, existing fluorenyl-amido polymerization systems such as Me2Si(η5-C13H8)(η1-N-tBu)TiCl2/MAO are typically inferior with respect to activity, comonomer incorporation, molecular weight, thermal sensitivity, and catalytic lifetime. See Xu et al., Macromolecules, vol. 34, pp. 2040–2047, 2001; Okuda et al., Organometallics, vol. 14, pp. 789–795, 1995; Dias et al., J. Organomet. Chem., vol. 508, pp. 91–99, 1996; Xu et al., Macromolecules, vol. 31, pp. 2395–2402, 1998; Alt et al., J. Organomet. Chem., vol. 572, pp. 21–30, 1999; and Razavi et al, J. Organomet. Chem., vol. 621, pp. 267–276, 2001.
In 1988, Ewen, Razavi, et al. first reported the use of a single-site catalyst for the preparation of syndiotactic polypropylene (s-PP), a high-melting, crystalline thermoplastic. The ansa-zirconocene Me2C(η5-C5H4)(η5-C13H8)ZrCl2, upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), produced stereoregular s-PP with a Tm (melting temperature) of 138° C. and a stereochemical [rrrr] pentad fraction of 86% (Ewen et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 110, pp. 6255–6256; For a general review of propylene polymerization via metallocene catalysts see: Resconi et al., Chem. Rev., vol. 100, pp. 1253–1345, 2000). Since this report, commercial interest in s-PP has increased; global production is anticipated to grow to 4×108 kg of s-PP per year by 2010, approaching 1% of worldwide polypropylene capacity (Shamshoum, E.; Schardl, J. in Metallocene-Catalyzed Polymers—Materials, Properties, Processing and Markets; Benedikt, G. M., Goodall, B. L., Eds.; Plastics Design Library: Norwich, N.Y., 1998, pp. 359–368.). Despite a number of superior physical properties—such as greater optical clarity, tear resistance, and impact strength—the development of s-PP has lagged behind that of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP), which can be made with [mmmm]>99% and a Tm as high as 166° C. (Ewen et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 123, pp. 4763–4773, 2001).
Attempts to improve catalyst activity and syndioselectivity have resulted in several second generation single-site catalysts, including doubly-bridged metallocenes (e.g., [(1,2-Me2Si)2 {η5-C5H3} {η5-C5H-3,5-(CHMe2)2}]ZrCl2, Veghini et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 121, pp. 564–573, 1999), fluorenyl-amido constrained geometry catalysts (CGCs) (e.g., Me2Si(η1-N-tBu)(η5-3,6-tBu2C13H6)ZrCl2, Razavi et al., J. Organomet. Chem., vol. 621, pp. 267–276, 2001; Busico et al., Macromol. Chem. Phys., vol. 204, pp. 1269–1274), coordination compounds (e.g., bis[N-(3-(SiMe3)salicylidene)-2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoroanilinato]-TiCl2, Mitani et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 124, pp. 7888–7889, 2002), and sterically expanded versions of the parent Ewen-type catalyst such as Me2C(η5-C5H4)(η5-C29H36)ZrCl2, which provided markedly improved s-PP with [rrrr]=92% and an unannealed Tm of 154° C. (Miller et al., Organometallics, vol. 23, pp. 1777–1789, 2004). These efforts, however, have generally suffered from arduous catalyst syntheses (e.g., [(1,2-Me2Si)2{η5-C5H3} {η5-C5H-3,5-(CHMe2)2}]ZrCl2, Veghini et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 564–573), low catalytic activity (e.g., bis[N-(3-(SiMe3)salicylidene)-2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoroanilinato]-TiCl2, Mitani et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 124, pp. 7888–7889), thermal instability, and poor syndioselectivity (e.g., Me2Si(η1-N-tBu) (η5-3,6-tBu2C13H6)ZrCl2), Razavi et al., J. Organomet. Chem., vol. 621, pp. 267–276, 2001; Busico et al., Macromol. Chem. Phys., vol. 204, pp. 1269–1274, 2003). Accordingly, a catalyst or catalyst system capable of overcoming one or more of these limitations would be exceedingly beneficial.

Catalyst system for high activity and stereoselectivity in the homopolymerization and copolymerization of olefins


An apparatus for the examination of an object by ultrasonic echography, includes an array of n ultrasonic transducers which is associated with a stage for the emission of signals for scanning the object and with a stage for receiving and processing echographic signals retumed to the transducers, by the obstacles encountered in the object scanned. The emission stage is configured for the focusing of m simultaneously emitted ultrasonic beams, by virute of n emission modules, each of which, for example, the i.sup.th emission module, itself contains m signal generators (201a.sub.1, . . . , 201m.sub.1) which are connected in parallel (or a single signal generator followed by m parallel-connected delay circuits), a stage (202i) for combining the m signals thus generated, and an amplifier (203i) for applying the amplified combined signal to the transducer (10i) corresponding to the relevant emission module.

European Patent Application EP-0 323 668, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,283, describes an apparatus of this kind in which an interesting compromise is realised between the rate of operation and the resolution. The described solution consists in the successive emission, be it as closely successive as possible, of m focused ultrasonic beams in m different directions, the reception and processing of the echographic signals formed being provided by known means for simultaneously focusing the m ultrasonic beams from said m directions (these known means are described, for example in the article by O. T. von Ram, S. W. Smith and H. E. Pavy "High-speed ultrasound volumetric imaging system, part II: Parallel processing and image display", IEEE Trans. on UFFC, Vol. 38, No. 2, March 1991, pp. 109-115). However, using this apparatus it is necessary to wait until all successive emissions have been completed before the reception of the echographic signals retumed to the transducers may commence (this emission sequence has a duration equal to the sum of the maximum delay times corresponding to each focusing rule for the emitted beams). Actually, it is impossible to emit and receive simultaneously by means of a transducer. These restrictions in respect of time on the one hand limit the number of beams to be emitted and on the other hand lead to the exclusion of a given object thickness from the zone to be scanned, which thickness constitutes a kind of dead zone corresponding to the part of the object situated nearest to the transducer array.

