An apparatus and method for maintaining data for multi-channel communication queuing associated with different media formats such as telephone, email, and fax. A list of agent data includes information related to types of communication media an agent can access. The data can further include information related to an agent's skills, a list of media routes, statistics for communication channels of specified media types, statistics for an agent, and journals for work items. Priority values for the media routes, the maximum number of queued items for the media routes, and times for escalating a work item can also be included.

In today's emerging technological and information world, companies are interacting with their customers, potential customers and other contacts through a wide variety of different communication channels. Such communication channels include face-to-face, telephone, fax, email, voicemails, wireless communication, Internet information inquiries via call me now and call me later, Internet collaborative sessions, paging and short messaging services. With all these communication channels, companies are faced with managing each customer interaction while meeting service levels and maximizing customer satisfaction. In addition, companies are faced with optimally staffing and training their workforce to deal with customers through these communication channels whether through their customer support center(s), telebusiness organizations, or their sales, marketing, and service professionals.
Currently, many companies have dedicated email inboxes, fax inboxes, and voicemail boxes defined for specific business areas as well as automated call distributors. Employees called agents are assigned to poll and manage the support requests from customers for each communication channel. Combined with the traditional call queues for inbound telephone calls, each agent is tasked with managing his or her work using all these communication channels while not having any visibility to the queue status and priorities of each customer support request and/or communication channel.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a system that includes a universal queue strategy capable of assigning, routing, and queuing work items from multiple channels of communications to an agent having the appropriate skills to respond to the request. The system should enable the agent to view and manage his or her work items for all communication channels. Such a system reduces the response times and increases customer satisfaction, while balancing priorities amongst work items in multiple communication channels.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Adaptive communication application programming interface


An in-ground sprinkler serviceability apparatus that provides a debris free environment for ease of replacement of an in-ground sprinkler head. The sprinkler serviceability apparatus couples to the threads of a sprinkler pipe, expands to provide a sprinkler head receiving section, a seal against the underside of the sprinkler head, and a tapered upper surface. Any debris would be washed away from the sprinkler head serviceability apparatus tapered upper surface when the sprinklers are on, rain, etc. The seal would ensure against any debris falling into the sprinkler head receiving section. Weep holes can optionally be incorporated into the sides or base of the apparatus. The top can be a single section, fabricated in two sections, or be designed to receive a common clay sprinkler donut.

In-ground sprinkler heads are common for both residential and commercial landscapes. The functionality of the sprinkler heads can be inhibited by debris growing or gathering about the top of the sprinkler head. The serviceability can be inhibited by dirt, growth, and debris encroaching into the cavity where the sprinkler head resides. The dirt and debris surrounding a sprinkler head cavity makes it difficult to remove, replace, and service a sprinkler head. Additionally, growth and debris can cover the sprinkler head further inhibiting functionality and serviceability of the sprinkler head.
Several devices have been invented to maintain a sprinkler head free from growth and debris across the top of a sprinkler head.
Fabiano (U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,118) teaches an in-ground sprinkler head guard which encompasses a sprinkler head. Fabiano focuses on a solution to avoid growth and debris from covering the top of the sprinkler head. Fabiano is limited in that the top shape allows dirt to collect in the upper section, wherein when one removes the sprinkler head, the dirt would fall into the lower section cavity 18. The design allows dirt to fall into the cavity section and into the sprinkler piping.
Violette (U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,262) teaches an in-ground sprinkler head guard that encompasses a sprinkler head and is designed to distribute a heavy load away from the sprinkler head. Violette teaches a flat top plate to distribute any applied load between an outer wall and an inner wall of the sprinkler head guard. The requirement of an inner and outer wall of the base section requires a separate cover section for manufacturability. The snap feature between the base and the cover sections dictates a fixed height of the guard.
Nickell (U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,078) teaches a sprinkler protection that surrounds the sprinkler head. The protection system is coupled to the sprinkler head. This is typical in a number of issued Patents.
Hanson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,205) teaches a sprinkler support system for supporting a sprinkler head. FIGS. 4 and 5 include an expansion about the base of the sprinkler head for keeping grass out. The required slot 17 would allow dirt and other debris into the sprinkler connector 13 and head 14 area.
Several other patents teach a sprinkler head protection apparatus, including Jaquez (U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,256), Apodaca (U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,030), and Leite, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,338). Each of these teachings provide an apparatus which is to distribute a load proximate a sprinkler head as a device that protects the sprinkler head against damage from the applied load.
What is desired is a means for protecting a sprinkler head, ensuring against encroachment of growth and debris over a sprinkler head, and ensuring growth and debris does not contaminate piping or interfere with a cavity for a sprinkler head.

In ground sprinkler head encapsulated protection apparatus


The present invention provides a method and system for providing a view of sensitive information across an enterprise. The method includes finding locations of data stores across the enterprise and thereafter searching for sensitive information within the data stores, based on policies. Upon identifying the sensitive information, the sensitive information is optionally quarantined, masked, or encrypted, again based on policies. Information about the locations of the data stores, the sensitive information associated with the data stores, and the masking steps taken, is saved in a repository, and can be tagged. A user may then query the repository to retrieve one or more views of the sensitive information, gaining an overview of the compliance posture of the enterprise relative to one or more data compliance regulations, and for potential data exposure risk areas be able to drill down for actionable level of details.

Securing sensitive information is an important concern for any enterprise or organization. The sensitive information may be scattered in different data stores across the enterprise, such as databases, flat files, directories, unstructured data stores, and semi-structured data stores. As a result of the distributed nature of data within an enterprise, it is difficult to identify which data stores contain sensitive information and what measures have been employed to protect this sensitive information.
It is imperative that a user have an aggregate view of the presence and security of the sensitive information across an enterprise. This aggregate view needs to be tied to business attributes within the enterprise, for easy classification, analysis, and remediation. Example business attributes may be regions where the enterprise operates, departments such as Engineering, Human Resources, and Finance, or divisions based on product areas. The enterprise-wide aggregate view needs to be further augmented with details that go deeper into where the sensitive information was found, what the nature of the sensitive information was, and what actions were taken to secure it.
There are many methods that can be adopted to protect sensitive information in an enterprise. For example, certain transformations can be applied to particular data types within databases. Other transformations or permissions controls may be applied for flat files. In order to have uniform corporate level conformance, it is important that a single set of policies be applied for each type of data that needs to be protected.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for providing a global view of sensitive information across an enterprise. Also, there is a need for a method and system for reporting on sensitive information along with business attributes associated with the sensitive information. There is also a need for a global method of setting policies for protecting different types of sensitive data.

Method and system for managing information associated with sensitive information in an enterprise


