A method for bend forging an artistic metallic straight pipe, wherein, a die core made from a steel rope is placed in the pipe bore, and a filler with plastisol uniformly mixed up is then introduced into the pipe bore until it is saturated to form a solid straight pipe. The latter is placed in an upper and a lower bendable die housing each of which forms a trough, and both ends of the die housings are provided with latch holes. Polyurethane is poured into the troughs to envelop the straight pipe, many hard bracing stubs are buried in the top/bottom of the troughs after heating, to solidify the polyurethane, a flexible die set is formed. The external top and bottom surfaces of the upper and lower die housings are provided thereon with two laminated springs, so that when the die set is forged, action force can be uniformly distributed to render the straight pipe to be bending forged to have the desired bending curvature. The bent solid pipe is then taken out, the pipe bore is heated to slightly melt and take out the plastisol in the die core, and a hollow bent artistic metallic pipe is thus formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a method and for bending forging an artistic metallic pipes and especially to bending forging of a metallic pipe, wherein, a pressure resistive removable and bendable die core is provided in a pipe bore, and a flexible die set is provided for receiving the pipe body, in this way, when it is under action of a normal forging force, a straight metallic pipe having an artistic contour can be forged into a bended metallic pipe having an artistic contour and a smooth curvature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the well known metallic pipe processing techniques in the markets, a metallic article made by forging has much higher compression strength than that of the metallic articles made by casting or extruding techniques; therefore, when compressive strength of the metallic articles to be forged is critical, the metallic articles always are made by forging. In the manufacturing techniques used nowadays for making an artistic metallic pipe however, there have been swaging techniques to make a metallic embossed pipe with high compressive strength, the swaging techniques include using of a rotary swager, a stationary-spindle swager, a creeping-spindle swager, an alternate-blow swager or a die-closing swager etc., metallic pipes made by progressive swaging in such techniques have on both the inner and the external walls thereof embossed patterns, these pipes are generally called herein artistic metallic pipes; no matter the artistic metallic pipes formed have any of various embossment, such swaging techniques are all available only for processing normal metallic pipes. Artistic metallic pipes formed by swaging techniques are certainly all straight in shape; There is no such technique in the markets for making bended pipes with smooth curvature but without damage to the predetermined embossments on the inner and the external walls thereof, this has been a regret in the field of pipe forging, and the problems thereof are:
1. The pipe bores of the pipes to be forged into bended pipes can not be installed therein with and removed therefrom supporting die cores. PA1 2. Die sets for forging bended pipes are absent, which die sets are required to be deformable following bending moment and to distribute uniform action force. PA1 1. The die core in a pipe bore is made from a steel rope, the wall of the pipe bore has an artistic pattern thereon, according to strength requirement and thickness of the metallic pipe wall, suitable amount of small steel balls or iron sand are added into plastisol and stirred under the melting temperature (80-100.degree. C.) thereof in a conventional pounding mixer to form thoroughly a mixed filler; the filler is introduced into the pipe bore by a well known screw feeding mode to a saturated state, temperature during introducing of the filler is controlled between 85-45.degree. C.; the plastisol uniformly added with steel balls or iron sand in the pipe bore then gradually gets denser, after cooling, the die core filled with the steel rope renders the artistic metallic straight pipe to form a solid straight pipe. In this way, the steel cord and the plastisol in the die core which are flexible make the pipe suitable for bending forging; the steel balls or iron sand in the pipe bore enable the die core to be resistant to forging pressure on the pipe wall so that the pipe wall can be prevented from over deforming; the die core can be slightly warmed up after bending forging to melt the plastisol, so that the die core bended in pursuance of the action of bending moment can be taken out of the pipe bore easily. PA1 2. The die set used is made of spring steel and includes an upper and a lower die housing mating with each other, the die housings have on the two ends thereof supporting axles and formed therein two troughs which are provided respectively on the top and the bottom thereof with suitable amount of hard bracing stubs, both the lateral walls or die limiting sheet plates are provided with a plurality of "V" shaped gaps capable of absorbing bending deformation quantity, the external top and bottom surfaces respectively of the upper and lower die housings are provided thereon with two laminated springs; thus the solid straight pipe is placed between the two lateral walls or die limiting sheet plates of the troughs, the remaining space in the troughs are filled with liquid polyurethane (namely PU glue) to a saturated state, then the liquid polyurethane is heated to solidify under its solidifying temperature, it can thus envelop the solid straight pipe in the troughs and buries the hard bracing stubs, this therefore forms a specified die set used to forge the solid straight pipe to form a bended pipe. The "V" shaped gaps on the lateral walls of the die housings used for absorbing bending deformation quantity hold the solidified polyurethane to thereby maintain a stable deformation rate in forging to obtain the required bending curvature; the two laminated springs can distribute the forge action force uniformly to the whole die set, so that every part of the solid straight pipe in the die set bears equalized forge action force, and the die set can be bent to a desired curvature. PA1 3. The hard bracing stubs of suitable amount on the upper and lower die housings and buried in the polyurethane are used for bracing the areas near the artistic metallic straight pipe where larger bracing force is required; so that the areas on the pipe wall where bending curvature is too large or dead corners are formed can get sufficient bearing force to resist bending moment. PA1 4. By the nature of instant melting under a low temperature of the plastisol in the die core, the bended pipe forged can have its pipe wall released from the plastisol easily by slight warming and allows the die core to be taken out to reveal the non-damaged and perfect bended pipe.

