The present invention concerns a product for topical application, capable of releasing a hydroxy acid on the skin, containing a lipase as enzyme and at least one precursor of the hydroxy acid. The precursor is an ester of the hydroxy acid, containing at least one ester functional group having a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched chain and from 2 to 25 carbon atoms. According to a preferred form, the precursor and the lipase are packaged so as not to be in contact with one another until the time of application to the skin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a product for topical application which is capable of releasing a hydroxy acid on the skin, and the use thereof in imparting softness to the skin, including the scalp. The present invention also concerns a process for the cosmetic and/or dermatological treatment of the skin, particularly for the treatment of acne, wrinkles and fine lines, and the use of the present product therein.
2. Discussion of the Background
Hydroxy acids are increasingly used in the cosmetics or dermatological fields for caring for the face and/or the body, and more especially, for giving the face a luminous and radiant complexion, and therefore a healthy, smooth and younger appearance, and for causing the disappearance of blackheads due to acne.
Unfortunately, hydroxy acid compounds are generally provided in compositions having a pH of less than or equal to 4, for the purpose of maintaining the activity of these acids. The application of these compositions to the skin has the major disadvantage of causing stinging, itching and stabbing pains, which can produce great discomfort. The use of these acidic compositions for users with sensitive skin is therefore often out of the question.
There thus remains the need for a cosmetic and/or dermatological product containing hydroxy acid compounds which confers, in particular on the skin, a healthy appearance and rejuvenation, and which is capable of treating acne, wrinkles and fine lines, while minimizing or eliminating the risk of user discomfort.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a novel composition which provides hydroxy acid compounds in an active form, but which reduces or eliminates the risk of discomfort associated with conventional hydroxy acid-containing compositions.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel method for administering hydroxy acid compounds to the skin of persons in need thereof, which reduces or eliminates the risk of discomfort which accompanies conventional hydroxy acid-containing compositions.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel composition and method for providing hydroxy acid compounds to persons having sensitive skin.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel composition and method for treating acne, which reduces or eliminates the risk of discomfort caused by conventional hydroxy acid-containing compositions.
These and other objects of the present invention, which will be readily understood in the context of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, have been provided by a composition for topical application, comprising
(a) a lipase, and
(b) an ester of a hydroxy acid compound, in which the ester functional group contains a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched carbon chain having from 2 to 25 carbon atoms, which may be substituted.
The present Inventors have unexpectedly found that the use of a specific enzyme, lipase, in combination with esters of hydroxy acids, progressively releases hydroxy acid compounds on the skin, and thus, overcomes the aggressive nature of the hydroxy acids and consequently avoids the disadvantages of conventional hydroxy acid-containing cosmetic and/or dermatological compositions.
Consequently, the present invention concerns a product for topical application, comprising a lipase and an ester having a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched chain of from 2 to 25 carbon atoms.
In the context of the present application, xe2x80x9cproductxe2x80x9d refers to both cosmetic and dermatological compositions, as well as commercial devices comprising a container in which the enzyme and precursor components are housed in isolation from one another.
The present hydroxy acid ester/lipase combination makes it possible to control the release of the hydroxy acid, and therefore reduce the risk of discomfort. The present composition also makes formulation easy as a result of improved compatibility of the esters with the media commonly used in the cosmetic and dermatological fields. In particular, the present product can be used without disadvantage or discomfort by people having sensitive skin, in particular because the composition may be formulated at a pH in the region of 6 (e.g., the present composition or a component in the present product may be formulated at a pH of from 5 to 8, preferably from 5.5 to 7.5, and more preferably, from 5.7 to 7.0).
Lipase is an enzyme which hydrolyses triglycerides to diglycerides, monoglycerides, glycerol and/or free fatty acids. It is used in particular in detergents (see the article xe2x80x9cLipases as detergent componentsxe2x80x9d, H. Andree et al., Journal of Applied Biochemistry, 1980, vol. 2, pages 218 to 229) to remove greasy stains such as those arising from frying fats, oils, sebum or greasy cosmetics such as lipsticks. Due to its ability to hydrolyze triglycerides, it has been used in the cosmetics field in the immobilized form for cleaning the skin (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,554).
The lipase used in the present invention should be sufficiently stable to retain its enzymatic activity. Preferably, the lipase used in the present invention belongs to the group of enzymes of EC 188.8.131.52. classification, which corresponds to a lipase which hydrolyses the ester bonds at the 1- and 3-positions of a triglyceride. It can be chosen, for example, from those sold under the tradenames xe2x80x9cLIPASE SP644xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cLIPOLASE 100 Lxe2x80x9d by the company Novo Nordisk.
The lipase may be included in the present product in an amount of from 0.05% to 30% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight, and more preferably from 0.1 to 5% by weight with respect to the total weight of the composition (e.g., the combination of lipase, ester, cosmetically and/or dermatologically acceptable medium or carrier, additives, adjuvants, etc., not including the weight of any container or packaging in which the composition is contained).
The hydroxy acids to which the present invention applies may be xcex1-hydroxy acids or xcex2-hydroxy acids; may have a linear, branched or cyclic carbon framework; and may be saturated or unsaturated. Hydrogen atoms in the carbon chain of the hydroxy acid can, in addition, be substituted by halogens or halogenated alkyl, acyl (preferably alkylcarbonyl), acyloxy (preferably alkylcarbonyloxy), alkoxycarbonyl or alkoxy radicals, each of which may have from 2 to 18 carbon atoms. Preferably, the term xe2x80x9cacylxe2x80x9d refers to a group of the formula xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)xe2x80x94R, where R is an alkyl group having from 1 to 24 carbon atoms or an alkenyl or alkynyl group having from 2 to 24 carbon atoms which may contain one or more sites of ethylenic unsaturation and which may be substituted.
The hydroxy acids which are the most widely used in cosmetics are, in particular, glycolic, lactic, malic, tartaric, citric, 2-hydroxyalkanoic, mandelic and salicylic acids, and their C1- to C22-alkylated derivatives, such as 5-(n-octanoyl)salicylic acid, 5-(n-dodecanoyl)salicylic acid or 2-hydroxy-3-methyl-benzoic acid. Alternatively, C1- to C22-alkoxylated derivatives, such as 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid, may be used. Any of these hydroxy acids or derivatives are suitable in the present invention.
The ester used in the present invention is an ester containing one or more ester functional groups having a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched chain of from 2 to 25 carbon atoms and optionally containing one or more substituents. The ester functional group is preferably one of the formula xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)xe2x80x94R (i.e., an ester of the hydroxyl functional group of a hydroxy acid) or a group of the formula xe2x80x94C(xe2x95x90O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94R (i.e., an ester of the carboxyl functional group of a hydroxy acid), in which R is as described above.
The carbon chain of the ester functional group is chosen in particular from acyl (preferably as described above), benzoyl, alkylbenzoyl, acylbenzoyl and 2-hydroxyphenylacetyl radicals, which are optionally substituted. The substituent can be, in particular, hydroxyl, hydroxyalkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, halogen, alkoxy of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkoxy of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or phenyl, and is preferably a hydroxyl radical.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the carbon chain of the ester functional group has from 12 to 18 carbon atoms.
The present ester may be chosen from esters of fatty alcohols, such as dodecyl, hexadecyl, stearyl, cetyl, myristyl, linoleyl, octyl and oleyl alcohols, esters of butyl, propyl and ethyl alcohols, esters of polyols, such as propylene glycol, butylene glycol, ethylene glycol or glycerol, and mixtures thereof.
According to a more preferred embodiment, the present ester is selected from the group consisting of cetyl salicylate, dodecyl salicylate, cetyl lactate, propyl glycolate, glyceryl lactate, menthyl salicylate and menthyl lactate.
The ester may be included in the present product in an amount of from 0.1 to 20% by weight, and preferably from 1 to 10% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the composition.
According to a first variant of the present invention, the lipase and the precursor are introduced in a single composition which is preferably prepared just before use.
According to a second variant, the lipase and the precursor are packaged so as not to be in contact with one another, for example in two different compositions, each contained in a separate compartment in a product. The separate compositions can either be (a) mixed at the time of application, (b) applied to the skin successively, or (c) successively applied to the skin with a time delay (e.g., one composition can be applied to the skin, then after waiting for a period of time of from, e.g., 30 seconds to 1 hour, the second composition may be applied to the same location).
It is possible, for example, to arrange the compositions in two compartments, which communicate with a shared pipe from which they can exit while simultaneously being mixed, before application of the mixed composition to the skin. Suitable two-compartment packaging devices are, for example, described in the documents FR-A-2,045,559, FR-A-2,105,332, FR-A-2,258,319, FR-A-2,293,375, FR-A-2,586,913, FR-A-2,643,615, U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,643 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,985.
It is also possible to produce one of the compositions in an encapsulated form and/or in the form of microcapsules or microgranules immersed in or mixed with the other composition, the microcapsules or microgranules being crushed at the time of application by rubbing against the skin. Thus, the lipase and precursor may be mixed and the free active ingredient released on the skin at the time the composition is applied.
The present product can be used, depending on the active ingredient ester which it contains, for the cosmetic and/or dermatological treatment of the skin.
A further subject of the present invention is the use of the product as defined above for the cosmetic treatment of the skin. In particular, the present invention also concerns a method for combating acne, wrinkles and fine lines non-therapeutically, comprising applying the product as defined above to skin in need thereof.
A further subject of the present invention is a process for cosmetically treating skin, comprising applying to the skin, simultaneously or after a time delay, a lipase and at least one precursor of a hydroxy acid, wherein the precursor is an ester containing at least one ester functional group having a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched chain of from 2 to 25 carbon atoms.
The present product advantageously contains a medium for topical application conventional in the cosmetic and/or dermatological fields. Consequently, an additional subject of the present invention is the use of the product as defined above for preparing a dermatological salve or ointment for the therapeutic treatment of the skin.
Cosmetically and/or dermatologically acceptable media generally comprise water, a mixture of water and a fatty substance, or a mixture of fatty substances.
Fatty substances suitable for use in the present invention include mineral oils (petrolatum, mineral oil), vegetable oils and their hydrogenated derivatives, animal oils, synthetic oils, silicone oils (dimethicone, cyclomethicone), fluorinated oils, fatty alcohols (cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol), fatty acids and waxes.
In particular, the product can be provided in the form of aqueous, alcoholic or aqueous/alcoholic solutions, hydrophilic or lipophilic gels, microemulsions, and water-in-oil, oil-in-water, water-in-oil-in-water and oil-in-water-in-oil emulsions, which may have the appearance of a cream or of a gel. Optionally, the present product may be capable of foaming, may be in the form of an aerosol, or alternatively, in the form of a vesicular dispersion containing ionic and/or nonionic lipids. Pharmaceutical dosage forms may be prepared according to conventional methods in the relevent field(s).
The medium for topical application used in the present invention may contain one or more adjuvants or additives conventional in the cosmetic and/or dermatological fields, such as hydrophilic or lipophilic gelling agents, surfactants, hydrophilic or lipophilic active agents, preservatives, antioxidants, solvents, fragrances, fillers, screening agents and coloring materials.
The amounts of the various constituents of the present product may be those amounts conventionally used in the cosmetic and/or dermatological fields.
The present product can in particular constitute protection, treatment or care compositions for the face, for the neck, for the hands or for the body, or compositions for the hair, and in particular for caring for the scalp, for example in the form of shampoos, treatment lotions, styling creams, styling gels, or lotions or gels for combating hair loss.
Other features of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following descriptions of exemplary embodiments which are given for illustration of the invention, and are not intended to be limiting thereof. The examples which follow are given by way of illustration in order to make the invention better understood. The amounts indicated are percentages by weight.