This invention provides methods for determining or predicting response to cancer therapy in an individual using differential image analysis of immunohistochemically stained tumor samples.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods for determining or predicting response to cancer therapy in an individual. The invention also relates to methods for using image analysis of immunohistochemically-stained tissue biopsies to quantify c-kit/SCF/pAKT expression and activation, and to identify efficacious anticancer compounds.
2. Background of the Invention
A primary goal of cancer therapy is to selectively kill or inhibit uncontrolled growth of malignant cells while not adversely affecting normal cells. Traditional chemotherapeutic drugs are highly cytotoxic agents that preferably have greater affinity for malignant cells than for normal cells, or at least preferentially affect malignant cells based on their high rate of cell growth and metabolic activity. However, these agents often harm normal cells.
Generally, anticancer drugs, monoclonal antibodies, chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents are used to produce growth arrest, terminal differentiation and cell death of the cancerous or precancerous cells (Mendelsohn, 1990, Semin. Cancer Biol. 1:339-44; Hancock et al., 1991, Cancer Res. 51:4575-80; Arteaga et al., 1994, Cancer Res., 54:3758-65; Pietras et al., 1994, Oncogene 9:1829-38; Bacus et al., 1997, Anal. Quant. Cytol. Histol. 19:316-28; Bacus et al., 1999, Breast J.; Baselga et al., 1999, Proceedings of AACR NCI EORTC International Conference, Abstract 98; Cobleigh et al., 1999, J. Clin. Oncol. 17:2639-48; DiGiovanna, 1999, PPO Updates: Princ. Practice Oncol. 13:1-9; Hortobagyi, 1999, J. Clin. Oncol. 17:25-29; Shak, 1999, Semin. Oncol. 26:71-77; Sliwkowski et al., 1999, Semin. Oncol. 26:60-70; Vincent et al., 2000, Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 45: 231-38). Drug-induced growth arrest or cell death is often characterized by morphological and biochemical changes associated with programmed cell death or terminal differentiation (as opposed to mitotic cell death).
Although chemotherapeutic drugs can be administered at doses high enough to bring about cell death, such doses typically produce deleterious effects on normal as well as tumor cells. Differentiating agents, and the use of lower doses of chemotherapeutic drugs and agents frequently results in growth arrest rather than cell death. Such growth arrest can be followed by apoptosis and cell death, or continued proliferation once the chemotherapeutic drugs are withdrawn. Administration of cytotoxic and chemotherapeutic drugs or ionizing radiation may also induce transient growth arrest, a state that depends largely on the function of p53 and p53-regulated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (such as p16, p27, and p19) or growth inhibitors (such as TGF-β, IL-4, and IL-6). Upon removal of the chemotherapeutic drug, cells subjected to the drug treatment will eventually resume division and either continue to proliferate or die. Some drug-treated tumor cells undergo prolonged growth arrest and fail to resume cell division upon release from the drug.
Apoptosis is generally regarded as an active suicide response to various physiological or pathological stimuli. Recent studies have shown that a variety of DNA-damaging agents, including X-ray irradiation and several chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., alkylating agents and topoisomerase II inhibitors) initiate pathways leading to apoptosis. The exact mechanism by which apoptosis is induced by these agents is not yet known. However, expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53 has been implicated in this process (Kwok and Sutherland, 1989, J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 81:1020-24; Kwok and Sutherland, 1991, Int. J. Cancer 49:73-76; Lane, 1992, Nature 358:15-16; Kuerbitz et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89:7491-95; Luo et al., 1995, Nature 375:159-61; Liu et al., 1996, Cancer Res. 56:31-35; Mellinghoff and Sawyers, 2000, PPO Updates 14:1-11). In addition, the up-regulation of caspases (e.g., caspase 9 or caspase 3) or their chaperone molecules (e.g., heat shock protein 60) has been associated with apoptosis.
Cells can be rendered resistant to apoptosis in a variety of ways, including deletion of cellular genes such as the tumor suppressor gene PTEN, overexpression of active Ras, and overexpression of active PI3K. A particular cellular protein, AKT (the protein product of the c-akt gene) has been identified as a key regulator of cellular survival and an inhibitor of apoptosis, which has significant implications for oncogenesis and drug resistance. For example, the loss of PTEN correlates with increased AKT activity (Li et al., 1997, Science 275:1943-47; Liaw et al., 1997, Nat. Genet. 16:64-67; Nelen et al., 1997, Hum. Mol. Genet. 6:1383-87; Cantley and Neel, 1999, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96:4240-45; Datta et al., 1999, Genes Dev. 13:2905-27). In addition, suppression of apoptosis is not the only function that AKT may have in promoting oncogenesis. In some circumstances, AKT can also induce cell cycle progression. However, the observation that AKT can suppress apoptosis suggests that oncogenes may block adaptive cellular apoptosis by hyperactivating AKT.
Given the complexity of the apoptotic machinery, there are a number of pathways by which AKT might act to promote cell survival and inhibit cell death. AKT may block apoptosis by regulating expression or activity of members of Bcl-2 gene family (that are known to play a role in cell survival or cell death). Alternatively, AKT may regulate expression or activity of the caspase family of proteins, or the function of death receptor pathways. The regulatory effect of AKT may be through a direct mechanism—the phosphorylation of components of the apoptotic machinery, for example—or an indirect mechanism—such as by altering the expression level of genes that encode components of the death machinery. Recent studies suggest that AKT regulates apoptosis at multiple sites. A number of AKT targets, all playing critical roles in mediating cell death, have been identified, including BAD, caspase-9, the Forkhead family of transcription factors, and the NFκB regulator IKK (Datta et al., 1999, supra).
The c-kit proto-oncogene encodes a transmembrane tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor that is placed in the same class as the receptors for PDGF and CSF-1 by virtue of their similar immunoglobulin-like extracellular domains and the interruptions of their cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase domain by a hydrophilic insert. (Yarden et al., 1987, EMBO J. 6:3341-3351). Its ligand, known alternatively as stem cell growth factor ("SCF"), mast cell growth factor, kit ligand, or steel factor, is an early hematopoietic growth factor that, in conjunction with other growth factors, supports the proliferation and differentiation of multiple hematopoietic lineages. Id.
In several small-cell lung cancer cell lines and breast cancer cell lines, it has been demonstrated that co-expression of c-kit and SCF occurs, suggesting that autocrine growth stimulation may play a role in non-hematopoietic tumors. Autocrine growth requires co-expression of SCF and c-kit. In two independent studies, immunostaining of frozen sections using polyclonal antisera directed against the carboxyl terminus of c-kit has demonstrated uniformly strong staining of normal breast ductal epithelial cells. These studies also demonstrated that, using the same methodology, at least 10-20% of breast carcinomas retain c-kit expression. Neither of these studies, however, addressed the expression of SCF in breast tumors. It is possible, therefore, that the co-expression of c-kit and SCF could play a role in the growth regulation of some breast tumors. (Hines, et al., 1995, Cell Growth & Differentiation, 6:769-779; Natali et al., 1992, Int. J. Cancer, 52:713-717; Chui et al, 1996, British J. of Cancer, 73:1233-1236). In addition, co-expression of c-kit and other growth factors in breast cancer results in enhanced sensitivity to the EGF family of growth factors. (Hines et al., 1999, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 58: 1-10).
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for improved detection of expression and activation of proteins and ligands that are directly or indirectly responsible for the expression or activation of AKT. There is also a need for improved detection of expression and activation of c-kit and expression of its ligand SCF.

Method and quantification assay for determining c-kit/SCF/pAKT status


A driving device of a display device includes: a data signal line driving circuit, provided with a shift register having a level shifter for boosting a source clock signal so as to apply the source clock signal to a flip-flop, which causes a sampling circuit to directly sample a multi-gradation data signal based on each output from the shift register so as to output the multi-gradation data signal to each of a plurality of data signal lines; a control circuit for switching a full-screen display mode in which a whole of the display screen performs display and a partial-screen display mode in which only a part of the display screen performs time-sharing display; a data generating section for generating a constant voltage data writing signal made of a constant voltage; and a control circuit for outputting a selection signal for causing a nondisplay portion to directly sample the constant voltage data writing signal from the constant voltage data writing signal generation means so as to output the constant voltage data writing signal to a plurality of data signal lines. This makes it possible to provide a driving device of a display device, a display device, and a driving method of a display device, all of which make it possible to reduce power consumption in a waiting state.

Recently, a liquid crystal display device used in a mobile device has been required to less consume power as the mobile device has been required to operate for an extended period of time. Here, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone is not always in a busy state but is in a waiting state for most of the time. Further, an image and a format displayed in a busy state are usually different from those displayed in a waiting state.
For example, in a waiting state, a liquid crystal display device only needs to be able to display a menu screen, time, and the like and therefore may occasionally have low fineness and a small number of display colors. Rather, it is important for a liquid crystal display device to less consume power so as to operate for an extended period of time. Conversely, in a busy state, a liquid crystal display device usually displays a large quantity of sentences, figures, and images such as pictures and therefore is required to perform high-definition display. At this time, other parts (e.g., a communication module, an input interface section, and an operation processing section) of a mobile device consume a large amount of electric power, so that a display module less consumes power. Therefore, a mobile device is more strongly required to less consume power in a waiting state than in a busy state.
Accordingly, for example, in an attempt to reduce power consumption in a waiting state, Japanese Laid-Open Publication 248468/2003 (Tokukai 2003-248468; published on Sep. 5, 2003) discloses an image display device 100. In the image display device 100, as shown in FIG. 15, a display screen 101 is divided for display, i.e., partial display. In the partial display mode, the display screen is divided into three areas P1, P2, and P3. For example, the areas P1 and P3 serve as nondisplay portions each of which displays nothing but a white background, and the area P2 displays a static image such as time and wallpaper. Therefore, in a waiting state, the area P2 serves as a display portion, and the areas P1 and P3 serve as nondisplay portions. And, in a waiting state, the area P2 and the areas P1 and P3 are driven for display at different refresh rates (rewrite rates). The areas P1 and P3 are driven for display at a lower refresh rate for intermittent writing than the area P2.
This causes the image display device 100 in a busy state to perform high-definition display of a large quantity of sentences, figures, and images such as pictures in a multi-gradation manner and causes the areas P1 and P3 in a waiting state to perform display by more intermittent writing than the area P2 in a waiting state, thereby reducing power consumption.
A driving method of the image display device 100 will be described more in detail based on a timing chart. Note that, a timing chart in a case where partial display is not performed will be described first.
First, as shown in FIG. 16, in a full-screen display mode in which partial display is not performed, a gate start pulse GSP becomes high in voltage for every predetermined number of gate clock signals GCK. That is, the gate start pulse GSP becomes high in voltage in every single vertical scanning period (1V). At this time, in a data signal line driving circuit, a source start pulse SSP becomes high in voltage for every predetermined number of source clock signals SCK, so that a data signal DAT is applied to a pixel after preliminary charging with a pre-charge control signal PCTL. Therefore, in this driving method, the gate clock signals GCK and the source clock signals SCK continually operate, and a refresh rate of a display screen 201 is constant. Further, display is performed in every single vertical scanning period. This undesirably incurs an increase in power consumption.
Conversely, as shown in FIG. 17, in a driving mode in which partial display is performed, the areas P1 and P3 serve as nondisplay portions each of which displays nothing but a white background (white data). Moreover, a refresh rate of the white data can be lowered without raising any display problem. This causes the refresh rate to be lower than that of image data for display in the area P2.
Further, the area P2 performs display once in every three vertical scanning periods (3V). That is, the gate clock signals GCK and the gate start pulse GSP, as well as the source clock signals SCK and the source start pulse SSP, are activated in a first vertical scanning period, and the gate clock signals GCK and the gate start pulse GSP, as well as the source clock signals SCK and the source start pulse SSP, are stopped in a second scanning period and a third scanning period so as to stop circuit operation. A liquid crystal is prone to retain display even when thus driven, so that a static image keeps being displayed.
Furthermore, the white data for nondisplay is displayed in every six scanning periods, and a driving circuit thereof is stopped in a fourth scanning period, thereby further reducing power consumption.
Thus, in the display device of the laid-open publication discloses various techniques for reducing power consumption.
However, as shown in FIG. 17, in the conventional driving method of a conventional liquid crystal display device, the white data for nondisplay on a background in the areas P1 and P3, in a waiting state, is displayed at a low refresh rate but is written by using multi-gradation display data.
Here, when the multi-gradation display data is used, a data signal line driving circuit needs to be driven. The data signal line driving circuit has a shift register, a latch circuit, and a level shifter. The level shifter raises such a problem that an invalid current constantly flows regardless of operations.
Therefore, the arrangement raises such a problem that power is consumed unless the data signal line driving circuit is stopped.

