The present invention relates to hexacyclic compound of the formula [1],

4(S)-ethyl-4-hydroxy-1H-pyrano[3′,4′:6,7]indolizino[1,2-b]quinoline-3,14(4H,12H)-dione (camptothecin), a pentacyclic alkaloid isolated from the Chinese tree Camptotheca acuminata, was first discovered in 1960's by Wall et al. as an anti-tumor agent (Wall, M. E. et al. Plant tumor antigens. I. The isolation and structure of camptothecin, a novel alkaloidal leukemia and tumor inhibition from Camptotheca acuminata. J. Am. Chem. Sco., 88:3888–3890, 1966). Cytotoxic activity of camptothecin is attributable to its ability to interfere with DNA topoisomerase I (Hsiang, Y.-H. et al. Campiothecin induces protein-linked DNA breaks via mammalian DNA topoisomerase I. J. Biol. Chem., 260:14873–14878, 1985). DNA topoisomerase I is a phosphorylated protein and is required for DNA replication, transcription and recombination. It forms a covalent reversible DNA topoisomerase I-double strand DNA complex (referred to as cleavable complex) and relaxes supercoiled DNA by cleaving and religating one of the two DNA strands (Wang, J. C. DNA topoisomerases. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 54:665–697, 1985; Champoux, J. J. Mechanistic aspects of type-I topoisomerase. In "DNA topology and its biological effects" pp. 217–242, 1990; Wang, J. C. et al. The role of DNA topoisomerase in recombination and genome stability: A double-edged sword? Cell 62:403–406, 1990; Muller, M. T. Quantification of eukaryotic topoisomerase reactivity with DNA. Preferential cleavage of supercoiled DNA. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 824:263–267, 1985). Camptothecin reversibly interacts with the cleavable complex and subsequently induces DNA single strand breaks by interfering with the religation step (Hsiang, Y.-H. et al. Camptothecin induces protein-linked DNA DNA brasks via mammalian DNA topoisomerase I. J. Biol. Chem., 260:14873–14878, 1985; Porter, S. E. et al. The basis for camptothecin enhancement of DNA breakage by eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I. Nucleic Acid Res. 17:8521–8532, 1989). Unlike DNA topoisomerase II, DNA topoisomerase I-mediated relaxation of DNA occurs independently of nucleotide cofactor, or divalent cations.
Although DNA topoisomerase I is an ubiquitous enzyme and is present throughout the cell cycle, antiproliferative activities of camptothecin are only limited to clinical trials, and half-life in plasma of camptothecin appeared to be short (less than 30 min) being converted to the inactive carboxylate form. Furthermore, campthotecin is poorly soluble in water, and therefore, it itself can not be formulated for the use of intravenous injection. A number of camptothecin derivatives were synthesized to improve anti-tumor activity, lactone stability in plasma and/or water solubility, and were tested clinically (Gerrits, C. J. H., de Jonge, M. J. et al. Topoisomerase I inhibitors: the relevance of prolonged exposure for clinical development. Br. J. Cancer, 76: 952–962, 1997; O'Leary, J. et al. Camptothecins: a review of their development and schedules of administration. Eur. J. Cancer, 34: 1500–1508, 1988; Gerderblom, H. A. et al. Oral topoisomerase I inhibitors in adults patients: present and future. Investig. New Drugs, 17: 401–415, 1999). However, at the present time, only two campthotecin derivatives, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin (irinotecan) that is the prodrug of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38, EP 0074256) and 9-(dimethylamino)methyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (topotecan) have been introduced to for the clinical practice (Kunimoto, T. et al. Antitumor activity of 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxy-camptothecin, a novel water-soluble derivative of camptothecin, against murine tumors. Cancer Res., 47:5944–5947, 1987; Kingsbury, W. D. et al. Synthesis of water-soluble (aminoalkyl)camptothecin analogs: inhibition of topoisomerase I and antitumor activity. J. Med. Chem., 34:98–107, 1991).
Due to its complexities of the synthetic routes, there is clearly a limitation for producing camptothecin. As was the case of irinotecan or topotecan, large majority of the camptothecin analogues were the camptothecin derivatives having substituents on the A-ring or B-ring independently. Such camptothecin derivatives include 9-nitrocamptothecin (Pantazis, P. et al. The role of pH and serum albmin in the metabolic conversion of 9-nitrocamptothecin to 9-aminocamptothecin by human hematopoietic and other cells. Eur. J. Hematol., 55:211–213, 1995; Loos, W. J. et al. Determination of the lactone and lactone plus carboxylate forms of 9-aminocamptothecin in human plasma by sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescent detection. J. Chromatogr. B., 694: 435–441, 1997; Blaney, S. M. et al. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid pharmacokinetics of 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC), irinotecan, and SN-38 in nonhuman primates. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol., 41: 464–468, 1998), and lurtotecan (Emerson, D. L. et al. In vitro anti-tumor activity of two new seven-substituted water-soluble camptothecin analogues. Cancer Res., 55: 603–609, 1955).
Few derivatives, such as (1S,9S)-1-amino-9-ethyl-5-fluoro-9-hydroxy-4-methyl-2,3,9,10,13,15-hexahydro-1H,12H-benzo[de]pyrano[3′,4′:6,7]indolizino[1,2-b]quinoline-10,13(9H,15H)-dione methanesulfonate (DX-8951f), having the F-ring over the A- and B-ring were also reported to possess potent anti-tumor activities' both in vitro and in vivo (Vey, N. et al. The topoisomerase I inhibitor DX-8951f is active in a severe combined immunodeficient mouse model of human acute myelogenous leukemia. Clin. Cancer Res., 6:731–736, 2000). However, the F-ring introduced to the particular position is restricted to a saturated hydrocarbon chain with or without a heteroatom involved in the chain due to the limitations of their synthetic routes.
Based on the deficiencies of the prior art, there are still strong needs to discover new synthetic routes and deliver of new camptothecin analogs with improved activities against wide variety of tumor cells.

Hexacyclic compounds and their therapeutic use

Abstract: wherein Z, R3 and R4 are as identified therein, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds are useful in the treatment of cell proliferative disorders.


‘Peter's Pride’ is a new variety of calla lily plant having hot pink colored spathes. The leaves are green with maculations present.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of calla lily, botanically known as Zantedeschia sprengeri and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Peter's Pride'.
'Peter's Pride' is a product of a planned breeding program having the objective of creating Zantedeschia varieties for pot flower production in a wide range of colors and classic flower shapes. 'Peter's Pride' was selected in 2006 in Moss Landing, Calif. as an inbred seedling selected from an open-pollinated population and self-pollinated for many generations. As such, its exact parentage is unknown and comparisons thereto cannot be provided.
The new variety was first asexually reproduced through tissue culture shoot propagation in October of 2006 in Moss Landing, Calif. Asexual reproductions of 'Peter's Pride' have demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new variety are retained and reproduced true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in 15 cm pots at 84 days from planting in 't Zand, The Netherlands under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used in horticultural practice. Color references are made to The 2001 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London, 4th Edition, except where general color terms of ordinary significance are used.
The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and determined to be basic characteristics of 'Peter's Pride' which, in combination, distinguish this calla lily as a new and distinct cultivar:                1. Hot pink colored spathes; and        2. Leaf maculations present.
Table 1 provides a comparison of 'Peter's Pride' to similar Zantedeschia sprengeri varieties 'Twilight' (unpatented), 'Garnet Glow' (unpatented), and 'Flirt' (unpatented). Further, the new variety flowers seven days earlier than 'Garnet Glow'.
TABLE 1Comparison Differing ComparisonPresent varietyvarietytrait(s)expressionexpression'Twilight'Spath colorLavenderHot pink (Red GroupRHS 55B)'Garnet Glow'Leaf MaculationsNone presentPresent'Flirt'Spathe colorReddish pinkHot pink (Red GroupRHS 55B)


A memory card and a recording/playback device are provided that are capable of deterring a memory card manufacturer from illicitly storing a same media ID on a plurality of memory cards. A memory card (100) includes a media ID storage module unit (610) and a memory unit (120). The media ID storage module unit (610) includes a media ID storage unit (611) that stores therein a media ID that is specific to the memory card, and a certification unit (609) that generates certification information that certifies the validity of the memory card based on the media ID. The memory unit (120) includes an encrypted content storage unit (122) for storing encrypted digital content. The recording/playback device (200) includes a memory card verification unit (200) that acquires the certification information from the memory card (100), verifies the validity of the memory card (100) based on the acquired certification information, and when the verification has failed, prohibits decrypting an encrypted content or encrypting a content, and a content encryption unit (209) that, when the verification has succeeded, encrypts the digital content or decrypts the encrypted digital content.