Apparatus for the examination of objects by ultrasonic echography


A semiconductor memory device is disclosed, in which a memory region which can not be used due to existence of defective bit line is reduced. In a DRAM of a double word line system, when there is a defective bit line 103 in a certain block thereof, only a memory region 104 in a right or left portion of the block to which the defective bit line 103 belongs is made invalid and a region on the other side is made valid. In this case, clusters are constructed with the valid memory region by converting the uppermost bits of a row address and the uppermost bits of a column address by means of an address conversion circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device which can inhibit to use the defective addresses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a memory capacity of a semiconductor memory device, particularly, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), is substantially increased. However, the reduction of yield of the recent semiconductor memory device due to increase of the memory capacity becomes a problem. It is very difficult to fabricate perfect semiconductor memory devices and it has been known that many semiconductor memory devices fabricated contain defective cells and/or defective bit lines. In order to salvage such semiconductor memory devices containing defective cells and/or defective bit lines, a semiconductor memory device is generally provided with a redundancy mechanism. That is, a defective semiconductor memory including a defective memory cell or a memory cell which can not be used due to a defective bit line can be used as a substantially perfect semiconductor memory by replacing the defective memory cell or the memory cell including the defective bit line by a redundancy cell. With this scheme, the reduction of yield of the semiconductor memory device is improved.
However, due to the recent drastic increase of memory capacity, there are a considerable number of cases where the semiconductor memory device fabricated includes too many defective cells and/or defective bit lines to be salvaged by such redundancy mechanism. It is not preferable in view of yield to abandon all of such semiconductor memory devices as defective memory devices. In order to salvage such semiconductor memory devices and enable to ship them as perfect semiconductor memory devices, a semiconductor memory device whose defective address can be detected by an external device has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H8-102529.
FIG. 11 shows the proposed semiconductor memory device 1000 schematically. The semiconductor memory device 1000 is a DRAM of a double word-line system including main word lines and sub-word lines. The main word line is selected by a main word decoder 1001 which receives a portion of a row address and the sub-word line is selected by sub-word line decoders 1002 which receive the remaining row address.
In FIG. 11, hatched portions are a defective address, an access to which is impossible. That is, a memory cluster 1003 to which a defective cell 1004 which can not be salvaged by a redundancy mechanism belongs can not be accessed due to the presence of the defective cell 1004 and all of memory clusters to which a defective bit line 1006 which is not salvaged by the redundancy mechanism belongs, that is, one memory block 1005, can not be accessed due to the presence of the defective bit line 1006.
FIG. 12 shows a main word line drive circuit 1100 for driving respective main word line pairs MWL and MWLB contained in the main word decoder 1001, which is provided for every main word line. This main word line drive circuit 1100 is provided with a fuse 1101 as shown in FIG. 12. When this fuse 1101 is cut, all of word lines connected to the corresponding main word line pairs MWL and MWLB becomes invalid. It should be noted here that the term "invalidation" used here means not to make an access physically impossible but to merely inhibit an access thereto from an external device.
In FIG. 11, a situation is shown in which, in order to make the memory cluster to which the defective cell 1004 belongs invalid, a fuse 1007 corresponding to this memory cluster is cut and, in order to make all memory clusters (one memory block 1005) to which the defective bit line 1006 belongs, all fuses 1008 corresponding to these memory clusters are cut.
It can be read out externally of the semiconductor memory device 1000 by using a roll call test mode whether or not the fuse 1101 is cut. In the roll call test mode, it is detected by a switching of the level of the roll call signal RCX to low level whether or not the main word line is invalid.
Therefore, in order to detect a memory cluster, that is, a main word line, which is invalid, a user of the DRAM performs the roll call test immediately after a power source of the DRAM is turned on. When it is detected in this roll call test that a certain main word line is invalid, it means that a use of a memory cluster corresponding to the invalid main word line is impossible and the memory cluster is registered in a defective address table of another memory device externally of the semiconductor memory 1000 as a defective memory cluster.
According to this technique, a portion of the memory capacity of the semiconductor memory device 1000 is practically lost due to the presence of this memory cluster which can not be used. However, since the semiconductor memory device containing defectiveness which can not be salvaged by the redundancy mechanism can be shipped as an acceptable semiconductor memory, the yield is improved.
As another prior art semiconductor memory, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-85696 discloses a technique in which a semiconductor memory device is divided to four memory blocks and, when there is no defective bit line, all of the four memory blocks are used and the semiconductor memory device is shipped as a DRAM having memory capacity of, for example, 64M bits and, when there is, for example, three of the four memory blocks having defective bit lines, the remaining memory block which has no defectiveness is used and the semiconductor memory device is shipped as a DRAM having a memory capacity which is one fourth of the original capacity, that is, 16M bits.
In the conventional semiconductor memory device 1000, however, when there is a defective bit line 1006, all memory clusters to which the defective bit line 1006 belongs, that is, one memory block becomes invalid. Therefore, a large number of memory cells can not be used due to an existence of defective bit line and the memory capacity of the semiconductor memory is substantially reduced.


Systems and methods for providing real-time conversation among a plurality of disparate communication devices include receiving a first communication from a first communication device operating in a first communication mode, translating the first communication into a second communication that is suitable for processing by a second communication device operating in a second communication mode, wherein the second communication mode is different from the first communication mode, and providing the second communication to the second communication device.

Frequently, occasions arise where two or more parties wish to communicate with each other in real-time but are unable to do so because the parties do not have access to a common communication medium. For example, one party might have access to only a voice medium (e.g., a telephone) while the other party has access to only a data medium (e.g., a personal digital assistant). Similarly, a first party might be using an instant messaging service (i.e., data), while a second party is using a wireless phone (i.e., voice).
Other occasions arise where one or more of the parties is in a situation that is not conducive to common media conversation. For example, one party might be using a telephone, but the other is in a meeting and cannot receive audio or respond with audio. In such a circumstance, the second party might prefer to use a text (i.e., data) based communication device, such as an alpha pager, a text phone, or a PDA, for example.
Sometimes, the parties simply prefer to use different communication media for whatever reasons.
In such situations, the parties are typically unable to communicate with one another in real-time because a communication device operating in a data mode (i.e., in a mode that enables the device to send and receive data, such as text, for example) is unable to communicate with a communication device operating in an audio mode (i.e., in a mode that enables the device to send and receive audio, such as speech, for example). It would be advantageous, therefore, if systems and methods were available that enabled parties using disparate communications devices to conduct a real-time conversation.

Systems and methods for providing real-time conversation using disparate communication devices

AT&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc.


Apparatus for collecting, containing and separating a sample of blood. Disclosed is an apparatus for separating a pre-selected phase of a sample contained in an enclosed chamber, wherein said apparatus can be used with a separating means which rotates the chamber about a longitudinal axis of the chamber. In addition, separating means in which such an enclosed chamber is rotated about a longitudinal axis is described.