Driving device of display device, display device, and driving method of display device


Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to devices, systems, and methods for optimized integration of a human operator with a machine for safe and efficient operation. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems, methods, and devices which evaluate and determine a cognitive state of an operator, and allocate tasks to either the machine and/or operator based on the cognitive state of the operator, among other factors.

The present disclosure generally relates to the assignment of tasks to a machine and/or human operator. With increased sophistication in technology, the cognitive state of a human operator has increasingly become an important and frequently limiting factor in the proper performance of many advanced systems. For instance, attention-related human performance limiting states (AHPLS), such as channelized attention, diverted attention, inattention, high and low workload, confirmation bias, and a startled state, are significant concerns in safety critical applications, such as operation of passenger aircrafts. If an operator is in a performance limiting cognitive state, the likelihood that the operator may make an error increases and system performance and safety may degrade.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.

System and method for human operator and machine integration

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA


Pharmaceutical formulations of Highly Lipophilic Camptothecin Derivatives (HLCD) include HLCD dissolved in N-methyl Pyrrolidinene (NMP). The formulations also include quantities of pharmaceutically acceptable excipients and diluents incorporated thereinto.

For the purpose of this invention, poorly water soluble and highly lipophilic camptothecin derivatives (referred to as "HLCD" for the purposes of this invention) are defined interchangeably as any unsubstituted or any A-ring and/or B-ring substituted camptothecin which has a water solubility of less than 5 micrograms per milliliter (<5 .mu.g/mL) of water. Also for the purposes of the instant invention, the terms "highly lipophilic" and "poorly water soluble" are used interchangeably to describe the fundamental bioavailability and chemical behavior of the camptothecin derivatives.
Utilizing HPLC and NMR techniques, researchers have demonstrated that camptothecin and many of its derivatives undergo an alkaline, pH-dependent hydrolysis of the E-ring lactone. The slow reaction kinetics allow one to assess whether both the lactone and non-lactone forms of the drug stabilize the topoisomerase I-cleaved DNA complex. Studies indicate that only the closed lactone form of the drug helps stabilize the cleavable complex. This observation provides reasoning for the high degree of drug activity observed in solid tumor models. Tumor cells, particularly hypoxic cells prevalent in solid neoplasms, have relatively lower intracellular pH levels than normal cells. At pH levels below 7.0, the lactone E-ring form of camptothecin predominates.
Formulations of camptothecin and its derivatives in the lactone form are difficult to prepare, due to the factors cited above. The poor solubility of these compounds in aqueous solution prohibits administration of effective doses. The opening of the lactone ring in alkaline formulations precludes their utility as well, due to a substantial reduction in the anti-tumor potency of the compounds.
The prior art teaches the use of various organic solvents useful for camptothecin formulations. This prior art is identified in the Information Disclosure Statement accompanying this application. Such solvents include lipid-based oils, such as cottonseed oil, peanut oil, IL-20 and others, and organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), dimethylisosorbide (DMI), and others. Solubility of the compounds in lipid-based solvents is generally less than 1 mg/mL, while the solubility increases to as high as about 6.7 mg/mL in certain organic solvents.

Pharmaceutical formulations of highly lipophilic camptothecin derivatives


A liquid ejecting device includes a head unit group in which head units are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction in which a head unit having a nozzle group formed by aligning nozzles that eject liquids and a landing target relatively move with each other. The liquids are ejected based on ejection serial data that represents ejection or non-ejection of each of the nozzles, and the nozzle group includes a preliminary nozzle corresponding to an area outside a regulated landing area of the landing target. The liquid ejecting device further includes a meandering correction pattern forming unit that forms a meandering correction pattern along the first direction in a margin outside the regulated landing area of the landing target and a meandering correction pattern detecting unit that detects the meandering correction pattern formed in the landing target by the meandering correction pattern forming unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting device and a method of controlling a liquid ejecting device, and more particularly, to a liquid ejecting device that has a head unit group in which a plurality of head units is arranged in a direction perpendicular to a direction, in which the head unit having a nozzle group formed by aligning a plurality of nozzles that eject liquids and a landing target relatively move with each other, and is configured to eject liquids without moving the head unit group in the direction of arrangement of the head units and a method of controlling the liquid ejecting device.
2. Related Art
Liquid ejecting devices are devices that have a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid and eject various types of liquids from the liquid ejecting head. As a major liquid ejecting device, for example, there is an image recording device such as an ink jet printer that performs a record operation by ejecting (emitting) and landing ink having a liquid phase to a landing target such as a recording sheet. In addition, recently, the liquid ejecting device is not limited to the image recording device and is applied to various types of manufacturing apparatuses. For example, in an apparatus for manufacturing a display such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or an FED (Field Emission Display) the liquid ejecting device is used for ejecting various types of materials such as a coloring material or an electrode having a liquid phase to a pixel forming area, an electrode forming area, or the like.
An ink jet recording device (so called a printer) that is one type of the liquid ejecting devices has an ink jet recording head (one type of a liquid ejecting head that is so called a serial head) that is shorter than the width of a recording medium, a head moving mechanism that reciprocates the record head in the main scanning direction, and a transport mechanism (recording medium transporting mechanism) that performs a sub scanning operation by sending the recording medium (landing target) such as a recording sheet in the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, and the like. The ink jet recording device is configured to record an image or the like in the recording medium by alternately repeating ejection of ink droplets in the main scanning of the record head and transporting (sub scanning) of the recording medium. However, since there is a limit in the scanning speed of the record head, there is a problem in a device of this type that a long time period is needed, for example, in a case where an image is recorded on the entire surface of the recording medium that has relatively large size.
Thus, recently, a configuration in which head unit groups formed by arranging a plurality of head units in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction, in which head units having a nozzle group configured by aligning a plurality of nozzles and a landing target relatively moves from each other, are included and the head unit group ejects ink in a state that a record head (one type of line-type liquid ejecting head, and hereinafter, abbreviated as a line-type head) configured to be able to respond to a maximum record width of a recording medium is fixed without being moved with respect to a device main body has been proposed (JP-A-6-183029 (FIGS. 2 to 4)). According to such a configuration, movement of the record head in the main scanning direction is not needed, and, for example, recording an image or the like can be performed by transporting the recording medium only in the sub scanning direction. As a result, according to the configuration, a record time can be shortened, compared to a configuration using a serial head.
In addition, a printer having a configuration in which a plurality of ejection stages (record stages) is disposed along the transport direction of a recording medium, a transport unit formed of an endless belt (transport belt) transporting the recording medium or the like and a record head are included for each ejection stage, and an image of the like is sequentially recorded on the recording medium by using the record head of each ejection stage with the recording medium sequentially transported to each ejection stage by the transport unit has been proposed.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, there is a configuration in which record heads 51a to 51d corresponding to colors of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) are disposed in ejection stages 52a to 52d along the transport path of a recording sheet 54 and an image or the like is formed in the recording sheet 54 for each color while the recording sheet 54 is transferred among transport belts 53a to 53d of the ejection stages. In the transport belt in each ejection stage, a linear scale 55 and a linear encoder 56 having a sensor unit that optically detects the scale pattern of the linear scale 55 are disposed, and a record operation is controlled based on a detection signal output from the linear encoder 56.
Under such a configuration, there is a case where the transport speed of the recoding sheet 54 changes due to a mechanical error of a transport unit including the transport belt or the like. In addition, in transferring the recording sheet 54 among the transport units of the ejection stages, the position of the recording sheet 54 in the direction (direction of alignment of the nozzles) perpendicular to the transport direction may be deviated. The transport error may cause the deviation of ink landing positions in the recording sheet 54 among the ejection stages. As a result, there is a possibility that the image quality of the image recorded in the recording sheet 54 deteriorates. In addition, when a print operation is performed by moving the line-type record heads 51a to 51d in the print direction without transporting the recording sheet 54 in the transport direction, if the recording sheet 54 is deviated in the print direction, the landing position of ink in the recording sheet 54 may be deviated. As a result, there is a possibility that the image quality of the image recorded in the recording sheet 54 deteriorates, as in the above-described case in which the recording sheet 54 is transported.
Here, when the position of the recording sheet 54 is deviated in the direction of alignment of nozzles, in a case where the record head is configured to be able to reciprocate in the direction of alignment of nozzles, the deviation of landing positions of ink in the recording sheet 54 in the direction of alignment of nozzles can be corrected by ejecting ink after adjusting the position of the record head in accordance with the amount of the deviation of the recording sheet 54. However, in a line-type head that is not moved relative to the device main body in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording sheet 54, the correction of the deviation of the landing positions cannot be made by moving the head.
In order to correct the deviation of landing positions in the direction of alignment of nozzles in the printer using the line-type head, a method in which the nozzle that ejects ink is changed in accordance with the deviation of the recording sheet 54 may be considered to be used. However, in such a case, a process for re-expanding ejection serial data for transmitting data to each head unit constituting the line-type head and the like becomes complex, and thereby there is a possibility that the process is delayed depending on the operation frequency of the ejection operation.