Method for bending forging artistic metallic pipes


A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display includes: providing an array substrate and a color filter substrate facing the array substrate; forming a gate electrode and a gate line formed of a first conductive film on the array substrate through a first masking process; forming a second conductive film pattern at an upper portion of the gate electrode, a storage capacitor preliminary pattern at a partial upper region of the gate electrode and a data line substantially crossing the gate line to define a pixel region, the second conductive film pattern, the storage capacitor preliminary pattern and the data line being formed of a second conductive film through a second masking process; forming an opaque insulation film surrounding the data line; forming a transparent third conductive film on the entire surface of the array substrate with the opaque insulation film interposed therebetween; patterning the second conductive film pattern and a third conductive film through a third masking process to form a source electrode, a drain electrode separated from the source electrode, a pixel electrode contacting with the drain electrode, and a storage capacitor pattern contacting with a partial lower region of the pixel electrode; and attaching the array substrate and the color filter substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and, more particularly, to an LCD capable of simplifying a fabrication process and improving fabrication efficiency by reducing the number of masks, and capable of reducing a wavy noise which is possibly generated when performing four masking processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as diverse electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a PDA, a computer and a large TV, etc., are being developed, the demands for flat panel display devices that can be employed therefore are increasing.
The flat panel devices include an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), an FED (Field Emission Display), an VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display), etc. are being actively studied, and in terms of mass-production technologies, easiness of a driving unit and implementation of high picture quality, the LCD receives much attention.
The general LCD includes a liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal panel includes an array substrate, a color filter substrate attached with the array substrate with a certain gap therebetween, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate.
Liquid crystal for forming the liquid crystal layer is a material with optical anisotropy, and alignment of the liquid crystal varies according to an applied voltage to thus control light transmittance. Thus, a corresponding still image or moving picture is displayed on the LCD according to light transmittance of the liquid crystal layer.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the LCD according to the related art.
As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD 1 includes a color filter substrate 5, an array substrate 10, and a liquid crystal layer 30 formed between the color filter substrate 5 and the array substrate 10.
The color filter substrate 5 includes a color filter (C) including a plurality of sub-color filters 7 that implement red, green and blue colors, a black matrix 6 for dividing the sub-color filters 7 and blocking light transmission through the liquid crystal layer 30, and a transparent common electrode 8 for applying voltage to the liquid crystal layer 30.
The array substrate 10 includes gate lines 16 and data lines 17 which are IS arranged vertically and horizontally to define a plurality of pixel regions (P), TFTs, switching elements, formed at respective crossings of the gate lines 16 and the data lines 17, and pixel electrodes 18 formed on the pixel regions (P).
The color filter substrate 5 and the array substrate 10 are attached in a facing manner by a sealant (not shown) formed at an edge of an image display region to form a liquid crystal panel, and the attachment of the color filter substrates 5 and the array substrate 10 is made by an attachment key formed on the color filter substrate 5 or the array substrate 10.
FIGS. 2a to 2d are sectional views sequentially showing a fabrication process of the array substrate of the LCD in FIG. 1.
First, as shown in FIG. 2a, a gate electrode 21 made of a conductive material is formed on a substrate 10 by using a first masking process (first photolithography process).
Next, as shown in 2b, a gate insulation film 15A, an amorphous silicon thin film 24, an n+ amorphous silicon thin film 25 and a conductive metallic material 30 are sequentially deposited on the substrate 10 with the gate electrode 21 formed thereon.