Product for topical application containing a lipase and a hydroxy acid precursor


An optical transmitter includes: a modulator, square law detector, and a processor. The modulator generates an optical signal indicating transmission data. The square law detector detects an intensity of the optical signal using a photodetector and output first intensity data indicating the detected intensity. The processor calculates, based on the transmission data, an electric field of the optical signal generated by the modulator by using parameters pertaining to a state of the modulator. The processor calculates second intensity data indicating the intensity of the optical signal based on the calculated electric field. The processor updates the parameters so as to reduce a difference between the first intensity data and the second intensity data. The processor controls the state of the modulator based on the parameters.

For implementing a large-capacity communication system, there is demand for optical transmitters that generate a high-quality optical signal. The optical transmitter includes an optical modulator that generates an optical signal from transmission data. The optical transmitter transmits the optical signal generated by the optical modulator.
The state of the optical transmitter may change according to various factors. For example, the state or property of the optical modulator may change depending on the ambient temperature. When the state of the optical transmitter changes, the quality of the optical signal may be reduced. Thus, a proposed method is one wherein the state of an optical transmitter is monitored and controlled in accordance with the monitoring result. For example, in a proposed method, the state of an optical signal is monitored using a coherent receiver, and the signal is corrected in accordance with the monitoring result (e.g., Ginni Khanna et al. A Robust Adaptive Pre-Distortion Method for Optical Communication Transmitters, IEEE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, VOL. 28, NO. 7, Apr. 1, 2016). As a related art, a dispersion pre-equalization optical transmitter that performs dispersion pre-equalization has been proposed (e.g., Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-124893).
In the prior art, a circuit for monitoring and controlling the state of an optical transmitter consumes large power. For example, when a coherent receiver is implemented in an optical transmitter, the coherent receiver will consume large power. In addition, the cost for the optical transmitter will be high.

Optical transmitter and control method for optical transmitter


A device for collecting refuse from an animal includes a cylindrical housing a plurality of longitudinal slots holding the lips of a plurality of disposable bags. The device also includes a frame formed of relatively stiff elements connected end to end and holding the lips of a bag. The frame can be shifted between an open configuration in which the bag is opened so that it can be filled, and a folded configuration. The frame is stored in a sleeve inside the housing and both the sleeve and the frame can be extended from the housing by a rod operated by a user.

A. Field of Invention
This application pertains to a novel device for removing pet waste, for example, the waste from a dog. The device includes a tubular body housing several bags, a folded frame and a reciprocating rod that can be used to selectively extend the frame with one of bags. The bag is then filled and discarded.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Scoopers for pet waste are available in various shapes and sizes. A common scooper consists of a rod with hoop holding a plastic bag. The bag is filled and it is then removed from the hoop. One problem with this arrangement is that it is rather messy and unsanitary to use. Another problem is that it can hold only a single bag that must be replaced, once used.
Other scoopers consist of two elongated members connected in their mid-section so that they pivot with respect to each other. The top ends of the members are shaped so that they can held with two hand, while the bottom ends cooperate to form a grabbing member that can be used to pick up refuse. The bag for the refuse must be provided and held by another person, or the refuse must be transferred into another appropriate receptacle. Again, the whole process is very messy and unsanitary.
Yet other scoopers consist of a shovel and broom combination. The elements are not connected and the broom is used to simply move the refuse onto the shovel. The refuse is then discarded into a bag or receptacle.


Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a data protection system that performs identification of errors from queries on a database. The data protection system can further identify corrupted data from additional errors, are difficult to detect, and occur between layers of data in the database system. The data protection system can perform corrections of the error data by rebuilding database data or removing the corrupted data.

Databases are used for data storage and access in computing applications. A goal of database storage is to provide enormous sums of information in an organized manner so that it can be accessed, managed, and updated. In a database, data may be organized into rows, columns, and tables. As data is processed in databases, errors can occur which cause corruption of the database data.

Prevention and mitigation of corrupt database data


The invention provides individual tetragonal flat rod shaped or plate-like crystals of glucagon-like peptide-1 related molecules, processes for their preparation, compositions and methods of use. The crystal preparations exhibit extended time action in vivo and are useful for treating diabetes, obesity and related conditions.

GLF-1, a 37 amino acid peptide naturally formed by proteolysis of the 160 amino acid precursor protein preproglucagon, was first identified in 1987 as an incretin hormone. GLP-1 is secreted by the L-cells of the intestine in response to food ingestion and has been found to stimulate insulin secretion (insulinotropic action) causing glucose uptake by cells which decreases serum glucose levels (see, e g., Mojsov, S., Int. J. Peptide Protein Research, 40:333-343 (1992)). GLP-1 is poorly active. A subsequent endogenous cleavage between the 6th and 7th position produces a more potent biologically active GLP-1(7-37)OH peptide. Approximately 80% of the GLP-1(7-37)OH so produced is amidated at the C-terminal in conjunction with removal of he terminal glycine residues in the L-cells and is commonly referred to GLP-1(7-36)NH2. Molecules which are reasonably homologous to, or are derived from, or based on these native forms will generally be referred to as GLP's in this specification.
The biological effects and metabolic turnover of the free acid, the amide form, and many of the numerous known GLP's are similar and show promise as agents for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and related conditions, including but not limited to impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. However, many GLP's suffer from extremely short biological half lives, some as short as 3-5 minutes, which makes them unattractive for use as pharmaceutical agents. Presently, the activity of dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) is believed to readily inactivate many GLP's and is in part responsible for the very short serum half lives observed. Rapid absorption and clearance following parenteral administration are also factors. Thus, there is a need to find a means for prolonging the action of these promising agents.
One such approach has been to modify these molecules to protect them from in vivo cleavage by DPP-IV. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,549. In the insulin arts, it has long been known that extended time action can be achieved by administering crystalline protein formulations into the subcutis which act like depots, paying out soluble protein over time.
Heterogeneous micro crystalline clusters of GLP-1(7-37)OH have been grown from saline solutions and examined after crystal soaking treatment with zinc and/or m-cresol (Kim and Haren, Pharma. Res. Vol. 12 No. 11 (1995)). Also, crude crystalline suspensions of GLP(7-36)NH2 containing needle-like crystals and amorphous precipitation have been prepared from phosphate solutions containing zinc or protamine (Pridal, et. al., International Journal of Pharmaceutics Vol. 136, pp. 53-59 (1996)). Also, EP 0 619 322 A 2 describes the preparation of micro-crystalline forms of GLP-1(7-37)OH by mixing solutions of the protein in pH 7-8.5 buffer with certain combinations of salts and low molecular weight polyethylene glycols (PEG). However, such crystalline clusters and crude suspensions are less than ideal for preparing long acting pharmaceutical formulations of GLP's since they are loosely bound heterogeneous clusters of crystals or amorphous-crystalline suspensions which tend to trap impurities and are otherwise difficult to reproducibly manufacture and administer.
Most unexpectedly it was discovered that single tetragonal flat rod shaped or plate-like crystals Of various GLP's could be reproducibly formed from a mother liquor containing a GLP dissolved in a buffered solution and a C1-3 alcohol, or optionally a mono or disaccharide, over a wide range of pH conditions. The resulting single flat rod shaped or plate-like crystals are superior to, and offer significant advantages over, the GLP-1(7-37)OH crystal clusters or crude suspensions known in the art.
The single tetragonal flat rod shaped or plate-like crystals of the present invention are less prone to trap impurities and therefore may be produced to greater yields and administered more reproducibly than the known heterogeneous clusters. The crystal compositions of the present invention are pharmaceutically attractive because they are relatively uniform and remain in suspension for a longer period of time than the crystalline clusters or s amorphous crystalline suspensions which tend to settle rapidly, aggregate or clump together, clog syringe needles and generally exacerbate unpredictable dosing. Most importantly, the crystal compositions of the present invention display extended, uniform, and reproducible pharmacokinetics which can be modulated by adding zinc using conventional crystal soaking techniques or, alternatively, by including zinc in the crystallization solution.