Liquid ejecting device and method of controlling liquid ejecting device


An image coding method includes selecting two or more transform components from among a plurality of transform components that include a translation component and non-translation components, the two or more transform components serving as reference information that represents a reference destination of a current block; coding selection information that identifies the two or more transform components that have been selected from among the plurality of transform components; and coding the reference information of the current block by using reference information of a coded block different from the current block.

1. Field of the Invention
One or more exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to an image coding method and an image decoding method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to improve the coding efficiency, various studies have been made regarding the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard which is the latest video coding standard (see, for example, Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) of ITU-T SG 16 WP 3 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11 12th Meeting: Geneva, CH, 14-23 Jan. 2013 JCTVC-L1003_v34 Title: High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) text specification draft 10 (for FDIS & Last Call) http://phenix.int-evry.fr/jct/doc_end_user/documents/12_Geneva/wg11/JCTVC-L1003-v34.zip). This scheme is one of ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector) standards called H.26x and one of ISO/IEC (International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Communication) standards called MPEG-x (Moving Picture Experts Group-x), and has been studied as a successor to the video coding standard called H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) or MPEG-4 AVC.
It is desired that such an image coding method and image decoding method have an improved coding efficiency.

Image coding method, image decoding method, image coding apparatus, and image decoding apparatus


A bone graft substitute including a composition of natural selectively deactivated bone material which has been processed to remove associated non-collagenous bone proteins, said bone material containing native collagen materials and naturally associated bone minerals and substantially free from native non-collagenous protein, and a therapeutically effective amount to stimulate bone growth of a bone growth factor in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier in synergistic combination with said bone material. Spacers composed of the bone graft substitute composition methods for using the spacers are also provided.

Spinal fusion is indicated to provide stabilization of the spinal column for painful spinal motion and disorders such as structural deformity, traumatic instability, degenerative instability, and post-resection iatrogenic instability. Fusion, or arthrodesis, is achieved by the formation of an osseous bridge between adjacent motion segments. This can be accomplished within the disc space, anteriorly between contiguous vertebral bodies or posteriorly between consecutive transverse processes, laminae or other posterior aspects of the vertebrae.
An osseous bridge, or fusion mass, is biologically produced by the body upon skeletal injury. This normal bone healing response is used by surgeons to induce fusion across abnormal spinal segments by recreating spinal injury conditions along the fusion site and then allowing the bone to heal. A successful fusion requires the presence of osteogenic or osteopotential cells, adequate blood supply, sufficient inflammatory response, and appropriate preparation of local bone. This biological environment is typically provided in a surgical setting by decortication, or removal of the outer, cortical bone to expose the vascular, cancellous bone, and the deposition of an adequate quantity of high quality graft material.
A fusion or arthrodesis procedure is often performed to treat an anomoly involving an intervertebral disc. Intervertebral discs, located between the endplates of adjacent vertebrae, stabilize the spine, distribute forces between vertebrae and cushion vertebral bodies. A normal intervertebral disc includes a semi-gelatinous component, the nucleus pulposus, which is surrounded and confined by an outer, fibrous ring called the annulus fibrosis. In a healthy, undamaged spine, the annulus fibrosis prevents the nucleus pulposus from protruding outside the disc space.
Spinal discs may be displaced or damaged due to trauma, disease or aging. Disruption of the annulus fibrosis allows the nucleus pulposus to protrude into the vertebral canal, a condition commonly referred to as a herniated or ruptured disc. The extruded nucleus pulposus may press on the spinal nerve, which may result in nerve damage, pain, numbness, muscle weakness and paralysis. Intervertebral discs may also deteriorate due to the normal aging process or disease. As a disc dehydrates and hardens, the disc space height will be reduced leading to instability of the spine, decreased mobility and pain.
Sometimes the only relief from the symptoms of these conditions is a discectomy, or surgical removal of a portion or all of an intervertebral disc followed by fusion of the adjacent vertebrae. The removal of the damaged or unhealthy disc will allow the disc space to collapse. Collapse of the disc space can cause instability of the spine, abnormal joint mechanics, premature development of arthritis or nerve damage, in addition to severe pain. Pain relief via discectomy and arthrodesis requires preservation of the disc space and eventual fusion of the affected motion segments.
Bone grafts are often used to fill the intervertebral space to prevent disc space collapse and promote fusion of the adjacent vertebrae across the disc space. In early techniques, bone material was simply disposed between the adjacent vertebrae, typically at the posterior aspect of the vertebrae, and the spinal column was stabilized by way of a plate or rod spanning the affected vertebrae. Once fusion occurred the hardware used to maintain the stability of the segment became superfluous and was a permanent foreign body. Moreover, the surgical procedures necessary to implant a rod or plate to stabilize the level during fusion were frequently lengthy and involved.
It was therefore determined that a more optimal solution to the stabilization of an excised disc space is to fuse the vertebrae between their respective end plates, preferably without the need for anterior or posterior plating. There have been an extensive number of attempts to develop an acceptable intra-discal implant that could be used to replace a damaged disc and maintain the stability of the disc interspace between the adjacent vertebrae, at least until complete arthrodesis is achieved. To be successful the implant must provide temporary support and allow bone ingrowth. Success of the discectomy and fusion procedure requires the development of a contiguous growth of bone to create a solid mass because the implant may not withstand the cyclic compressive spinal loads for the life of the patient.
Many attempts to restore the intervertebral disc space after removal of the disc have relied on metal devices. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,878,915 to Brantigan teaches a solid metal plug. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,044,104; 5,026,373 and 4,961,740 to Ray; 5,015,247 to Michelson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,305 to Harms et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,402 to Bohler et al. and 5,192,327 to Brantigan teach hollow metal cage structures. Unfortunately, due to the stiffness of the material, some metal implants may stress shield the bone graft, increasing the time required for fusion or causing the bone graft to resorb inside the cage. Subsidence, or sinking of the device into bone, may also occur when metal implants are implanted between vertebrae if fusion is delayed. Metal devices are also foreign bodies which can never be fully incorporated into the fusion mass.
Various bone grafts and bone graft substitutes have also been used to promote osteogenesis and to avoid the disadvantages of metal implants. Autograft is often preferred because it is osteoinductive. Both allograft and autograft are biological materials which are replaced over time with the patient's own bone, via the process of creeping substitution. Over time a bone graft virtually disappears unlike a metal implant which persists long after its useful life. Stress shielding is avoided because bone grafts have a similar modulus of elasticity as the surrounding bone. Commonly used implant materials have stiffness values far in excess of both cortical and cancellous' bone. Titanium alloy has a stiffness value of 114 Gpa and 316L stainless steel has a stiffness of 193 Gpa. Cortical bone, on the other hand, has a stiffness value of about 17 Gpa. Moreover, bone as an implant also allows excellent postoperative imaging because it does not cause scattering like metallic implants on CT or MRI imaging.
Various implants have been constructed from bone or graft substitute materials to fill the intervertebral space after the removal of the disc. For example, the Cloward dowel is a circular graft made by drilling an allogeneic or autogeneic plug from the illium. Cloward dowels are bicortical, having porous cancellous bone between two cortical surfaces. Such dowels have relatively poor biomechanical properties, in particular a low compressive strength. Therefore, the Cloward dowel is not suitable as an intervertebral spacer without internal fixation due to the risk of collapsing prior to fusion under the intense cyclic loads of the spine.
Bone dowels having greater biomechanical properties have been produced and marketed by the University of Florida Tissue Bank, Inc., 1 Progress Boulevard, P.O. Box 31, S. Wing, Alachua, Fla. 32615. Unicortical dowels from allogeneic femoral or tibial condyles are available. The University of Florida has also developed a diaphysial cortical dowel having superior mechanical properties. This dowel also provides the further advantage of having a naturally preformed cavity formed by the existing meduallary canal of the donor long bone. The cavity can be packed with osteogenic materials such as bone or bioceramic.
Unfortunately, the use of bone grafts presents several disadvantages. Autograft is available in only limited quantities. The additional surgery also increases the risk of infection and blood loss and may reduce structural integrity at the donor site. Furthermore, some patients complain that the graft harvesting surgery causes more short-term and long-term pain than the fusion surgery.
Allograft material, which is obtained from donors of the same species, is more readily obtained. However, allogeneic bone does not have the osteoinductive potential of autogenous bone and therefore may provide only temporary support. The slow rate of fusion using allografted bone can lead to collapse of the disc space before fusion is accomplished.
Both allograft and autograft present additional difficulties. Graft alone may not provide the stability required to withstand spinal loads. Internal fixation can address this problem but presents its own disadvantages such as the need for more complex surgery as well as the disadvantages of metal fixation devices. Also, the surgeon is often required to repeatedly trim the graft material to obtain the correct size to fill and stabilize the disc space. This trial and error approach increases the length of time required for surgery. Furthermore, the graft material usually has a smooth surface which does not provide a good friction fit between the adjacent vertebrae. Slippage of the graft may cause neural and vascular injury, as well as collapse of the disc space. Even where slippage does not occur, micromotion at the graft/fusion-site interface may disrupt the healing process that is required for fusion.
Several attempts have been made to develop a bone graft substitute which avoids the disadvantages of metal implants and bone grafts while capturing advantages of both. For example Unilab, Inc. markets various spinal implants composed of hydroxyapatite and bovine collagen. In each case developing an implant having the biomechanical properties of metal and the biological properties of bone without the disadvantages of either has been extremely difficult or impossible.
These disadvantages have led to the investigation of bioactive substances that regulate the complex cascade of cellular events of bone repair. Such substances include bone morphogenetic proteins, for use as alternative or adjunctive graft materials. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), a class of osteoinductive factors from bone matrix, are capable of inducing bone formation when implanted in a fracture or surgical bone site. Recombinantly produced human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) has been demonstrated in several animal models to be effective in regenerating bone in skeletal defects. The use of such proteins has led to a need for appropriate carriers and fusion spacer designs.
Due to the need for safer bone graft materials, bone graft substitutes, such as bioceramics, have recently received considerable attention. The challenge has been to develop a bone graft substitute which avoids the disadvantages of metal implants and bone grafts while capturing the advantages of both. Calcium phosphate ceramics are biocompatible and do not present the infectious or immunological concerns of allograft materials. Ceramics may be prepared in any quantity which is a great advantage over autograft bone graft material. Furthermore, bioceramics are osteoconductive, stimulating osteogenesis in boney sites. Bioceramics provide a porous matrix which further encourages new bone growth. Unfortunately, ceramic implants typically lack the strength to support high spinal loads and therefore require separate fixation before the fusion.
Of the calcium phosphate (TCP) ceramics, hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate ceramics have been most commonly used for bone grafting. Hydroxyapatite is chemically similar to inorganic bone substance and biocompatible with bone. However, it is slowly degraded. .beta.-tricalcium phosphate is rapidly degraded in vivo and is too weak to provide support under the cyclic loads of the spine until fusion occurs. Developing an implant having the biomechanical properties of metal and the biological properties of bone without the disadvantages of either has been extremely difficult or impossible.
It recently became apparent that natural bone mineral is not actually as close to the chemistry and structure of hydroxyapatite as was previously believed. (Spector, 21 Clinics in Plastic Surgery 437-444, 1994, the complete text of which is herein incorporated by reference.) Natural bone mineral contains carbonate ions, magnesium, sodium, hydrogenophosphate ions and trace elements. Bone mineral also has a different crystalline structure than HA. Other details of bone chemistry are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,149 to Spector. Mimicing the chemistry and microstructure of bone is important to obtain a beneficial modulus of elasticity and resorbtion rate.
Several attempts have been made to make materials which are closer to the microstructure of bone. Some disclose removing organic material from bone to yield bone mineral. Some of the materials are used as drug carriers as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,975. U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,149 to Spector describes a bone mineral material which is free from fat and bone proteins. The result is a powdery, brittle radiopaque material which can be used to deliver bone growth proteins. The Spector mineral is thought to be closer to natural bone mineral than synthetic calcium phosphate ceramics but it does not have characteristics which allow it to be shaped into formed objects. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,314,380 to Miyata et al. and 5,573,771 disclose adding collagen or gelatin to bone mineral. However, it is unclear how close these materials are to the natural structure of bone because the crystalline structure is disrupted when all of the proteins are removed from the treated bone. Urist et al. (110 Arch Surg 416, 1975) discloses a chemosterilized antigen-extracted autodigested alloimplant which is thought to preserve the morphogenetic potential of the material. None of these materials are thought to yield a non-collagenous-protein-free bone mineral which is identical to natural bone.
A need has remained for fusion spacers which stimulate bone ingrowth and avoid the disadvantages of metal implants yet provide sufficient strength to support the vertebral column until the adjacent vertebrae are fused.
A need has also remained for bone graft substitutes which provide the osteogenic potential and low risk of infectious or immunogenic complications of autograft without the disadvantages of autograft.