Thereafter, a second masking process is performed for a selective patterning by using a half-tone mask such that a portion corresponding to the data line can be completely blocked against light and a portion corresponding to a channel region of the TFT is irradiated with a certain amount of light.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2c, the amorphous silicon thin film layer is exposed, separating a source electrode 22 and a drain electrode 23, and certain portions of an active layer formed of the amorphous silicon thin film and the n+amorphous silicon thin film pattern are removed to form an ohmic contact layer 25′.
And then, a passivation film 15B is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 10 with the source and drain electrodes 22 and 23 formed thereon, and a contact hole exposing a portion of the drain electrode 23 is formed by using a third masking process.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 2d, a transparent electrode material is deposited on the entire surface so as to be connected with the drain electrode 23 via the contact hole and the pixel electrode 18 is patterned by using a fourth masking process.
After the array substrate is formed through the photography processes, it is attached with the color filter substrate to form a liquid crystal panel, and then, a backlight unit for supplying light to the liquid crystal panel is assembled to thus complete the LCD.
In this respect, however, because the active layer is formed of the amorphous silicon layer, when it receives light from the backlight unit, it becomes metal. Namely, the semiconductor has such characteristics that when it receives light and heat, its conductivity changes, so because the active layer of the liquid crystal panel is a semiconductor layer, when light is applied from the backlight unit, its conductivity increases to make the active layer metal.
Also, through the above-described processes, the active layer is formed with a line width wider than that of the data line and the source and drain electrodes, so that when the backlight unit is driven, even the active layer wider than the line width of the original data line is driven as the data line to cause an active tail phenomenon.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the data line of the LCD using the 4-masking process according to the related art.
As shown, the n+ amorphous silicon layer 25 and the active layer 24 are formed at the lower portion of the data line 17, and in terms of the characteristics of an etching process, respective layers are formed to be tapered. Accordingly, the line width of the data line 17 is smaller than that of the lower active layer 24. In this respect, however, when the n+ amorphous silicon layer 25 and the active layer 24 become metal according to driving of the backlight, a region (C) corresponding to the line width of the data line 17 and the active layer 24 is driven as the data line.
As mentioned above, the related art LCD using the four masking processes has a problem that because the active layer 24 formed of the amorphous silicon becomes metal, when the backlight unit is driven, a wavy noise phenomenon occurs that wavy lines are continuously moved on a screen according to an ON/OFF operation.
In addition, in the related art, a black matrix (BM) should be formed with an additional margin of about 5 μm in order to prevent a light leakage that can be generated at an edge region (A) of the pixel electrode and a region (B) between the pixel electrode 18 and the data line 17, which causes degradation of an aperture ratio.
Moreover, because the processes of fabricating the LCD require multiple masking processes (namely, the photolithography processes), the processes are complicated and costs increase, so a method for reducing the number of masks is required.

Liquid crystal display device and fabrication method thereof


Method for protecting an area, in particular against fire, by emission of a cloud of water droplets, comprising at least two of the three successive stages, in an order which is appropriate to the problem faced:. a first stage, corresponding to remote fire prevention, in which droplets are emitted which are smaller than 100 micrometers, suitable in particular for rehydrating plants, PA1 a second stage, used in proximal prevention, which comprises in addition the emission of droplets of 100 to 300 micrometers, giving a more long lasting mist, PA1 and a third stage, for immediate prevention, in which droplets of 300 to 800 micrometers are added to the previous droplets, for a drizzle effect.