A main body of an inner blade is inserted into an inner blade insertion hole of an inner blade frame such that the main body can extend and retreat, a tip end cutting edge is pushed by a spring such that it comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of a slit outer blade, the main body of the inner blade projecting outward from the inner blade insertion hole is bent rearward in a rotational direction, and the cutting edge of the inner blade is located rearward of the main body in the inner blade insertion hole in the rotational direction. With this configuration, the cutting edge does not fall forward in the rotational direction, and no gap is generated between the cutting edge and the inner peripheral surface of the slit outer blade.

The present invention relates to a nose hair cutter for cutting nose hair.
As a conventional nose hair cutter, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3536345 (Patent document 1, hereinafter) there is a known nose hair cutter including a slit outer blade and an inner blade that is rotated, in which nose hair that enters an inner peripheral surface of the slit outer blade is cut by the inner blade.
According to such a nose hair cutter, as shown in FIG. 1, a main body 1a of an inner blade 1 is inserted into an inner blade insertion hole 2a of an inner blade frame 2 such that the inner blade 1 can expand and retreat, a tip end cutting edge lb is pushed by a spring (not shown) (pushing direction is shown with arrow a) such that the cutting edge 1b comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface 3a of a slit outer blade 3.
Normally (likewise in the patent document 1), cutting edges 1b of many inner blades 1 is easily formed to have acute angles (to have edges) collectively and thus, the main body 1a of the inner blade 1 projecting outward from the inner blade insertion hole 2a is forwardly bent in a rotational direction R. Therefore, the cutting edge 1b of the inner blade 1 is located closer to a front side than the main body 1a in the inner blade insertion hole 2a in the rotational direction R.


A water-soluble glass treating agent consisting essentially of, by weight: 55 to 80% of SiO.sub.2, 19.5 to 42% of Na.sub.2 O and 0.5 to 3% of Ag.sub.2 O (conversion for AgNO.sub.3) is disclosed. Also disclosed is a water-soluble glass treating agent further containing, by weight: 0.5 to 30% of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 in the above compositions. These glass water treating agents are glass free from boron constituent but which functions to kill or suppress bacteria and micro-organisms and are low in cost because it is simple in the composition of glass which is composed principally of three constituents at max. That agent which contains Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 functions to increase concentration of Ag in glass and to decrease the deliquescent property of glass.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a water-soluble glass water-treating agent of boron-free from its glass composition, and more particularly to a water-treating agent composed of water-soluble glass containing monovalent silver ion effective for the prevention of water putrefaction, formation of slime and growth of algae in water.
2. Prior Art
It was proposed by a Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. 210098/1987 to prevent the putrefaction, formation of slime, and growth of algae by removing bacteria and microorganisms from water by treating the water with water-soluble glass composition containing monovalent therein. The present inventors previously proposed in Japanese Patent Application Ser. No. 183055/1986 (Laid-open No. 39692/1988) and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 07/311,105 an effective art of wrapping a water-soluble glass water-treating agent in a water-permeable fiber cloth or synthetic resin sheet and steeping the same in water to make Ag+ ion flow out positively and gradually in the water while preventing the glass from becoming difficult of dissolution in the water.
As the composition of the water-soluble glass of the type described above, it is general practice to use one or two kinds of SiO.sub.2, and B.sub.2 O.sub.3 and P.sub.2 O.sub.5 as mesh-forming oxides in combination with one or more than two kinds of Na.sub.2 O, K.sub.2 O, CaO, MgO, BaO and ZnO in the form of mesh-modifying oxides.
But in recent times, some people are anxious about the effects of the water supply system inclusive of drinking water upon the human body (accumulation of boron in the human body when drunk), and the appearance of water-soluble glass free of boron is desired. On the other hand, when the art of making the water-soluble glass is considered in connection with the art of causing the Ag+ ion which is an effective constituent of the glass to flow out positively in the water, more inference cannot be drawn but extensive experiments and studies are necessary for selecting a combination of a mesh-forming oxide with a mesh-modifying oxide and for establishment of the composition range of oxides in bringing water solubility into compatibility with glass formability. The reason is that the phenomenon of the Ag+ ion flowing out of the glass in the water is not theoretically sufficiently elucidated.

Water-soluble glass water-treating agent


A color display (100, 200) for displaying an image is described wherein the color display (100, 200) is adapted for displaying a number of basic color light channels (102a, 102b, 102c). The color display (100, 200) comprises a basic color combiner (112, 212) for combining the basic colors and at least one basic color light channel (102a, 102b, 102c) comprising at least two light sources (104) having different spectral characteristics. The color display (100, 200) furthermore comprises an adjuster (106, 206) for adjusting a basic color by adjusting a relative proportion of a luminous output from the at least two light sources (104) in the basic color light channel (102a, 102b, 102c). A corresponding adjuster/controller, a multi-display system and a corresponding method for setting and/or adjusting a display system also is described.

For today's applications, high requirements are imposed on colour display systems such as projection displays. As the human eye is very sensitive to colour changes, it is an essential feature to obtain an optimum colour display. This includes both a high contrast and a good colour homogeneity, i.e. a reduced colour shift as well as a high colour purity, i.e. whereby the different colours generated in the colour display matches predetermined colour points as good as possible.
To obtain colour display and/or projection systems basically three different types of projection systems are known: a single imager spatial colour filter design, whereby each pixel is divided into three colour sub-pixels; a single imager colour field sequential system, whereby the beam is sequentially filtered into each primary colour which is then modulated in the single imager, and a two, three or multi-imager parallel colour system, whereby two, three or more light beams of basic colours each are directed onto a separate imager and the modulated colour beams are converged into a single beam for projection. As the latter system allows the highest throughput efficiency, i.e. higher than three times the throughput efficiency of the other systems, the use of a three-imager parallel colour system is common. In order to obtain colour images in colour displays, either light of different sources having a different wavelength or wavelength range can be used, or light of a white light source is used and split into a number of colours. Typically three basic colours or colour ranges are used, which correspond with the three primary colours red, green and blue.
Recently the use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources in projection systems has gained popularity. Typically red, green and blue LEDs are provided to generate the red, green and blue primary colour in a projection system. In order to fulfil the high brightness requirements, often a plurality of light emitting diodes are used in the same colour light channel. The plurality of light emitting diodes for the same colour light channel then are selected to have a predetermined specific colour whereby only small spectral variations are allowed. Such small spectral variations typically are translated as a peak wavelength difference being maximally 10 nm. In this way it is tried to have sufficient colour purity. Combination of the light beams of the different light emitting diodes in a single colour beam typically is based on positioning the different light emitting diodes close together.
Due to the significant increase in the number of large screen applications over the last decade, multi-display applications such as multi-projector display systems allowing tiled-wise displaying of images have become more popular. In such applications, colour differences between different tiles significantly reduce the quality of the image. As the human eye can detect very subtle colour shifts or brightness changes, the optical non-uniformity and asymmetry introduced at the borders of tiles can produce disturbing optical effects. The latter again poses stringent requirements on colour control in displays or projection systems.