An exposure apparatus includes. an illumination optical system (10, 1, 4) for radiating illumination light (L2) onto a mask (R) so as to expose a mask pattern (5) onto a photosensitive substrate (W), PA1 photoelectric detection means (7) for photoelectrically detecting at least some components of the illumination light for illuminating the mask (R) or the photosensitive substrate (W), PA1 input means (34) for inputting information associated with an incident angle range of the illumination light incident on a light-receiving surface of the photoelectric detection means (7), and PA1 measurement means (24) for correcting a level of an output signal from the photoelectric detection means (7) in accordance with the input information, and measuring the intensity of the illumination light incident on the photoelectric detection means (7).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure method and apparatus, which are used in the manufacture of, e.g., a semiconductor integrated circuit or a liquid crystal display device.
2. Related Background Art
When a circuit pattern of, e.g., a semiconductor element or a liquid crystal display element is manufactured in a photolithography process, an exposure apparatus (e.g., a stepper) for exposing a photomask or reticle (to be referred to as "reticle" hereinafter) pattern on a photosensitive substrate is used. The photosensitive substrate is prepared by coating a photosensitive material such as a photoresist on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate, and the reticle pattern is transferred on the photosensitive material. In this case, since the photosensitive material has a predetermined proper exposure amount, the conventional exposure apparatus makes the following control, so that the exposure amount on the photosensitive substrate becomes the proper exposure amount.
A reticle having an actual circuit pattern or a test reticle having a special-purpose measurement mark is set on the exposure apparatus, and exposure (test print) on the photosensitive substrate is performed while slightly changing conditions so as to obtain an optimal focal point position and a proper exposure amount. The pattern formed on the photosensitive material is observed using an optical microscope or a scanning type electron microscope to obtain optimal conditions (see U.S Pat. No. 4,908,656). In this case, the above-mentioned operation need not be performed for a reticle or a photosensitive substrate whose optimal conditions have already been known.
Thereafter, upon execution of exposure on an actual photosensitive substrate, the exposure amount is controlled using an integrator sensor comprising a photoelectric conversion element arranged in an illumination optical system of the exposure apparatus. The integrator sensor is arranged at a position almost conjugate with an exit surface side (secondary light source forming surface) of a fly-eye lens as an optical integrator arranged in the illumination optical system, and some light components of exposure light emerging from the fly-eye lens and radiated toward the photosensitive substrate are guided toward the integrator sensor by a beam splitter. In this case, the level of a photoelectric conversion signal of the integrator sensor is set in advance in correspondence with exposure energy incident on the photosensitive substrate. During exposure, the photoelectric conversion signal from the integrator sensor is integrated, and accumulated exposure energy on the photosensitive substrate is calculated based on the integrated value. When the accumulated exposure energy reaches a proper exposure amount, exposure light is shielded by, e.g., a shutter, thereby controlling the exposure amount onto the photosensitive substrate.
In the conventional normal illumination optical system, since the photoelectric conversion signal from the integrator sensor and the exposure energy on the photosensitive substrate have an almost constant, simple relationship therebetween, a good result can be obtained by the conventional exposure amount control method.
In recent years, circuit patterns of LSIs are further miniaturized, and demand for exposing a finer pattern on a photosensitive substrate with a high resolution is increased. As one of methods for meeting this demand, the numerical aperture (N.A.) of a projection optical system is increased. However, since the increase in N.A. is limited, the following various attempts have been made recently.
In a method called a phase shift method disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-50811, exposure is performed using a phase shift reticle prepared by forming a phase film on a light transmission portion sandwiched between chromium patterns so as to shift the phase of light transmitted through a specific portion of the reticle. With this phase shift method, a value as a coherence factor of an illumination optical system largely influences imaging performance, and in order to image a finer pattern, the a value is set to be a relatively small value (e.g., about 0.1 to 0.4).
An actual semiconductor element is normally formed by forming 20 layers or more circuit patterns to overlap each other. Since the circuit patterns of these layers require different resolutions, both normal reticles and phase shift reticles are often used. Therefore, as disclosed in, e.g.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,830, an exposure apparatus having an illumination optical system with a variable .sigma. value is required. As a method of changing the .sigma. value, a method of arranging a variable aperture stop near an exit surface of a fly-eye lens in the illumination optical system, i.e., a Fourier transform plane (pupil plane) of the illumination optical system with respect to a reticle pattern is known. When the .sigma. value is changed in this manner, the amount of light incident on the integrator sensor also changes, and exposure amount control is made based on the changed amount of light.
Furthermore, in recent years, in order to allow projection exposure with a high resolution and a large focal depth, a method called a zone illumination method (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 61-91662) or a modified light source method (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 4-268715, U.S. Serial No. 847,030 filed Apr. 15,1992, now abandoned, U.S. Ser. No. 791,138 filed Nov. 13, 1991, now abandoned and SPIE "Optical/Laser Microlithography V", 1992,Vol. 1674) has been proposed. In the zone illumination method, the distribution of a secondary light source (i.e., the light amount distribution of illumination light) on the Fourier transform plane of the illumination optical system with respect to a reticle pattern has a ring shape. On the other hand, in the modified light source method, the light amount distribution of illumination light on the Fourier transform plane of the illumination optical system with respect to a reticle pattern becomes maximal at least at one position separated from the optical axis by an amount corresponding to the degree of micropatterning (e.g., the pitch) of the reticle pattern. In other words, illumination light passing through the Fourier transform plane is limited to at least one partial region decentered from the optical axis.
Therefore, in either illumination method, the distribution state (light amount distribution of illumination light) and the coherence factor of illumination light on the Fourier transform plane of the illumination optical system with respect to a reticle pattern are different from those of a normal illumination method. Therefore, incident conditions (the intensity, the incident angle, the angle range, and the like of illumination light) of illumination light incident on the integrator sensor also change.
The same applies to a radiation amount monitor, placed on a stage, for measuring exposure energy of illumination light onto a wafer. This will be explained below with reference to FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic arrangement of the above-mentioned conventional reduction production type exposure apparatus (stepper). In FIG. 4, illumination light L1 from a light source (not shown) is collimated into a parallel light beam, and the parallel light beam is incident on a fly-eye lens 1. The illumination light L1 emerging from the fly-eye lens 1 is almost vertically incident on a pattern 5 on a reticle R via a spatial filter (aperture stop) 3 and a condenser lens 4. An image of the pattern 5 on the reticle R is formed on the best imaging plane by a projection optical system PL.
The spatial filter 3 is arranged on or near a reticle-side focal plane 2, i.e., the Fourier transform plane (to be referred to as "pupil plane" hereinafter) of the fly-eye lens 1 with respect to the pattern 5 on the reticle R. The spatial filter 3 has an almost circular or rectangular aperture having an optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL as a center, and limits a two-dimensional secondary light source image formed in the pupil plane to a circular (or rectangular) shape. A wafer stage 8 is movably arranged below the projection optical system PL, and a wafer W is held on the wafer stage 8. A radiation amount monitor 7 comprising a photoelectric conversion element is fixed near the wafer W on the wafer stage 8, so that the light-receiving surface of the monitor 7 is arranged at the same level as that of the exposure surface of the wafer W.
The wafer stage 8 is constituted by an XY stage for positioning the wafer W and the radiation amount monitor 7 in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL, a Z stage for positioning the wafer W and the radiation amount monitor 7 in the direction of the optical axis AX, and the like. When exposure is performed on the wafer W, the wafer W is set in the exposure region of the projection optical system PL, and the image of the pattern 5 on the reticle R is formed and exposed on each shot region on the wafer W. When exposure energy of illumination light onto the wafer W is to be measured, the wafer stage 8 is driven to set the light-receiving surface of the radiation amount monitor 7 in the exposure region of the projection optical system PL, and the image of the pattern 5 on the reticle R is projected onto the light-receiving surface of the radiation amount monitor 7. The output signal from the radiation amount monitor 7 is supplied to a signal processing device 9. The light-receiving surface of the radiation amount monitor 7 is set to be perpendicular to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL, and illumination light is almost vertically incident on the light-receiving surface of the radiation amount monitor 7. The illumination light L1 incident on the reticle R falls within a predetermined incident angle range having the optical axis AX as the center, and +1st-order diffracted light Dp, -1st-order diffracted light Dm, and the like emerge from the pattern 5 on the reticle R in addition to 0th-order diffracted light D0. Therefore, the incident angle of the illumination light incident on the radiation amount monitor 7 is distributed within a predetermined range to have 0 as the center. More specifically, the average value of incident angles of the illumination light incident on the radiation amount monitor 7 is 0.
Since the diameter of the circular aperture of the spatial filter 3 shown in FIG. 4 is constant, the signal processing device 9 multiplies a photoelectric signal output from the radiation amount monitor 7 with a predetermined conversion coefficient, thus calculating the amount of radiation energy radiated on the wafer W.
However, in an illumination optical system whose value is variable within a range from 0.1 to 0.8, if the conversion coefficient in the signal processing device 9 is constant, the amount of radiation energy calculated from the level of the photoelectric signal suffers from an error. For example, when the .sigma. value is changed from 0.6 to 0.2, if the ratio between the two amounts of radiation energy obtained by the signal processing device 9 almost coincides with the ratio between .sigma. values, i.e., the area ratio of the aperture in the pupil plane of the illumination optical system (almost corresponding to the ratio of a light source image present in the aperture), a precise amount of radiation energy can be calculated regardless of the .sigma. value. However, when the .sigma. value is changed, incident conditions (the incident angle, the range of the incident angle, and the like) of illumination light with respect to the radiation amount monitor 7 also change. For this reason, even if a precise amount of radiation energy is obtained when the .sigma. value is 0.2, the amount of radiation energy calculated when the G value is 0.6 is not always precise, i.e., does not always coincide with the amount of light actually incident on the radiation amount monitor 7. More specifically, in an illumination optical system with a variable .sigma. value, a precise amount of radiation amount (illumination light intensity) cannot be obtained by the radiation amount monitor or integrator sensor in units of conditions. This problem similarly occurs not only in the illumination optical system with a variable o value but also in an illumination optical system which can adopt the zone illumination method or modified light source method. For example, the same problem is posed in the zone illumination method when the inner or outer diameter or the zone ratio (ratio between the inner and outer diameters) of a ring-shaped region is changed; in the modified light source method when the positions where the light amount distribution of illumination light in the pupil plane of the illumination optical system becomes maximal are changed or the number of such positions is changed; and when the normal illumination method, the zone illumination method, and the modified light source method are selectively used as needed.
As described above, when the illumination conditions for a reticle are changed, in other words, when the light amount distribution of illumination light in the pupil plane of the illumination optical system is changed, the incident conditions of illumination light incident on the integrator sensor or the radiation amount monitor also change. For this reason, even when the intensity of illumination light incident on the integrator sensor remains the same before and after the illumination conditions are changed, the level of a photoelectric signal output from the sensor changes. That is, the intensity (or amount of radiation energy) of illumination light radiated onto the sensor cannot be precisely measured. In a projection exposure apparatus, exposure control is performed using the output signal from the integrator sensor. In this case, exposure amount control precision is lowered for the above-mentioned reason, and a reticle pattern cannot be precisely exposed on a photosensitive substrate.
Even when a reticle is changed from a normal reticle to a phase shift reticle (or vice versa) without changing the illumination conditions, the incident conditions of illumination light emerging from the projection optical system and incident on the radiation amount monitor change. Furthermore, as the phase shift reticle, a spatial frequency modulation type reticle, an edge emphasis type reticle, a shifter light-shielding type reticle, a halftone type reticle and the like have been proposed. If phase shift reticles of different types are used, the incident conditions of illumination light on the radiation amount monitor change. Therefore, the intensity (or amount of radiation energy) of illumination light cannot be precisely measured especially by the radiation amount monitor even when the reticle type is changed.


