The present invention relates to agriculture. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of increasing photosynthesis of a plant and more particularly of crop plants. In addition, the invention relates to a method of increasing photosynthesis and/or yield in crop plants, comprising an exposure thereof to lipo-chitooligosaccharides, and compositions therefor. Further, the invention relates to an agricultural composition for enhancing a plant crop photosynthetic rate and/or growth thereof comprising a photosynthetic rate-promoting amount of at least one lipo chitooligosaccharide (LCO) together with an agriculturally suitable carrier and methods using same.

Bacteria of the genera Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Sinorhizobium and Azorhizobium, collectively known as the rhizobia, form specialized organs called nodules on the roots, and sometimes stems, of legumes and fix atmospheric nitrogen within these structures. Nodule formation is a highly specialized process that is modulated by signal molecules. In general, this phase of the interaction is a two step process. Initially, plant-to-bacteria signal molecules, usually specific flavonoids or isoflavonoids, are released by roots of the host plants. In response to the plant-to-bacteria signals the microsymbiont releases bacteria-to-plant signal molecules, which are lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCOs), so called nod factors (also nol and noe) genes very rapidly (only a few minutes after exposure) and at very low concentrations (10−7 to 10−8 M) (Peters et al., 1986). Generally this is through an interaction with nodD, which activates the common nod genes, although the situation may be more complex, as is the case in B. japonicum, where nodD1, nodD2 and nodVW are involved (Gillette & Elkan 1996; Stacey 1995). Nod genes have been identified in the rhizobia that form nitrogen fixing relationships with numbers of the Fabiaceae family (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,718 and references therein). Recently, the plant-to-bacteria signal molecules have been shown to promote soybean nodulation and nitrogen fixation under cool soil temperatures (CA 2,179,879) and increase the final soybean grain yield on average of 10% in the field and up to 40% under certain conditions. (Long, 1989; Kondorosi, 1991; Schenes et al., 1990; Boone et al., 1999). Among the products of the nod genes induced by the plant phenolic signal molecules are various enzymes involved in the synthesis of a series of lipo chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) (Spaink, 1995; Stacey, 1995). These newly synthesized LCOs act as bacterium-to-plant signals, inducing expression of many of the early nodulin genes (Long, 1989).
LCO signal molecules are composed of three to five 1-4β linked acetylglucosamine residues with the N-acetyl group of the terminal non-reducing sugar replaced by an acyl chain. However, various modifications of the basic structure are possible and these, at least in part, determine the host specificity of rhizobia (Spaink et al., 1991; Schultze et al., 1992).
Lipo-chitiooligosaccharides are known to affect a number of host plant physiological processes. For example, they induce: root hair deformation (Spaink et al., 1991), ontogeny of compete nodule structures (Fisher and Long, 1992; Denarie and Cullimore, 1993), cortical cell division (Sanjuan et al., 1992; Schlaman et al., 1997) and the expression of host nodulin genes essential for infection thread formation (Horvath et al, 1993; Pichon et al., 1993, Minami et al., 1996). LCOs have also been shown to activate defense-related enzymes (Inui et al., 1997). These bacterium-to-plant signals exert a powerful influence over the plant genome and, when added in the absence of the bacteria, can induce the formation of root nodules (Truchet et al., 1991). Thus, the bacteria-to-plant signals can, without the bacteria, induce all the gene activity for nodule organogenesis (Denarie et al., 1996; Heidstra & Bisseling, 1996). Moreover, the above-mentioned activities induced by LCOs can be produced by concentrations as low as 10−14 M (Stokkermans et al. 1995). The mutual exchange of signals between the bacteria and the plant are essential for the symbiotic interaction. Rhizobia mutants unable to synthesize LCOs will not form nodules. Analysis of the B. japonicum nod genes indicates that ability to induce soybean nodulation requires at least: 1) a basic tetrameric Nod factor requiring only nodABC genes or 2) a pentameric LCO (C18:1, C16:0 or C16: fatty acid and a methyl-fucose at the reducing end, sometimes acetylated) requiring nodABCZ genes (Stokkermans et al. 1995).
When added to the appropriate legume, LCOs can cause the induction of nodule meristems (Denarie et al., 1996), and therefore cell division activity. LCOs have also been shown to induce cell cycle activities in an in vitro system: (a carrot embryogenesis system) at levels as low as 10−14 M (De Jong et al. 1993).
A chemical structure of lipo chitooligosaccharides, also termed "symbiotic Nod signals" or "Nod factor", has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,549,718 and 5,175,149. These Nod factors have the properties of a lectin ligand or lipo-oligosaccharide substances which can be purified from bacteria or synthesized or produced by genetic engineering.
The process of N2 fixation is energy intensive requiring about 10-20% of the carbon fixed by the plant. It has been estimated that an average of about 6 mg of carbon is required per mg of nitrogen fixed (Vance and Heichel, 1991). Enhanced photosynthesis, due to the Bradyrhizobium-soybean association has been previously reported. Imsande (1989a,b) reported enhanced net photosynthesis and grain yield in soybean inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum compared with plants that were not inoculated but adequately supplemented with N fertilizer. Recently, Phillips et al., (1999) showed that lumichrome might act as a signal molecule in the rhizosphere of alfalfa plants, leading to increased respiration and net carbon assimilation during early stages of the Sinorhizobium meliloti-alfalfa symbiosis.
Methods to increase plant dry matter accumulation and yield are essential as world population is projected to increase by 4 billion (66%) during the next fifty years (United Nations, Population Division, 1998). In the last fifty years world crop output increased by 2.5 fold, with little increase the area of land cropped (Hoisington et al., 1999). Given the projected increase in world population we must provide another 2.5 fold increase during the next 50 years if everyone is to have reasonably reliable access to food (James, 1997). However, the primary causes of increased food production during the last 50 years (increases in harvest index, the amount of land under irrigation and the use of fertilizers, particularly N fertilizer) are largely exhausted. A century of plant breeding has resulted in little or no increase in the photosynthetic rates of most crop plants (Moss and Musgrave, 1971; Evans 1975,1980). There thus remains a tremendous need to increase the photosynthetic rates and growth of crop plants. There also remains a need to increase production of crop plants.
There have been considerable efforts to enhance photosynthesis in crop plants with a view to increase plant productivity. Makela et al., (1999) reported enhanced photosynthesis under drought and salinity stress in tomato and turnip rape following foliar application of glycinebetanine at very low concentrations. Foliar application of methanol also increased photosynthesis in a number of plants (Noumora and Benson, 1991). Johnson and Stelizer (1991) reported increased photosynthesis in loblolly pine by application of sub-lethal doses hexazinone.
While the effects of plant-to-bacteria signal molecules (i.e. isoflavones) on nodulation, nitrogen fixation, growth and protein yield of legumes, such as soybean, and on bacteria- to-plant signal molecules (LCOs) on nodulation and nitrogen fixation in legumes have been described under certain conditions, the effect of the bacteria- to-plant signal molecules on the growth of non-legumes is unknown. In fact, the role of such bacteria- to-plant signal molecules on non-legumes has yet to be reported. In addition, the effect of LCOs on processes other than nodulation of legumes has yet to be described. Moreover, while LCOs have been associated with a growth-promoting effect in the early stages of the initiation of the symbiotic relationship between plant and bacteria, it remains to be determined whether LCOs can have an effect on plants at later stages of their life cycle.
There thus remains a need to assess the effect of LCOs on plant growth and especially on later stages thereof. Moreover, there remains a need to assess whether LCO comprising compositions can have an effect on the synthetic rate and/or growth of plants in general and especially of non-legume plants.
There also remains a need to better understand the workings of the complex homeostatic system which is involved in the regulation of photosynthesis. Moreover, there remains a need to assess the role of LCOs on photosynthesis of plants.
The present invention seeks to meet these and other needs.
The present description refers to a number of documents, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Method of increasing photosynthesis in plants comprising an exposure thereof to lipochitooligosaccharides and compositions therefor