Display systems with and methods for multiple source colour illumination


A method may involve transmitting power between a tethered aerial vehicle equipped with wind turbines for generating power and a ground station configured to interconnect the generated power to an electrical distribution network. The power may be transmitted using high voltage, high frequency AC electrical signals, and transformers at the ground station and the aerial vehicle can scale the AC voltage for use at the respective locations. Converters at the ground station and the aerial vehicle can then convert the transformed voltage to DC. The AC voltage may be transmitted through the tether at a resonant frequency of the tether based in part on an internal capacitance between multiple conductive paths on the tether.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Power generation systems may convert chemical and/or mechanical energy (e.g., kinetic energy) to electrical energy for various applications, such as utility systems. As one example, a wind energy system may convert kinetic wind energy to electrical energy. Wind energy systems may use turbines that have a rotor coupled to a generator. Incident wind turns the rotor, which rotates a shaft, and the generator can then use the motion of the shaft to generate electricity by moving one or more windings and/or magnets with respect to one another to induce oscillations in the magnetic flux through one of the windings, which creates an oscillating voltage across the winding.
Electrical power transmission and distribution systems distribute electrical energy using networks of conductive lines. Generally, electrical energy is conveyed from energy generation stations, to energy consumers. To efficiently convey electrical energy over the network, such networks generally carry high voltage, alternating current (AC) electrical signals. Because the power transmitted over a conductive line generally scales with the product of current and voltage, and the power dissipated in the conductive line generally scales with the current squared. Thus, for a given transmission power, increasing the voltage by a factor of 10 allows for decreasing the current by a factor of 10, which reduce the dissipated power by a factor of 100.
In addition, AC transmission lines allow for scaling the voltage level at various substations using transformers. A transformer has inductively coupled coils wrapped around a common magnetic core, with ends of each coil providing leads for an input signal and an output signal, respectively. Due to the relationship between magnetic flux and induced electromotive force in the inductively coupled coils, an AC voltage applied to one coil (e.g., using the input leads) generates a varying magnetic flux through the core and the other coil, which then results in a voltage across the leads of the other coil in proportion to the magnetic flux. Because the magnetic flux through each coil is proportionate to the number of windings of each around the common magnetic core, scaling the number of windings of each coil allows for scaling the AC voltage of the input relative to the output. Thus, using AC voltage, electrical energy can be conveniently transmitted over long distances at high voltage, then scaled ("stepped down") to lower voltages at various distribution points using transformers.

High frequency bi-directional AC power transmisssion


A semiconductor device has upper electrodes and external terminals which are protruding above the both surfaces of a substrate for semiconductor device and connected to each other by penetrating electrodes, a first insulating film covering at least a metal pattern except for the portions of the first insulating film corresponding to the upper electrodes, a second insulating film covering at least another metal pattern except for the portions of the second insulating film corresponding to the external terminals, and a semiconductor element connected to the upper electrodes and placed on the substrate for semiconductor device. The solder-connected surface of the external terminal is positioned to have a height larger than that of a surface of the second insulating film. The semiconductor element is placed on the first insulating film and covered, together with the upper electrodes, with a mold resin.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device on which a high-frequency circuit is mounted and to an electronic apparatus comprising a high-frequency mounting circuit board to which the semiconductor device is connected by soldering.
In recent years, higher-speed operation and increasing miniaturization have been required of electronic apparatuses in an information communication field and in an information processing field. As a representative of these apparatuses, a mobile telephone apparatus can be listed. To increase the operating speed of an apparatus comprising a high-frequency mounting circuit board, such as a mobile telephone apparatus, and reduce the size thereof, it is not only necessary to increase the operating speed of each of the high-frequency mounting circuit board and a semiconductor device in which a high-frequency circuit is mounted and reduce the size thereof but also necessary to improve a structure for mounting such as a package. In particular, the electrode structure of a package which is soldered to the mounting circuit board and the structure for mounting a semiconductor element, such as a package, are important.
FIG. 7 shows a schematic structure of mounting of a semiconductor device 10 on a mounting circuit board 1. The semiconductor device 10 comprises: a semiconductor element 35; a mold resin portion 28 which constitutes a package upper portion; and a package lower portion 11. The package lower portion 11 comprises: a substrate 5; metal patterns 6 and 15 formed on the first and second surfaces 37 of the substrate 5 (the upper and lower surfaces thereof in the drawing), respectively; and an upper electrode 13 and an external terminal 14 having different surface metal plate layers 8 and 17 formed on the respective surfaces thereof. On the surface metal plate layer 8 on the first surface of the substrate 5 for semiconductor device of the package lower portion 11, the semiconductor element 35 fixed by using an adhesive agent 9 is placed and electrically connected to the upper electrode 13 by a conductive wire 12.
On the second surface 38 of the substrate 5 for semiconductor device of the package lower portion 11, the external terminal 14 and a mounting land 3 on the mounting circuit board 1 are electrically connected by a solder connection portion 19. On the mounting circuit board 1 of FIG. 7, a wiring pattern 2 except for the portion thereof corresponding to the mounting land 3 connected to the semiconductor device 10 is covered with a solder resist 4 and insulated thereby. The metal pattern 15 on the second surface 38 of the package lower portion 11, except for the portion thereof corresponding to the external terminal 14, also has a surface thereof covered with a solder resist 18.
Each of the plate layers 8 and 17 is formed of, e.g., a Ni/Au double-layer plate. The purpose for plating the surface with the Ni/Au double-layer plate is to improve the connectivity of wire bonding and soldering.
When the semiconductor device 10 having a structure shown above is connected to the amounting circuit board 1, a height 20 of the solder resist 18 adjacent to the external terminal 14 of the package lower portion 11 from the second surface 38 of the substrate 5 is larger than a height 21 of the surface of the external terminal 14 from the second surface 38 of the substrate 5, as shown in FIG. 7. This is because the thickness of the Ni/Au layer (Ni: 3 to 6 μm, Au: 0.1 to 0.3 μm) as the surface metal plate layer 17 is sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the solder resist 18.
Because of the height difference, the external terminal 14 is away from the mounting land 3 so that the volume of the solder connection portion 19 is increased. When the amount of the solder is small, the amount of the solder filled in the increased volume becomes insufficient so that a solder skip occasionally occurs in the solder connection portion 19 to cause defective mounting. When the amount of the solder is large, the solder forms an extruded solder portion 23 between the solder resists 4 and 18, scatters, or causes a short-circuit (bridge) between the external terminals 14. There is also a case where a ball-shaped extruded solder portion 24 develops from the wiring pattern 2 on the mounting circuit board 1.
When the solder portions 23 and 24 extruded from the mounting land 3 on the mounting circuit board 1 and from the external terminal 14 in FIG. 7 become larger, they cause a short circuit between the different mounting lands 3 on the mounting circuit board 1 or between the external terminals 14, thereby preventing the normal operation of the semiconductor device 10 and the mounting circuit board 1. Even when the extruded portions are small, they cause a problem of degraded high-frequency characteristics such as an increased loss in electric signal in a high-frequency range exceeding 500 MHz or a higher level of noise which is mixed in an electric signal as a result of crosstalk to cause incorrect reading of the electric signal, though no problem is encountered in a low-frequency range of 100 MHz or less or in dc operation.
When the principal portions of the first and second surfaces 37 and 38 of the substrate 5 for semiconductor device are formed of the metal plate layers each having a uniform thickness as shown in FIG. 7, a stress resulting from a temperature increase during solder mounting is likely to be placed thereon. When the semiconductor element is fastened to the metal plate layer or the like by using an adhesive agent or the like, delamination occasionally occurs at the interface between the mold resin covering the semiconductor element and the metal plate layer due to the stress resulting from the temperature increase during solder mounting. When such delamination or the like occurs, moisture or the like is likely to reach the semiconductor element as a result of time-varying changes so that the reliability of the semiconductor device 10 is significantly degraded.
FIGS. 8A and 8B show an example obtained by modifying the structure of electrodes on the mounting circuit board shown in a prior patent document (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-32931). FIG. 8A schematically shows a circuit component 46 mounted on a conventional mounting circuit board 50. In the mounting circuit board 50, a circuit wiring portion 42 and a conductor 44 made of a land 43 are fastened onto an insulating substrate 41. An insulating resin 45 is formed on the insulating substrate 41 to cover the conductor 44 for preventing the solder from flowing out and providing insulation between the conductors 44. The insulating resin 45 on the land 43 has an opening formed therein. The land 43 is partially exposed through the opening and connected to the circuit component 46 by a solder connection portion 47.
In the mounting circuit board 50, however, the upper surface of the land 43 is depressed to a lower level by the thickness of the insulating resin 45. When the circuit component 46 is mounted by soldering on the land 43 of the mounting circuit board 50, the quality of the state of the solder connection portion 47 is determined by the amount of the solder. That is, when the solder is coated in a large amount in excess of the layer thickness of the insulating resin 45, the excessive solder causes the formation of a solder ball which does not contribute to connection or the flowing out of the solder so that a short circuit occurs between the adjacent conductors 44. Conversely, when the solder is coated in a small amount, a solder skip or the like occurs in the solder connection portion 47 to cause the problem of faulty connection between the electrode portion of the circuit component 46 and the land 43.
To solve the problem, a mounting circuit board 55 having a structure in which the land 43 connected to the circuit component 46 is protruding higher and thicker than the insulating resin 45 is used, as shown in FIG. 8B. The protruding portion 48 ensures reliable connection to the circuit component 46 and allows the remaining excess portion of the solder to escape between the protruding portion and the insulating resin. The arrangement allows the setting of the amount of the solder such that it is slightly larger than required to connect the protruding portion of the land 43 and the solder connection portion of the circuit component 46 within a given range. As a result, the state of the solder connection is surely improved compared with the state shown in FIG. 8A. It is to be noted that the prior patent document shows the case where a 2-terminal circuit component is mounted. In the case of mounting a semiconductor element typically having the 2-digit number of electrode terminals or more and having a high-frequency circuit integrated therein, an extra modification should be made.
In FIG. 8B, a solder ball or an extruded solder portion may be formed between the protruding portions 48 or on the outer side of the insulating resin 45 on which the mounted circuit component 46 is mounted. When such a solder ball or an extruded solder portion is formed on the mounting circuit board to which a high-frequency signal is transmitted, the high-frequency characteristics may be degraded, as mentioned above in the description of FIG. 7.
In summary, it can be said that, to solve the problems shown above, the prior patent document has modified the structure of the electrode such that the height of the electrode is larger than the height of the solder resist, thereby suppressing a short circuit between the adjacent electrodes and faulty bonding between the conductor and the terminal of the component or the like (see, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-32931). Otherwise, the region to which the remaining excess portion of the solder in the solder bonding portion is allowed to escape is formed in the board so that a short circuit or faulty bonding is suppressed (see, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 04-87673 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 05-327196)