According to a decision threshold voltage controlling method of feeding an optimum decision threshold voltage to a clock and data recovery circuit which converts an optical input signal into an electric signal, extracts a clock component from an input data signal amplified to a predetermined amplitude, and identifies 1 or 0 in the input data signal at a timing of the clock, three decision points are suitably controlled, by selectively performing a process of controlling the spaces of the three decision points, a process of moving the three decision points with their spaces kept as they are, and a process of changing an error pulse measurement time, depending on a measurement result of the error pulse.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control circuit for feeding an optimum decision threshold voltage to a clock and data recovery circuit, a decision threshold voltage controlling method, and a decision threshold voltage control program in the clock and data recovery circuit with a function of feeding a decision threshold voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a recent optical transmission system including an optical amplifier or WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) transmission technique, a factor that deteriorates an optical waveform is increased much more than in the conventional optical transmission system. The factor includes, by way of example, accumulation of noises caused by ASE (amplified spontaneous emission) by an optical amplifier, waveform distortion caused by dispersion and nonlinear effects in an optical fiber, which remarkably affects the quality of optical transmission with an increase of the optical power in the optical fiber, and crosstalk from the adjacent channels in the wavelength division multiplexing transmission.
In the optical waveform just after transmission, an eye opening, the area where an optical input signal can be surely distinguished into 1 or 0, is large, as shown in FIG. 19, while in the optical waveform after transmission of 600 km, the eye opening becomes very small, as shown in FIG. 25.
Even if such deterioration occurs in the optical waveform, a decision circuit of a receiving circuit is required to perform the optimum decision. Since the eye opening of the optical waveform varies depending on a light receiving power, the optimum decision threshold position for identifying 1 or 0 in the optical waveform varies depending on the light receiving power. The conventional optical transmission line, however, has some tolerance of the decision threshold position to the distortion of the optical waveform, and even if the decision threshold position is fixed at a value adjusted by a maker at a shipment of the product, it is no problem practically.
In the optical transmission system including an optical amplifier or WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) transmission, since a factor that deteriorates the optical waveform as mentioned above is increased, there occurs a curve in the error rate characteristic (floor) in the conventional decision circuit where the decision threshold position is fixed, which makes it difficult to assure the quality of a transmission line (upper portion of FIG. 26).
By consideration of the above situation, although various decision circuits for controlling a decision threshold position to the optimum one by way of hardware have been considered, it is necessary to design the parameters of a circuit minutely because the decision threshold position is processed through calculation, and the above circuits are defective in fine control.