A method for reading a non-volatile memory arranged in columns and rows which reduces adjacent cell coupling, sometimes referred to as the Yupin effect. The method includes the steps of: selecting a bit to be read in a word-line; reading an adjacent word line written after the word line; and reading the selected bit in the word line by selectively adjusting at least one read parameter. In one embodiment, the read parameter is the sense voltage. In another embodiment, the read parameter is the pre-charge voltage. In yet another embodiment, both the sense and the pre-charge voltage are adjusted.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a non-volatile memory and its operation, and, more specifically, to techniques for reducing the effects of data stored in one memory storage element upon data read from other storage elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) and flash memory are among the most popular non-volatile semiconductor memories. They are used in cellular telephones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, mobile computing devices, non-mobile computing devices, desktop computers and other devices.
Typical EEPROMs and flash memories utilize a memory cell with a floating gate that is provided above and insulated from a channel region in a semiconductor substrate. The floating gate is positioned above and between source and drain regions. A control gate is provided over and insulated from the floating gate. The threshold voltage of the memory is controlled by the amount of charge that is retained on the floating gate. That is, the minimum amount of voltage that must be applied to the control gate before the memory cell is turned on to permit conduction between its source and drain is controlled by the level of charge on the floating gate.
Some EEPROM and flash memory devices have a floating gate that is used to store two ranges of charges and, therefore, the memory cell can be programmed/erased between two states. Typically, the program voltage applied to the control gate is applied as a series of pulses. In the periods between the pulses, verify operations are carried out. Conduction represents an "on" state of the device corresponding to the flow of current across the channel of the device. An "off" state corresponds to no current flowing across the channel between the source and drain. Typically, a flash memory cell will conduct if the voltage being applied to the control gate is greater than the threshold voltage and the memory cell will not conduct if the voltage applied to the control gate is less than the threshold voltage. By setting the threshold voltage of the cell to an appropriate value, the cell can be made to either conduct or not conduct current for a given set of applied voltages. Thus, by determining whether a cell conducts current at a given set of applied voltages, the state of the cell can be determined.
Each memory cell can store data (analog or digital). When storing one bit of digital data, the range of possible threshold voltages of the memory cell is divided into two ranges which are assigned logical data "1" and "0." In one example of a NAND type flash memory, the voltage threshold is negative after the memory cell is erased, and defined as logic "1." The threshold voltage after a program operation is positive and defined as logic "0." When the threshold voltage is negative and a read is attempted, the memory cell will turn on to indicate logic one is being stored. When the threshold voltage is positive and a read operation is attempted, the memory cell will not turn on, which indicates that logic zero is stored. A memory cell can also store multiple levels of information, for example, multiple bits of digital data. In the case of storing multiple levels of data, the range of possible threshold voltages is divided into the number of levels of data. For example, if four levels of information is stored, there will be four threshold voltage ranges assigned to the data values "11 ", "10", "01", and "00." In one example of a NAND type memory, the threshold voltage after an erase operation is negative and defined as "11". Positive threshold voltages are used for the states of "10", "01", and "00."
The threshold levels of a floating gate transistor correspond to ranges of charge levels stored on their floating gates. In addition to shrinking the size of the memory arrays, the trend is to further increase the density of data storage of such memory arrays by storing more than one bit of data in each floating gate transistor. This is accomplished by defining more than two threshold levels as storage states for each floating gate transistor, four such states (2 bits of data per floating gate) now being included in commercial products. More storage states, such as 16 states per storage element, are contemplated. Each floating gate transistor has a certain total range (window) of threshold voltages in which it may practically be operated, and that range is divided into the number of states defined for it plus margins between the states to allow for them to be clearly differentiated from one another.
Relevant examples of NAND type flash memories and their operation are provided in the following U.S. Patents/Patent Applications, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,315; 5,774,397, 6,046,935, 6,456,528 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/893,277 (Publication No. US2003/0002348). Other types of flash memory devices can also be used with the present invention. For example, the following patents describe NOR type flash memories and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,095,344; 5,172,338; 5,890,192 and 6,151,248. Another example of a flash memory type is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,248, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Field effect coupling between adjacent floating gates is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,429 of Jian Chen and Yupin Fong, which patent is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. The degree of this coupling is necessarily increasing as the sizes of memory cell arrays are being decreased as the result of improvements of integrated circuit manufacturing techniques. The problem occurs most pronouncedly between two sets of adjacent cells that have been programmed at different times. One set of cells is programmed to add a level of charge to their floating gates that corresponds to one set of data. After the second set of cells is programmed with a second set of data, the charge levels read from the floating gates of the first set of cells often appears to be different than programmed because of the effect of the charge on the second set of floating gates being coupled with the first. This is known as the Yupin effect. Aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,429 suggests either physically isolating the two sets of floating gates from each other, or taking into account the effect of the charge on the second set of floating gates when reading that of the first.
The Yupin effect is present in various types of flash EEPROM cell arrays. A NOR array of one design has its memory cells connected between adjacent bit (column) lines and control gates connected to word (row) lines. The individual cells contain either one floating gate transistor, with or without a select transistor formed in series with it, or two floating gate transistors separated by a single select transistor. Examples of such arrays and their use in storage systems are given in the following U.S. patents and pending applications of SanDisk Corporation that are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,095,344, 5,172,338, 5,602,987, 5,663,901, 5,430,859, 5,657,332, 5,712,180, 5,890,192, and 6,151,248, and U.S. Ser. No. 09/505,555, filed Feb. 17, 2000, and Ser. No. 09/667,344, filed Sep. 22, 2000.
A NAND array of one design has a number of memory cells, such as 8, 16, 32, or even 64 connected in series string between a bit line and a reference potential through select transistors at either end. Word lines are connected with control gates of cells in different series strings. Relevant examples of such arrays and their operation are given in the following U.S. patents and pending application of Toshiba that are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,315, 5,774,397 and 6,046,935, and U.S. Ser. No. 09/667,610.
One measure of the magnitude of word-line-to-word-line coupling is in the distributions of the threshold voltages of a number of cells in the array. This coupling will have the effect of broadening the distribution of the threshold voltages of cells in the array, reducing the ability of designers to increase the speed and reliability of devices. Any method which therefore reduces the distribution will be beneficial to memory devices.

Method of reading NAND memory to compensate for coupling between storage elements


There is described a sealing composition for sealing aluminum nitride and aluminum oxynitride ceramics comprising: a mixture of SiO2, at least one other metal oxide, and a silicon additive comprising at least one of silicon metal or a silicide. The silicon additive acts to suppress the formation of nitrogen bubbles during the sealing of articles comprised of aluminum nitride or aluminum oxynitride ceramics, e.g., as in the case of a ceramic discharge vessel for a high intensity discharge lamp.

Metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps are two examples of lamps which use a discharge vessel made of a ceramic material. The robustness of the ceramic material permits the use of more corrosive chemical fills and allows the discharge vessels to be operated at higher temperatures. A sealing composition, commonly referred to as a frit, is used to form a hermetic seal between the feedthrough sections of the electrodes and the ceramic body of the discharge vessel. The sealing composition may also be used to join together the ceramic pieces which form the discharge vessel.
FIG. 1 shows a discharge vessel 1 for a conventional ceramic metal halide lamp. The discharge vessel 1 includes a hollow ceramic body 6 filled with a chemical fill 8 and into which electrodes 14 are fed through ceramic capillaries 2. The discharge vessel has halves 17a,b that are joined at seam 5, where the electrode ends 3 are inside the respective halves and extend into the discharge chamber 12. The distal ends of the capillaries are each sealed with a respective frit seal 9. A conventional Al2O3—Dy2O3—SiO2 sealing composition for this purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,991.
Translucent polycrystalline alumina (PCA) has been by far the ceramic material of choice for making ceramic discharge vessels. Yet despite its pervasive use, PCA is not used in some HID applications because it is only translucent and not transparent. In particular, a PCA discharge vessel is generally not suitable for focused-beam, short-arc lamps such as projection lamps and automotive headlights. For these applications, the transparent sapphire (single-crystal) form of aluminum oxide is used. In addition, PCA discharge vessels although superior to quartz arc tubes in metal halide lamps can react with the rare earth halide fills limiting the durability and life of such lamps.
Aluminum oxynitride (AlON) is a transparent ceramic material that has been identified as a potential replacement for PCA. See, for example, Japanese Patent No. 09-92206 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,924,904 and 5,231,062. AlON has a cubic spinel structure and a composition that may be generally represented by the empirical formula Al(64+x)/3O32−xNx where 2.75≦x≦5. The mechanical strength and thermal expansion of AlON are close to those of PCA, so that AlON should be able to survive the stresses in high-intensity discharge lamps.
Aluminum nitride (AlN) has been shown to be more resistant to the corrosive effects of rare earth metal halide fills than polycrystalline aluminum oxide. Although the fully-dense sintered AlN ceramic is only translucent and not transparent, the superior corrosion resistance is desirable for metal halide lamps. For example, the use of AlN arc discharge vessels for ceramic metal halide lamps is described in European Patent Application No. 0371315A1 and PCT Application No. WO 03/060952.
Despite the potential advantages of aluminum nitride and aluminum oxynitride ceramics, there remain a number of technical difficulties which must be overcome for these materials to be considered for use in HID lamp applications. One in particular is the reaction of these ceramics with the conventional silica-containing glass/ceramic frit materials used to seal the discharge vessels. As described above, the function of the frit is to hermetically seal the ceramic body of the discharge vessel, in particular to the feedthrough portion of the electrode assembly. During the sealing operation, contact between the molten frit and the aluminum nitride or aluminum oxynitride ceramic induces a reaction that releases nitrogen gas. Since most of the nitrogen evolved from the reaction cannot be accommodated in the molten frit, it escapes as gas bubbles into the frit seal. These gas bubbles may degrade the quality and function of the hermetic seal leading to premature failure of the lamp, particularly when higher pressures are present in the discharge vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,362,053 describes a method for minimizing bubble formation in the seal region of an aluminum oxynitride discharge vessel by forming a less reactive surface layer in the seal region. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by heating at least the seal region of the discharge vessel in a reducing atmosphere. In another embodiment, an aluminum oxide layer is deposited in the seal region to act as a barrier between the molten frit and the aluminum oxynitride vessel during sealing.
While such methods are effective, it would be simpler and more advantageous if a sealing frit composition could be formulated in such a way to reduce or eliminate bubble formation in the seal without the need for additional treatments on the sintered discharge vessel.