Recording/playback devices that record digitally broadcast digital contents on a recording medium, for example, a recordable DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a memory card, etc., have become common. Specific examples of recording/playback devices include DVD recorders, mobile telephones supporting 1 segment broadcasting video recording, etc. Also, services for digitally distributing digital contents such as movies or music to a recording device over a network, and recording the digital contents on a recording medium with use of the recording device have become common. Specific examples of recording devices include KIOSK terminals, personal computers, etc. Furthermore, digital content distribution services for digitally distributing digital contents over a network to playback devices that play back the digital contents have become common. Specific examples of playback devices include music players, mobile phone terminals for displaying movies, etc.
In this case, technology to prevent a digital content from being copied to another recording medium and played back after the digital content has already been recorded on a recording medium once is necessary for protecting rights of copyright holders of digital contents.
According to patent literature 1, a unique medium-specific number that is specific to the recording medium and cannot be rewritten is stored on the recording medium. An apparatus that grants permission generates a medium-specific key according to the medium-specific number of the recording medium, encrypts, with use of this medium-specific key, a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted data, and writes the encrypted decryption key in the recording medium as permission information. A user apparatus reads the medium-specific number from the recording medium and generates a medium-specific key according to the read medium-specific number. Next, the original decryption key is generated by decrypting the encrypted decryption key that is the permission information with use of the medium-specific key. Then, the user apparatus decrypts the encrypted data with use of the decryption key to generate plain text electronic data.
According to this technology, even if a user copies encrypted data and permission data from an authorized recording medium to an unauthorized recording medium and attempts to decrypt the encrypted data from the unauthorized recording medium, the medium-specific number of the authorized recording medium cannot be copied to the unauthorized recording medium. Accordingly, the user cannot acquire the medium-specific number from the unauthorized recording medium, and the encrypted decryption key that is the permission information cannot be correctly decrypted. As a result, the user cannot correctly decrypt the encrypted data.

Recording/reproducing system, recording medium device, and recording/reproducing device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


The present invention refers to a flat back plate, e.g. for MEMS capacitors e.g. for MEMS microphones. For that the back plate comprises a tensile element that exerts a horizontal tensile stress on its environment.

In general, capacitors comprise two electrodes and a dielectric material between the electrodes. The dielectric material may be an insulator, ceramic or a gas. Capacitors may be used in MEMS devices such as MEMS microphones (MEMS=micro electro mechanical system), MEMS sensors or MEMS switches.
The capacitance of a capacitor having flat electrodes depends on the area of the electrodes, the dielectric material and the distance in between. It is often preferred that one or both electrodes are flat, such, that the distance between the electrodes is well controlled. That is, the electrodes should be flat and arranged in parallel.
MEMS capacitors can be assembled by complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processing methods. WO 2010/092399 refers to a MEMS microphone comprising MEMS capacitors and methods for production of MEMS capacitors that are compatible with standard CMOS processing techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 7,851,247 B2 refers to methods of fabricating MEMS microphone structures comprising a metal interconnect layer on a dielectric layer.
However, the application of CMOS production steps often results in an uncontrollable mechanical stress in the assembled electrodes of a MEMS capacitor.
MEMS microphones usually comprise a stiff back plate as a first electrode and a compliant membrane as a second electrode. The compliant membrane may oscillate due to differences in air pressure of an acoustical signal. As a result of this oscillation the distance between the electrodes varies correspondingly. Thus, an acoustical signal can be converted into an electrical signal by evaluating the varying capacity of the MEMS capacitor.
The problem of conventional CMOS compatible produced back plates is a mechanical stress in the assembled back plate. Using CMOS compatible material the mechanical stress is, in general, compressive and thus the back plate structure bends or buckles in an uncontrollable manner. Then, the distance between membrane and back plate becomes uncontrollable. As a result of this, the performance of the microphone is degraded.


A display unit includes: an oxide semiconductor layer configured to form a channel; a first layer having electrical insulation or electrical conductivity; and a second layer including a hydrogen absorbent and disposed between the oxide semiconductor layer and the first layer.

The present disclosure relates to a display unit and an electronic apparatus that include a thin film transistor (TFT) using an oxide semiconductor as a channel.
Recently, organic electroluminescence (EL) display units using an organic EL device have been attracting attention as alternative display units to liquid crystal display units. The organic EL display units are self-luminous type display units, and have a characteristic of low power consumption. Moreover, the organic EL display units have advantages of a wide viewing angle, excellent contrast, and fast response speed; therefore, the organic EL display units have been attracting attention as next-generation flat display units. In particular, development of active matrix (AM) organic EL display units in which a TFT is provided to each pixel to control light emission and a light emission level has been advanced.
Most of TFTs used in the above-described display units often use amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and the like as a channel (a semiconductor layer); however, recently, a technique to apply a TFT using an oxide semiconductor to an electronic device or an optical device has been attracting attention. For example, in a semiconductor unit in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-123861, a TFT using an oxide semiconductor such as zinc oxide or an In—Ga—Zn—O-based oxide as a switching device of each pixel is disclosed.
The TFT including a semiconductor layer formed of the oxide semiconductor is susceptible to hydrogen. More specifically, a threshold voltage is shifted toward a negative direction to cause deterioration in characteristics of the TFT, because hydrogen serves as a donor to release electrons as carriers, thereby forming a channel in the semiconductor layer without applying a voltage to a gate electrode. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-141119 indicates that, when hydrogen is added to an oxide semiconductor film, electrical conductivity is increased by about 4 to 5 digits. Moreover, it is described that hydrogen is diffused into the oxide semiconductor film from an insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film. Thus, the oxide semiconductor is extremely sensitive to hydrogen, and even a small amount of hydrogen included in the TFT may affect the characteristics of the TFT.
On the other hand, for example, in semiconductor units in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012-216792, 2012-216793, 2012-216794, and 2012-216795, a laminate film formed by laminating a hydrogen permeable film and a hydrogen capture film in order from an oxide semiconductor film is formed as a gate insulating film below the oxide semiconductor film. In the semiconductor units, hydrogen released from the oxide semiconductor film during heat treatment is captured by the hydrogen capture film, and a concentration of hydrogen in proximity to an interface of the oxide semiconductor film is reduced to secure the characteristics of the TFT.


A vane pump includes a rotatable rotor in a housing. The rotor has radial slots and radially movable vanes in the slots engage a contour ring that extends around the rotor and defines the bore. End faces of the bore having sealing surfaces closing the bore. One sealing surface has intake and delivery openings which are assigned to intake and discharge regions around the bore. Each region is located between two adjacent vanes as the vanes rotate through the regions. The contour ring surrounds the vanes and is shaped for forming an enlarging intake region, a following, decreasing precompression region and a later following, decreasing discharge region. The intake and discharge regions are connected with the intake and delivery openings, respectively. The precompression region volume changes so that the kinematic precompression is in a delivery cell between two vanes at that region is greater than a desired precompression. The intake opening has a widening which extends in the direction of rotation and opens into the precompression region to diminish an otherwise steep increase in the pressure in the precompression region to bring that pressure to a desired value.

The invention relates to a vane pump and particularly to the profile of the contour ring around the vanes that establishes the chambers of the pump and to a precompression chamber in the pump.
Vane pumps of this type are generally known. They usually comprise a rotor having a circumferential wall with radial slots which receive vanes. The rotor rotates within a contour ring which, in a double-stroke vane pump, forms two crescent shaped delivery spaces through which the vanes run. A fluid inlet opening and a fluid outlet opening are assigned to each of these delivery spaces. The fluid to be delivered is sucked through the inlet opening into a delivery cell formed between two vanes and is later discharged again from the cell through the outlet opening.
The fluid is delivered due to the geometry of the contour ring, as the vane cell volumes become larger in the intake region and smaller in the discharge region.
In particular when such vane pumps are used in conjunction with automatic transmissions, there is a disadvantage that the air contained in the fluid, which is particularly hydraulic oil, is greatly compressed very quickly, and this leads to disturbing cavitation noises.
To avoid these noises, it has been proposed to design the contour ring so as to achieve a slight increase in pressure. However, this has a disadvantage that the increase in pressure becomes very dependent on tolerances with regard to the shape of the contour ring. Even small production related fluctuations in the course of the contour ring consequently lead to tangible changes when the pressure increases. If there is an excessive increase in pressure as a result, this again leads to cavitation noises.