Blood to be analyzed for diagnostic and monitoring purposes is customarily collected by venipuncture through a special cannula or needle attached to a syringe or evacuated collection tube. Such collection techniques and devices must offer ease and flexibility of use because of the large number of blood specimens that are processed and because of requirements for additives, variable volumes and adaptation to individual medical conditions.
Separation of the constituent phases, serum or plasma from the cells, is often necessary for laboratory analysis and is usually carried out by centrifugation or, occasionally, by filtration. This separation may require fractionation of minor as well as major components. Once separated the phases are best kept in an inert container, physically and chemically isolated, to avoid disturbance of analyte concentrations. It may be necessary to store them under controlled environmental conditions of temperature, atmosphere or light. The blood and its fractions have characteristics of volume, color and turbidity, of which it is important the analyst take note, since these may affect subsequent analyses. The blood may contain infectious agents and should be kept isolated, preferably in a closed system to reduce exposure to laboratory personnel. Blood specimens may be processed either in small numbers in physicians' offices where compactness and simplicity of use are required or in large numbers in clinics and hospitals where efficiency and assured identification are essential and automation is desirable.
Thus there is a need for a blood collection and separation device or system which combines the features of: ability to separate the blood phases under conditions which limit personnel exposure; maintenance of these phases separated and unchanged; monitoring of gross characteristics of the phases; ready adaptability to varying blood collection requirements; and flexibility for stand-alone use or integration into automated systems.
Serum and plasma are commonly used analytical samples. If serum is desired the specimen must be permitted to clot or coagulate before further separation is attempted. Activation of this clot formation may result as a consequence of contact with the glass collection tube in which the blood was collected and can be enhanced by the addition of various clot-activating materials as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,382 by Zine. If plasma is desired the specimen must have an anticoagulant mixed with it immediately after collection. For this purpose such anticoagulant materials are commonly placed in blood collection devices at the time of manufacture.
The most commonly used blood collection devices are evacuated tubes. They are characterized by advantages and disadvantages in certain situations. The pre-evacuated blood collection tube (such as described by Kleiner U.S. Pat. No. 2,460,641) has the following advantages: once sterilized, its interior remains sterile without additional packaging; simplicity of structure and use, in that its basic form consists of only a glass tube permanently closed at one end with a rubber stopper in the open end; and it is self-sealing when blood drawing is complete and the cannula which was used to puncture the rubber stopper has been removed.
The blood plasma or serum phase is readily separated from the blood cells or clot phase by centrifugation since the specific gravities of these two phases are different. The recommended and usual practice is to centrifuge the specimen at a relative centripetal acceleration of 1000 to 1200 gravities for about 10 minutes. Various materials and devices have been described to physically separate the serum or plasma from the cellular phase, which are either activated during centrifugation or applied after separation is complete. These include gel-like compositions with densities intermediate to the phases as described, for example, in U.S. Pat No. 4,350,593 by Kessler and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,852,194 and 4,083,784 by Zine. Such substances, as commonly used, are sealed in the evacuated blood collection tube at the time of manufacture and will migrate to, and form a barrier at, the interface between the blood phases under the influence of the correct centrifugal force. A problem with such materials is that although they are made from substances with low chemical reactivity they nevertheless contain substances which will contaminate the serum or plasma (such as low levels of some metals used as catalysts for the formation of those compositions). Some substances which are determined by blood analysis (such as low concentrations of organic-soluble, hydrophobic drugs) can be significantly adsorbed or absorbed out of the sample by such gel-like materials, resulting in incorrect analyses. Other separators consisting of a variety of plug-like objects have been used as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,634 by Villa-Real, U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,653 by Coleman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,981 by Nugent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,235 by Cornell, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,117 by White. Unfortunately, these devices are more expensive to make and insert into the pre-evacuated collection tube and the barriers they provide are no more reliable or effective than the simpler, less expensive gel-like separation materials.
Irrespective of the relative expense of plug-like barrier devices, the main problem with such barriers of the prior art is that during blood collection it is impossible to keep blood from getting between the tube closure and the barrier device. Coleman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,653 describes a plug-like barrier which is removably attached to the stopper, but does not demonstrate how blood is prevented from being interposed between the stopper and plug-like barrier. In fact, he states that the plug need not be attached to the stopper, but only restrained from moving prior to centrifugation. Since Coleman's barrier must allow passage of fluid around it when pressure is applied, it follows that the space between the barrier and stopper, along with the rest of the tube, is evacuated prior to blood collection. If the space between the stopper and barrier is evacuated, then blood may forcibly fill the space between the two parts. This is entirely unacceptable because there is no certain way of isolating the cellular blood component of the blood located between the barrier and the stopper from the separated serum or plasma thus negating the effect of the barrier. Both Nugent U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,981 and Adler U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,646 try to address this problem by providing a path for the whole blood to move around and past the plug-like barrier during sample collection or centrifugation. However, in practice once blood interposed between the stopper and barrier has clotted, these passages are insufficient to ensure that the cellular component of the interposed blood will migrate to the other side of the barrier during centrifugation. Both Nugent and Cornell U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,235 try to address this problem by including a migrating gel in their plug-like barriers, but this negates the benefits of solid barriers over gel barriers. White, Pat. No. 4,369,117, avoids the problem by inserting his plug-like barrier into the collection tube after blood collection has occurred. This is not desirable because an additional, hazardous step is required in handling an open tube.
An additional problem with many barriers is incomplete isolation of the serum or plasma from the cellular phase. In the case of gel-like barriers, severe jarring as might occur if the sample is shipped or mailed to a testing laboratory, may disrupt the seal provided by the barrier. If the isolation provided by the barrier is incomplete or disrupted, interaction of the separated phases will cause inaccurate analytical results. Moreover, prolonged contact of the blood phases with a gel-like barrier separator will increase the degree of analytical error caused by interaction between the blood and the barrier. Therefore, with most such devices it is necessary to separate the phases soon after the blood is collected and then transfer the separated plasma or serum to another container for prolonged storage or transport. Problems which then arise are that the transferred sample can become incorrectly identified and that the process of transfer exposes the user to potentially hazardous or infectious blood.
A portion of the serum or plasma may be completely isolated after centrifugation by a device which is inserted into the open end of the collection tube and permits the one-way flow of serum from the collection tube into a separate sampling container through a filter which prevents any of the fibrin from passing into the serum or plasma sample. Fibrin in blood serum can cause blood analysis machines to clog; therefore, many clinical chemistry laboratories filter all serum as a precaution. Such filtering devices are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,254 by Dojki, U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,646 by Adler, U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,995 by Cassaday and are manufactured and distributed under the name of "serum/plasma filter" by W. Sarstedt, Inc. It is possible to isolate the phases of blood with such a device so as to prevent diffusion of ions or other interaction between the phases. However, their use requires additional manipulation of the collection tube, consequent exposure of the user to the blood specimen and risk of contamination of the sample. Related devices employ multiple flexible containers with provision for flow of blood fractions from the collecting blood bag into a separate reservoir (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,220 by Eberle and U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,298 by Persidsky) but these are bulky complex systems only for the separation of anticoagulated blood and are not suitable for collection and preparation of samples for routine clinical analysis.
For most analysis of centrifuged blood samples it is necessary to dispense a portion of the sample to other containers such as analyzer sample cups. Presently, this is done a number of ways. The most common method is to remove the stopper and use a dropper pipette to transfer some of the sample from the open tube to the alternate container. This procedure is hazardous in that removal of the stopper may generate aerosols containing infectious agents, and handling an open sample tube introduces a danger of spilling the sample. Another popular method of dispensing a sample to additional containers is to remove the stopper and simply decant into the additional containers. This method is even more hazardous than the first because skill is required to decant a small amount of serum or plasma without spillage.
Some devices have been made which attempt to address these hazards. One such device is the Tip-Top TM Dispenser Cap made by Helena Laboratories of Beaumont, Tex. The Tip Top dispenser is fastened to the open end of a centrifuged blood collection tube, inverted, and then squeezed causing a portion of the sample to be dispensed through an orifice to a sample cup. The primary difficulty with the Tip Top dispenser and others like it is that it still requires the hazardous step of removing the stopper of the blood collection tube. A device which does not require stopper removal for dispensing a blood sample is the CleanTech TM system made by Clean Tech SCI AG of Langenthal Switzerland. The CleanTech system consists of several components including a cannula to puncture the stopper, a machine to insert the cannula into the stopper, a pipette to access the sample through the stopper and a pump which fastens to the pipette to draw the sample from the tube. This device goes far to address the hazards of dispensing a sample, but it is a relatively complex device and requires several steps to use. In some situations the use of conventional centrifuges to separate serum or plasma from the cellular component of blood specimens is undesirable because it requires a large and expensive centrifuge, best suited for separating batches of several specimens simultaneously. This operation is inefficient when the serial analyses of single samples is urgently required. Time must also be taken to properly balance the centrifuge rotor to prevent excessive vibration which may damage the machine and specimens. An apparatus such as the "StatSpin" axial centrifuge, developed and manufactured by Norfolk Scientific, Inc. (Norwood, MA), can effect this separation on a single specimen more quickly, however, the technique employed by this apparatus is limited to anticoagulated blood, collected separately in a conventional blood collection device and transferred to a specialized centrifuge chamber containing gel-like separation material. Moreover this transfer increases the hazard of contamination or loss of the sample, misidentification, and exposure of the operator to potentially infectious material in the blood. The use of an additional container increases the cost of analyzing a sample.
Similar objections and disadvantages apply to the "ACR-90" centrifuge chamber, rotor and "Airfuge" drive manufactured and sold by Spinco Division of Beckman Instruments, Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.). This rotor is dual chambered and intended for isolation of the large lipid particles from lipemic sera. At high rotational speeds (typically greater than 90,000 rpm) the plastic chamber deforms, permitting the less dense lipid phase to migrate to a second chamber where it is trapped. Other axially spun centrifuge rotors, with a single volume often divided by vanes, are well known as "zonal rotors" and used for harvesting particles from a large volume (0.3-1.7 liters) of dilute solution such as preparations for vaccine by virologists and other such macromolecular isolates (Anderson, N. G.: Preparative zonal centrifugation. Methods of Biochemical Analysis 1967; 15: 271-310). Zonal rotors may be loaded and unloaded through a rotating seal while spinning (dynamically). A majority cannot be loaded or unloaded statically, while a few cannot be loaded or unloaded dynamically. In either case they are usually used for ultracentrifugation at rotational speeds of 20,000-60,000 rpm. Fluids are loaded by a pump and unloaded from them by displacement with air or a denser fluid pumped in during rotation. A single chamber, axially spun, centrifuge rotor with a variable volume which can be used for separation of plasma from blood was described by Brown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,691. This is intended for preparation of blood fractions for therapeutic use and relies upon the fractionation by centrifugation and isolation of those fractions by release of pressure exerted by a spring-loaded movable mandrel upon a flexible chamber. In this way the higher density cellular components can be taken off from the outer radius and the plasma through the center through fluid conduits while the rotor is in motion. Neither of these technologies (zonal ultracentrifugation nor centrifuge with a movable mandrel) is suitable for the fractionation of blood specimens as normally required for clinical analyses. The volumes are too large; they require the use of anticoagulants and cannot be used with clotted whole blood; and they are not readily adapted for automated procedures.
Procedures for blood separation and analysis expose laboratory personnel to infectious agents that may be passed through contact with blood; e.g. hepatitis or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. In addition, conventional batch processing of blood specimen separation is labor-intensive and has not generally been automated whereas other processes in clinical laboratories have. Automation of blood separation can effectively isolate laboratory personnel from the dangers of blood processing while theoretically increasing the speed of the overall analytical procedure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,716 and application Ser. Nos. 07/192,847 and 07/346,063 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,341 by McEwen et al described a method of separating a sample of blood contained in a tubular chamber wherein the tubular chamber and its contents are rotated about the chamber's longitudinal axis and providing a means of processing a sample of blood having the features of: ability to separate the blood phases under conditions which limit personnel exposure; maintenance of these phases separated and unchanged; monitoring of gross characteristics of the phases; ready adaptability to varying blood collection requirements; and flexibility for stand-alone use or integration into automated systems. The present invention provides an improved blood collection and separation device according to the invention of McEwen et al as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,716 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/192,847 and Ser. No. 07/346,063. U.S. patent application No. 07/033,769 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,716 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/192,847 and Ser. No. 07/346,063 are herein incorporated by reference.