Sealing composition for sealing aluminum nitride and aluminum oxynitride ceramics


A method is provided for Steckel mill rolling and finishing flat rolled steel having uniform mechanical properties, good surface quality, and ease of flattening whether in coil form or discrete sheet or plate by hot rolling a heated transfer bar in a Steckel mill and reverse rolling and optional coiling to achieve finished flat rolled product of a selected thickness and selected austenite finishing temperature. The finished product is water cooled to a ferrite transformation temperature and thereafter air cooled until transformation from austenite to ferrite is at least 70% completed. The product may be further water cooled to a temperature below the ferrite transformation temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for Steckel mill rolling and finishing to produce hot-rolled flat steel products.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Hot-rolled flat steel product is conventionally produced either by the use of a continuous hot strip mill or a reversing hot strip mill, known as a Steckel mill.
With a continuous hot strip mill, a heated transfer bar, such as a slab rolled on a roughing mill, is introduced to a series of in-line rolling stands, each having work rolls that produce a hot rolled flat product of the desired finished gauge. The flat product after completion of hot rolling is then subjected to cooling before coiling.
Although continuous hot strip mills are desired for high tonnage strip requirements and where the length of the rolling line is not of significance, for low tonnage applications, and where a relatively short rolling line is significant, the reversing hot rolling capability of the Steckel mill is of preferred use. In addition, a Steckel mill may be selectively used in the production of flat rolled products of thicker gauge, such as discrete plate rather than lighter gauge products such as sheet and strip produced in coil form.
A Steckel mill consists principally of a single reversing mill roll stand with a hot coiling furnace positioned on both the entry and exit side of the mill. The mill receives a transfer bar of approximately the same dimensions as that which would be used in the finishing roll stands of a continuous mill. During the rolling operation, the product is subjected to a sequential operation of coiling and uncoiling from the hot coiling furnaces of the Steckel mill until the desired reduction has been achieved.
The hot rolled product is then deflected onto a run out table where it is subjected to cooling prior to coiling. Alternately, in the production of thicker gauge flat rolled products, the transfer bar may be subjected to a series of reverse rolling processes through the Steckel mill with or without employing the hot coiling furnaces of the mill and the steel after cooling is produced as discrete plate rather than being coiled.
Where the length of the combined rolling and finishing line is significant, it is advantageous to reduce the size of the run-out table to less than 150 feet and yet complete the desired finishing operations, particularly cooling, to achieve the desired microstructure and physical and mechanical properties in the finished flat rolled product. This is not possible with conventional cooling practices employed in association with a Steckel mill having a run-out table this short.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method for Steckel mill rolling and finishing of hot rolled flat steel products wherein the length of the finishing line necessary to achieve the required cooling may be made shorter than with conventional cooling practices used with both continuous hot strip mills and Steckel mills.


A brake pressure control apparatus for automotive vehicles with an anti-locking control system (ABS) and/or with a traction slip control system (TSS) is presented. In the inlet line to the wheel cylinder an inlet valve is provided which affords a change-over from an orifice function into a flow limiting valve function at a predetermined wheel cylinder pressure. Flow is initially through an orifice (6) in a control slide valve piston (20), held in its initial position by a prestressing spring (23) acting through an auxiliary piston in engagement with control slide valve piston (20). An increase in pressure in the wheel cylinder (13), also exerted in the wheel cylinder pressure chamber (9), to a predetermined level, causes the auxiliary piston (27) to disengage from the control slide valve piston (20), preventing the force of the prestressing spring (23) from acting on the control slide valve piston (20). As a result, the control slide valve piston (20) is free to reach an equilibrium position corresponding to the magnitude of the remaining forces acting upon the piston (20 ). A control edge (33) on the piston (20) establishes a flow cross-sectional area (34) which, upon the filling of the wheel cylinder (13), leads to a constant nominal flow rate within the lines (19, 11, 12) to the wheel cylinder (13). The invention is distinguished in that precisely defined pressure gradients, a better adaptation to the volume accommodating curve of the wheel circuit and a better exploitation of the pump characteristic are achieved.

This invention is related to a brake pressure control apparatus for automotive vehicles, with an anti-locking control system (ABS) and/or with a traction slip control system (TSS), which is operated by fluid pressure. Such apparatus includes a master cylinder, one or more wheel cylinders, each for a corresponding wheel brake, a pressure modulator for the modulation of the hydraulic pressure within the wheel cylinders during the brake pressure control mode, at least one motor-driven pump for the generation of a fluid pressure, and an electronic controller.
An example of brake systems of this type is described in published but unexamined German patent application No. 3,731,603.
Brake systems of this type are equipped with an anti-locking control system and/or with a traction slip control system. They are furnished with one or with two auxiliary pumps which deliver fluid under pressure into a pressure modulator during the anti-locking control mode to reincrease the pressure in the wheel cylinders in the anti-lock control mode.
The pressure modulator is comprised of a plurality of hydraulic valves. In particular, inlet and outlet valves are provided in said pressure modulator which are connected to the associated wheel cylinder.
The driver stage of the electronic controller pilots said inlet and outlet valves in accordance with the control algorithm which is installed in the controller. A pressure reduction phase is generated in the wheel cylinder when the outlet valve is open and the inlet valve is closed. When the inlet valve is closed and the outlet valve is open, a pressure stabilization phase comes about. When the inlet valve is open and the outlet valve is closed, a pressure rebuilding-up phase commences.
Furthermore, hydraulic circuits have been described in which the inlet valve has a restrictive effect. See the German patent application No. 3,919,842.1. in this respect.
In that patent application, a hydraulic brake system for a vehicle is described which is equipped with an anti-locking control system and which is comprised of a master cylinder, a fluid pressure accumulator, at least one wheel brake which is in communication with the master brake cylinder through a brake line and is in communication with the fluid pressure accumulator through a return line. An electromagnetically actuated outlet valve is inserted in the return line which shuts off the return line in its normal position and releases the return line in its switching position. A restriction valve is also incorporated in the brake line and which is furnished with two switching positions, in a first switching position, an unrestricted connection exists between the wheel brake and the master brake cylinder, and in a second switching position, a restricted connection exists between the wheel brake and the master brake cylinder.
A motor driven pump aspirates fluid from the accumulator and delivers it through a pressure line to the restriction valve. A sensor monitors the angular velocity of the wheel to be braked, and an electronic evaluation unit evaluates the sensor signal and generates switching signals for the pump drive and for the energization of the outlet valve.
It is proposed in the aforementioned German patent application that the restriction valve is connected by means of a control line to the outlet of the pump so that the pressure at said outlet of the pump shifts the restriction valve from the first into the second switching position.
In the system described in the German patent application no. P 3919842.1, a restrictor becomes effective in the inlet line going to the wheel cylinder during the control mode. In the course of the control mode, pressurized fluid is conveyed by the pumps into the wheel cylinder through the aforementioned restrictor. A pressure rebuild-up in the wheel cylinder comes about.
The pressure reduction is attained by the opening of an outlet valve. The outlet valves in question are constituted by electromagnetically actuatable valves, closed when de-energized (NC valves). According to the teachings of the state of the art, the NC valves are piloted by an output signal of the electronic controller included in the anti-locking control system.


A method of detecting reciprocal gene translocations by employing multiple probe sets which span the breakpoint regions and encompass regions on both sides of each breakpoint of the translocation on each chromosome involved in the translocation. Probe sets and diagnostic kits for the method are also disclosed.