Decision threshold voltage control circuit and decision threshold voltage controlling method of clock and data recovery circuit, optical receiver, and decision threshold voltage control program


An apparatus, device, and system for generating an amount of output power in response to a direct current (DC) power input includes a configurable power supply, which may be electrically coupled to the DC power input. The configurable power supply is selectively configurable between multiple circuit topologies to generate various DC power outputs and/or and AC power output. The system may also include one or more DC power electronic accessories, such as DC-to-DC power converters, and/or one or more AC power electronic accessories such as DC-to-AC power converters. The power electronic accessories are couplable to the configurable power supply to receive the corresponding DC or AC power output of the configurable power supply.

Photovoltaic (PV) modules typically include a large number of individual solar cells that each generate a small amount of DC power at very low voltage levels. As such, the individual solar cells are electrically connected together in serial strings of solar cells such that the PV module, as a whole, generates DC power at a low voltage level (e.g., about 25 volts). For example, as shown in FIG. 22, a typical photovoltaic module 2200 includes a housing 2202 and a plurality of solar cells 2204 defined on a front side 2206 of the housing 2202. To allow interconnection of the photovoltaic module 2200 with other modules 2200, typical photovoltaic modules 2200 include a junction box 2300 located on a back side 2208 of the housing 2202 as shown in FIG. 23. The junction box 2300 typically houses a simplistic, passive connection circuit 2302 that facilitates the interconnection of multiple photovoltaic modules 2200 in a parallel or serial configuration. A typical passive connection circuit 2302 includes a pair of bypass diodes, which provide an alternate current path through the photovoltaic module 2200 should one of the solar cell strings of the module 2200 become damaged, shaded, or otherwise inoperable. A pair of output wires 2304 extend from the junction box 2300 and allow the photovoltaic module 2200 to be coupled with other modules 2200 or with other electronic devices.
One example of an electronic device that may be attached to the photovoltaic module is a microinverter. Microinverters convert the DC power generated by the associated individual photovoltaic module 2200 into an AC power suitable for supplying energy to an AC grid and/or an AC load coupled to the AC grid. Microinverters may be coupled directly to the housing 2202 of the photovoltaic module 2200 via screws, adhesive, or other securing devices. Alternatively, microinverters may be coupled directly to the junction box 2300. The output wires 2304 of the photovoltaic module 2200 are electrically coupled to input connections of the microinverter. The output of the microinverter may be coupled to the outputs of other microinverters of a string of PV modules 2200.

Modular photovoltaic power supply assembly


A tamper evident document for use with an impact printer having an inked ribbon, which document comprises, a substrate having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being adapted to receive a principal visible colored image by transfer from the inked ribbon of an impact printer and being substantially free from color forming compositions which react to form visible colored images, the second surface being coated with a self-contained pressure-sensitive chromogenic composition capable of reacting to form a visible colored mirror image on the second surface, the substrate being sufficiently translucent such that the second visible colored mirror image could be viewed from the first surface, if said second visible image were not totally blocked by said principal visible image, so as to determine whether the principal and second visible colored mirror images are in register.

Various methods of providing security documents, such as negotiable instruments, with tamper evident systems to prevent alteration have been proposed. More specifically, pressure-sensitive autogenous coatings comprising color developer and encapsulated color former have been used to verify the authenticity of security documents. Once an external pressure is applied to the coating, microcapsules rupture and release the color former which then reacts with the color developer to form a colored image. This autogenous coating may be present on the front side, the rear side, or both sides of the document. After the important information is entered on the front side, the security document could later be tampered by one with ill intention. The use of a chromogenic coating thus provides a safeguard against tampering. For example, if a document is altered, the microcapsules in the altered area will rupture, causing release of the color former to react with the color developer. This unanticipated coloration displays a sign of tampering. If a document is duplicated by a copy machine, its authenticity may be determined by applying external pressure to the autogenous coating to form a visible colored image. The appearance of such instant in situ image confirms that the document is authentic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,502 to Chang et al. discloses that a first autogenous coating may be applied on the front surface of a document bearing a principal image. A second localized autogenous coating is additionally applied on the rear surface of the document directly opposite and at least generally coextensive with the first coating to provide double protection. Any attempt to alter the imprinted visible indicia on the autogenous coating of the front side will simultaneously form a warning color in both front and rear coatings. Due to its autogenous nature, the rear side coating develops the mirror image of the indicia once such entry is initially made onto the front side coating. This not only permits the imprinting of a mirror image of the monetary amount, for example, as in the case of postal money order, but also serves as a tamper evident device for the principal or mirror image.
The Chang '502 patent also reveals there may be a localized carbon transfer medium on the front side of a lower transfer sheet, which is adjacent to the rear side autogenous coating and may produce a mirror image in the form of a carbon black on top of the rear side autogenous coating. Regardless of how it is formed, this carbon black image serves as an irrevocable reference. If it coincides with the front side image, it validates the authenticity of the negotiable instrument. On the other hand, if these images differ because of forgery, it suggests that the original imprinted visible indicia have been falsified. However, the tamper evident system of the Chang '502 patent always includes an autogenous coating which is in the form of a latent message, such as VOID, underneath the principal image on the front side of the document and has a second localized autogenous coating at least directly opposite the area of the principal image on the rear side of the document. Otherwise, an additional lower sheet having a localized carbon transfer medium or an inked typewriter ribbon is required to produce the mirror image. For practical purposes, this system is applicable for documents in which the second localized autogenous coating can be predetermined, such as a postal money order, a cashier's check, checks, certificates, preprinted documents, etc.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,395,138 and 5,605,873 to Chang disclose a localized pressure-sensitive autogenous system to verify the authenticity of a negotiable instrument, such as a bank check. Thus, when the check is submitted for payment at a bank, for example, the teller can verify the authenticity of the check by simply applying external pressure, such as by use of a fingernail or stylus, to the verification area conveniently located adjacent the endorsement area of the check before cashing the check. The autogenous spot coating may be located anywhere on the rear side of the document and does not need to be directly opposite the principal image on the front side.
The article "Security Document", Research Disclosure No. 187, November 1979, pp. 638-639, reports that by incorporating pressure-sensitive copy image forming means on the rear surface of a security document, the external pressure to imprint indicia on the front surface of the document also causes the formation of additional immediate image on the rear side of the document. If the indicia are subsequently lifted off using a correctable typewriter ribbon and different indicia are entered, the alteration will be visibly apparent from the image on the rear side, since the resultant double image is easily recognizable. The coating may be over the entire rear surface of the document or in the verification areas. This double image formation is caused by rupture of image-forming material from the microcapsules.
Autogenous copy systems have been widely used in many applications, such as business forms, sales receipts, duplicate of checks, pressure-sensitive labels, and the like. In these applications, the coating is on the front surface so that the image developed by the external pressure serves as the indicia for the document. Use of an inked ribbon is not required to transfer images onto the self-imaging coating. Since the coating is "live" at all times, any unintended pressure which may rupture the microcapsules, such as scratching by a hard object, folding, writing pressure when inadvertently placed underneath another substrate, etc., will develop unwanted image in the principal image areas.

Pressure-sensitive tamper evident system


A method and apparatus for power management of a network element. In one embodiment of the invention, a networking card configuration request is received for a type of networking card irrespective of a networking card of that type being inserted into the network element. The network element does not enable networking cards unless they are successfully configured and inserted. The amount of power that the networking card consumes is determined without reading a power consumption value from that card. If it is determined that allowing that type of networking card to be configured would exceed the power capacity of the network element, the configuration request is denied and the networking card, if or when inserted remains disabled and is not powered up. However, if allowing that type of networking card to be configured would not exceed the power capacity, the configuration request is accepted, the amount of power that type of networking card consumes is allocated, and the card will be enabled when inserted.