Metallic ink compositions for use in capillary-action markers are provided. More particularly, a metallic ink composition includes a polar solvent, an encapsulated metallic pigment, and a resin component.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to metallic ink compositions for use in capillary-action markers. More particularly, the invention relates to a metallic ink composition comprised of a polar solvent, an encapsulated metallic pigment, and a resin component.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Writing instruments capable of making written markings containing metallic pigments are known. For example, valve-action markers capable of making written markings containing metallic pigments have been developed. Typically, such valve-action markers utilize a spring-loaded nib, which opens a valve to an ink reservoir when depressed (e.g., against a writing surface), thereby allowing the ink to flow from the ink reservoir to the nib.
Valve-action markers require more parts than conventional capillary-action markers, and consequently their manufacture is more complicated and costly. Additionally, valve-action markers are problematic in that the metallic pigments tend to settle to the bottom of the ink reservoir when the valve-action markers are not in use. Therefore, the user often has to violently shake the marker prior to using same in order to effect distribution of the metallic pigments throughout the ink composition so as to ensure that the ink composition delivered to the marker nib contains sufficient amounts of metallic pigment to produce the desired visual effect. Moreover, the user typically has no means to verify that the metallic pigment has been adequately distributed throughout the ink composition without writing with the marker because the marker barrel is opaque. The user must also subsequently depress the nib against a writing surface with sufficient force to open the valve to the ink reservoir and allow delivery of the ink composition to the nib as described above. Such forces can cause the nib to excessively wear such that any written markings produced using the same frequently become indistinct over time. In view of the foregoing, other means of delivering metallic ink compositions are desired.
Conventional capillary-action markers typically contain a fibrous ink reservoir and a nib in fluid communication therewith. Such markers typically include an ink composition having a low viscosity because the adhesive forces (between the ink composition and the channel walls of the reservoir and/or nib) must exceed the cohesive forces of the ink composition to permit movement of the composition by capillary-action. Incorporating metallic pigments (e.g., including various metallic pigments such as aluminum and bronze flakes) into the low viscosity ink compositions used in capillary-action markers is often challenging because such metallic pigments tend to settle out of the ink compositions as set forth above. Even when the metallic pigments are adequately suspended in the ink compositions, the marker's fibers frequently undesirably "filter" the metallic pigments and become clogged over time. Accordingly, over time, the marker can be rendered incapable of making written markings containing metallic pigments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,590 to Miyamoto discloses a ball point pen containing a water-based, thixotropic gel ink having metallic lustrous color. Such thixotropic gel inks, however, are too viscous to be successfully adapted for use in many writing instruments, including conventional capillary-action markers.
Capillary action markers including inks containing metallic pigments are, however, known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,507 to Sexton discloses a capillary action marker containing an ink including an aqueous dispersion of a metallic pigment and a specific hydantoin-formaldehyde co-polymer film-forming resin, optionally together with one or more of a color agent, a pH-adjusting agent, anti-settling agent, or a preservative. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,297,729 to Sexton discloses a capillary action marker containing an ink including a nitro solvent, a film-forming resin, a pigment or dye, and optionally, a substrate wetting agent. Still further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,412 to Sukhna discloses an aqueous ink for a capillary action marker including a permanent water-based binder, a colored pigmented permanent water-based dispersion of sub-micron particle size, an aluminum dispersion of specific particle size, a humectant, a surfactant, an anti-settling additive, a preservative and a pH adjuster. Too frequently, however, capillary action markers containing known ink formulations do not deliver a substantially homogenous ink composition for a reasonable amount of time (much less so over the lifetime of the product) and tend to clog. Such problems are believed in part to be attributable to the density, size, morphology, and surface treatment of the metallic pigments often used in writing compositions.
Further, conventional metallic marker ink compositions often include resins that have substantially hydrophobic domains. While such resins have generally been necessary to facilitate metallic pigment delivery from the marker capillary action ink delivery system, these resins (due at least in part to their substantially hydrophobic domains) do not readily dissolve in polar (in particular, alcohol) solvents and therefore significantly non-polar solvents must be used. Unfortunately, the aggressive non-polar solvents used in these compositions have been found to swell and/or attack marker components made from inexpensive thermoplastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene. As a result, more expensive thermoplastic components manufactured from engineering thermoplastics such as nylon need to be used to obtain capillary action markers containing these conventional metallic ink compositions.

Metallic ink composition and writing instrument containing same


A photothermographic imaging material containing a support having thereon light-insensitive organic silver salt grains, photosensitive silver halide grains, a reducing agent for silver ions and a binder, wherein, (i) each of the organic silver salt grains has a structure having different silver ion dissociation constants at a surface portion and at an inner portion of the grain; (ii) each of the silver halide grains produces a larger number of latent images in a surface portion than in an inner portion of the grain by exposure to light; (iii) each of the silver halide grains produces a larger number of latent images in the inner portion than in the surface portion of the grain after being subjected to a thermal development; and (iv) a surface photographic speed of each of the silver halide grains decreases after being subjected to the thermal development.

In recent years, in the medical and graphic arts fields, a decrease in the processing effluent has been increasingly demanded from the viewpoint of environmental protection as well as space saving.
As a result, techniques have been sought which relate to photothermographic materials which can be effectively exposed, employing laser imagers and laser image setters, and can form clear black-and-white images exhibiting high resolution.
Such techniques are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,152,904 and 3,487,075, both by D. Morgan and B. Shely, or D. H. Klosterboer et al., "Dry Silver Photographic Materials", (Handbook of Imaging Materials, Marcel Dekker, Inc. page 48, 1991). Also known are silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials (hereinafter occasionally referred to simply as photothermographic materials) which comprise a support having thereon organic silver salts, photosensitive silver halide and reducing agents. Since any solution-based processing chemicals are not employed for the aforesaid silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials, they exhibit advantages in that it is possible to provide a simpler environmentally friendly system to customers.
These silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials are characterized in that photosensitive silver halide grains, which are incorporated in a photosensitive layer, are utilized as a photo-sensor and images are formed in such a manner that silver halide grains are thermally developed, commonly at 80 to 140° C., utilizing the incorporated reducing agents while using organic silver salts as a supply source of silver ions, and fixing need not be carried out.
However, the aforesaid silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials tend to result in fogging during storage prior to thermal development, due to incorporation of organic silver salts, photosensitive silver halide grains and reducing agents. Further, after exposure, thermal development is commonly carried out at 80 to 250° C. followed by no fixing. Therefore, since all or some of the silver halide, organic silver salts, and reducing agents remain after thermal development, problems occur in which, during extended storage, image quality such as silver image tone tends to vary due to formation of metallic silver by heat as well as light.
Techniques which overcome these problems are disclosed in Patent Documents Nos. 1 and 2 employing vinyl sulfone compounds or photo oxidation compounds. These techniques disclosed therein exhibit some effects, but are not fully sufficient to meet the market's requirements.
In addition, for the purpose of enhancing covering power(CP), when the number of photosensitive silver halide grains is increased while decreasing the diameter of the aforesaid grains, it has been found that problems occur in which variation and degradation of image quality such as tone of silver images are further accelerated due to effects of light incident to the aforesaid photosensitive slier halide grains during storage of the aforesaid photosensitive silver halide grains after development as well as while viewing them.
A technology employing a leuco dye capable of producing color is disclosed. This technology enables to adjust a hue of silver to a preferred color. The hue of silver is caused by a morphology of silver. Examples of such technology are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereafter it is referred to as JP-A) Nos. 50-36110, 59-206831, 5-204087, 11-231460, 20002-169249 and 2002-236334. However, this technology is not fully effective to prevent change of color of silver after long-term storage.
It is disclosed another technology to prevent change and deterioration of silver caused by irradiation of light. That technology employs a halogenated compound capable of oxidizing a silver image by irradiation of light. Examples of compounds are shown in Patent Documents Nos. 3 and 4. However, these compounds generally tend to exhibit an oxidizing property by an effect of heat. As a result, they have an effect of preventing fog formation but at the same time they may prevent formation of a silver image resulting in a loss of photographic speed, a loss of Dmax and a loss of a silver covering power.
On the other hand, these silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials always incorporate developing agents, organic carboxylic acid silver salts as a silver supplying source, and light-sensitive silver halide. As a result, not only storage stability prior to exposure but also that of after thermal development results in major problems.
Disclosed as techniques to enhance stability of these silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials is one in which with regard to cores and shells of organic carboxylic acid silver salt particles, particles are subjected to formation of core/shell, and by changing the silver salt composition of the surface from that of the interior, developability at relatively low temperature is improved to result in high Dmax (refer, for example to Patent Document 5). However, it was discovered that when the silver salt composition of the surface was only changed from that of the interior, stability was degraded, whereby storage stability was also occasionally deteriorated.
On the other hand, disclosed as a technique to enhance stability of silver salt photothermographic dry imaging materials is one in which employed as light-sensitive silver halide grains are those which are surface-sensitive prior to thermal development and become an internal image forming type (refer, for example, to Patent Document 6). This is an epoch-making technique in which after thermal development, light-sensitive silver halide grains are subjected to be of an internal image forming type to result in rapid decrease in surface photographic speed, whereby even though silver salt photothermographic drying imaging materials are exposed to natural light, no fog is formed and storage stability of images is improved. However, problems occur in which depending on storage conditions prior to exposure, photographic speed markedly decreases especially during storage at relatively high humidity.
On the other hand, demanded as so-called "eternal object" is further improvement of image quality. Specifically, in the medical image field, demanded is development of techniques to achieve higher quality images to enable more accurate diagnosis.
It is demanded to develop a new and high technology to achieve a high image quality in order to solve the above-described problems in the imaging materials of the present technical field.
Patent Document No. 1: JP-A No. 6-208192
Patent Document No. 2: JP-A No. 8-267934
Patent Document No. 3: JP-A No. 7-2781
Patent Document No. 4: JP-A No. 6-208193
Patent Document No. 5: JP-A No. 2002-23303
Patent Document No. 6: JP-A No. 2003-270755