A number of inherited genetic diseases and types of cancer have been linked to chromosomal translocation events which result in the fusion of two genes which do not occur together in the normal genome. Certain conditions involve translocations which frequently occur at the same or very near location. The chromosome regions where frequent breaks occur are called breakpoint regions.
One of the best known examples of a clinically important translocation is the Philadelphia Chromosome which results from a break in the ABL1 gene on distal chromosome 9q and the BCR gene on proximal chromosome 22q {t(9;22)} (FIG. 1). The breakpoints within the ABL1 gene may occur throughout a region spanning more than 175 kb upstream from exon II while the breaks in chromosome 22 are clustered into two areas of the BCR gene, termed the major breakpoint cluster region (m-bcr) and the minor breakpoint cluster region (M-bcr) (Kurzrock et al, New England Journal of Medicine, 319:990 (1988)). The Philadelphia Chromosome occurs in most cases of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) and some cases of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Other important translocations include, but are not limited to, t(8;21) in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, t(8:14) in Burkett's Lymphoma and pre-B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, t(1:14), t(7:9), t(7:19), t(11:14), t(10:14) and t(7:9) in T-acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, t(15;17) in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and t(15:17) Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (PML). Solid tumors include, t(9;22) in Ewing's Sarcoma, t(15:16), and hereditary diseases associated with translocations include a number of mental retardation associated syndromes. It is likely that other conditions are caused by subcriptic translocations or other structural aberrations which are yet to be determined and are too small to be noticed by standard cytogenetics.
Multiple genetic testing methods have been developed for use in diagnosis, monitoring of minimal residual disease and/or response to therapy during clinical practice. However, no single technique has been developed that can accurately detect and quantify disease at diagnosis and throughout treatment. Conventional quantitative cytogenetics and G-banding analysis is cumbersome and can only be applied to cycling cells (Lion, Leukemia 10: 896 (1996)). In practice, the sensitivity of conventional cytogenetics is dependent upon the number of good metaphase cells which can be evaluated. In the example of cancers caused by neoplastic cells in the bone marrow, obtaining large numbers of good metaphase cells from bone marrows of patients is difficult.
More recently, the assay technique in situ hybridization (ISH), particularly fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) (Pinkel et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A. 83:2934–2938 (1986)) has been of assistance in detecting translocations. FISH allows the analysis of individual metaphase or interphase cells, thereby eliminating the need to obtain and assay cycling cells. It is therefore possible to use nondividing tissue, including bone marrow and peripheral blood cells in a diagnostic or prognostic analysis.
In the field of detecting the Philadelphia Chromosome, a commonly used method for detection of ABL1/BCR fusion utilizes differently labeled probes for BCR and ABL1, and detects a single ABL1/BCR fusion (or closely linked) signal in cells with a Ph chromosome. (This method is referred to for convenience as S-FISH.) An example of this technique is Tkachuk et al, Science 205: p. 559–562 (1990) where one fluorescently labeled probe hybridized to part of the ABL1 gene and a second fluorescently labeled probe hybridized to part of the BCR gene.
The probes in commercial single FISH test kits do not span the entire length of each translocation breakpoint but rather are designed to bind to one portion of each gene, i.e. sometimes overlapping or adjacent to a breakpoint region, sometimes many kilobases away and sometimes both (See FIG. 1 of Tkachuk et al for example). Normal chromosomes 9 and 22 each bind one probe, which is specific to that chromosome. The Philadelphia Chromosome, both probes hybridize at the fusion site bringing both labels in close proximity so as to usually form a color shift or fusion near proximity/signal. Because the exact breakpoint may vary, the two probe labels may not come sufficiently close to form a fusion label. Likewise for probes useable to detect the t(8;21) translocation in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML).
Using the probe configuration above, the following detection method-for the Philadelphia Chromosome using FISH has been used: the ABL1 gene probe is labeled using a probe containing one hapten or fluorophore (for example, FITC) and the BCR gene probe is labeled using a probe containing another hapten or fluorophore (for example Rhodamine). After hybridization and detection, a normal chromosome 9 shows the green signal and a normal chromosome 22 shows a red signal. A normal cell would therefore exhibit two red signals and two green signals. A cell containing a Philadelphia chromosome has one red and one green signal for the unaffected homologues of chromosomes 9 and 22 and one white, yellow or closely linked pair of signals that results from the close proximity of the labeled probes hybridized to the translocated BCR and ABL1 genes, the so-called fusion signal.
However, the probes used heretofore in this method have not been constructed so as to specifically bind and detect the second fusion site for the reciprocal translocation event. Thus, the S-FISH method detects only one of the abnormal chromosomes resulting from the translocation event, the Philadelphia chromosome.
In another method using labelled probes to detect ALL gene rearrangements in solid tumors, a probe set was designed so that the two probes lie adjacent to each other on the normal chromosome, but split apart and move to the two different abnormal chromosomes if the translocation has occurred (Croce, U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,586, hereby incorporated by reference). In this method the probes are designed to be complementary to sequences in the translocation region on one chromosome. In this method, the fluorescent probes produce a single spot on the normal chromosome, but appear as two distinct spots when translocation has occurred.
The same format has been used for other assays for detecting other translocations such as t(8:21) in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). For example, Le Beau, Blood 81: 1979–1983 (1993), and Sacchi et al, Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics 79: 97–103 (1995) and Fischer et al, Blood 88: 3962–3971 (1996).


A helical groove 1B is formed in the sliding surface 1A of a sliding bearing 1 over the entire axial region thereof. To establish the height of a peak 1a defined by the helical groove 1B, an imaginary reference line L extending parallel to the axis is formed which is determined such that the total cross-sectional area of all the peaks 1a is equal to the total cross-sectional area of all the valleys 1b when the helical groove 1B is considered in axial section. A height, as measured from the reference line L to the top 1a′ of the peak 1a is chosen in the range of from 1 to 8 μm. The space created by forming the valleys 1b allows the supply of lubricant oil to be increased, thereby simultaneously achieving a reduction in the frictional resistance and the occurrence of an impact sound.

Customarily, a slight clearance is provided between the surfaces of a sliding bearing and a rotating shaft which are disposed in sliding contact with each other when the rotating shaft is rotatably journalled by the sliding bearing. In such a conventional sliding bearing, when a smaller internal diameter of the surface of the sliding bearing which is disposed for sliding contact is chosen in an attempt to minimize the magnitude of the clearance, there results the disadvantage that a frictional resistance between the surfaces of the sliding bearing and the rotating shaft which are disposed in sliding contact with each other increases. Conversely, when a larger inner diameter is chosen for the sliding surface of the sliding bearing to increase the clearance and minimize the frictional resistance, there is another disadvantage that the occurrence of an impact sound between the surfaces increases. Thus, it has been difficult in a conventional sliding bearing to achieve a reduction in the frictional resistance between the sliding surfaces and a reduction in the impact sound simultaneously.


An I/O device is provided to accurately synchronize clocks between nodes to have a device driving signal directly made out from the clocks, so that operation timing can be synchronized between the nodes regardless of a processing flicker on a host computer and a delay in a communication channel, and so that sending and receiving of a communication frame between the nodes, updating of contents of the communication frame, etc. can be efficiently performed. The I/O device comprises receiving means for receiving information including at least contents instructing an input and output time to a device, time tag generating means for generating a time tag indicative of the input and output time included in the received signal to output the same to device control means, and clock means for generating a clock signal indicative of the present time, wherein the device control means compares the input and output time indicated by the time tag output from the time tag generating means with the present time indicated by the clock signal output from the clock means to output designated data to a device or input data from the device at the input and output time.

There is a device driving system in which a host computer sends a command to a plurality of I/O nodes that drive an I/O device, and each of the I/O nodes that has received the command interprets the command and drives a corresponding I/O device.
However, in this method, if a processing flicker occurs on a host computer, that flicker is directly transformed into a flicker of a command issue time, causing it hard to issue a command at a precise time.
Also, since a communication channel inevitably has delay, it takes some time for a command to reach the remote side (an I/O node). Furthermore, there is often a flicker in a delay time of a communication channel, causing a flicker in the time in which a command reaches a remote side. If a device is driven by a software process or the like at a remote side, this flicker in a processing time at a remote side takes a form of a flicker in a device driving time.
Particularly, when a temporally-continuous control is performed, since each I/O node operates with its own internal crystal oscillator, time errors (caused by a frequency error of a crystal oscillator) accumulate, causing an operation timing error between nodes to increase with time.
Furthermore, in a traditional method, although data to be output is directly written to an output target device, since driving timing of an output device is generated by a CPU, time accuracy is low.
Also, in a traditional method, an intended frequency is obtained by dividing a frequency of a crystal oscillator that each node has. However, just dividing a frequency of an oscillator causes a phase to be uncertain, and there is also a problem that frequency errors of a crystal oscillator accumulate.
For a traditional point-to-point communication, as represented by an Ethernet®, a star topology is generally used. In this case, since data processing is performed on a communication frame basis, and transmission of a communication frame is performed in a store-and-forward manner, a whole communication frame needs to be received at a hub before data transfer from the hub to a neighboring node can be started. Also, timing at which each node generates a communication frame is not controlled.
This star topology has a disadvantage that an amount of wiring becomes large. Also, since an Ethernet has only one check code for a whole frame, it cannot be determined whether an error exists or not until a whole communication frame is received, and in order to rewrite the content of a communication frame and transmit the communication frame, a sequence of receiving a whole communication frame, rewriting the content of the communication frame, and sending the communication frame is needed. Thus, it takes a lot of time to pass through a node. Also, since timing at which a communication frame is generated is not controlled, there is a problem that it is not possible to ensure that a communication frame reaches the remote side within a given time.
Furthermore, in a traditional method, a communication delay is measured by sending a communication frame back and forth between the nodes at which a communication delay is to be measured. In such a measuring method, although a communication delay between two points can be measured, a communication delay at an intermediate point between the two nodes cannot be measured, so measurement needs to be iterated as much as the number of nodes that are needed.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-13974