Apparatus and method for separating a sample of blood


The present invention relates to newly identified human ADHs belonging to the superfamily of mammalian alcohol dehydrogenases. The invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the ADHs. The invention further relates to methods using the ADH polypeptides and polynucleotides as a target for diagnosis and treatment in ADH-mediated or -related disorders. The invention further relates to drug-screening methods using the ADH polypeptides and polynucleotides to identify agonists and antagonists for diagnosis and treatment. The invention further encompasses agonists and antagonists based on the ADH polypeptides and polynucleotides. The invention further relates to procedures for producing the ADH polypeptides and polynucleotides.

Alcohol dehydrogenases are common enzymes in nature and are often characterized as members of either the MDR (medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase) or SDR (short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase) protein families. Members of the SDR and MDR families appear to have similar activities though they work via different mechanisms and structures. The SDR superfamily comprises isomerases, lyases and oxidoreductases. The enzymes of this family cover a wide range of substrate specificities including steroids, alcohols, and aromatic compounds, however, most family members are known to be NAD+- or NADP+-dependent oxidoreductases. In the combined SDR superfamily, only a single tyrosine residue is strictly conserved and ascribed a critical enzymatic function. Members of the MDR superfamily are often multimeric enzymes associated with 0, 1, or 2 zinc atoms. Substrates of the MDR enzymes are often alcohols and aldehydes. Six different classes of mammalian ADH isoforms are members of the MDR family. In addition to the MDR and SDR families, alcohol dehydrogenases have also been associated with protein families reflecting iron-dependant enzymes, long-chain enzymes, and several types of prokaryotic enzymes with other cofactor requirements.
Most dehydrogenase proteins function as dimers or tetramers and possess at least two domains: the first domain comprising the coenzyme binding site, and the second domain comprising the substrate binding site. This latter domain determines the substrate specificity and contains the amino acids involved in catalysis. ADHs have a variety of substrate specificities, but act primarily on primary or secondary alcohols, hemiacetals, cyclic secondary alcohols, or on the corresponding aldehydes and ketones. The catalytic role of ADH in mammalian ethanol oxidation is well studied. ADH catalyzes the conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde using NAD+ as a cofactor. Specifically, the coenzyme binds ADH, followed by an interaction with ethanol, the ethanol is subsequently converted to acetaldehyde and the NAD+ is converted to NADH. Members of the mammalian ADH protein family have varying electrophoretic mobilities, Michaelis constants (binding affinities) for ethanol, and sensitivities to pyrazol inhibition. For instance, class I ADHs have low Km values (less than 5 mM) for ethanol oxidation while class II and class IV ADHs have intermediate Km values (about 30 mM). Class III ADH enzymes are not saturable with ethanol and virtually function exclusively as glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenases. Allelic variation of the mammalian genes have been identified. The kinetic properties of the resultant variants differ significantly owing to single amino acid substitutions in the coenzyme binding domains of the enzymes.
Alcohol dehydrogenases play fundamental roles in degradative, synthetic, and detoxification pathways and have been implicated in a variety of critical developmental processes and pathophysiological disease states. For instance, allelic variations of ADH2 and ADH3 appear to influence the susceptibility to alcoholism and alcoholic liver cirrhosis in Asians (Thomasson et al. (1991) Am. J. Hum Genet. 48:677-681, Chao et al. (1994) Hepatology 19:360-366, and Higuchi et al. (1995) Am. J. Psychiatry 152:1219-1221). Furthermore, first-pass metabolism is the difference between the quantity of ethanol that reaches the systemic circulation by the intravenous route and the quantity that entered by the oral dose. Several lines of evidence now indicate that first-pass metabolism of alcohol in humans may occur in the liver via the activity of members of the mammalian ADH family (Yin et al. (1999) Enzymology and Molecular Biology of Carbonyl Metabolism 7, Plenum Publishers, New York).
ADHs are also involved in detoxification pathways. For instance, class III ADH is unsaturable by ethanol and mainly functions as a glutathione-dependant formaldehyde dehydrogenase and is therefore important for the elimination of endogenously formed formaldehyde. ADHs are also involved in the metabolism of nitrobenzaldehyde, a dietary carcinogen. It has been suggested that the lack of σ-ADH in Japanese patients may lead to a decreased detoxification of the dietary carcinogen nitrobenzaldehyde and may possible be linked to the high rate of gastric cancer in Japanese (Baron et al. (1991) Life Sci 49:1929-34; Grab et al. (1977) Cancer Res 37:4181-90 and Seedcake et al. (1980) Rev Ed 9:346-51). ADH is also involved in the activation of 1,2 dimethylhydrazine, an experimentally used procarcinogen.
Retinoic acid is a ligand controlling a nuclear receptor signaling pathway that plays a key role in the regulation of embryonic development, spermatogenesis, and epithelial differentiation (Chambon et al. (1996) FASEB J. 10:940-954 and Mangelsdorf et al. (1995) Cell 83:841-850). The synthesis of retinoic acid occurs via the oxidation of retinol to retinal followed by the conversion of retinal to retinoic acid. Members of the alcohol dehydrogenase and short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase families catalyze the reversible, rate limiting conversion of retinol to retinal, while the oxidation of retinal to retinoic acid is catalyzed by members of the aldehyde dehydrogenase or P450 enzyme families (Deuster et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35:12221-12227). Therefore, members of the ADH family influence the growth and developmental processes mediated by the active metabolite retinoic acid.
ADH metabolism of retinol to retinal is inhibited by ethanol, and this may lead to altered epithelial cell differentiation and malignant cell transformation. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the ability of ethanol to inhibit the oxidation of retinol by ADH underlies the pathology of fetal alcohol syndrome, a birth defect characterized by craniofacial, limb, and brain malformations (Duester el al. (1991) Alcohol Clin Exp Res 15:568-572). Retinoic acid also functions to maintain differentiation of epithelial cells and influences spermatogenesis in adult vertebrates (Chambon et al. (1996) FASEB J. 10:940-954). Data suggests that retinoic acid signaling in spermatogenesis and keratinocyte differentiation may be significantly disrupted by ethanol through ADH pathways. It has been proposed that inhibition of retinol metabolism by ethanol may be responsible for the testicular atrophy and spermatogenesis commonly seen in male chronic alcoholics. Furthermore, skin diseases such as psoriasis, have been associated with heavy drinking.
ADH may also play a role in colorectal cancers. During colorectal carcinogenesis, ADH activity is significantly decreased in polyps and further decreased in cancer tissue. (Egerer et al. (1997) Gastroenterology 112:A1260). Furthermore, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for development of oral, esophageal, colorectal, and upper gastrointestinal cancers (Blot et al. (1992) Cancer Res 52:2119s-2123s). The role of ADH in cancers of these various tissues may result from the production of acetaldehyde following oxidation of ethanol by ADH, an alteration in retinol metabolism or through the role of ADH in carcinogen metabolism.
Further functional links between disease and the oxidative/reductive actions of various dehydrogenases are being established. For instance, ERAB is a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family. Interactions between and Amyloid β peptide and ERAB have been shown to mediate neurotoxicity and apoptosis in neuronal cell lines (Yan et al. (1997) Nature 389:689-693) and thus are being implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease (Oppermann et al. (1999) Enzymology and Molecular Biology of Carbonyl Metabolism 7, Plenum Publishers, New York and Oppermann et al. (1999) FEBS Letters 451:238-242).
Accordingly, ADHs are a major target for drug action and development. Therefore, it is valuable to the field of pharmaceutical development to identify and characterize previously unknown ADHs. The present invention advances the state of the art by providing previously unidentified human alcohol dehydrogenases.