Silver salt photothermographic dry imaging material


In a balanced output circuit, an input signal inputted thereto is provided as a first output signal thereof on one hand, and on the other hand the input signal is inputted to an inverting amplification circuit and is compared with a comparison voltage before the signal is outputted as a second output signal. Based on the comparison of the first and second output signals, the comparison voltage is controlled by a charging voltage of a capacitor such that the DC voltage of the second output signal is equalized to that of the first output signal. Thus, the DC offset voltage between the first output signal (non-inverted output signal) and the second output signal (inverted output signal) can be properly annihilated by a simple circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to balanced output circuit for outputting balanced inverted and non-inverted outputs, and to an electronic apparatus, such as a portable telephone, utilizing such balanced output circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a baseband signal transmission output part and a BTL (Balanced Transformer-less) speaker driver of a portable telephone for example, a balanced output circuit is used which is adapted to provide a non-inverted output that is in phase with an input signal and an inverted output that is out of phase by 180 degrees with the input signal.
In a conventional electric power amplification circuit for use with audio equipment, an audio signal transmitted from a prestage circuit via a capacitor and an inverted feedback signal are inputted to a BTL amplifier. The BTL amplifier provides at the two BTL output terminals thereof an amplified audio signal and an amplified differential signal that is obtained by adding a reference voltage to the difference between the audio signal and the inverted feedback signal. The two output signals are provided to a speaker. The voltage difference between the two amplified signals outputted from the respective BTL output terminals is detected by a differential amplification circuit. The DC component (DC voltage) of the amplified differential signal is extracted by a mirror integration circuit. An inverted feedback signal that is inversely proportional to the DC voltage offset from the reference voltage is fed back to the BTL amplifier. This scheme enables suppression of the DC offset voltage generated across the BTL output terminals of a BTL amplifier. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open, No. H10-93365, which will be referred to as Patent Document 1.)
Such a prior art output circuit as mentioned above requires not only a coupling capacitor for inputting an audio signal received from its prestage circuit, but also a BTL amplifier for providing an inverted and a non-inverted outputs. The output circuit further requires a differential amplification circuit and an error integration circuit for suppressing the DC offset voltage generated in the BTL amplifier. As a consequence, although the output circuit can control the DC offset voltage, the circuit has a complex structure, which results in a consequent problem of increased manufacturing cost of an IC that incorporates the BTL amplifier.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a balanced output circuit for generating both an inverted and a non-inverted output signals in response to an input signal such as an audio signal, the circuit having a simple circuit structure, yet capable of properly annihilating the DC offset voltage that otherwise exists between the two output signals. It is another object of the invention to provide an electronic apparatus such as a portable telephone equipped with an inventive balanced output circuit and a prestage circuit.

Balanced output circuit and electronic apparatus utilizing the same


A method of accessing an on-chip read only memory (ROM) includes dividing a frequency of a system clock by a specific divisor, in order to generate a ROM clock; combining a specific number of adjacent addresses into a combined address, wherein the specific number is determined according to the specific divisor; inserting a first stall signal into a real output data, wherein a length of the first stall signal is determined in order to meet a timing requirement for accessing the on-chip ROM; generating an output data of the on-chip ROM according to the combined address, wherein a width of the output data is extended by a specific multiple which is determined according to the specific number; and generating a first delay corresponding to the length of the first stall signal in the address.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of accessing an on-chip read only memory (ROM) and a computer system thereof, and more particularly, to a method of accessing an on-chip ROM and a computer system thereof, capable of increasing the operation speed of the computer system by combining addresses of the ROM and extending an output data width of the ROM.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a computer system, memories can generally be classified into two types: external and on-chip. The external memories have larger storage space and need longer access time (e.g. usually hundreds of system clock cycles). The on-chip memories are high speed internal memories used for temporary storage of calculations, data, or other works in progress, where memory data are accessed in shorter time (e.g. usually within one system clock cycle). The on-chip memories are provided for the processor (e.g. central processing unit (CPU)) to perform fast retrieval, and can be further classified into random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The on-chip RAM is usually used for storing temporary data or instruction codes, and the on-chip ROM stores data for system initializing or boot procedure. For some applications, a computer system may have only the ROM without any RAM.
With process advances, the frequency of the system clock becomes faster; hence timing requirements for accessing these on-chip memories become more critical to the computer system. Access speeds of the on-chip RAM and the on-chip ROM are different in nature. In general, in comparison with the on-chip RAM, the on-chip ROM has a lower access speed and a larger access time delay may be generated in the access path for the on-chip ROM, such that this access path may become a critical path in some systems or for some application. As a result, the clock frequency and operation speed of the computer system will be limited due to the access of the on-chip ROM. Thus, there is a need for improvement over the prior art.

Method of accessing on-chip read only memory and computer system thereof


Methods and compositions for measuring N-dealkylating activity of cytochromes P450 enyzmes are disclosed.

Several research articles and patent documents are cited throughout this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. The entire disclosure of these citations is incorporated by reference herein as though set forth in full.
Cytochromes P450 are the principal enzymes for the oxidative metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics. Among the cytochromes P450, five forms, CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4, appear to be most commonly responsible for the metabolism of drugs (1). Inhibition or induction of cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism is often the underlying mechanism responsible for drug-drug interactions (2). Such interactions can lead to a substantial decrease or increase in the blood and tissue concentrations of a drug or metabolite. These types of changes can alter a new drug's safety and efficacy profile in important ways, particularly those drugs with a narrow therapeutic range.
The development of sensitive and specific assays for a drug and its metabolite(s) is critical to the study of the drug's metabolism and interactions. For most drugs the metabolizing enzyme(s) is (are) known and chemical inhibitors for the specific enzyme(s) are available. The potential for enzyme inhibition is routinely assessed by performing in vitro inhibition studies using cDNA-expressed enzymes or human liver microsomes. This is done using large through-put studies with known substrates, or HPLC analyses of the metabolites. If inhibition of cytochrome P450 activity is detected, predictions of potential side effects can be made. Accurate measurement of inhibition can be performed in either in vivo or in vitro systems containing the specific cytochrome P450, a substrate and a putative inhibitor. Many cytochrome P450 enzymes are commercially available. Inhibitors of P450 enzymes are currently known, however, suitable N-dealkylase substrates for massive through-put studies are scarce.
Moody et al. (Xenobiotica 29: 53–75 (1999)) describe automated inhibition screens for the major human hepatic cytochromes P450. Radiometric analysis of erythromycin N-demethylation forg CYP3A4, dextromethorphan O-demethylation for CYP2D6, naproxen O-demethylation for CYP2C9 and diazepam N-demethylation for CYP2C19 were employed. For the radiometric assays greater than 99.7% of 14C-labelled substrate was routinely extracted from incubations by solid-phase extraction.
Stresser et al. (Drug Metabolism and Disposition 32:105–112 (2004)) tested azamulin, an anti-infective toward 18 different cytochromes P450 using human liver microsomes or microsomes from insect cells expressing single isoforms. The products from these chemical reactions were determined using HPLC analyses which are time consuming and labor intensive.

Assays employing novel substrates for measuring P450-mediated

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture


The invention provides a human preprotachykinin B (PPT-B) and polynucleotides which identify and encode PPT-B. The invention also provides expression vectors, host cells, agonists, antibodies and antagonists. The invention also provides methods for treating disorders associated with expression of PPT-B.