I/O device, network system with I/O device and communication method in network system with I/O device


The process of combining various sets of measured data is carried out by first selecting a section of the test surface and its data set as the starting point and comparing the regions of overlap with adjacent sections of the test sample. All pixels containing an invalid data point in at least one of the data sets of each overlapping region are eliminated from consideration and the remaining valid pixels are counted. Then the adjacent section having an overlapping region with the largest number of valid pixels is selected for combination with the first section and their data sets are fitted according to a predetermined procedure, thereby producing an enlarged composite set of corrected data. The process is then repeated by comparing the overlapping regions of all sets adjacent to the composite section to determine the one having the largest number of pixels with valid data points. That set is then fitted to the existing composite profile to produce a new composite set of corrected data. These steps are repeated until the measured data corresponding to all sections are corrected and combined to produce a single uniform map of the sample surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the general field of interferometric profilometry. In particular, it provides a technique for improving the resolution of an interferometric profilometer by reducing the field of view of its objective and combining multiple overlapping images in an optimal sequential process to form a composite profile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The optical resolution of the objective of an interferometer is an important parameter in the overall performance of the instrument. The spatial resolution can be enhanced by reducing the field of view of the objective, but that also reduces the capability of the instrument with respect to the area of sample being tested. If, on the other hand, the field of view is enlarged to cover a larger test surface, the optical (and therefore also spatial) resolution of the resulting image is adversely affected. Therefore, a practical balance is normally struck between the optical resolution of the profilometer and the size of the test surface that it can handle.
As interferometric technology progresses, it has become very desirable to provide some flexibility with regard to the surface size of the samples suitable for testing. This invention provides an optimal procedure for enhancing the resolution or, alternatively, for increasing the x-y profiling range of a conventional interferometer.

Selection process for sequentially combining multiple sets of overlapping surface-profile interferometric data to produce a continuous composite map


The synchronization of an existing video to a new soundtrack is carried out through the phonetic analysis of the original soundtrack and the new soundtrack. Individual speech sounds, such as phones, are identified in the soundtrack for the original video recording, and the images corresponding thereto are stored. The new soundtrack is similarly analyzed to identify individual speech sounds, which are used to select the stored images and create a new video sequence. The sequence of images are then smoothly fitted to one another, to provide a video stream that is synchronized to the new soundtrack. This approach permits a given video sequence to be synchronized to any arbitrary utterance. Furthermore, the matching of the video images to the new speech sounds can be carried out in a highly automated manner, thereby reducing required manual effort.

There are various situations in which it is desirable to have a video recording of a speaking person accurately track words which are different from those which were uttered during the original recording of the video image. One such application is the field of audio dubbing, in which the originally recorded soundtrack is replaced with a different soundtrack. In a simple case, after recording an image of an actor speaking a statement, it may be desirable to re-record the statement, for example to change emphasis or provide a different accent. Rather than recording the entire video sequence again, the redubbing process permits the actor to repeat the statement, with the desired modifications, and substitute the repeated statement for the originally recorded one.
In a more sophisticated video production, it may be desirable to utilize stock footage of an actor and replace the actor's spoken words with an entirely different speech soundtrack, perhaps in a different voice. For example, the original statement might be presented in a different language, or various special effects can be created, such as a child giving a speech in the original voice of a famous statesman.
In these types of applications, the original recorded image must be modified so that the speaker's lip movements are synchronized to the new soundtrack. In the past, the methods for achieving such synchronization have required extensive manual input and/or specialized processing that limited their applicability. One example of a prior art approach, which is based on image alignment, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,532. That patent is particularly directed to the replacement of a soundtrack in one language with a new soundtrack in a second language, which requires different lip movements for the speaker. In the technique disclosed in the '532 patent, a video recording is made of a new actor speaking the statements in the new language. Special markers are required to define the outlines of the actor's lips in the newly recorded image of the actor speaking in the new language, and the original video must be manually marked. Once the corresponding portions of the old and new video images have been identified, pixels of the original movie frame are modified to make them look like the original actor spoke the words of the new soundtrack.
The procedure disclosed in the '532 patent involves two types of video modification. First, the video sequence is temporally warped, in an effort to align the frames of the original image with the new sounds, so that the lip shapes match one another. Thereafter, visual warping, e.g., morphing, of the image is carried out to transition between non-continuous portions of the video that may result from skipping frames.
Both of these warping steps require a significant amount of manual input. As a result, lengthy video sequences with language dubbing are not easily produced. Furthermore, it is not possible in all cases to temporally warp a video sequence in such a way that the new lip shapes match the original shapes. For example, the image for a closed-lip sound cannot be warped into one for an open-lipped sound, because the teeth and/or tongue would be missing. A similar problem occurs for sounds which are produced with different lip protrusions. Thus, the types of changes which can be effected are limited. In addition, the new soundtrack requires a second video recording, so that the two recorded sequences can be visually aligned. As such, the procedure cannot be used with any arbitrary utterance as the new soundtrack. Rather, only soundtracks which have accompanying video images can be employed.
Other approaches have been used in the field of animation, so that a character's mouth accurately tracks spoken words. However, the images that are used in these approaches are synthetic, and their associated synchronization techniques are not suited for use with video images of a natural person's face.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a technique which permits any given sound utterance to be substituted for the soundtrack of a previously recorded video sequence, without requiring a video recording of the new sounds being uttered. It is further desirable to provide such a method which readily lends itself to automation, to thereby minimize the amount of manual input that is required.

Automated synchronization of video image sequences to new soundtracks


An external indicator for use in proximity to an on-board unit or transponder for an electronic toll collection (ETC) system. The external indicator senses RF transmissions from the on-board unit and/or roadside readers of the ETC system and produces sensory outputs when transmissions are detected. The external indicator receives RF signals, demodulates them, and analyses the demodulated RF signals to determine if it has received a roadside reader trigger signal and/or a transponder response signal. A sensory indicator, such as a visual, auditory, or kinetic device, alerts an occupant of a vehicle to the detected RF transmissions and, accordingly, to the likely occurrence of an ETC transaction.

Electronic toll collection systems conduct toll transactions electronically using RF communications between a vehicle-mounted transponder (a "tag") and a stationary toll plaza transceiver (a "reader"). A reader is sometimes referred to as a roadside unit (RSU) and a tag is sometimes referred to as an on-board unit (OBU). An example of an electronic toll collection system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,352 issued Dec. 9, 2003 to Tiernay et al., and owned in common with the present application. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,352 are hereby incorporated by reference.
In a typical electronic toll collection system, the reader broadcasts a wakeup or trigger RF signal. A tag on a vehicle passing through the broadcast area or zone detects the wakeup or trigger signal and responds with its own RF signal. There are generally two types of tags: active transponders that generate and send their own signal and backscatter transponders that modulate a continuous wave signal provided by the reader. In either case, the tag responds by sending a response signal containing information stored in memory in the transponder, such as the transponder ID number, the last toll plaza ID number, etc. The reader receives the response signal and conducts an electronic toll transaction, such as by debiting a user account associated with the transponder ID number. The reader may then broadcast a programming RF signal to the tag. The programming signal provides the tag with updated information for storage in its memory. It may, for example, provide the tag with a new account balance and/or a new toll plaza ID number.
Some existing electronic toll collection systems feature relatively simple on-board units (tags) that have no sensory indicators, such as lights, display screens, speakers, or other sensory devices. Accordingly, a vehicle occupant cannot know whether or not his or her on-board unit is functioning correctly. In particular, as the vehicle passes through a toll collection plaza or zone the vehicle occupant may receive no indication as to whether a toll transaction has taken place.
It would be advantageous to provide for a device that may be used in conjunction with existing electronic toll collection system tags to signal occurrence of an electronic toll communication.

External indicator for electronic toll communications


A system for monitoring and controlling the opening and closing of an electrically driven device, such as a window or a sliding roof of an automobile, contains various mechanical components and is equipped with an electrical servo motor which can be controlled by operating elements and a sensor device which are connected to an electronic control unit that processes signals under safety aspects and to which a power semiconductor is connected. To minimize the forces exercised on any trapped object, the rating of the servo motor is controlled by the power semiconductor so that the regulating speed of a servotransmission of the device can be adjusted during its adjustment range in dependence on specified positions of the device.