A method for determining initial data for determining position data of a vehicle based on driving dynamics data, the method including: assigning a determined environment status at a determined position of the vehicle to the determined position of the vehicle; detecting on environment status; and—using the determined position as initial data if a contrast of the detected environment status and the determined environmental status satisfies a predetermined condition.

DE 10 2006 029 148 A1, which is incorporated by reference, discloses what is known as a strapdown algorithm, which determines the position data of a vehicle on the basis of positioning data and vehicle-dynamics data.
The position data of a vehicle shall be understood below to mean all the data affecting the spatial position of the vehicle. Therefore this data includes the vehicle-dynamics data of the vehicle as well as the positioning data of the vehicle. The vehicle-dynamics data shall be understood to mean all the data that describes the movement of the vehicle.
DE 10 2006 029 148 A1 discloses that in order to implement such methods that determine the position data of a vehicle, then initial data, which is also referred to as an external anchor, is needed.

Method for determining initial data for determining position data of a vehicle


A test apparatus for testing a device under test, includes a low-speed comparator, a high-speed comparator that is operable faster than the low-speed comparator, and a switching section that switches, according to a signal output from the device under test, which one of the low-speed comparator and the high-speed comparator is used to measure a signal under measurement output from the device under test. The test apparatus may further include a termination resistance that is arranged in parallel with the high-speed comparator.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a test apparatus.
2. Related Art
In the conventional art, a known test apparatus for testing a device under test includes a high-speed comparator used to measure a high-speed test pin of the device under test as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-500580.
Particular standards such as MIPI require that a signal be transmitted which dynamically switches between a high-speed mode and a low-speed mode. Thus, a test apparatus is required to be able to receive high-speed-mode and low-speed-mode signals in order to test devices compatible with such standards.


An input stage for an audio power amplifier is provided. The input stage includes a fully differential amplifier and a supply-independent reference voltage generator. The supply-independent reference voltage generator provides a supply-independent reference voltage that is used as the common mode voltage of the output of the fully differential amplifier.

In audio applications, a power amplifier is usually incorporated to drive a speaker load. The speaker load value typically varies from 4 ohm to 32 ohm. Traditionally, class AB amplifiers have been used to drive the speaker load. A class AB amplifier includes a differential amplifier, a push-pull output stage, and a class AB bias circuit. The push-pull output stage includes a p-type transistor and an n-type transistor that drive a signal to an output. Further, the class AB bias circuit is configured to bias the push-pull output stage.
The main drawback of using class AB amplifiers is low efficiency. Low efficiency translates into more power dissipation inside the chip which in turn mandates using a heat sink to dissipate the heat and also lowers the battery life. This increases the cost and the area of the audio solution.
A class-D amplifier is attractive because of the higher power efficiency compared to a class AB amplifier, which realizes a longer battery life and eliminates the heat sink requirement. This allows design of compact and low cost multi-channel high-power systems. The class D amplifiers partially mitigate the concern of thermal runaway by using transistors as switches.
Class D amplifiers typically employ either pulse width modulation or sigma-delta modulation. The high frequency carrier signal (e.g. a triangle or a pulse waveform) is modulated by the audio input signal. This modulated signal is applied to the speaker by power transistors which are either completely on or completely off. This way the power dissipation is minimal inside these power transistors.

Audio amplifier having an input stage with a supply-independent reference voltage


A method for interference-aware scheduling is provided. The method can include acquiring a plurality of interference characteristics, each of the interference characteristics associated with a range of communication resources. The method may further include combining at least two of the interference characteristics into a combined interference characteristic, and transmitting a message encoding the combined interference characteristic.

Field
Embodiments of the invention are directed to wireless or radio communications, and, more specifically, to interference-aware scheduling with broadcast/multicast signaling.
Description of the Related Art
In order to achieve high bandwidth or spectral efficiency in wireless communications systems, interference associated with transmissions between nodes in the system needs to be controlled and reduced. In systems where numerous transmitting and receiving nodes are randomly placed, coordination between the nodes may be required to avoid significant occurrence of interference. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to coordinate and optimally allocate available resources at each transmitting node in a manner that avoids interference.
One option for achieving optimal resource allocation is to have all active nodes measure channel gains to all other nodes, and provide that information to a resource manager. The resource manager can then determine the allocations for transmitter-receiver pairs and distribute those determinations to the transmitting nodes. A drawback of this centralized approach, however, is that it will likely result in a significant increase of overhead in the system.
In other distributed resource allocation schemes, each transmitting node may determine its allocation autonomously. For example, in an interference-aware radio system, nodes utilize interference-aware scheduling (IAS). IAS refers to a scheduling scheme where a transmitting radio node is aware of the interference caused by its transmission to another radio node. As a result, with IAS, the decision to transmit, and at what power level, may be based on the transmitting node's gains as well as the losses experienced at other nodes because of interference.

Interference-aware scheduling with broadcast/multicast signaling


Techniques for monitoring presence of a remote device at Layer 2 that allow reducing power consumption without compromising the device's availability. A device that pairs with a remote wireless device may establish a Layer 3 connection, such as an IP connection, to the remote device to provide services to a user. The Layer 3 connection may be formed over a Layer 2 connection via an access point or as a peer-to-peer wireless connection between the devices. When the Layer 3 connection is not actively used to access the remote device, the Layer 3 connection and the supporting Layer 2 connection (e.g., WI-FI, WI-FI DIRECT™ or BLUETOOTH®) may be terminated and presence of the remote device may be monitored using a Layer 2 device discovery mechanism. The Layer 2 and Layer 3 connections to the device may be reestablished when use of the remote device is desired.