Biologically active peptides function as hormones, paracrine regulators, or chemical neurotransmitters. These peptides are usually released by proteolysis of a larger, often inactive, precursor molecule. Neuropeptides perform many functions in the central nervous system (CNS) as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and neurotrophic factors (Stewart, J. M. and Hall, M. E. (1993) Agents Actions Suppl. 42:211-226). Neuropeptides are also important regulators of amine neurotransmitter release and can be identified as playing important roles in several pathological states (Stewart and Hall (1993) supra).
The tachykinins comprise a family of closely related peptides that participate in the regulation of diverse biological processes. They are characterized by the amino acid residue sequence-Phe-X-Gly-Leu-Met-NH.sub.2 at the C-terminus in which X represents an aromatic (Phe, Tyr) or branched aliphatic (Val, Ile) amino acid. The tachykinin peptides substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), NKA(3-10), neuropeptide K, and neuropeptide .gamma. are produced from a single preprotachykinin gene, preprotachykinin A (PPT-A). Differential splicing of PPT-A mRNA yields .alpha.PPT-A, .beta.PPT-A, .gamma.PPT-A, and .delta.PPT-A mRNA species. Postranslational processing of the preproprotein gives rise to multiple active products both within a single cell and in different cells expressing the gene (c.f. Helke, C. J. (1990) FASEB J. 4:1606-1615; Nakanishi, S. (1987) Physiol. Rev. 67:1117-1142). N-terminally extended forms of SP and NKA, but not the mature peptides, are detected in measurable amounts in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It has been suggested that their levels in CSF can be used as markers of the activity in central SP and NKA neurons (Toresson, G. et al. (1993) Regul. Pept. 46:357-359). In mammals, SP and NKA cause vasodilation in the circulatory system, are involved in inflammation and immune processes, and play a role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases (Otsuka, M. and Yoshioka, K. (1993) Physiol. Rev. 73:229-308).
A second preprotachykinin gene, PPT-B, encodes proneurokinin B (Kotani. H. et al. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:7074-7078). Proteolytic cleavage of rat proneurokinin B yields neurokinin B (NKB) and a 30-residue peptide (Lang, S. and Sperk, G. (1995) Regul. Pept. 57:183-192). PPT-B mRNA and peptide products are differentially distributed throughout the CNS (particularly in the hypothalamus) and peripheral tissue (Helke, C. J. (1990) supra). PPT-B mRNAs have been isolated from bovine and rat brain, and the proteins share 75% amino acid residue identity (Kotani, H. et al. (1986) supra; Bonner, T. I. et al. (1987) Brain Res. 388:243-249).
NKB has been shown to be involved in a broad range of biological functions. Foe example, acute treatment of rats with synthetic rat NKB prevented a decline in cortical choline acetyltransferase activity associated with injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. NKB also attenuated impaired behavioral performance produced by entorhinalcortex lesions (Wenk, G. L. et al. (1997) Behav. Brain Res. 83:129-133). Levels of rat NKB mRNA and NKB-immunoreactivity in the granule cells of the rat hippocampus were enhanced following limbic epileptogenesis. It has been suggested that these changes may have profound effects on synaptic transmission and contribute to modulate hippocampal excitability (Schwarzer, C. et al. (1996) Brain Res. Brain Res. Rev. 22:27-50). Large amounts of NKB, but not of SP, or NKA, were found in tumors of the peripheral nervous system and it has been suggested that PPT-B gene expression predominates over that of PPT-A and may be used as a tumor marker of nervous tissue (McGregor, G. P. et al. (1990) FEBS Lett. 277:83-87). NKB induced airway mucus secretion in the rat, and an NKB agonist, [MePhe7]-NKB, caused contraction of guinea pig lung parenchymal strips in vitro (Wagner, U. et al. (1995) Life Sci. 57:283-289; Killingsworth, C. R. and Shore, S. A. (1995) Regul. Pept. 57:149-161). NKB modulates cellular biochemistry by interacting with NK-3, a G-protein coupled receptor, inducing second messenger pathways activated by Ca.sup.2+, inositoltrisphosphate, and diacylglycerol (Helke, C. J. et al. (1995) supra). The properties of the 30 residue peptide (preprotachykinin B(50-79)) are unknown.
The discovery of a new human preprotachykinin B and the polynucleotides encoding it satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of neurological and neoplastic disorders.


In a water treatment method, a first embodiment of the treatment method comprises the steps of producing electrolyzed acid water by electrolysis of raw water in an anode chamber of an electrolytic cell with an ion permeable partition membrane; removing volatile component in an acid property of the electrolyzed water; and producing electrolyzed neutral water without the volatile component by electrolysis of the electrolyzed acid water in a cathode chamber of the electrolytic cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for treatment of water.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Water that is taken into human body for drinking or cooking is required to be treated not to harm human body, and water that is used in direct contact with human body is required to be treated not to bring discomfort to human body. Tap water, in general, is fully sterilized and keep it sterile at faucet which is the distal end of water pipe in order to make it suitable to be taken into human body for drinking, cooking or the like. When raw water is sterilized at a filter plant, the raw water is, in general, treated by strong alkaline sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) to have less than 100 pieces/mL of coliform bacillus, then is neutralized by hydrochloric acid to a given value between pH 5.8-8.6.
In order to keep tap water in a sterile condition just before using, 1 mg/L of hydrochloric acid remains in tap water. Accordingly, tap water contains a small amount of chlorine (Cl) which triggers cancer, atopic dermatitis and odor. Such water for drinking, cooking, washing human body or bathing is undesirable for a person who is sensitive to chlorine. There are some cases that tap water and well water contain a small amount of such as trihalomethane that is carcinogen or trimethylamine that causes odor, besides chlorine.
Recently, it is attempted in a general household to remove chlorine residue of tap water by using various water treating devices. For example, there have been proposed a method of producing alkaline-ion water suitable for drinking without chlorine residue by using an ionized alkaline water production device, a method of producing water without chlorine residue by activated carbon filtration of tap water, a method of producing water without chlorine residue by fine filtration of tap water in use of a special filtration material such as an ultrafiltration membrane.
In the method of producing ionized alkaline water, particular drinking water such as ionized alkaline water is produced, which is not suitable for general use. In the fine filtration method, it is inevitably required to exchange or reproduce the filtration material such as the activated carbon or ultrafiltration membrane. As the treatment apparatus for these methods is small in size, it is impossible to provide all the water for drinking, cooking, washing human body and bathing at home.


A biosensor detector device is disclosed suitable for use in measuring membrane fluidity or membrane permeability. The biosensor detector device is formed of a solid substrate having a lipid bilayer compatible surface, a multi-lamellar lipid membrane structure derived from a biological cell and localized on the lipid bilayer compatible surface, an aqueous layer interposed between each lipid bilayer of the multi-lamellar lipid membrane structure. The biological membrane is derived from human red blood cells and localized on the lipid bilayer compatible surface. An electrode forming all or part of the lipid bilayer compatible surface may be used to detect disruptions in the multi-lamellar lipid membrane structure and hemolytic activity in a test sample.

The presence of pale cells with no internal content in a blood smear is typically indicative of a disease. These cells are produced by hemolysis and have been named red blood cell (RBC) ghosts based on their appearance under the microscope. RBC ghosts can be prepared artificially and their preparation is a well-known protocol in biological and medical research [1-3]. The first published protocol in 1963 by Dodge, Mitchell and Hanahan describes the extraction of the cell membrane from RBCs through hemolysis and was an essential step in the development of membrane proteomics and lipidomics [4, 5]. The RBC lipid bilayer consists of equal amounts of cholesterol and phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine [6].
Another well-known protocol is the preparation of highly oriented stacks of artificial supported lipid bilayers on silicon wafers [7, 8]. This technique allows the analysis of molecular structure and dynamical properties of these bilayers using biophysical techniques, such as fluorescence microscopy, atomic force microscopy, as well as X-ray and neutron scattering [8-17]. This approach has advanced significantly during the past decades and is now used to study complex, multi-component membranes and their interaction with drugs, small molecules [8, 18-27], bacteria [28, 29], and in particular lipid rafts, i.e. functional lipid domains [30-36].
Blood tests are routinely used to detect and identify infectious agents and inform therapeutic treatment. Blood agar plates are the current gold-standard tests for detecting and identifying bacteria with a hemolytic activity, i.e., bacteria which break the red blood cell (RBC) membrane. In this test, clinical swabs or specimens are spread on an agar plate (a growth medium), which typically contains 5% blood, and the plate is incubated overnight. Hemolytic activity is evaluated visually as changes to the colour of the plate and pattern formation. Typically, blood from sheep or horses is used for these tests as human blood has the potential to expose hospitals and technicians to dangerous pathogens.


First rating information, together with a television broadcasting signal, is transmitted, and second rating information, together with electronic program guide information, is transmitted. A controller extracts the first rating information from video data decoded by a video decoder, and extracts the second rating information from EPG data decoded by an EPG processor. At the time of reserving a program, it is judged whether or not the program can be reserved by restricting viewing on the basis of the second rating information, and the result of the judgment is displayed on a program reservation setting guide.