Semiconductor device, electronic apparatus comprising the same, and method for fabrication of substrate for semiconductor device used therein


Gas guns and methods for accelerating projectiles through such gas guns are described. More particularly, gas guns having a first injection port located proximate a breech end of a barrel and a second injection port located longitudinally between the first injection port and a muzzle end of the barrel are described. Additionally, modular gas guns that include a plurality of modules are described, wherein each module may include a barrel segment having one or more longitudinally spaced injection ports. Also, methods of accelerating a projectile through a gas gun, such as injecting a first pressurized gas into a barrel through a first injection port to accelerate the projectile and propel the projectile down the barrel past a second injection port and injecting a second pressurized gas into the barrel through the second injection port after passage of the projectile and to further accelerate the projectile are described.

The current state of the art of gas guns involves the compression of a propellant gas, usually a light-gas, such as helium, prior to introduction thereof into the gun chamber. Because all propellant gas is introduced through the rear of the gun chamber at the breech end of the gas gun, relatively high gas temperatures and peak pressures must be developed to accelerate a projectile to high velocities. This is because the initial gas pressure decreases rapidly and cannot be maintained as the projectile travels down barrel. As such, compression of the propellant gas generally requires the use of an explosive material, such as gun powder, acting on a piston.
When using conventional gas guns, the shot is not controlled beyond the initiation of a primary stage and if an undesirable projectile acceleration is occurring within the gun barrel it cannot be corrected during the shot. As a consequence, obtaining a desired projectile velocity generally involves trial and error.
In view of the above, it would be advantageous to provide improved gas gun devices and methods for accelerating projectiles. For example, it would be advantageous to provide gas gun devices and methods offering the acceleration of projectiles to desired high velocities at lower peak gas pressures and temperatures. Additionally, it would be advantageous to provide gas gun devices and methods that offer the ability to control the acceleration of a projectile as the projectile is accelerated.

Sequential injection gas guns for accelerating projectiles


A system and method for consolidating data collected using a hierarchical scanning system and assessing security risks regarding the shipping containers is provided. The hierarchical scanning system collects information from distributed and repeated screening throughout a container journey and enables pattern analysis over groups of containers. During the journey of a container, risk profiles are created at short term events based on information collected via non-intrusive rapid inspections. Using combined information from the risk profiles, the initial manifest, and group based statistical intelligence, a risk quotient for each container is determined based on deviations calculated at each point of the journey. Accordingly, authorities are alerted when the risk quotient indicates that a specific container is at risk.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to using detection technology to quickly pre-screen containers to identify containers that pose a risk to U.S. security. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hierarchical scanning system with long term/short term events, a profiler, and data analysis to find patterns related to groups of containers derived from non-intrusive and rapid inspection techniques for a shipping container monitoring system.
2. Description of Related Art
The Container Security Initiative (CSI) was launched in 2002 by the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. Its purpose was to increase security for container cargo shipped to the United States.
Containerized shipping is a critical component of international trade. About 90% of the world's trade is transported in cargo containers and almost half of incoming U.S. trade (by value) arrives by containers on-board ships. Nearly seven million cargo containers arrive on ships and are off-loaded at U.S. seaports each year.
As terrorist organizations have increasingly turned to destroying economic infrastructure to make an impact on nations, the vulnerability of international shipping has come under scrutiny. Under the CSI program, the screening of containers that pose a risk for terrorism is accomplished by teams of CBP officials deployed to work in concert with their host nation counterparts.
CSI consists of four core elements: using intelligence and automated information to identify and target containers that pose a risk for terrorism; pre-screening those containers that pose a risk at the port of departure before they arrive at U.S. ports; using detection technology to quickly pre-screen containers that pose a risk and using smarter, tamper-evident containers.
These four elements of the CSI recognize that container security may be compromised at many stages in the transit of a container. Ideally, the goal would be for each container to be pre-screened during each transitional event a container undergoes (i.e. from a ship onto a dock, from a dock into the storage yard, from the storage yard onto the bed of a truck, from the bed of a truck into another storage yard, and from the storage yard lifted onto another ship. Long term events, which are defined here as events lasting for several hours to several weeks, pose a greater likelihood that a tampering episodes may occur. At the same time, each short term event which usually involves a container transfer is an opportune time to scan containers. Thus, repeated screening of containers and verifying container condition and contents will ensure the highest possible confidence that a container is secure.

Risk profiling using portal based scanners


A seal assembly (10) comprises a sleeve (20) comprising a swellable material, wherein the sleeve (20) is split into at least two sections which are configured to be assembled together on a base member (12). A retaining assembly (28) is provided and configured to hold the sleeve sections on the base member (12). In one disclosed embodiment the retaining assembly (28) straddles a coupling (14) of the base member (12).

Swellable seals are known for use in many applications and function by swelling to create a seal upon exposure to an activating medium, typically a fluid medium. Such swellable seals are used in the oil and gas industry. For example, downhole swellable seals are known for use in creating annular seals, typically called packers, such as between a tubular and a wall of an open or cased bore. Swellable seals or packers may be used with a variety of oil field tubulars or base pipes, such as casing, liner, production tubulars or the like. Such tubulars or base pipes are typically coupled together, for example via threaded connectors or the like, in end-to-end relation to form a tubing string. Swellable seals may be strategically positioned along the length of the tubing string for a desired purpose, such as for zonal isolation.
A swellable seal may be provided on a tubular by directly bonding a swellable material to the tubular, or alternatively by bonding a swellable material to a sleeve which in turn is installed onto the tubular from one end thereof. In both cases a degree of pre-installation of the seal is typically required prior to employment of the tubular. For example, where the tubular is used to form part of a tubing string the swellable seal is installed before the tubular is connected to the tubing string. In certain circumstances the presence of the pre-installed seal may interfere with tubular handling. For example, the seal may prevent sufficient gripping of the tubular by torquing tools used to screw together adjacent lengths of pipe, lifting mechanisms, or the like.
Preinstalled swellable seals, whether directly bonded to the tubular or provided on sleeves, may suffer from the above noted and other problems due to limited available space on the base tubular. That is, the tubular may be formed or arranged such that a suitable location for a swellable seal is severely restricted, which may prevent the use of a seal altogether. This problem occurs in many situations, and is exemplified in Expandable Sand Screen (ESS) tubulars where the screens may extend over the majority of the surface of the tubular, leaving little space to accommodate a swelling seal in a currently known manner.
Furthermore, the architecture of the tubular or tubing string may make it difficult to appropriately secure a sleeve-type swellable seal against unwanted displacement. Such unwanted displacement may cause damage to other components of a tubular or tubing string, such as a screen material of an ESS tubular.


An external docking station for a removable data storage unit, allowing it to communicate with a computer system via a standard interface connection, such as a USB connector. In one implementation, the present invention provides a docking station that, in a locked or closed mode, locks a removable data storage unit into place via a latch. In one implementation, the docking station includes a motorized, geared lever assembly that simultaneously unlocks and ejects the removable data storage unit from the docking station. In one implementation, a spring biases the latch to maintain the docking station in an open position for receipt of a removable data storage unit. In one implementation, after the user presses the eject button, the present invention delays ejection of the removable data storage unit until the hard disk drive is no longer in use, thereby preventing possible damage to the drive media and/or read-write heads.