Many computers today have radios to support wireless communication. Wireless communication is used, for example, to connect to an access point of a network. By associating with the access point, a wireless computer can access devices on the network or on other networks reachable through that network, such as the Internet. As a result, the wireless computer can exchange data with many other devices, enabling many useful functions.
To enable computers to be configured for association with an access point, it is common for the access points to operate according to a standard. A common standard for devices that connect to access points is called WI-FI. This standard was promulgated by the WI-FI Alliance, and is widely used in portable computers. There are multiple versions of this standard, but any of them can be used to support connections through access points.
Wireless communications may also be used to form connections directly to other devices without using an access point. These connections are sometimes called "peer-to-peer" (P2P) connections and may be used, for example, to allow a computer to connect to a mouse or keyboard wirelessly. More generally, peer-to-peer connections may be used to establish a group of devices of any type that may communicate without requiring an infrastructure. Wireless communications for these direct connections also have been standardized. A common standard for low data rate wireless communications is called BLUETOOTH®.
In some instances, a wireless computer may concurrently connect to other devices through an access point and as part of a group engaging in peer-to-peer communications. More recently a standard has been proposed, called WI-FI DIRECT™, that enables both an infrastructure connection and communication as part of a peer-to-peer group with similar wireless communications. This standard, also published by the WI-FI Alliance, extends the popular WI-FI communications standard for infrastructure-based communications to support direct connections. The standard to implement WI-FI DIRECT™ may be referred to as P2P Specifications.
WI-FI and WI-FI DIRECT™ are examples of link layer protocols in accordance with the OSI layered model of network connectivity. This layered model defines the different levels at which connectivity is established between computing devices that are to communicate over a network, with each layer relying on communication being established at the lower layers. Accordingly, each layer has a protocol defining how communication can occur at that layer.
In this layered model, the lowest layer is the physical layer. In wireless communication, radios that transmit and receive signals that carry network communications make up the physical layer. Those radios operate according to a protocol so that information transmitted by one radio may be correctly received by another. The highest layer is the application layer. On the computing devices that are to be connected, applications are the sources and/or destinations of information communicated over the network, and those applications communicate according to an application layer protocol so that information sent by one application can be interpreted by another application that receives it.
Other intermediate layers have other protocols. Two such layers are Layer 2, the data link layer, and Layer 3, the network layer. At the data link layer, a protocol allows information to pass along a link between any two devices. Peer-to-peer protocols, such as WI-FI DIRECT™ and BLUETOOTH® are Layer 2 protocols.
A Layer 3 protocol allows devices that are interconnected through a network, or possibly multiple intervening devices, to communicate. A common Layer 3 protocol is the IP protocol. Under this protocol, devices are assigned IP addresses that allow devices on the network to process packets of information addressed with the IP address of a destination device such that the packet is routed to the device.
Protocols operating at Layer 2 and Layer 3 may include discovery mechanisms. For example, for a first device to form a peer-to-peer connection with a second device, the first device may first "discover" the second device. A Layer 2 protocol may specify communications one device can send, and responses other devices may make to those communications, to allow the devices to determine that they are close together and both configured to form a Layer 2 connection. A similar discovery mechanism may exist for devices that may connect over a Layer 3 protocol. Though, rather than engage in short range communications, the discovery protocol may allow one device to discover another device at any location reachable through Layer 3 communications.
Once the devices determine each other's presence at the discovery phase, they may "pair" by exchanging information. During pairing, the devices may exchange information about their capabilities. For example, when a personal computer pairs with a printer, the computer obtains information on the printer and its capabilities, and drivers for controlling the printer are installed on the computer. In addition, the information exchanged during pairing may allow the devices to reconnect at a later time without repeating the discovery protocol.
In some instances, a computing device may monitor for other devices, with which it has already paired, to determine whether the devices are connected to the network. The presence monitoring allows a device to maintain connections to other available remote devices so that a remote device can be accessed without a delay when its use is desired. For example, once a personal computer has paired with a printer at Layer 3, the computer may reestablish a Layer 3 connection to the printer at any time the printer is connected to the Layer 3 network. In this way, the computer can stream a document using the Layer 3 connection immediately in response to a user command to print the document, without requiring a further re-discovery and pairing.

Detecting device presence for a layer 3 connection using layer 2 discovery information


A CaTiO3:Pr,M fluorescent material including 100 mol % of calcium titanate CaTiO3 as a host crystal; from 0.003 mol % to 0.05 mol % of praseodymium Pr which is added, as a first additive, to the host crystal; and at least one of aluminum Al, gallium Ga, indium In, zinc Zn, magnesium Mg, sodium Na, and potassium K which is added, as a second additive M, to the host crystal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluorescent material and a fluorescent display apparatus including the fluorescent material as a light source.
2. Discussion of Related Art
There has conventionally been known a Zn1-xCdxS fluorescent material (hereinafter, referred to as the ZnCdS fluorescent material) which is used as a red-light emitting fluorescent material that is excited by a low-voltage electron beam and is employed by a fluorescent display device such as a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD). However, recently, the use of harmful elements such as cadmium Cd is restricted in view of environmental quality, and the ZnCdS fluorescent material is subject to that restriction. In addition, if the ZnCdS fluorescent material as a sulfide is decomposed by its exposure to the electron beam, then the sulfur S scattered from the sulfide may lower an electron emitting capability of an oxide cathode as the source of electrons. As far as the present application is concerned, the "low-voltage electron beam" is defined as an electron beam that is accelerated by an electric voltage of from about 10 V to about 100 V that is preferable for VFD, unless otherwise defined.
In the above-indicated background, there has been proposed an oxide fluorescent material that does not contain cadmium Cd or sulfur S and emits a red light in response to a low-voltage electron beam. More specifically described, the oxide fluorescent material contains, as a host crystal an oxide of an alkaline earth metal and titanium Ti, and a rare earth element and a group-3 element each as an additive. The alkaline earth metal may be magnesium Mg, strontium Sr, calcium Ca, or barium Ba; the rare earth element may be cerium Ce, praseodymium Pr, europium Eu, terbium Tb, erbium Er, or thulium Tm; and the group-3 element may be aluminum Al, gallium Ga, indium In, or thallium Tl. A typical composition of the above-indicated oxide fluorescent material may be SrTiO3:Pr,Al, as disclosed by Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-85788) or Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-41246). Here, the elements Pr, Al on the right-hand side of the colon ":" indicate the components or elements added to strontium titanate SrTiO3 as the host crystal. This composition preferably contains from 0.1 mol % to 2 mol % of praseodymium Pr and from 1 mol % to 50 mol % of aluminum, as taught by Patent Document 1.
In addition, there has also been proposed a CaTiO3 fluorescent material as an example of a composition wherein the alkaline earth metal is calcium Ca, although this fluorescent material is not for use in VFD. The CaTiO3 fluorescent material is disclosed by Non-Patent Document 1 (Vecht et al. "New electron excited light emitting materials" J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 12(2), March/April 1994 p. 781-784), Non-Patent Document 2 (P. T. Diallo et al. "Improvement of the optical performances of Pr3+ in CaTiO3" Journal of Alloys and Compounds 323-324 (2001) p. 218-222), or Non-Patent Document 3 (Seung-Youl Kang et al. "The influence of Li Addition on Cathodoluminescence for CaTiO3:Pr+3" EURODISPLAY 2002 p. 777-779).

Fluorescent material and fluorescent display apparatus


An adapter is mountable to a bulkhead, panel, circuit box, circuit board or other substrate, and receives a fiber optic connector. The adapter can be swiveled or rotated relative to the bulkhead, panel, circuit box, circuit board or other substrate, thereby providing for enhanced cable management. The adapter may include a gasket that reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI).

U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,380 discloses a bulkhead connector system. The connector mounting-system includes an angled mounting plate having a generally planar back face including opposed mounting flanges for mounting to a bulkhead, and an angled front face positioned at an angle to the back face, and facing partially vertically downwardly when mounted to the bulkhead. The angled front face defines an opening for receipt of a first connector. A yoke is mounted to the angled mounting plate for holding the first connector within the opening. The first connector is connected to a second connector at the bulkhead. This allows for cable management.
The present invention is an improvement of the bulkhead connector system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,380. The present invention provides an adapter that is mountable to the bulkhead and can be swiveled or rotated relative to the bulkhead, thereby providing for enhanced cable management because the adapter of the present invention can be moved to multiple positions. Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon a reading of the attached specification in combination with a study of the drawings.


A sensor window may include a substrate and a set of layers disposed onto the substrate. The set of layers may include a first subset of layers of a first refractive index and a second set of layers of a second refractive index different from the first refractive index. The set of layers may be associated with a threshold transmissivity in a sensing spectral range. The set of layers may be configured to a particular color in a visible spectral range and may be associated with a threshold opacity in the visible spectral range.