In recent television broadcasting, extremely violent or obscene expressions are used in the contents of some of broadcasting programs, and extremely abusive conversation which cannot be put up with is made in a so-called variety program. Therefore, there is a growing tendency to restrict the viewing of the broadcasting programs as ones which are not preferable from the point of view of education of children.
Furthermore, in some of broadcasting channels, a program for adults is broadcast as a dedicated channel for adjusts, and viewing is restricted such that the program cannot be viewed unless a password is entered. The tendency to restrict viewing is particularly significant in the U.S. The 1996 Telecommunication Law which is a new telecommunication law was enacted during the term of office of President Clinton, and rating information related to a rating representing the degree of extremity of the contents of a program is forced to be superimposed on a television broadcasting signal and transmitted toward a broadcasting station. A television receiver that receives the television broadcasting signal is obliged to contain a viewing restricting function such that the restriction of viewing utilizing the rating information can be enforced.
Specifically, the rating information is superimposed on the television broadcasting signal in the 21-st horizontal scanning period (21H) of an odd field in a vertical blanking period on the side of the broadcasting station. The contents of the rating are illustrated in FIG. 27. The rating information is superimposed on the television broadcasting signal in the 21H of the odd field and sent at intervals of less than five seconds as data (packet data) in the form of a packet from the broadcasting station.
Of course, it is also possible to insert the rating information into a bit stream as a digital broadcasting signal.
On the other hand, the television receiver has, on the side of a receiver, that is, on the side of a user, a muting function for setting the viewing restriction level of a program which a guardian to a child does not desire the child to view by a viewing restricting function is set by a rating, not to normally reproduce a video and an audio when a program or a channel having a rating which is not less than the set viewing restriction level.
The muting function is also performed similarly with respect to a so-called picture-in-picture or a closed caption which is subtitle display broadcasting for people with hearing difficulties or for non-native speakers of English in the U.S.
The restriction of viewing is generally set and released through the entry of a password composed of a four-digit number or the like. FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional television receiver having a viewing restricting function.
The television receiver comprises an antenna 51 for television broadcasting, a tuner 52, a controller 53, a video demodulator 54, an RGB processor 55, and a display 56. The tuner 52 frequency-converts a television broadcasting signal received by the antenna 51. The video demodulator 54 comprises a video intermediate frequency amplifier, a video detector, and so forth, and demodulates a high-frequency signal fed by the tuner 52 into a video signal. The RGB processor 55 converts the video signal fed from the video demodulator 54 into an RGB signal. The display 56 is constituted by a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), or the like, and displays the RGB signal fed from the RGB processor 55 as a video. The controller 53 controls the tuner 52, the video demodulator 54, and the RGB processor 55.
The operations of the television receiver shown in FIG. 28 will be described. Rating information is transmitted as packet data having a data transmission format shown in FIG. 29 from a broadcasting station. The packet data indicates a rating provided by an extended data service performed in North America.
A television broadcasting signal including rating information is received by the antenna 51, and is fed to the tuner 52. An arbitrary channel is selected by the controller 53. In the tuner 52, the television broadcasting signal on the channel selected by the controller 53 is frequency-converted. In the video demodulator 54, an output from the tuner 52 is demodulated, and is output to the RGB processor 55 as a video signal. In the RGB processor 55, the video signal is converted into an RGB signal for driving the display 56, and is output to the display 56. Consequently, a desired video is displayed on the display 56.
On the other hand, the video signal branched from the video demodulator 54 is inputted to the controller 53. In the controller 53, the rating information is extracted from the video signal.
FIG. 30 is a flow chart showing the processing of the controller 53 in the television receiver shown in FIG. 28. The controller 53 accepts packet data composed of 6 bytes, and extracts rating information from the third byte and the fourth byte of the packet data (step S201).
The controller 53 compares a rating represented by the extracted rating information with a rating previously set by the user, to judge whether or not viewing is restricted (step S202). The controller 53 restricts viewing when the set rating is not more than the extracted rating, to display a message on a screen of the display 56, and subjects the RGB processor 55 to muting processing, to set the display 56 to a deep black screen or a blue back screen, for example (step S203). When the set rating is higher than the extracted rating, the controller 53 sets the RGB processor 55 in a muting processing released state without restricting viewing, to display a video of a program on the display 56 (step S204).
In such a way, the rating of a program which a guardian to a child previously considers to be detrimental to mental health or culture of sentiments is set in the controller 53, thereby making it possible to prevent a program having a rating which is not less than the set rating from being displayed.
As described above, the viewing restricting function can be set and released by entering a password. The same is also described in JP-A-2000-354209 and JP-A-2001-16565. The former discloses that a time period during which the viewing restricting function is released is set, and the latter discloses that the viewing restricting function is not released when an external input is a nonstandard signal.
In the above-mentioned conventional television receiver, there is a case where the rating of a program which is broadcast cannot be previously recognized, it is not recognized that the program conforms to the restriction of viewing until the broadcasting of the program is started, and the user cannot view the program.
In a case where the user reserves the viewing of the program using an electronic program guide (EPG) or the like, the rating of a reserved program is not recognized until the program is broadcast in the conventional television receiver. When rating information extracted from a television broadcasting signal is not less than a rating previously set, therefore, the user cannot view the reserved program.
Conventionally, recording was thus unconditionally performed, and viewing was only restricted by the setting of the rating at the time of reproduction. However, there is a disadvantage in that a program whose viewing should be restricted is recorded. In this case, it is difficult to strictly restrict viewing at the time of reproduction. Therefore, it is preferable that the management of the restriction of viewing is unified on the side of the receiver at the time of recording, not to record a program having a rating which is not less than the set rating.
With respect to the ratings of programs which are currently broadcast in the U.S., for example, a television receiver of 13 or more inches is obliged to carry a so-called V-chip function for realizing a viewing restricting function.
However, the conventional television receiver carrying the V-chip function does not compare, until the time point where it receives rating information periodically transmitted in a program which is being currently broadcast, a rating represented by the received rating information with a rating previously set, to restrict viewing when the received rating is not less than the set rating. When the user switches a receiving channel, therefore, the viewing of a program having the rating which is not less than the set rating cannot be restricted until it receives the rating information.
FIG. 31 is a diagram showing in a time series an example of viewing restriction processing. As shown in FIG. 31, rating information R1, R2, R3, . . . , R6 on Channel 10 shall be transmitted in this order. Immediately after the rating information R1 on Channel 10 is transmitted, for example, when the user switches a receiving channel from Channel 8 to Channel 10, viewing is restricted at the time point where the rating information R1 is not accepted and the rating information R2 is accepted. In a time period T1 elapsed from the time point where the channel is switched until the rating information R2 is accepted, therefore, viewing is not restricted, so that a program is displayed. If a sending period of the rating information is five seconds, a program whose viewing is to be restricted is displayed for a maximum of five seconds.
Similarly, in a television receiver having a plurality of external signal input terminals and carrying a V-chip function, the viewing of a program is not restricted even if the program has a rating which is not less than a set rating until rating information is received in the case of switching from input of a plurality of external signals to input of a television broadcasting signal.
Furthermore, a television receiver having a key called a rapid chain (a rapid chain key) has been developed. The user presses the rapid chain key, thereby making it possible to perform an operation for alternately switching a first channel currently received and a second channel received immediately before the rapid chain key is pressed. In the case of the operation, when the rapid chain key is pressed in a predetermined period, each of the channels is switched immediately before rating information is received on the channel so that a V-chip function may, in some cases, be nullified.

Viewing limit apparatus, viewing limit system, and viewing limit program


An aqueous composition for pretreating and depositing a coating on metal substrates is provided. The coating composition includes from about 1,500 to about 55,000 ppm based on the aqueous composition of a Group IIA dissolved metal ion, from about 100 to about 200,000 ppm based on the aqueous composition of a dissolved complex metal fluoride ion wherein the metal atom is selected from Group IIIA, Group IVA, Group IVB metals, Group VA, Group VB metals; and water. The composition is free of Group IIA metal fluoride precipitate achieved by including in the composition a complex metal salt different than the salt associated with the complex metal fluoride ion, with the complex metal salt being capable of complexing free fluoride ions to prevent a precipitation reaction. A process for coating a metal substrate with such an aqueous composition is further provided.

The use of protective coatings on metal surfaces for improved corrosion resistance and paint adhesion characteristics is well known in the metal finishing arts. Conventional techniques involve pretreating metal substrates with a phosphate conversion coating and chrome-containing rinses for promoting corrosion resistance. The use of such chromate-containing compositions, however, imparts environmental and health concerns due to the toxic nature associated with chromium compounds.
As a result, chromate-free conversion coatings have been developed to overcome the need for chromate-containing compositions. Such chromate-free coatings are generally based on chemical mixtures that in some way will react with the substrate surface and bind to it to form protective layers.
Chromate-free conversion coatings typically employ a Group IVB metal such as titanium, zirconium or hafnium, a source of fluoride ion and a mineral acid to regulate the pH.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,140 to Reghi discloses a conversion coating for improved corrosion resistance which includes zirconium, fluoride, and tannin compounds, and optionally phosphate ions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,244 discloses conversion coatings for metal substrates including a Group IVB metal in an acidic solution with one or more oxyanions, and which specifically excludes fluoride ions from the composition.
It has been suggested to include Group IA and/or Group IIA elements into such conversion coatings. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,580 to Tomlinson discloses the use of a Group IVB metal such as titanium, zirconium or hafnium, and Group IA metal such as potassium, and a source of fluoride ions, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,374 to Tomlinson discloses coatings based on such Group IVB metals including a Group IIA metal such as calcium at a concentration of 50 ppm to 1300 ppm. As is recognized in the art, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,928 to Tomlinson, coatings including Group IIA metals such as calcium generate considerable scaling from alkali metal precipitates, which may inhibit formation of the continuous metal oxide matrix. Such Group IIA metals are therefore generally used in lower concentrations. Also, as recognized in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,928 patent, such compositions including Group IA or Group IIA metals likely provide little if any long-range structure.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a composition useful for coating metal substrates, particularly bare ferrous metals, which overcomes the environmental drawbacks of the prior art, which demonstrates excellent corrosion resistance and adherence of subsequently applied coatings, and which does not form a precipitate which may interfere with proper formation of the coating.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Conversion coatings including alkaline earth metal fluoride complexes


An assay system has a chamber that receives a test strip onto which a sample comprising an analyte has been placed. The chamber is in gaseous communication with a piezoelectric material that generates an electrical signal in response to a pressure change in the chamber that is caused by a reaction between the analyte and a reagent.