1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of networking, and more specifically to the power management of network elements.
2. Background
A network element (e.g., a router, switch, bridge, etc.) is a piece of networking equipment, including hardware and software that communicatively interconnects other equipment on the network (e.g., other network elements, computer end stations, etc.). Network elements typically include one or more networking cards (e.g., one or more control cards, one or more line cards, one or more service cards, etc.) inserted into a chassis. For example, many network elements include an active control card and a synchronized standby control card to provide redundancy. The control cards perform signaling, routing (including creation of and/or management of routing tables), bridging (including creation of and/or management of bridging tables), connection setup, session setup, etc. The line cards handle packet processing including forwarding and/or switching at high speed.
A network element has a limited power capacity and each networking card may require a different amount of power. For example, a quad processing core control card requires more power than a dual processing core control card. The network element may overheat causing electrical equipment to melt and/or may potentially cause a fire if the power capacity is exceeded.
Some network elements require a power consumption value to be programmed (e.g., in an EEPROM) in the networking cards. When the networking card is inserted into the chassis, the power consumption value is read. If the network element determines that sufficient power is available the networking card is powered up. However, if the network element determines that there is not sufficient power (e.g., the power capacity would be exceeded if this card is powered up), the networking card is denied power which disables the networking card. If the power capacity decreases, the network element powers down networking cards in descending order, starting with the highest number slot of the chassis. If the power capacity is increased, the powered down networking cards are brought back up.


A method of producing heated water from a reservoir having a hot bitumen-depleted zone adjacent to an aqueous mobile zone. The method includes generating fluid communication between the aqueous mobile zone and the hot bitumen-depleted zone. The method further includes driving water from the aqueous mobile zone through a portion of the hot bitumen-depleted zone to heat the water to produce heated water from a heated water production well.

A variety of processes are used to recover viscous hydrocarbons, such as heavy oils and bitumen, from reservoirs such as oil sands deposits. Extensive deposits of viscous hydrocarbons exist around the world, including large deposits in the Northern Alberta oil sands that are not susceptible to standard oil well production technologies. One problem associated with producing hydrocarbons from such deposits is that the hydrocarbons are too viscous to flow at commercially relevant rates at the temperatures and pressures present in the reservoir.
In some cases, such deposits are mined using open-pit mining techniques to extract hydrocarbon-bearing material for later processing to extract the hydrocarbons. Alternatively, thermal techniques may be used to heat the hydrocarbon reservoir to mobilize the hydrocarbons and produce the heated, mobilized hydrocarbons from wells.
One thermal method of recovering viscous hydrocarbons using two vertically spaced horizontal wells is known as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). Various embodiments of the SAGD process are described in Canadian Patent No. 1,304,287 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,485. In the SAGD process, steam is pumped through an upper, horizontal, injection well into a viscous hydrocarbon reservoir while mobilized hydrocarbons are produced from a lower, parallel, horizontal, production well that is vertically spaced and near the injection well. The injection and production wells are located close to the bottom of the hydrocarbon deposit to collect the hydrocarbons that flow toward the bottom.
The SAGD process is believed to work as follows. The injected steam initially mobilizes the hydrocarbons to create a steam chamber in the reservoir around and above the horizontal injection well. The term "steam chamber" is utilized to refer to the volume of the reservoir that is saturated with injected steam and from which mobilized oil has at least partially drained. As the steam chamber expands upwardly and laterally from the injection well, viscous hydrocarbons in the reservoir are heated and mobilized, in particular, at the margins of the steam chamber where the steam condenses and heats the viscous hydrocarbons by thermal conduction. The mobilized hydrocarbons and aqueous condensate drain, under the effects of gravity, toward the bottom of the steam chamber, where the production well is located. The mobilized hydrocarbons are collected and produced from the production well. The rate of steam injection and the rate of hydrocarbon production may be modulated to control the growth of the steam chamber and ensure that the production well remains located at the bottom of the steam chamber in an appropriate position to collect mobilized hydrocarbons.
In situ Combustion (ISC) is another thermal method which may be utilized to recover hydrocarbons from underground hydrocarbon reservoirs. ISC includes the injection of an oxidizing gas into the porous rock of a hydrocarbon-containing reservoir to ignite and support combustion of the hydrocarbons around the wellbore. ISC may be initiated using an artificial igniter such as a downhole heater or by pre-conditioning the formation around the wellbores and promoting spontaneous ignition. The ISC process, also known as fire flooding or fireflood, is sustained and the ISC fire front moves due to the continuous injection of the oxidizing gas. The heat generated by burning the heavy hydrocarbons in place produces hydrocarbon cracking, vaporization of light hydrocarbons and reservoir water in addition to the deposition of heavier hydrocarbons known as coke. As the fire moves, the burning front pushes a mixture of hot combustion gases, steam, and hot water, which in turn reduces oil viscosity and the oil moves toward the production well. Additionally, the light hydrocarbons and the steam move ahead of the burning front, condensing into liquids, facilitating miscible displacement and hot waterflooding, which contribute to the recovery of hydrocarbons.
Canadian Patent 2,096,034 to Kisman et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,230 to Ostapovich et al. disclose a method of in situ combustion for the recovery of hydrocarbons from underground reservoirs, sometimes referred to as Combustion Split production Horizontal well Process (COSH) or Combustion Overhead Gravity Drainage (COGD). The disclosed processes include gravity drainage to a basal horizontal well in a combustion process. A horizontal production well is located in the lower portion of the reservoir. A vertical injection and one or more vertical vent wells are provided in the upper portion of the reservoir. Oxygen-enriched gas is injected down the injector well and ignited in the upper portion of the reservoir to create a combustion zone that reduces viscosity of oil in the reservoir as the combustion zone advances downwardly toward the horizontal production well. The reduced-viscosity oil drains into the horizontal production well under the force of gravity.
Canadian Patent 2,678,347 to Bailey discloses a pre-ignition heat cycle (PIHC) using cyclic steam injection and steam flood methods that improve the recovery of viscous hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir using an overhead in situ combustion process, referred to as combustion overhead gravity drainage (COGD). Bailey discloses a method where the reservoir well network includes one or more injection wells and one or more vent wells located in the top portion of the reservoir, and where the horizontal drain is located in the bottom portion of the reservoir.
The use of ISC as a follow up process to SAGD is disclosed in Canadian Patent 2,594,414 to Chhina et al. The disclosed hydrocarbon recovery processes may be utilized in hydrocarbon reservoirs. Chhina discloses a process where a former steam injection well, used during the preceding SAGD recovery process, is used as an oxidizing gas injection well and where another former steam injection well, adjacent to the oxidizing gas injection well, is converted into a combustion gas production well. This results in the horizontal hydrocarbon production well being located below the horizontal oxidizing gas injection well and at least one combustion gas production well being spaced from the injection well by a distance that is greater than the spacing between hydrocarbon production well and the oxidizing gas injection well. Since the process disclosed by Chhina uses at least two wells pairs, ISC is initiated after the production well is sufficiently depleted of hydrocarbons to establish communication between the two well pairs.
Hydrocarbon reservoirs may exist substantially in isolation, or may also exist adjacent to aqueous mobile fluid zone formations that have relatively low bitumen saturation and significant saturations of water. In such deposits, these aqueous mobile fluid zone formations can act as a "thief zone" and have one or more undesirable effects on recovery methods. For example, if this adjacent aqueous mobile fluid zone is in fluid communication with the reservoir being recovered, the adjacent aqueous mobile fluid zone may detrimentally absorb heat which would otherwise be used in the thermal recovery process to produce hydrocarbons.

Waste heat recovery from depleted reservoir


In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for reading an identifier stored in a non-volatile memory, where the identifier is associated with an operating system that caused storage of the identifier, determining if the identifier matches a comparison value provided by a current operating system of a system to which the non-volatile memory is coupled, and resetting the non-volatile memory if the identifier and the comparison value do not match. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a non-volatile storage device, and more particularly to use of the non-volatile storage device in a system.
As computer systems continue to evolve with greater processing capabilities, a major bottleneck to improved system performance is the delay or latency associated with accessing requested information from a memory hierarchy. Latencies can be particularly high if information needs to be accessed from a mass storage device. Accordingly, various proposals exist for improving or increasing intermediate a between a processor and a mass storage device. For example, static random access memory (SRAM) is often closely coupled with a processor to act as a cache memory to store frequently requested information that can be rapidly accessed by the processor. Further, it has been proposed to reduce latencies by incorporating a so-called disk cache between a disk drive mass storage device and a processor so that read and write data may be provided to and from the processor via the intermediary disk cache.
It is anticipated that future systems and operating systems (OSs) for use in these systems may seek to reduce both latencies and delays associated with paging information in and out from memory. To this end, devices such as expanded or extended memory devices (EMDs), which may be external memory devices, may be coupled to a system to provide storage to act as an extended physical memory, allowing more virtual memory pages to be located in a lower than disk latency memory, thus reducing delays. Because such an external expanded memory device may be removed from one system and placed into another, upon powering down of the first system, the contents of the EMD will be flushed in order to ensure that no changes have been made that would corrupt the contents. Accordingly, even if the EMD is not removed from the system, on a next power up of the system, the EMD will not include any valid data. Thus the delays associated with accessing information from a mass storage device must occur until the EMD is filled, which may take many minutes, impacting performance.

Determining coherency between a non-volatile memory and a system