An optical receiver, such as a sensor element array, may receive light that is directed toward the optical receiver. For example, in an object detection system, a sensor element array may be utilized to capture information about one or more wavelengths of light. The sensor element array may include a set of sensor elements (e.g., optical sensors, spectral sensors, and/or image sensors) that capture the information about the one or more wavelengths of light. An optical transmitter may emit light that is directed toward an object. For example, in the object detection system, the optical transmitter may transmit near-infrared light toward an object, and the near-infrared light may be reflected off the object toward the sensor element array. In this case, based on the information captured by the sensor element array, the object may be detected. For example, in a vehicle context, a device may use the information to generate a three dimensional representation of the object, and to identify a proximity of the object, thereby enabling object avoidance by the vehicle.
In another example, information captured by an optical receiver, such as a sensor element array, may be used to recognize a characteristic of an object (e.g., a distance to the object, a size of the object, a shape of the object, a spectroscopic signature of the object, a type of the object, a speed of the object, etc.), an identity of a person, a characteristic of the person (e.g., a height, a weight, a speed of movement, a health characteristic, etc.), and/or the like. However, during transmission of the near-infrared light toward the user or object and/or during reflection from the user or object toward the optical receiver, ambient light may interfere with the near-infrared light. Thus, the optical receiver may be optically coupled to an optical filter, such as a bandpass filter, to filter ambient light and to allow near-infrared light to pass through toward the optical receiver. Moreover, when performing sensing of multiple wavelengths of light, a filter may be provided to ensure that each wavelength of light, of the multiple wavelengths of light, is directed to a different sensor element of a sensor element array.

Sensor window with a set of layers configured to a particular color and associated with a threshold opacity in a visible spectral range wherein the color is a color-matched to a surface adjacent to the sensor window


A traction-type actuator includes a frame, a first actuating unit, a second actuating unit, a rotatable member and a traction member. The rotatable member is disposed on the frame. The first actuating unit and the second actuating unit are located at two sides of the rotatable member. The traction member has a strip shape and can be curved and wound. The traction member has two ends fixed to the frame and is in a tightened state. The traction member winds through the first actuating unit, and then winds on the rotatable member, and finally winds through the second actuating unit. When the first actuating unit is actuated, the second actuating unit will be towed, vice versa, the first actuating unit and the second actuating unit are push-pull by the traction member so that the rotatable member is turned clockwise and counterclockwise.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a traction-type actuator, and more particularly to a traction-type actuator to provide a multiple of a single route.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In these days, people have a certain demand for various electric appliances, in particular to portable electric products, such as smart phones MP3, PDA, notebook computers, digital cameras and so on. These products become essential for everyone. However, the sources to generate electric power are limited. Petrifaction source is widely used to generate power, but it is gradually exhausted and discharges carbon dioxide when generating power. How to supply electricity effectively and to conform to environment protection and energy-saving is an important issue in the industry.
A conventional actuator device is mounted in the sole of a shoe. When the user walks, a power module will be driven to generate electric power. The actuator device comprises a front bag disposed at the front of the sole, a rear bag disposed at the rear of the sole, two guide pipes each having one end connected to the front bag and the other end connected to the rear bag, a blade rotator connected to the power module, and four check valves disposed at the ends of the guide pipes. When the user walks to compress the front bag, the liquid in the front bag will push the blade rotator through the guide pipe connected with the front bag and flow to the rear bag through the other guide pipe. When the rear bag is compressed, the liquid in the rear bag will flow reversely to the front bag. The check valves are used to control the flow direction of the liquid to push the blade rotator to turn in the same direction for the power module to generate electricity. The power transmission of the actuator is achieved by the liquid. However, the liquid flows without a specific direction. It is necessary to provide the guide pipes and the check valve to control the flow direction of the liquid. In this way, partial kinetic energy is consumed on the guide pipes and the check valves to result in low efficiency of transmission of the kinetic energy. How to provide an actuator which can transmit kinetic energy efficiently is the present topic. Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve these problems.


Novel semi-synthetic cephalosporin derivatives having a fused pyridiniummethyl at 3-position of the cephem nucleus, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, physiologically hydrolizable esters or solvates thereof are disclosed. Also disclosed is a process for preparing the cephalosporin derivatives which comprises introducing a fused pyridiniummethyl substituent at 3-position of 7-.beta.-[(Z)-2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-2-methoxyiminoacetamido]-3-cephem-ca rboxylic acid derivatives. The compounds of the present invention show potent antibacterial activities and a broad spectrum against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel cephalosporin derivatives, and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, physiologically hydrolyzable ester and solvate thereof. This invention also relates to a process for their preparation, a use thereof as antibiotics, and a pharmaceutical composition containing the same derivatives as an active ingredient.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of cephalosporin compounds have been synthesized in which the cephem nucleus has a quarternary ammonium methyl at its 3-position and various acylamino groups at its 7-position. These compounds exhibit selective toxicity against bacteria only and present no substantial effects against animal cells. They have been widely used for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacteria as antibiotics having no substantial side effects. Thus, they are highly useful as drugs.
In recent years, an extensive investigation has been made to develop novel cephalosporin derivatives which have more potent antibacterial activities and a broad antibacterial spectrum, especially coupled with activities against cephalosporin resistant bacteria.
As a result, a number of cephalosporin derivatives have been developed which have a 2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-2-substituted oxyiminoacetamido group as a side chain at 7-position and a fused pyridiniummethyl substituted at 3-position of the cephem nucleus. As prior art references which disclose such derivatives, U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,432 to Heymes et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,888 to Ochiai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,041 to O'Callaghan; U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,172 to Katner; European Patent No. 0,318,552 to Katner; European Patent No. 0,164,944 to Bradbury; and European Patent No. 0,300,664 to Jung may be mentioned.
The present invention has been accomplished as an advanced improvement as compared with such investigation.
Thus, the object of the invention is to provide novel cephalosporin derivatives having strong activities and a broad antibacterial spectrum against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as excellent stability against .beta.-lactamase.


A hands-free hair dryer assembly that has a concave housing assembly with an open top portion, at least one side surface, and a bottom portion having a bottom exterior surface. At least one air inlet is disposed through the bottom surface or the at least one side surface. At least one electrical fan assembly heats and blows air drawn through the at least one air inlet. An airflow distribution plenum directs heated air out the open top portion. A plurality of removable, protruding duct members disposed within the concave housing assembly broadens the airflow distribution and changes the speed of the airflow. The housing portions may be divided into two parts so that the hands-free hair dryer can be at least partly extended or retracted to change the dimensions of the open top portion.

Currently, there are a number of solutions for drying hair. One of these solutions attempts to utilize a blow dryer, but this solution fails to meet the needs of the market because blow driers require using at least one hand. Another solution attempts to let hair air dry, but this solution is similarly unable to meet the needs of the market because waiting for hair to dry can be inconvenient. Still another solution seeks to have another person dry hair, but this solution also fails to meet market needs because another person may not be available. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the market for an apparatus that simplifies the hair drying process for a user, especially with long hair, and may need to dry it quickly as well.


Apparatus and methods for amplifier input protection are provided. In certain implementations, an amplifier input protection circuit includes a first JFET electrically connected between a first input and a first output, and a second JFET electrically connected between a second input and a second output. Additionally, a first clamp is electrically connected to the first output, and a second clamp is electrically connected to the second output. A first current mirror mirrors a current through the first clamp, and provides the mirrored current to a third JFET electrically connected between the first JFET's source and gate. Additionally, a second current mirror that mirrors a current through the second clamp, and provides the mirrored current to a fourth JFET that is electrically connected between a source and gate of the second JFET. Configuring the protection circuit in this manner can provide the benefits of both low noise and low fault current.