Analysis of an analyte in a sample generally includes detection of the analyte. Detection may be classified as either direct or indirect. Direct detection typically includes observations that are readily apparent without any further chemical reaction. Indirect detection, on the other hand, often requires a chemical reaction before becoming readily apparent.
Indirect detection may include reactions that cause changes in mass. Devices that detect changes in mass, however, are often not amenable to certain types of samples. Another indirect detection involves events measured using labels that are radioisotopes. Such techniques, however, raise safety concerns.
Indirect detection may also include reactions that cause a change in color, fluorescence, and luminescence. Such changes, however, may be so slight that they are not readily detectable by the human eye. Slight changes in color of many known systems may be due to relatively small concentrations of analytes present in the samples. In addition, color changes and other photometric characteristics may be spread over too large an area to be very useful. Although devices and chemical reactions may be used to amplify signals, noise is often amplified as well.
Problems with detection are addressed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,895 issued to Thorpe et al. (May 1996). The '895 patent is directed toward a device and method that detects microorganisms in blood and other body fluids by measuring pressure changes within a sealable container. By measuring pressure changes, the accuracy of the analysis may be increased. Accuracy, however, may be negatively impacted by cleanliness and sterility of the container. Another problem may involve loss of gas caused by not sealing the container quickly enough after adding the reactant that causes the gas to be evolved.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,851 issued to Delwiche et al. (September 2001) teaches a sensor comprising a chamber having an inlet adapted to admit a liquid sample which gets pumped into a reaction cell using a pump. Problems exist in this system generally because it requires that a liquid sample enter the reaction cell. First, a liquid sample may not always be available. Second a sufficient volume of liquid may not be available to enable pumping to occur. Third, the existence of a pump and porous membrane to separate the liquid portion from the gaseous portion adds complexity to the sensor design.
Thus, there is a need for less complicated detection devices and methods, especially for low concentration analytes.

Pressure transduced chemical assay and method


Methods of obtaining a multidimensional image of a sample are provided comprising (a) directing a first coherent light pulse having a first frequency ω1 and a first wave vector k1 at a first location in the sample, (b) directing a second coherent light pulse having a second frequency ω2 and a second wave vector k2 at the first location, (c) directing a third coherent light pulse having a third frequency ω3 and a third wave vector k3 at the first location and (d) detecting a coherent output signal having a fourth frequency ω4 and a fourth wave vector k4. At least two, but optionally all three, of the coherent light pulses each excite a different transition to a discrete quantum state (e.g., transitions to vibrational states or to electronic states) of a molecule or molecular functionality in the sample. Steps (a)-(d) are repeated at a sufficient number of other locations in the sample to provide the multidimensional image.

The study of molecular properties in complex chemical and biological samples requires sufficient spatial resolution as well as chemical selectivity. To achieve this, certain spectroscopic techniques have been combined with microscopy in order to investigate the properties of molecules in chemical and biological samples, including live cells. For example, chemically selective three-dimensional imaging of samples has been accomplished using two-photon fluorescence microscopy. In two-photon fluorescence microscopy, fluorophore labeled samples are imaged on a laser scanning microscope by a tightly focused femtosecond pulsed laser having a wavelength in the near-infrared region. However, photobleaching and chemical perturbations inherent in fluorophore labeling are limitations of the technique.
As another example, chemically selective three-dimensional imaging of samples has been accomplished used multiphoton vibrational microscopy based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). In CARS, a pump field, a Stokes field and a probe field interact with a sample to generate an anti-Stokes field at the frequency ωas=2ωp−ωs and wave vector kas=2kp−ks. In CARS microscopy, samples are imaged on a laser scanning microscope by a tightly focused pump laser pulse and Stokes laser pulse. (The pump field and probe field are generally derived from the same laser pulse.) Although CARS microscopy avoids the photobleaching problem and is a label-free method, the drawbacks of the technique include an intrinsically weak anti-Stokes signal and significant nonresonant background interference, both of which limit image contrast and spectral selectivity.

Triple sum frequency coherent multidimensional imaging


A flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer forms a flame by igniting a mixture of a fuel gas and a first combustion support gas such as air and then the first combustion support gas is replaced by a second combustion support gas such as nitrous oxide with a faster combustion speed. An optical sensor is disposed near the flame to detect the quantity of light therefrom. A gas flow rate control device independently controls the flow rates of the fuel gas, the first combustion support gas and the second combustion support gas to the flame. A combustion control unit serves to switch the gas to be supplied to the flame from the first combustion support gas to the second combustion support gas, based on how much the quantity of light detected by the optical sensor changes between the time of ignition and after the flow rate of the fuel gas and/or the first combustion support gas is changed.

This invention relates to a flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer adapted to atomize a sample by introducing an atomized sample liquid into a flame.
It is necessary with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer to convert a sample into an atomic vapor. Methods of atomization include the flame method which makes use of a chemical flame and the flameless method which does not use a chemical flame. A flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer forms a flame by mixing together inside a chamber a fuel gas and a combustion support gas which are supplied separately. This mixture is then caused to flow out of the slit opening of a burner and to undergo combustion. The kinds of the fuel gas and the combustion support gas, the flow rate of the fuel gas and the height (or the vertical position) of the burner are variously determined, depending on the target element to be analyzed. In other words, these parameters for a flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer must be changed appropriately according to the kind of element to be measured. Although acetylene (C2H2) and air are most frequently used as the fuel gas and the combustion support gas, respectively, nitrous oxide (N2O) is sometimes used as the combustion support gas when an element which forms a strong oxide in the flame such as aluminum and titanium is to be analyzed, because N2O is capable of forming a flame which is hotter and more strongly reductive.
Since the mixture of nitrous oxide and acetylene has a very high speed of combustion, there may be a backfire if it is directly ignited or the supply of both gases is stopped simultaneously when the flame is extinguished. Thus, for using a flame of nitrous oxide-acetylene gas, it has been known to initially supply a mixture of air and acetylene to the burner to ignite and then to increase the flow rate of the acetylene and thereafter to replace air with nitrous oxide. For effecting this ignition procedure, it has been known (as described in Japanese Patent Publication Tokko 60-22291) to check the increase in the flow rate of acetylene by detecting an increase in the quantity of emitted light from the flame by means of an optical sensor or the like. According to the prior method of carrying out this procedure, it was concluded that the flow rate of acetylene has sufficiently increased when the detected light intensity value has exceeded a predetermined reference value. If the initial flow rate of the air-acetylene mixture is large, and especially if the flow rate of acetylene is large, however, the light intensity is already large during the initial period and it may have exceeded the predetermined reference value. In such a situation, a further increase in the flow rate of acetylene cannot be detected and the switch-over to nitrous oxide cannot be effected.
It is therefore an object of this invention in view of such a situation to provide an improved flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer which, when using nitrous oxide as the combustion support gas, can dependably carry out the switching from an air-acetylene mixture to a nitrous oxide-acetylene mixture at the time of ignition.
A flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer embodying this invention, with which the above and other objects can be accomplished, may be characterized as comprising an optical sensor for detecting the quantity of light from its flame, a gas flow rate control device for independently controlling flows of a fuel gas, a first combustion support gas and a second combustion support gas which are supplied to a burner, and a combustion control unit for controlling the gas flow rate control device to stop supplying the first combustion support gas and to start supplying the second combustion support gas instead to the burner for the flame, based on how much the quantity of light detected by the optical sensor changes between the time of ignition and after the flow rate is changed for the fuel gas and/or the first combustion support gas.
The present invention is addressed to such a situation where the flame must be initially formed by usuing a first combustion support gas with a slower combustion speed such as air because the combustion speed of the second combustion support gas such as nitrous oxide is too fast. First, a mixture of the fuel gas and the first combustion support gas is supplied to the burner at a specified rate and ignited. The quantity of light from the flame at this moment is measured and stored in a memory as the initial value.
Prior to switching to the second combustion support gas with a faster combustion speed, the flow rate of the fuel gas is increased. As the flow rate of the fuel gas is increased, the control unit compares the detected quantity of light from the flame with the initial value stored in the memory. If the difference is less than a specified reference value, the control unit keeps increaing the flow rate. As soon as the diffence reaches the reference value, the first combustion support gas is replaced by the second combustion support gas. In this manner, the switching of the combustion support gas can be accomplished without the danger of a backfire.
Depending on the situation, the contol unit may also change the flow rate of the first combustion support gas.