DE 31 36 746 C2 discloses an electronic control unit pertaining to a device which can be influenced by control elements and by a sensor device. Dependent measured values are continually transmitted to the electronic control unit from the sensor device, e.g., the number of turns or the opening or closing speed of the adjustable device component or the pertaining servo motor, and these values are subjected to a sector-related evaluation.
Specifically, this means that there is no monitoring in the first sector ranging from the completely open to the approximately half-open status of the device. In a second sector which ranges from the approximately half-open to the almost completely closed status of the device, the previously mentioned monitoring is carried out which is directed at the safety aspect. This sector could of course be extended to include the former sector without additional circumstance, in the event that the same safety level were required for the first sector.
No monitoring takes place in a third (rather small) sector ranging from the almost completely closed status to the completely closed status of the device and pertaining to the arrival of the adjustable device component at the sealing arrangement provided at that location. This is due to the fact that no further danger to parts of the body can arise in this sector.
With a device designed in this manner, the problem arises that the servo motor or its rating must be conceived in such a way that the mechanical resistances are overcome which arise over the adjustment range, e.g., as the result of constructive design of the device or externally caused mechanical resistances. In consequence, this means that the servo motor must be designed with a much higher rating than is necessary for the need required for the greater part of the moving travel. As a result, however, the problem arises that limbs can be trapped with an irrelatively great power/travel ratio by the moving device.
DE 37 28 008 A1 makes known an actuating device for movable parts for closing and opening apertures in which it is possible to alter the number of turns of the servo motor, and consequently the speed of the movable parts. However, no reference can be derived from this to a position-related effect on the number of turns for the purpose of limiting the force exercised in the case of trapped objects. On the contrary, it is emphasized that the turning moment, i.e., the force is maintained even when the number of turns is reduced.

System for monitoring and controlling the opening and closing of electrically driven devices


The data processing system has an online transactional processing (OLTP) system for receiving of reporting data from work centers of a production line. The production line is logically divided into shop areas. At the exits of each shop area where an intermediate product is completed one reporting point serves as exit point in order to report the completion of an intermediate production step. This data is stored in the OLTP system and retrieved at a later point of time in order to generate a table containing aggregated intermediate product quantities per shop area. This table is transferred to a financial data server for calculation of the value of work in progress.

Supply chain planning, which comprises the logistical plan of an in-house supply chain, is essential to the success of many of today's manufacturing firms. Most manufacturing firms rely on supply chain planning in some form to ensure the timely delivery of products in response to customer demands. Typically, supply chain planning is hierarchical in nature, extending from distribution and production planning driven by customer orders, to materials and capacity requirements planning, to shop floor scheduling, manufacturing execution, and deployment of products. Supply chain planning ensures the smooth functioning of different aspects of production, from the ready supply of components to meet production demands to the timely transportation of finished goods from the factory to the customer.
A modern supply chain often encompasses a vast array of data. The planning applications that create and dynamically revise plans in the supply chain in response to changing demands and capacity require rapid access to data concerning the flow of materials through the supply chain. The efficient operation of the supply chain depends upon the ability of the various plans to adjust to changes, and the way in which the required data is stored determines the ease with which it can be accessed.
Operations in a production line of a plant for producing a product are carried out at work centers. In supply chain planning tools work centers are represented by business objects that can e.g. represent the following real work centers: machines or machine groups; production lines; assembly work centers; and employees or groups of employees.
Together with bills of material and routings, business objects representing work centers belong to the master data in production planning and control systems. Business objects representing work centers are used in task list operations and work orders. Task lists are for example routings, maintenance task lists, inspection plans and standard networks. Work orders are created for production, quality assurance, plant maintenance and for the project system as networks.
Data in work centers is used for scheduling, costing, capacity planning, and simplifying operation maintenance. For the purpose of scheduling, operating times and formulas are entered in the business object representing the work center, so that the duration of an operation can be calculated. For the purpose of costing, formulas are entered in the business object representing the work center, so that the costs of the operation can be calculated. Usually a business object representing the work center is also assigned to a cost center.
The available capacity and formulas for calculating capacity requirements are entered into the business object representing a work center for capacity planning. Further, various default values for operations can be entered in the business object representing the work center for simplifying operation maintenance.
A business object representing a work center is created for a plant and is identified by a key. The work center category that can be defined in customising, determines which data can be maintained in the business object representing the work center.
Supply chain planning and management tools as the SAP R/3 system use routing. Routing is a description of which operations, e.g. process steps, have to be carried out and in which order to produce a product. In addition to information about the operations and the order in which they are carried out, routing also contains details about the work centers at which they are carried out as well as about the required production resources and tools. Standard values for the execution of individual operations are also saved in routings. Usually a bill of material (BOM) is assigned to routing. Individual components of the BOM are assigned to the routing operations.

Data processing system and method for supply chain management


A textile machine includes a plurality of workstations adjacently situated in a longitudinal direction of the textile machine, the workstations combined to form multiple sections wherein each section includes one or more of the workstations. A plurality of electrical supply units supply electrical energy to the workstations, wherein one of the electrical supply units is assigned to each section or to each workstation. A cooling arrangement includes at least one coolant circuit configured with the electrical supply units such that waste heat generated by one or more of the electrical supply units is absorbed by a coolant within the coolant circuit and transported to a common discharge area of the textile machine.

EP 0 326 688 B1 describes a textile machine in which the spindles, the motors, and their power supplies are cooled with the aid of multiple cooling circuits. The cooling circuits transport the waste heat into a suction channel, which extends along the textile machine and is present anyway, where the heat is given off to the air flowing there.

Textile machine comprising a cooling arrangement


The present application is directed to methods of controlling the transfer voltage in a transfer nip formed between the photoconductive member and the transfer member. The methods offset the effects of large transfer current spikes caused when a media sheet enters and exits the transfer nip and account for temperature and humidity operating parameters using wet-bulb temperature measurements to adjust the transfer voltage. The control may include either ramping up or ramping down the transfer voltage. The ramped transfer voltage may include a series of alternating positive and negative steps that generally trend to ramp up or down. The size of the steps may further be adjusted to provide a smooth transition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to adjusting one or more operating parameters for toner transfer in a direct transfer image forming apparatus and, more particularly, to methods of transfer voltage controls to prevent print defects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain image forming devices use an electrographic process to develop toner images on a media sheet. The electrophotographic process uses electrostatic voltage differentials to promote the transfer of toner from component to component. For example, a voltage vector may exist between a developer roll and a latent image on a photoconductive member. This voltage vector helps promote the transfer of toner from the developer roll to the latent image in a process that is sometimes called "developing the image." A separate voltage vector may exist within a transfer nip formed between the photoconductive member and a transfer member to promote the transfer of a developed image onto a media sheet. In each instance, the toner transfer occurs in part because the toner itself is charged and is attracted to surfaces having an opposite charge or a lower potential.
In a direct transfer system where toner is moved directly from the photoconductive member to the media sheet, current flow between the transfer member and the photoconductive member may produce an undesirable charge on the photoconductive member. A non-uniform current may be produced on the photoconductive member when a leading edge of the media sheet enters into the transfer nip formed between the photoconductive member and the transfer member. The entering media sheet causes a large negative spike in the current that occurs because the current path between the photoconductive member and the transfer member is momentarily disrupted. A non-uniform current may also be produced when the trailing edge of the media sheet exits the transfer nip. The exiting media sheet causes a large negative spike that occurs because the current path between the photoconductive member and transfer member is momentarily disrupted. Once the media sheet exits the transfer nip, contact with the photoconductive member is reestablished and a large positive current spike occurs due to the excess charge that has built up and is released.
The current should be controlled with excessive spikes in the positive or negative direction limited to prevent the occurrence of print defects. If not controlled, a negative spike in the transfer current may result as a light band due to a relative over-charging of the photoconductive member. A positive spike may appear as a dark band where the photoconductive member is discharged and cannot be fully recharged.
Previously, the large transfer current spikes caused by the media sheet entering and exiting the transfer nip have been offset by using a ramped transfer voltage including a series of alternating positive and negative steps that generally trend to ramp up or down. A common drawback of this approach is when this technique is applied in a humid environment, the amplitude of the current oscillations grows too large, resulting in a new print defect. Thus, there is still a need for an innovation that will adjust the voltage waveform oscillations in response to temperature and humidity environmental conditions in order to maintain a uniform charge on the surface of the photoconductor.