As the value and use of information increases, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One aspect of this evolution has been a progressively growing demand for increased storage capacity in portable memory devices. With the advent of personal computers and workstations, it is often necessary to remove the medium on which digital data is stored. A user may desire to remove a storage medium to carry it to a different site and/or a different computer system. It may also be desirable to remove the storage medium to a secure location when the stored computer data is sensitive, secret, or a back-up copy is needed.
One option is the use of hard disk drives contained in removable cartridges. Indeed, removable hard disk drives are rising in popularity as a way to access frequently used information, as well as a convenient way to store back-up or sensitive information. Removable hard disk drives are typically housed in a larger shell or cartridge having isolating materials to protect the hard disk drive from dirt or other contaminates, or from a free fall onto a hard surface. Thus, a cartridge 90 (FIG. 1) may be a ruggedized container that houses a hard disk drive. The cartridge is then connected to a larger computer system or network via a carrier or installed on a desktop or server system. The carrier typically includes interface and control circuits to operably connect the hard disk drive inserted into the carrier to the motherboard of the host desktop or server system. The present invention allows the removable hard disk drive to be accessed at any computer with a standard connection, such as a USB or SATA connector. Either the original cartridge is reinserted or a different cartridge can be inserted back into the carrier or dock installed in the desktop or server. This insertion/removal cycle may occur several times throughout the work day.
As discussed above, each time the hard disk drive cartridge is inserted into the carrier, it must be electrically and logically interconnected with the host computer by way of a plurality of interfaces connectors. To that end, the carrier bridges the interface between the host computer and the removable hard disk drive. A hard disk drive typically supports a device interface and command set, such as the ATA protocol, which does not support functions directed to removable media. Therefore, one technical challenge to the implementation of removable hard disk systems is presenting an appropriate device interface to the host computer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,445, for example, discloses a removable disk storage system where the carrier includes the drive control circuitry, while the removable cartridge includes the disk media and read/write heads. The carrier presents an ATAPI-style interface for communication with the host computer, and converts received commands suitable for an ATA protocol interface to communicate with the hard drive control electronics.
The patent applications identified above, for example, disclose an internal docking station for ruggedized removable disk cartridges where the dock is installed in a drive bay inside the computer housing. For ease of use or other reasons, docking mechanisms where the carrier is external to the host computing system are also desirable. The use of external docking mechanisms, such as the docking mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 2A & 2B does present certain technical challenges. For example, allowing the user the ability to remove the cartridge before completion of read/write operations may cause damage to the hard disk drive housed in the cartridge.
In light of the foregoing, a need in the art exists for methods, apparatuses and systems directed to an external docking mechanism for a cartridge-based data storage unit that prevents removal of the cartridge during read/write or other operations of the hard disk drive. A need also exists in the art for an external docking mechanism that facilitates insertion and removal of the cartridge. Embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill this need.

External desktop dock for a cartridge-based data storage unit


A data verification application receives a test configuration data, the test configuration data comprising a seed value and a parameter. The data verification application generates a pseudo-random test data stream comprising a plurality of words, wherein a value of each of the plurality of words is based on the seed value, the parameter and an offset of each word within the pseudo-random test data stream.

Recent expansion of data centers and cloud computing has triggered fast growth of storage area network (SAN) servers, network attached storage (NAS) servers and unified storage data servers, which combine both SAN and NAS. The typical consumers of computation resources in a data center are application servers, virtual machines, virtual machine hypervisors (e.g., ESXi, Hyper-V, Xen), etc. These devices typically utilize network storage servers over internet protocol (IP), for NAS, and/or over Fiber Channel, for SAN. In relation to the network storage servers these software products act as network storage clients.
Some of the features that network storage servers implement are deduplication, compression, caching and tiering. Deduplication and compression are directed to saving physical storage space, whereas caching and tiering seek to improve access time to the data. Compression is generally applicable to a single file or a data stream. Compression algorithms reduce the size of the data by finding and encoding repeating patterns. Some examples of compression algorithms used by file servers include LZ, LZW and LZR lossless compression algorithms. The degree of data compressibility can vary in a range from almost zero (i.e., fully compressible) to almost one (i.e., incompressible).
Examples of incompressible data types include archive files, movies, pictures, encrypted files, etc. Highly compressible data files are those containing large regions of equal bits, such as bitmaps. Bitmap files can show compressibility of approximately 0.02, which is equivalent to a compressed file being 50 times smaller in size compared to the original bitmap file. The degree to which the data can be compressed depends on the chosen algorithm and trade-offs, such as compression time versus compression efficiency.
Deduplication refers to a set of algorithms that find repeating chunks of data both within a file and across multiple files. In a particular case of a file stored under different names, the deduplication algorithm is able to recognize the identity of these files and use the physical storage space for one copy only. Note that a compressible file or a set of compressible files can be not deduplicable (e.g., if all the data is unique) whereas incompressible files, blocks, or other storage objects having the same content can be deduplicable.
Caching and tiering refer to the ability of the servers to determine sections of data that are accessed most often and place them in the data store or memory providing the fastest access. These features are used not only in storage servers but also in wide-area network (WAN) optimization. WAN optimization is a collection of techniques for increasing data-transfer efficiencies across wide-area networks. Among the techniques used are compression, deduplication, caching and tiering.
Implementation of the above described features is a complicated task and, therefore, requires extensive validation and benchmarking. Conventional tools used for testing network storage servers, however, typically do not provide data validation. Alternatively, these tools may verify the data corrupted in transit between a storage client and a storage server, but cannot identify the data erroneously provided by the storage server.


The present invention relates to a telecommunications service provision manager that is configured to allow access to a plurality of telecommunications services to determine the location of a service and control execution of that service.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for managing and controlling the delivery of telecommunication services and, in particular, managing and controlling service delivery over a number of wireless communication access technologies and systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Current wireless communication systems are characterized by the availability of a number of transport technologies, for example Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, 2G networks, which allow the provision of various services with distinct features to the subscriber. The emergence of new networks such as 3G and 4G networks will lead to a situation where a network operator will have to manage an increased number of different networks. Simultaneously, the provision of personalised services is expected to fuel the operation of wireless networks over the near future, thereby enabling the user more flexible and meaningful access to content. However, network planning and management is currently performed in a monolithic fashion, so that service provision over each individual system is dealt with relatively independently. This approach limits the reusability of particular service module implementations as they are highly coupled with the specific technologies employed to deliver them. Consequently, the time to market cycles of new services are significantly increased.
Mobile communication systems are characterised by their ability to provide a number of services while "on the move". The deployment of 3G and 4G systems allows the introduction of new services, which could not be supported by previous wireless system generations. Within current telecommunication systems the end-to-end quality of service that can be delivered to the user is closely related to the ability of the system to fulfil simultaneously a particular set of service level agreements. These agreements are usually signed off-line among network operators for a variety of traffic classes. The ability of each network operator to fulfil their service level agreements is influenced by the specific network management strategies implemented within each network domain.
A problem with current systems is that they do not facilitate the realisation of a coordinated management strategy, which would allow interaction among different transport networks operated by a network operator for a more efficient fulfilment of the service level agreements signed. In fact, as the diversity of the network infrastructures operated by individual network operators and number of services provided increases, so does the variability in behaviour of the system, making it increasingly difficult to quantify accurately the optimum terms in which service level agreements need to be signed.
To account for increased system dynamism, one existing solution is the Mobile Station Application Execution Environment MExE, defined originally by ETSI but now coordinated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project. Details of this are given in the articles 3G TS 22.057 V4.0.0 "Mobile Execution Environment (MexE); Service description Stage 1" and 3G TS 23.057 V4.0.0 "Mobile Execution Environment (MexE); Functional description, Stage 2" 3rd Generation Partnership Project. MExE provides a standardised execution environment in a Mobile Station (MS) allowing not only the development of applications independently of any specific MS platform but also the negotiation of the supported capabilities with the MExE service provider. However, the management functionality of MExE is very limited.
In order to increase service customisation or personalisation, architectures such as CAMEL have been designed. Details of this are described in GSM 02.78 "Digital Cellular Communication System (Phase 2+); Customized Applications for Mobile Network Enhanced Logic (CAMEL): Service Definition". Service customisation is performed by network operators, which by means of service switching functions are able to adapt particular service features to the user's requirements. CAMEL therefore provides a certain degree of service customisation, which is performed by the network operator. However, in such systems, the user is constrained to access a set of services highly coupled with the transmission technology employed and the particular network operator is responsible for delivering the service.
The advent of distributed object technology and the availability of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) facilitates the definition of open models, such as the Open Service Access (OSA), for service provisioning and inter-working across multiple access technologies—see FIG. 1 and 3G TS 23.127 "Virtual Home Environment/Open Service Access" 3rd Generation Partnership Project. OSA relies on a framework server and an associated API to enable services to discover exposed network functionality. However, OSA does not include any support for execution environments as part of the framework and relies on APIs to enable third party services providers access to particular service capability features provided by each network.
The OSA promotes a view of mobile communication systems where clear decoupling exists between service provider servers running the service logic and the network elements under the network operator control. This perception of mobile communication systems combined with new middleware technologies such as software agents and brokering capabilities, as proposed in "D1.1, Mobile Middleware—Architectural and Functional Specification, Performance Metrics, Part 2", Mobile VCE Core 2, October 2000, presents the opportunity to evolve current systems for increasing service personalisation, enriching the pool of services available to mobile users and developing more dynamic business models. However, the efficient management of a system with such degree of variability, personalisation and dynamism still remains a difficult task.