1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, and more particularly, to input protection circuits for amplifiers.
2. Description of the Related Technology
An amplifier, such as an operational amplifier or instrumentation amplifier, can include an input protection circuit for protecting the amplifier from large input signals. Absent protection, large input signals can lead to overvoltage conditions and/or high levels of power dissipation, which can cause damage to the amplifier, such as damage to semiconductor junctions and/or electromigration in metal lines.
The input protection circuit can be used to provide the input signal to the amplifier's amplification circuitry when the input voltage signal is within a safe voltage range, such that the amplifier can amplify the input signal. For instance, in one example, the input protection circuit can provide the input signal to amplification circuitry when the voltage level amplifier's inputs are within a certain voltage range of the amplifier's power supply rails. However, when the input signal is large and falls outside the safe range, the input protection circuit can be used to block or otherwise impede the input signal from reaching the amplifier's amplification circuitry, thereby protecting the amplifier from damage.


A new cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla named ‘QUFU’ that is characterized by its inflorescences with a flattened shape, its sterile flowers with very hard, almost leathery sepals and its sterile flowers with sepals that are green and pink with white-pink veins when newly opened becoming greener with age, and its good cut flower quality lasting at least 3 weeks as a fresh cut and for many months as a dried cut (when “classic”).

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'QUFU'. 'QUFU' represents a new mophead type Hydrangea, a deciduous shrub grown for use as a landscape plant, potted plant and as a cut flower.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Boskoop, The Netherlands. The Inventor made a cross on May 13, 2008 between unnamed proprietary plants in the Inventor's breeding program; reference name Kroe-1 as the female parent and reference name GS-1 as the male parent. The Inventor selected 'QUFU' as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross in spring of 2011.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor by softwood cuttings in Boskoop, The Netherlands in July 2010. Asexual propagation by softwood cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A probe apparatus includes an imaging unit imaging probes and a first and a second imaging unit imaging the wafer surface. The apparatus further includes a control unit obtaining positions of a mounting table at which focuses of the imaging unit and the first imaging unit are made to coincide with each other and then the focuses of the image unit and the second imaging unit are made to coincide with each other by moving the mounting table; obtaining positions of the mounting table at which the images of the wafer are sequentially taken by the first and the second imaging unit by moving the mounting table; obtaining a position of the mounting table at which the probes are imaged by the imaging unit, and calculating a position of the mounting table at which the wafer contacts with the probes based on the obtained positions of the mounting table.

After IC chips are formed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer"), a probe test is performed on the wafer by using a probe apparatus in order to inspect electrical characteristics of the IC chips. The probe apparatus is configured to control a position of a wafer chuck (wafer mounting table) which is movable in X, Y and Z directions and rotatable about a Z axis so that probes, i.e., probe needles, of a probe card are brought into contact with electrode pads of the IC chips of the wafer, the probe card being provided above the wafer chuck which mounts thereon the wafer.
In order to make the probes precisely contact with the electrode pads of the IC chips on the wafer, a so-called fine alignment is performed in advance and, then, the result therefrom is used to obtain a precise location of the wafer chuck at which the probes contact with the electrode pads of the IC chips, e.g., precise coordinates of a driving system managed by a pulse encoder interlocked with a driving motor for driving the wafer chuck. Moreover, the coordinates of the driving system may be determined by optical information corresponding to the count number of pulses obtained from slits formed on linear scales provided respectively on an X stage moving in an X direction, a Y stage moving in a Y direction and a Z stage moving in a Z direction.
In order to perform the fine alignment, it is preferable to employ a configuration in which a camera is provided to have a downward view to image a wafer at a moving body moving horizontally between the wafer chuck side and a probe card and, also, a camera for taking an image of probes is provided at a wafer chuck side (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-156127). This is because when the images of the wafer surface and the probes are taken after focuses of both cameras are aligned, the images look effectively same as the ones that the wafer surface and the probes were imaged by a single camera. Further, in order to obtain a map of chips on the wafer, it is required to perform an operation for obtaining a central position of the wafer (coordinates of a driving system of a wafer chuck) by imaging, e.g., four points in a peripheral portion of the wafer, by the camera for imaging the wafer and an operation of obtaining a orientation of the wafer by taking images of specific points on the wafer, e.g., two IC chips spaced from each other.
After the orientation of the wafer is adjusted, specific points on the wafer are imaged and, then, the position of the wafer chuck (a so-called contact position) at which the electrode pads of the IC chips contact with the probes is obtained with high accuracy based on the imaging result. In order to perform the fine alignment, the moving body is positioned at a preset location and, then, the wafer chuck is moved so that each point on the wafer can be imaged sequentially by the camera for imaging the wafer. However, to image a large number of points, a total period of time required for moving the wafer chuck increases. Besides, since the movement region of the wafer chuck is large, the probe apparatus main body needs to be designed at a dimension capable of covering the movement region, thus scaling up the apparatus. Especially, as the wafer is scaled up, there is expected a wafer having a dimension greater than 12 inches. Therefore, if the number of probe apparatuses to be installed increases, a large occupation area is required. However, if a region of the clean room is restricted, it is not possible to increase the number of probe apparatuses to be installed.


An asymmetric-computing type shared key establishing method suitable for cloud computing and IoT has the following advantages. The realization efficiency and the security level are high, and a cryptographic algorithm coprocessor is not needed. The method can be applied to occasions in which the computing capabilities are asymmetric, and attacks from quantum computers can be resisted. Compared with a conventional key exchange protocol such as the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol, the method can be more effective between servers and mobile equipment in the security fields as the IoT and cloud computing, and the method can be used in both the electronic environment and the quantum environment. Thus, the asymmetric-computing type shared key establishing method suitable for cloud computing and IoT provided by the invention can be widely applied to the field of information security systems such as network security and e-commerce.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention belongs to the technical field of information security (IS), especially relating to an asymmetric-computing type shared key establishing method suitable for cloud computing and IoT.
2. Description of the Related Art
To solve the problem that key management is complex in a symmetric cryptosystem, Diffie and Hellman brought forward the concept of "public-key cryptosystem" innovatively in 1976 and indicated that secret information can be transmitted in a public channel. Compared with symmetric cryptograph, encryption and decryption algorithm in the public-key cryptosystem tend to be complex and low-efficiency, and are therefore not suitable for encrypting mass data directly. Generally, a shared conversation key is established by utilizing the public key cryptographic technology (i.e., a shared key establishment protocol), and then the conversation key serves as a key of the symmetric cryptograph to encrypt plaintext.
The Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange protocol provided in 1976 opens up a new area in public key cryptography. The Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange protocol is based on the discrete logarithm problem, and characterized in that two parties are in the peering environment and computation is symmetric, namely computation of the two parties is identical. With continuous development of the IT industry, the applications of the key exchange method keep changing, and the original Diffie-Hellman type key exchange method cannot be appropriately used between server and terminal, and between server and mobile equipment on occasions as cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT). The two parties have great difference in computing resources and capabilities, and thus, a shared key exchange protocol with asymmetric computation is needed.
At present, quantum computers have appeared. Further development of the quantum computer may be a grave threat to the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange protocol. Many existing protocols, such as the MQV protocol that serves as the IEEE P1363 standard, are formed by improving the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange protocol, and most of the existing protocols are based on discrete logarithm or elliptic-curve discrete logarithm and thus, incapable of resisting attacks from the quantum computer. A shared key exchange protocol that can resist the attack from the quantum computer is needed. Anshel et al. brought forward a shared key protocol based on common non-commutative groups in 1999 and a double-party shared key exchange protocol in 2001; however, both the protocols are proved to be insecure. Ko et al. put forward the called Diffie-Hellman type conjugate problem (DHCP) in CRYPTO 2000, and further brought forward a Diffie-Hellman type bilateral shared key exchange protocol; however, Cheon et al. suggested a polynomial time algorithm to solve the DHCP in 2003, and Myasnikon et al. even provided a more effective solution. In PQCrypto 2010, Boucher et al. proposed another bilateral shared key exchange protocol which is based on special non-commutative multiplication polynomial, but the bilateral shared key exchange protocol by Boucher was challenged by Dubois and et al. later.

Asymmetric-computing type shared key establishing method suitable for cloud computing and IoT