Method for adjusting transfer voltage controls based on environmental conditions to improve print quality in a direct transfer image forming device


A clock generator is provided. The clock generator includes a crystal oscillator, an inverter coupled to the crystal oscillator in parallel, a first circuit and a second circuit. The crystal oscillator has a first terminal and a second terminal. The inverter generates a first signal and a second signal at the first and second terminals of the crystal oscillator, respectively. The first circuit coupled to the first terminal of the crystal oscillator generates a first clock signal with a constant frequency according to the first signal. The second circuit coupled to the second terminal of the crystal oscillator generates a second clock signal with a variable frequency according to the second signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a clock generator, and more particularly to a clock generator of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) module.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard for external apparatus connection, providing hot plug, plug and play and other related functions.
Currently, the USB 2.0 standard provides three transfer rates: low-speed, full-speed, and high-speed transfer rates, which support: 1.5 Mbps; 12 Mbps; and 480 Mbps data rates, respectively. However, even faster transfer rates are being demanded for electronic apparatuses, due to continued advanced technological development, so that the electronic apparatuses may quickly access data from external apparatuses and subsequently perform related operations.
Therefore, a next generation USB industry-standard, the USB 3.0 standard, was established by the USB Implementers Forum. The USB 3.0 standard allows employment of SuperSpeed data transfer and non-SuperSpeed (i.e. USB 2.0) data transfer simultaneously, wherein SuperSpeed data transfer supports up to a 5 Gbps data rate.


The present invention provides a kidney production method including a step of tissue-specifically removing a metanephric mesenchyme of a metanephros of a non-human animal; a step of transplanting, into the metanephros, a kidney precursor cell derived from a non-human animal which is allogeneic or xenogeneic to the non-human animal; and a step of advancing development of the metanephros, which is a step in which the transplanted kidney precursor cell is differentiated and matured to form a part of the kidney.

Due to aging and expansion of an adaptation disease, dialysis patients are increasing rapidly. The lives of these patients can be saved by dialysis medical treatment, but because dialysis does not compensate for all kidney functions, cardiovascular diseases of the patients tend to increase, thereby causing rise in mortality rates. In addition, the dialysis patients are overburdened with time and mental loads, which makes it difficult to return to society in many cases.
Furthermore, there are about 2 million patients with the end-stage renal disease requiring a kidney transplantation, and the number of patients tends to further increase due to the organ donor shortage. Therefore, the end-stage renal disease is a serious medical problem.
At present, various tissue-specific precursor cells or tissue stem cells can be induced from pluripotent stem cells such as iPS cells and ES cells (refer to, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). However, for example, the kidney is an organ with low self-repairing ability, and therefore the kidney function depends on a complicated structure composed of various kinds of cells. For this reason, current techniques have not yet reached a stage where kidneys having complicated three-dimensional structures can be regenerated from kidney precursor cells.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A motor housing for a vacuum cleaner includes a motor chamber supported within a main housing wall. A first airway defined between the motor chamber and the main housing wall provides a pathway for the working air flow within the vacuum cleaner. A second airway is defined through the motor chamber by an inlet opening and a venting outlet. The airway through the motor chamber allows air to flow along and directly encounter the motor during vacuum operation. The air flow through the first airway not only serves as the working air flow, but also as a secondary cooling air flow because the air passes along the exterior surface of the motor chamber and provides a cooling effect.

This invention generally relates to a motor housing for a vacuum cleaner having air flow passageways for cooling the motor during vacuum cleaner operation.
A variety of vacuum cleaners exist on the market. One specialized type of vacuum cleaner is known as a liquid bath vacuum cleaner. While currently available liquid bath vacuum cleaners have proven effective and useful, those skilled in the art are always seeking to improve and enhance their function.
One challenge associated with designing a liquid bath vacuum cleaner is providing an arrangement for cooling the motor during operation. Since electric motors are typically used, it is necessary to cool such motors during operation or excessive heat may build up that can damage or disable the motor after some time. Conventional wisdom was to allow the working air (i.e. the air flow that draws debris into the vacuum cleaner) to pass through the motor housing in a way that would cool the motor during operation. A disadvantage associated with this solution is that some debris in the working air flow may encounter or become lodged in a working part of the motor, which introduces the possible need for repair. Though arrangements have been suggested for isolating a cooling air flow from the working air flow, such arrangements are not necessarily the most efficient in design or operation.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved design and arrangement of components within a liquid bath vacuum cleaner for providing the necessary motor cooling effect. This invention provides a unique design that takes advantage of strategic placement of the working parts of the vacuum cleaner to achieve an enhanced motor cooling effect while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of previous designs.


A method, including recording parameters indicative of a quality of ablation performed at one or more sites in a region of a human heart, and receiving a set of electrophysiological signals indicative of a wave of electrical activation flowing through the region. The method further includes identifying locations within the region at which the wave is blocked from flowing and estimating confidence levels with respect to a blockage of the wave at the locations in response to the signals and the parameters. The method also includes displaying a map of the human heart including an indication of the confidence levels.

Radiofrequency ablation is a well-known procedure in which part of the electrical conduction system of the heart is ablated using the heat generated from high frequency alternating current. The ablation is normally applied to correct atypical behavior of the heart, such as atrial fibrillation. The atypical behavior may be identified by acquiring electrophysiological signals from the heart, generating an electrical wavefront progressing through the heart from the signals, and comparing the wavefront generated with the electrical wavefront of a normal beating heart—one which is in sinus rhythm.

Wavefront analysis based on ablation parameters


Apparatus or systems have function elements, for example final control elements as motors, generators as radiation generators, control/regulating means, etc. Their function, as well as satisfying their function, are monitored by processors. In particular, reliability-relevant or safety-relevant monitorings are undertaken. A processor is disclosed which generates a malfunction signal at an output when a malfunction of a function element occurs. A monitoring circuit responds to this malfunction signal, whereupon at least the function element is switched into a quiescent condition, and all processors are switched into the identical condition.

German Published Application 37 06 325, incorporated herein, discloses a control and data network that contains a master computer which transmits data to connector modules from which it can also receive information. Every connector module has a processor to which this data is supplied, which processes this data on the basis of a program, and which correspondingly drives an electrical means, for example a motor. The individual connector modules can be brought into an emergency stop condition by the master computer, so that the electrical devices can be brought to a standstill or into a desired condition when malfunctions or safety problems occur. Every connector module comprises a monitoring circuit responsible for this connector module that, given a faulty operation of the processor, resets it into an initial condition and informs the master computer thereof. Such a control and data network is extremely involved; moreover, there is no monitoring of the function and functionability of the electrical devices.
The invention is directed to a monitoring circuit for a multiprocessor means that is utilized in apparatus or systems in order to undertake safety-relevant or reliability-relevant monitorings. For example, the operating condition and the faultless functioning of function elements such as final control elements and generators are monitored. A reliable working of the processors is only guaranteed when all processors participating in a communication are in an identical status at a specific point in time. An appropriate monitoring is extremely involved and is undertaken such that at least two of the processors mutually monitor one another.

Monitoring circuit for a multiprocessor means of an apparatus or of a system


A zoom lens includes in order from object side to image side: a positive first lens unit that does not move for zooming; a negative second lens unit that moves during zooming; and a positive N-th lens unit that does not move for zooming, the N-th lens unit being arranged closest to the image side. The first lens unit includes, in order from object side to image side: a negative first sub-lens unit that does not move for focusing; a positive second sub-lens unit that moves along an optical axis during focusing; and a positive third sub-lens unit that does not move for focusing. Focal length of the first lens unit, focal length at wide angle end of the zoom lens, and lateral magnification at wide angle end satisfy predetermined conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens and an image pickup apparatus including the same, which are suitable for a broadcasting television camera, a movie camera, a video camera, a digital still camera, a monitoring camera, and a silver-halide film camera, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a zoom lens having a wide angle of field, a high zoom ratio, and high optical performance is required for an image pickup apparatus such as a television camera, a movie camera, a silver-halide film camera, a digital camera, or a video camera. There has been known, as a zoom lens having a wide angle of field and a high zoom ratio, a four-unit zoom lens including a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power that is used for zooming, a third lens unit having a negative refractive power that is used to correct image plane variation accompanying zooming, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power that is used for image formation (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. H09-015501 and 2004-341237).
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-015501, there is disclosed a zoom lens having a zoom ratio of approximately 8 and a field angle of photography at a wide angle end of approximately 87°. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-341237, there is disclosed a zoom lens having a zoom ratio of approximately 2.9 and a field angle of photography (an angular field of view) at a wide angle end of approximately 94°.
In the four-unit zoom lens having the structure described above, it is relatively easy to achieve the increased wide angle of field. However, in order to achieve both the high optical performance and the reduction in size of the four-unit zoom lens, it is important to appropriately set the arrangement of the refractive powers of the lenses. In particular, in the lens unit closest to an object side, an off-axis ray passes through a position farthest from the optical axis. Therefore, in order to achieve both the high optical performance and the reduction in size, it is important to appropriately set the refractive power and the structure of the lens unit closest to the object side. In addition, the lens unit closest to the image side plays a role of determining sizes of all lenses closer to the object side than the lens unit. Therefore, in order to achieve both the high optical performance and the reduction in size, it is important to appropriately set the lateral magnification of the lens unit closest to the image side. Unless those conditions are approximately set, it becomes difficult to obtain the zoom lens having the wide angle of field, the high zoom ratio, and the high optical performance over the entire zoom range.
The zoom lens disclosed in each of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. H09-015501 and 2004-341237 is assumed to be applied to a relatively small image pickup element for a television camera. When the zoom lens is applied to an image pickup element that has been increased in size in recent years, the lens is also increased in size in proportion to the enlargement of the image pickup element.