Management and control of telecommunication services delivery


A fluid conduit connecting apparatus allows various final assembly orientations of the fluid supply line (52) to a pump housing (16). The fluid conduit connecting apparatus includes a collar (12) having a first side (22) with teeth (26) and a tube (14) with at least one tooth (60) for orienting the tube (14) relative to the collar and housing when finally installed. The tube (14) further includes at least one retaining barb (82) for positively retaining the tube (14) in a fluid passage (72) of the housing (16).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fluid conduit connectors for interconnecting two fluid conduits. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fluid conduit connector that can be readily assembled into a variety of angular orientations.
2. Disclosure Information
Hydraulic pumps, such as a power steering pump, receive hydraulic fluid from a reservoir through a fluid conduit. This permits the reservoir to be remotely located from the pump, in turn allowing the pump to be located as close to the engine driving the pump as possible. The relationship of the hydraulic pump to the engine changes with each application. Correspondingly, the reservoir location and the fluid conduit communicating fluid from the reservoir to the pump may also change with each different application. Presently, each of these changes necessitates the design and manufacture of a unique connector to interconnect the fluid conduit from the reservoir to a housing of the hydraulic pump.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a single fluid conduit connecting apparatus capable of interconnecting a fluid conduit to a pump housing from a variety of orientations resulting from varying the location of the engine, pump and reservoir to one another.


An amperometric biosensor and method for the detection of hydrogen peroxide, NADH, or NADPH with high sensitivity includes an electrode having on its testing surface a three-dimensional redox polymer network in which peroxidase is immobilized.

The assay of hydrogen peroxide is relevant to the assay of biochemicals that are oxidized in enzyme catalyzed reactions by molecular oxygen where O.sub.2 is reduced to hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is generally assayed spectrophotometrically or electrochemically. An electrochemical assay for H.sub.2 O.sub.2 may involve electrooxidation of H.sub.2 O.sub.2, usually near +0.7V (SCE), to O.sub.2 or electroreduction, near 0.0V (SCE), to H.sub.2 O (Hall, Biosensors, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1991, p. 16, 135, 221, 224, 283-4; Cass, Biosensors: A Practical Approach, Oxford Univ. Press, 1990, pp. 33, 34)
Detection and quantification of a substantial number of biochemicals is also accomplished by amperometric assay relying on the selective electrooxidation of NADH and NADPH as co-factors of relevant enzymes. The electrooxidation products NAD.sup.+ or NADP.sup.+ can be enzymatically re-reduced and detected by electrocatalytic enzyme electrodes. EQU NAD(P)H .fwdarw. NAD(P).sup.+ +2e.sup.- +H.sup.+ ( 1)
The reversible potential of the NADH/NAD.sup.+ couple is - 0.55V (SCE) at pH7 (McGilvery, Biochemistry-A Functional Approach, W.B. Saunders & Co., Philadelphia, 1983, p. 404). Because this reaction involves the concerted transfer of two electrons and a proton, it is usually slow, proceeding only at high overpotentials to achieve practical rates on most electrodes. At these high overpotentials, reaction products of NAD(P)H and other constituents of biological fluids interfere with amperometric assays of NAD(P)H (Moiroux and Elving, Anal. Chem., 1979, 51:346; Blaedel and Jenkins, Anal. Chem., 1975, 47:1337).
Because of this problem, electrodes were developed on which the conversion of NAD(P)H to NAD(P).sup.+ proceeded rapidly at low overpotential (DeGrand and Miller, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1980, 102:5728-32; Kitani et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1981, 103:7636-41; Fukui et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1982, 104:28; Lau and Miller, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1983, 105:5271; Gorton et al., Anal. Chem. Acta., 1991, 250:203-48; Cenas et al., J. Electroanal. Chem. Interfacial Electrochem, 1985, 189:163; Kulys, Biosensors, 1986, 2:3). The most successful of these electrodes utilized electrode-bound, electrode-adsorbed or freely diffusing mediators having quinoid structures in their oxidized state (Gorton et al. 1991; Cenas, 1985; Kulys, 1986; Gorton et al. 1984, J. Electroanal. Chem. Interfacial Electrochem, 1984, 161:103; Persson and Gorton, J. Electroanal. Chem. Interfacial Electrochem, 1990, 292:115; Bremle et al., Electroanalysis, 1991, 3:77-86). The quinoids (Q) effectively catalyze conversion of NAD(P)H to NAD(P).sup.+ at potentials near 0.0V (SEC). EQU Q.sup.+ + NAD(P)H .fwdarw. QH + NAD.sup.+ ( 2) EQU QH + O.sub.2 + H.sup.+ .fwdarw. Q.sup.+ + H.sub.2 O.sub.2 ( 3)
In such electrodes, two electrons and a proton are transferred from NAD(P)H to a quinoid mediator (Reaction 2). A particularly effective mediator is water-soluble 5-methyl-phenazonium cation (PMS.sup.+) which is quantitatively reduced by NAD(P)H to 5-methylphenazine (PMSH). PMSH is next reoxidized to PMS.sup.+ by dissolved molecular oxygen which is, in turn, reduced to H.sub.2O.sub.2 (Reaction 3). In this reaction, each mole of NAD(P)H produces one mole of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 in the presence of dissolved molecular oxygen.
Previously reported schemes for the detection of NADH and NADPH have amperometrically sensed the L depletion of oxygen (Polster and Schmidt, Talanta, 1989, 36:864-866; Huck et al., Analyst, 1984, 109:147-150) or have spectrophotometrically measured the H.sub.2 O.sub.2 generated (Williams et al., Anal. Chem., 1976, 48:1481-84; Europ. pat. Appl. EP 317070, 1989; Europ. Pat. Appl. EP 285998, 1989) by these reactions.
Such indirect detection methods suffer problems of interference by other constituents in the test sample, and/or lack the sensitivity of a useful amperometric biosensor.
It would be highly desirable to provide an amperometric biosensor for the detection of H.sub.2 O.sub.2, NADH and NADPH which is highly sensitive and which is not significantly hampered by interfering substances in a test sample.

Electrode and method for the detection of hydrogen peroxide


A semiconductor package for mounting to a printed circuit board (PCB) includes a semiconductor die in a ceramic case, a conductive base coupled to the semiconductor die at a top surface of the conductive base, where the conductive base includes a first layer having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and a second layer having at least one mounting tab and a second CTE. The conductive base is configured to reduce thermal stress in the ceramic case, where the first CTE is equal to or slightly different than a CTE of the ceramic case, the second CTE is greater than the first CTE, and a CTE of the PCB is greater than or equal to the second CTE. The conductive base is configured to electrically couple a power electrode of the semiconductor die to the PCB.

Surface mount device (SMD) packages can be used to house semiconductor devices and directly connect them to printed circuit boards (PCBs). A large number of electronic circuit designs have been integrating the SMD packages due to various benefits that the surface mount devices can offer. For example, in military and space applications (e.g., high performance vehicles, aircrafts, space shuttles and satellites) where high reliability is imperative, ceramic SMD packages can provide the robustness necessary in extreme or harsh environments, while offering benefits such as smaller size, lighter weight, and excellent thermal performance.
However, the popularity of the ceramic SMD packages has been somewhat hindered by the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) incompatibility of the SMD package and the PCB materials, and by the increasingly wider operating temperature demands. For example, when a ceramic SMD package is mounted onto a PCB with a large CTE, a CTE mismatch between the ceramic SMD package and the PCB may introduce thermal stress to the ceramic SMD package. The thermal stress can cause cracking of the ceramic SMD package, which can result in hermeticity loss of the package and damage to the power semiconductor devices and circuitry inside the package.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a semiconductor package, such as a ceramic SMD package, that can substantially reduce fatigue and cracking of the semiconductor package due to thermal cycling.

Semiconductor package having a multi-layered base


A painting apparatus including a rack assembly mounted on a carriage and adapted to be moved on the carriage between a load station, a paint application station, and an unload station. The rack assembly includes a main rack assembly mounted for rotation about a central axis and a plurality of rack subassemblies carried by the main rack assembly and mounted for respective rotation about a plurality of subassembly axes spaced circumferentially about and parallel to the central axis. As the main rack assembly undergoes rotation about the central axis at the paint application station, the rack subassemblies simultaneously rotate about their subassembly axes so that the parts carried by the subassemblies undergo a compound rotation with the result that even intricate interior surfaces on the parts are given a uniform coating of paint.