Flame-type atomic absorption spectrophotometer


Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products provide call data associated with calls to and from a mobile communications apparatus. The call data supports a web-accessible call log feature that presents a summary of calling activity to a subscriber of communication services. The method involves completing a call to or from the mobile communications apparatus, storing call data associated with the completed call in a memory of the mobile communications apparatus, and substantially in real time, sending the call data to a management server associated with the web-accessible call log feature.

Market research indicates that call logs are a key feature of a telecommunications service concept, such as an integrated wireless and wireline service. Previous telecommunication service architecture solutions cannot provide call records for a remote call log in real time for calls to and from a mobile handset, for example a dual mode handset that is registered on a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network. Having call records from some calls is less desirable with a call log feature than having record of all calls.
Previous telecommunications service architectures typically provide call detail records based on one of two techniques, network or device based techniques. In the network-based approach, call records are provided by data collected within the network infrastructure and may or may not be provided in near real time. Network based approaches require systems development and systems integration into the network infrastructure in order to present the call record information via a web-based interface. This approach can be relatively expensive and time consuming for a service application that may not reach mass-market penetration levels.
With the device-based approach, call record data is simply stored on the mobile communication apparatus or terminal for incoming and outgoing calls. This is done commonly today but this approach is limited in two respects. First, call records are not accessible from a web-based interface and are only available from the mobile terminal. Second, this approach does not allow a subscriber to capture the logs from multiple telephone numbers in a single place. Only the calls associated with the mobile terminal are accessible from that terminal. Third, the call log user interface is not feature rich as it does not include additional information such as the disposition of the call, calling party's name when the name is not included in the terminal address book, or messages left.
Accordingly there is an unaddressed need in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Providing real time call log data to a remote call log for calls to and from a mobile communications apparatus

Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation


A private mobile communication service system is operated and maintained using an internet protocol (IP) network. The private mobile communication service network has a private base station controller (pBSC) and a base station transceiver subsystem (BTS). The apparatus for operating and maintaining the private mobile communication service includes a wireless system manager (WSM), a hardware alarm collection unit, and a base station controller main processor (BMP). The WSM receives operation/maintenance information, processes the information, creates an operation/maintenance control signal, and transmits the control signal to the pBSC. The alarm collection unit is mounted on the pBSC to collect and output operation/maintenance information, to receive an operation/maintenance control signal, and to generate a reset signal. If operation/maintenance information is received, the BMP ascertains a link address and transmits the link address if it is the WSM. If a control signal is received, the BMP transmits the control signal to the hardware alarm connecting unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for operating and maintaining a private mobile communication service system using an Internet Protocol network and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for operating and maintaining a private mobile communication service system using an Internet Protocol network, which is capable of processing operation/maintenance information between the wireless system manager of the private mobile communication service system and the base station controller main processor of a private base station transceiver subsystem in the private mobile communication service system using a local area network.
2. Related Art
Generally, a private wired communication service for voice within a local area is provided through a private branch exchange (PBX) or key phone system, and a communication service for data within a local area is provided through a local area network (LAN) switch and a router using a server.
Further, generally, a mobile communication service can be provided anywhere beyond a limited area, such as a local area. However, such a mobile communication service is provided using a mobile communication service system, and is not constructed to allow a wireless communication to be performed without charge within a specific area.
That is, in order for a terminal of a wired PBX and a mobile terminal of a subscriber to the mobile communication service to communicate with each other, a corresponding terminal is connected to a public network through the exchange thereof, and a call from the terminal is linked to the other.
In this case, the public network includes a mobile communication network and a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Therefore, there is an inconvenience in that, even though a wired communication service subscriber and a mobile communication service subscriber communicate with each other by phone within the same building, a fee is charged for the call.
Therefore, there has been developed a private mobile communication service system which enables telephonic communication without charge when a wired communication service subscriber and a mobile communication service subscriber make a call within the same building (in this case, a mobile communication service system is referred to as a "public mobile communication service system" so as to be differentiated from a private mobile communication service system).
The developed private mobile communication service system enables a mobile communication service subscriber registered with the private mobile communication service to be provided with call service between the subscriber and another subscriber registered with the private mobile communication service, or with a subscriber of an extension telephone connected to a PBX, without charge within an area in which the private mobile communication service is provided.
To provide both the public and private mobile communication services, a service system includes a public/private common cell area, which is a common service area shared between public and private communication services, and a public/private communication service apparatus.
In order to differentiate base station transceiver subsystems (BTSs) belonging to a public mobile communication service system, (as an example) from a private BTS belonging to the public/private common cell area, the private BTS is referred to as a "pBTS."
The pBTS functions to establish a radio communication channel with a mobile station (MS) belonging to the public/private common cell area, and manage radio resources. Further, the pBTS is connected (for example) to a base station controller (BSC) of the public mobile communication service system through the public/private communication service apparatus.
The public/private communication service apparatus is connected to the BSC of the public mobile communication service system, a public switched telephone network/integrated services digital network (PSTN/ISDN), and an internet protocol (IP) network. The public/private communication service apparatus provides a mobile communication service so that public and private mobile communication services are selectively provided to mobile stations in the public/private common cell area, for example.
If the mobile station is registered with the public/private communication service apparatus so as to be capable of being provided with the private mobile communication service, the mobile station can be provided with the private mobile communication service as well as the public mobile communication service.
However, if the mobile station is not registered with the public/private communication service apparatus so as to be provided with the private mobile communication service, the mobile station can only be provided with the public mobile communication service. Further, the public/private communication service apparatus also provides a wired communication service in conjunction with the PSTN/ISDN and the IP network.
The public mobile communication service system is configured so that a BTS and a BSC are separately located and transmit and receive necessary signals to and from each other, whereas the private mobile communication service system is configured so that pBTS and pBSC are located at the same place side by side.
Further, a maintenance and administration personal computer (MAP), used when an operator operates and maintains a pBSC, is connected to the pBSC or pBTS through a LAN so that the operator can easily be made aware of the status of the pBSC and pBTS, thus being capable of easily operating and maintaining the private mobile communication service system.
Moreover, a call manager that controls the radio calls of the private mobile communication service system is connected to the pBSC and the pBTS through the LAN, and functions to operate and manage the radio resources of the pBSC and pBTS.
The call manager is provided with a wireless system manager (WSM) that performs an operation/maintenance function for the pBSC, such as loading, configuration management, statistics measurement, status monitoring, failure control and system tests. The WSM exchanges operation/maintenance information with the pBSC through an optical cable.
That is, by providing the call manager and the pBSC with respective optical transceivers, and connecting the optical transceivers with an optical cable, the pBSC and the WSM of the call manager can exchange operation/maintenance information with each other.
Meanwhile, the pBSC employs a BSC asymmetric transfer mode (ATM) switch network (BAN), which is an ATM switch having a capacity of 2.5 Gbps, to transmit the operation/maintenance information to the WSM of the call manager. The pBSC converts the operation/maintenance information transmitted from the BSC main processor (BMP) of the pBSC into ATM data through the BAN, and transmits the ATM data to the WSM of the call manager through the optical transceivers and the optical cable.
The BAN includes an ATM cell mux/demux board assembly (ACMA) board for multiplexing/demultiplexing ATM cells, an ATM switch fabric board assembly (ASFA) board for providing communication paths between the BMP and other processors, an ATM E1/T1 interface board assembly (AETA) board connected to the pBTS through an E1/T1 link to exchange ATM cells with the pBTS, and an ATM STM-1 interface board assembly (AS1A) board matched to one port of the ASFA board in a ratio of 1:1 to transmit and receive data to and from the WSM of the call manager through low voltage differential signaling (LVDS).
The pBSC transmits the data operation/maintenance information, which is received from the BSM, to the WSM of the call manager through the ACMA board, the ASFA board and the AS1A board through the optical cable.
As described above, the physical connection between the WSM and BMP is accomplished based upon ATM. The BMP of the pBSC is connected to an ATM interface card and the optical cable through the ASFA board and the AI1A board of the BAN positioned in the WSM. However, it can be appreciated that traffic exchanged between the BMP and the WSM is data related to operation/maintenance, and is not time-dependent traffic that requires a guarantee of quality of service (QoS).
Accordingly, it is not necessary for the WSM and the BMP to perform ATM communication based on an expensive ATM network to handle such network traffic.
The following patents are considered to be generally pertinent to the present invention, but are burdened by the disadvantages set forth above:
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Apparatus and method for operating and maintaining private mobile communication service system using IP network