Zoom lens and image pickup apparatus including the same


A monitor and indicator system includes a sensor part, a control and indication part, and a power part. The monitor and indicator system is configured to: (a) monitor a concentration of a sterilant in a sanitizing solution; (b) determine a depletion of the sterilant upon detecting that the concentration of the sterilant becomes equal to or falls below a predetermined threshold concentration level; and (c) indicate the depletion of the sterilant of the sanitizing solution by emitting a notification.

Sanitization systems are used to reduce the presence of microorganisms on a surface. Cross-contamination can occur not just when a utensil contacts multiple food sources but can also occur when the utensil touches a common allergen, such as nuts. Additionally, microorganism growth can occur when utensils are improperly cleaned, or are not cleaned in a timely manner which may cause adverse effects to the public. Food surfaces that contact food that has not been prepared or refrigerated properly can contaminate other food, causing harmful effects if ingested. Thus, maintaining clean and sanitized food contact surfaces, such as knives and other utensils, is an integral part of the food service industry.
Different chemical substances may be utilized as sanitizing agents in sanitizing solutions. Commonly used chemical substances include chlorine (bleach), quaternary ammonium, iodine, and others. Sanitizing solutions with one or more of these chemical substances must be changed regularly in sanitization processes because the concentration of these chemical substances decreases over time, thus eventually losing the sanitizing effects. Therefore, laws, regulations, or policies usually requires the concentration of the sanitizing chemical substances to be within certain ranges to assure the desired sanitization effects. For example, a chlorine sanitizing solution is usually required to have a concentration of 50 to 200 parts per million (ppm) chlorine; a quaternary ammonium sanitizing solution is usually required to have a concentration of 100 to 400 ppm quaternary ammonium; and an iodine sanitizing solution is usually required to have a concentration of 5 to 50 ppm iodine.


An information processing apparatus configured to perform cryptographic processing in response to a request from a server transmitting encrypted information to control an integrated circuit chip includes a managing unit managing types of the cryptographic processing granted in accordance with requests; and an output unit performing predetermined cryptographic processing requested from a predetermined server succeeding in authentication, when the requested predetermined cryptographic processing has a granted type managed by the managing unit, to supply information concerning the processing result to the predetermined server as information to be transmitted to the integrated circuit chip to be controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing apparatuses, information processing methods, and programs. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program which are capable of performing a variety of cryptographic processing even in response to a request from a server in a different environment while ensuring the security.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, charging contactless IC chips, such as FeliCa®, embedded in credit cards or mobile phones with electronic money and paying the electronic money for articles have been in widespread use.
In the payment for the articles, it is sufficient for users to hold their credit cards or mobile phones over terminals (readers-writers) installed in shops, so that the users can promptly pay for the articles.
Such an electronic money system has, for example, a structure shown in FIG. 1.
In the electronic money system, a server apparatus 1 and a secure application module (SAM) 2 are provided at the server side and a client apparatus 3 and a reader-writer (R/W) 4 are provided at the client side. The server apparatus 1 is connected to the client apparatus 3 over a network 5.
In the example in FIG. 1, a mobile phone 6 including a contactless IC chip 13 is in proximity to the R/W 4 at the client side. The mobile phone 6 is coupled to the client apparatus 3 over a near-field communication using electromagnetic induction.
A server application 11 installed in the server apparatus 1 communicates with a client application 12 installed in the client apparatus 3 to supply a command (a command executed by the contactless IC chip 13) created in response to a request from the client application 12 to the SAM 2. When the encrypted command is supplied from the SAM 2 to the server application 11, the server application 11 transmits the encrypted command to the client application 12 in the client apparatus 3 over the network 5.
The SAM 2, which is a tamper resistant module, performs cryptographic processing and manages keys used in the cryptographic processing. The SAM 2 encrypts the command supplied from the server application 11 and supplies the encrypted command to the server application 11. The SAM 2 and the contactless IC chip 13 have a common key. Transmitting and receiving information encrypted with the common key realizes cryptographic communication between the SAM 2 and the contactless IC chip 13.
The client application 12 in the client apparatus 3 transmits a predetermined request to the server application 11 in the server apparatus 1. When the command is transmitted from the server application 11 to the client application 12, the client application 12 transmits the command to the contactless IC chip 13 through the R/W 4 to cause the contactless IC chip 13 to execute the command.
The contactless IC chip 13 decrypts the encrypted command transmitted from the SAM 2 through the R/W 4 and so on and executes the decrypted command. When the command instructs update of the electronic money, the command includes information concerning the amount of updated money.
For example, when a user of the mobile phone 6 pays the electronic money stored in the contactless IC chip 13 for an article which the user has bought in the electronic money system having the above structure, the client application 12 in the client apparatus 3 transmits a request to pay for the article to the server application 11 in the server apparatus 1 and the server application 11 receives the request to create a command (Read command) requesting the contactless IC chip 13 to read out the balance of the electronic money.
The Read command created by the server application 11 is encrypted in the SAM 2 and, then, is transmitted to the contactless IC chip 13 through the server application 11 in the server apparatus 1, the network 5, the client application 12 in the client apparatus 3, and the R/W 4. The transmitted Read command is decrypted and executed in the contactless IC chip 13. The balance read out by executing the Read command is encrypted in the contactless IC chip 13 and, then, is transmitted to the SAM 2 through the R/W 4, the client application 12 in the client apparatus 3, the network 5, and the server application 11 in the server apparatus 1 as a response to the server application 11. The encrypted balance transmitted from the contactless IC chip 13 is decrypted in the SAM 2 and the decrypted balance is supplied to the server application 11.
The server application 11 confirms the current balance of the electronic money stored in the contactless IC chip 13 in the manner described above.
After the confirmation, the server application 11 in the server apparatus 1 creates a command (Write command) requesting the contactless IC chip 13 to update the balance of the electronic money (to update to a balance subtracted by the price of the article).
The Write command created by the server application 11 is encrypted in the SAM 2 and, then, is transmitted to the contactless IC chip 13 through the server application 11 in the server apparatus 1, the network 5, the client application 12 in the client apparatus 3, and the R/W 4, as in the Read command previously transmitted. The transmitted Write command is decrypted and executed in the contactless IC chip 13. The Write command includes information indicating the subtracted balance. The balance of the electronic money stored in the contactless IC chip 13 is subtracted by the price of the article in the manner described above.
For example, after the contactless IC chip 13 transmits a message indicating that the subtraction of the balance terminates to the server application 11, a series of processing terminates. The payment for the article is realized in such a series of processing.
The server-client system having the structure described above realizes, for example, management of points issued by shops and payment for a ticket when the client apparatus 3 is mounted as an automatic ticket checker at a station, in addition to the payment for the article. Also in the management of the points and the payment for the ticket, the same processing as in the payment for the article described above is basically performed by the components in the system shown in FIG. 1.
A server-client system having the structure as shown in FIG. 1 is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-141063. A technology of using a digital signature to control access to an internal resource, such as a key, is disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-524252.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program


One embodiment includes a substrate having a plurality of molecular chains, each chain comprising a hydrophilic group, a hydrophobic segment, and a reversible crosslinker.

Products having hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces have broad applications running from proton absorption, water transport (e.g. fuel cells), friction control, etc. On a superhydrophobic surface, water stays in a droplet form and rolls off easily when the surface is slightly tilted. Achieving superhydrophobicity usually requires texture on the surface such as the well-known lotus leaves. On a typical flat hydrophobic surface, a water contact angle of as high as 110° can be achieved.
Water, when dropped on a superhydrophilic surface (water contact angle below 20 degree), spreads simultaneously in a radial fashion. If the superhydrophilic surface contains micro-channel features, water wicks into the channels and moves quickly along the channels due to the additional capillary force, with the velocity depending on the channel size. This water wicking behavior has been found particularly useful in facilitating water transport in micro-channels.

Hydrophilic/hydrophobic patterned surfaces and methods of making and using the same


This specification describes techniques for blockchain-based smart contract call. One example method includes receiving a target transaction initiated by a client device of a blockchain, wherein the target transaction is preconfigured for a call rule used to initiate a call for a smart contract; obtaining the call rule preconfigured for the target transaction; executing the call rule to initiate a call for a target smart contract; and providing a call result to the client device when the call for the target smart contract is completed.

The blockchain technology, also referred to as the distributed ledger technology, is a new technology in which computing devices jointly participate in "accounting" and jointly maintain a complete distributed database. The blockchain technology is featured by decentralization, and publicity and transparency. In the blockchain technology, each computing device can participate in database recording, and data synchronization can be quickly implemented between computing devices. Because of these features, the blockchain technology has been widely applied in various fields.

Blockchain-based smart contract call methods and apparatus, and electronic device