This invention relates to apparatus for coating parts and more particularly to apparatus for spray painting parts.
Most parts in modern industrial equipment require some manner of coating or painting to optimize the appearance of the part and/or to protect the part. Many techniques are available for painting parts. Whereas the many available techniques are generally satisfactory for painting parts having only exterior surfaces to be painted or having interior surfaces that are simple and readily accessible, none in of the prior art painting techniques provide smooth, even, consistent coating with respect to all surfaces on an intricate part including intricate blind interior surfaces.
This invention is directed to the provision of an improved painting apparatus.
More specifically, this invention is directed to the provision of an improved painting apparatus whereby a smooth, even coating may be consistently and uniformly applied even to intricate interior surfaces.
The painting apparatus of the invention comprises a main rack assembly mounted for rotation about a central axis; a plurality of rack subassemblies carried by the main rack assembly and mounted for respective rotation about a plurality of subassembly axes spaced circumferentially about and parallel to the central axis; a plurality of part holder devices provided on each rack subassembly at spaced locations along the respective subassembly axis; and drive means operate to spin the main rack about the central axis while simultaneously spinning each of the rack subassemblies about their respective subassembly axes. This compound rotation of the parts to be painted, about both the central axis of the main rack assembly and simultaneously about the axis of the respective rack subassembly, has been found to be effective to apply smooth uniform, even coating even to a part having an intricate interior surface configuration.
According to a further feature of the invention, the main rack assembly comprises a central vertical shaft mounted for rotation about the central axis, an upper support structure proximate an upper end of the shaft, and a lower support structure proximate a lower end of the shaft; and each rack subassembly includes a vertical part support structure journaled at an upper end thereof in the upper support structure, journaled at a lower end thereof in the lower support structure, and mounting the part holder devices intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof. This specific rack construction facilitates the provision of the compound rotation of the part.
According to a further feature of the invention, the drive means includes primary drive means operate to spin the vertical shaft about the central axis and secondary drive means operative to spin the vertical part support structures about the subassembly axes, and the secondary drive means are driven by the primary drive means via the spinning of the vertical shaft. This specific drive arrangement simplifies the drive of the rack assembly and rack subassemblies.
According to a further feature of the invention, the secondary drive means includes a sun gear journaled on the central shaft, a lock device operate to preclude rotation of the sun gear about the central axis irrespective of rotation of the central shaft, and a planet gear mounted on each subassembly axis, drivingly engaging the respective vertical part support structure, and meshing with the sun gear. This specific secondary drive arrangement provides a simple and effective means of converting the rotation of the main rack assembly into rotation of the secondary rack assemblies.
According to a further feature of the invention, the painting apparatus further includes a carriage movable along a path to a paint application station and means at the paint application station to halt the carriage at the station; the main rack is mounted on the carriage for rotation about the central axis; and the drive means includes a power device at the paint application station operative to engage and rotate the main rack about the central axis and thereby rotate the rack subassemblies about their respective subassembly axes. This arrangement facilitates movement of the rack assembly along a paint apparatus path and further facilitates compound rotation of the rack assembly as the rack assembly arrives at the paint application station.
According to a further feature of the invention, the main rack comprises a central shaft mounted for rotation about the central axis; the power device includes a driving wheel; and the drive means further includes a driven wheel fixedly mounted on the central shaft and engageable with the driving wheel. This arrangement, in combination with the previously described secondary drive means, allows the power device located at the paint application station to readily drive both the main rack assembly as well as the secondary rack assemblies whereby to achieve compound rotation of the parts to be painted and thereby achieve effective painting of the parts.
According to a further feature of the invention, the painting apparatus further includes a track structure defining the path extending to the paint application station; a load station and an unload station positioned at spaced locations along the path; a paint spray apparatus positioned at the paint application station; means for moving the carriage along the path between the load station, the paint application station, and the unload station; means for halting the carriage at the paint application station; and means for initiating the operation of the paint spray apparatus in response to halting of the carriage at the paint application station. With this arrangement, the power device positioned at the paint application station is operative with the carriage halted at the paint application station, and simultaneous with the operation of the paint spray apparatus, to spin the main rack about the central axis while simultaneously spinning each of the rack subassemblies about their respective subassembly axes.
Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A novel conjugated protein produced by recombinant DNA techniques comprises a low molecular weight carrier protein portion that is normally self-aggregating to an immunogenic higher molecular weight proteinaceous material and a hapten portion wich is a peptide fraction that contains an epitope for an antigen for a pathogenic disease attached to the low molecular weight carrier portion. On aggregation of the self-aggregating protein, the hapten is on the surface of the viral particle, allowing for recognition of the hapten by the immune system. Upon introduction in vivo, the viral protein produces antibodies to both the self-aggregating protein and the hapten. A plurality of the conjugated proteins having different haptens can be combined into a viral protein to provide multi specific vacicines conferring immunity to a variety of pathogenic agents.

It is a known characteristic of a number of microorganisms, that they possess constituents which can be assembled in an orderly manner from one compound, often of low molecular weight, to provide a high molecular weight entity. These high molecular weight entities may take various forms, for example, as protein coats in the case of viruses, as pili in the case of certain bacteria and when the low molecular weight material is a carbohydrate the high molecular weight material can be the cell wall of a bacteria. This high molecular weight material is often highly immunogenic.
As an example of this assembly process, the Hepatitis B surface antigen is composed of a glycoprotein of molecular weight 29,000 Daltons, which on aggregation forms a particle containing 130 of the sub-units, having a molecular weight of 3.8.times.10.sup.6 Daltons and known as the Dane particle. A similar situation occurs with Tobacco Mosaic Virus (hereinafter abbreviated to TMV) where a smaller protein aggregates in a single helix to form rods, containing large numbers of the smaller protein. Often, in the case of viruses, the sub-unit proteins can aggregate to their final polymeric form without the other constituents of the virus being present and under completely in vitro conditions.
It is also known that small molecules, which often act only poorly as immunogens in their ability to elicit antibodies in an in vivo system, when attached to a larger molecule that is itself antigenic, will give rise to improved antibody response to the smaller molecule, as well as the normal response to the larger carrier molecule. The small molecule attached to the larger in this system , is called a hapten, and can vary in size from small to quite large. In one example of this combination, of interest to the health care field, a small portion of the Hepatitis B surface antigen, comprising a sequence of fifteen amino acids, which is not itself antigenic, has been covalently bound to the antigenic protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and the resulting conjugate elicited antibodies in an in vivo system that cross-reacted with the native surface antigen and also with the whole hepatitis virus. This system of carrier-hapten could be the basis for an effective vaccine against a disease for which the hapten codes.
In a modification of this general idea as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,538 a carrier hapten vaccine may comprise a hapten which is a carbohydrate from a known pathogenic organism, Haemophilus influenzae b, and a carrier which is diphtheria toxoid. It has been shown that this carrier hapten is not only immunogenic but will protect against the disease.
Recombinant DNA techniques have been used to produce fairly large quantities of proteins in microorganisms, that are normally foreign to the organism. Such techniques involve inserting into the organism a vector containing DNA coding for the desired foreign protein. In this way it is possible for the organism to produce not only foreign proteins, but also proteins that differ from the naturally occurring ones by having either changed amino acid sequences, additions or subtractions. The gene coding for these foreign proteins may be isolated from a natural source, may be synthesized, and may be altered using restriction enzymes to obtain the gene for a changed protein.
Such recombinant DNA techniques, applied to the formation of viral proteins, permit the preparation of proteins, which can be used as vaccines, which would contain none of the contaminants associated with present viral vaccines produced by standard methods, where the virus is grown on a cell substrate and the final vaccine can contain products from the cell substrate, the medium and nucleic acid from the virus, all of which can have deleterious effects.


A method and apparatus for optimizing target error rates for link adaptation in a communication system. The method includes estimating a data rate associated with transmission of a data stream over a communication link. A required target error rate is then selected from a plurality of pre-defined target error rate values based on whether the estimated data rate is within a range of at least one of a plurality of pre-defined threshold values, where each of the pre-defined target error rate values maps to one of the plurality of pre-defined threshold values. A link adaptation parameter associated with the communication link is then selected or updated to maintain the required target error rate and the data stream is transmitted over the communication link using the selected/updated link adaptation parameter.

Data communications has grown rapidly in the past decade due to the reach of internet. The number of users relying on data communications has increased significantly in the recent past. This increase in number of users and in turn the amount of data traffic per communication link poses various challenges in providing high quality of service to the users. For example, a communication system offering real time communication services such as voice and/or video is more tolerant to transmission errors than delay. On the other hand, a communication system offering communication services such as file transfer is more tolerant to delay than transmission errors, and therefore necessitates data retransmission for portions of data with errors. Communication systems offering data traffic services employ retransmission techniques for enabling a source station to retransmit data to a destination station to reduce the transmission errors. Such communication systems also employ various techniques to improve the throughput of the communication network, bandwidth efficiency, and reliability of data communication.
One such technique is link adaptation in which the attributes of each link within a communication system are updated. Communication systems may update link adaptation parameters such as modulation and coding scheme, data protection schemes, transmission power, and the like to accommodate different needs of communication. Communication systems employing existing technologies generally use fixed target error rates which are stringent, modulation and coding scheme which is conservative, and error protection which is robust in order to minimize retransmissions across all types of data. Adjustments are made to maximize both throughput and reliability and minimize retransmissions. However, there is a scope for improvement to the existing technologies in terms of optimizing the target error rates for link adaptation for certain types of applications without significant impact on overall throughput and reliability.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Method and apparatus for optimizing target error rates for link adaptation in a communication system