The present invention relates to a method for protecting an area, in particular against fire or pollution, or against the dehydration of the plants which it contains, by emission, over the area to be protected, of a cloud of water droplets.
Protection against fire, pollution or dehydration by spraying water in the form of water or droplets has been known for a very long time, but it seems that hitherto no particular attention has been paid to the influence of the size of the drops and droplets.
The research which has been carried out for the present invention and which concerned the combating of fire has demonstrated that this size could have a considerable importance. The object of the present invention, which results from this research, is to provide a method of protection which permits a considerable improvement in the efficiency of the protection for an equal consumption of liquid.

Method for protecting an area, in particular against fire, and equipment for the implementation thereof


A storage system includes a communication port, the mode of operation of which can be dynamically switched by a user between a target mode and an initiator mode. The port may be a Fibre Channel port. The storage system may be a unified storage system operable to provide file-level access and block-level access to stored data.

A file server is a network-connected processing system that stores and manages shared files in a set of mass storage devices, such as disk drives, on behalf of one or more clients. Filer servers are used in many different applications, such as in data backup and recovery applications. Disks within a file system may be organized as one or more groups of Redundant Array of Independent/Inexpensive Disks (RAID).
One configuration in which file servers can be used is a network attached storage (NAS) configuration. In a NAS configuration, a file server can be implemented in the form of an appliance that attaches to a network, such as a local area network (LAN), a corporate intranet, or the Internet. An example of such an appliance is any of the Filer products made by Network Appliance, Inc. in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Another specialized type of network is a storage area network (SAN). A SAN is a highly efficient network of interconnected, shared mass storage devices. Such devices are also made by Network Appliance, Inc. One difference between NAS and SAN is that in a SAN the head provides a remote host with block-level access to stored data, whereas in a NAS configuration, the head normally provides clients with file-level access to stored data.
In this context, a "head" means all of the electronics, firmware and/or software (the "intelligence") that is used to control access to a set of mass storage devices; a head does not include the mass storage devices themselves. In a file server, the head normally is where all of the "intelligence" of the file server resides. Note that a "head" in this context is not the same as, and is not to be confused with, the magnetic or optical head that is used to physically read or write data from or to the mass storage medium.
A simple example of a storage network configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1. A filer (file server) "head" 2 is coupled locally to a set of mass storage devices 4, and to a set of clients 1 through an interconnect 3. The filer head 2 receives various read and write requests from the clients 1 and accesses the mass storage devices 4 to service those requests. Each of the clients 1 may be, for example, a conventional personal computer (PC), workstation, or the like. The mass storage devices 4 may be, for example, conventional magnetic tapes or disks, optical disks such as CD-ROM or DVD based storage, magneto-optical (MO) storage, or any other type of non-volatile storage devices suitable for storing large quantities of data. The filer head 2 can be configured and monitored from a management station 5, either via a direct coupling or via the network 3.
In a NAS implementation, the interconnect 3 may be essentially any type of computer network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN) or the Internet, and may implement the Internet Protocol (IP). In a SAN implementation, the interconnect 3 may be a Fibre Channel (FC) switching fabric which implements the Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP). FCP is the encapsulation for Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) over FC.
A device which connects to other devices via FC transport, such as the head 2 in FIG. 1 for example, generally includes an FC host bus adapter (hereinafter "FC adapter"). The FC adapter has one or more FC ports, to which the physical FC transport medium is connected. In accordance with FCP, an FC port operates as either a "target" or an "initiator". In the known prior art, whether a particular FC port operates as a target or an initiator is determined by the manufacturer of the FC adapter, at the factory. For example, at least one well-known FC adapter has a built-in nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM), which stores a target/initiator mode flag that determines the adapter type. This flag is read during boot up to determine which driver gets attached to the port(s), to determine whether the port(s) of the FC adapter operate as target or initiator. However, this flag is set by the manufacturer and cannot be modified in the field.
In various situations, however, it would be desirable to have the ability to switch the role of an FC port from target to initiator or vice versa dynamically in the field. For example, certain Filers made by Network Appliance are capable of operating in a NAS mode or a SAN mode or both modes at the same time. In such a dual-use devices (also referred to as "unified" storage devices), it would be desirable to have the ability to dynamically change the operating mode of an FC port between target and initiator, to more fully take advantage of the versatility of the device.

Dynamic switching of a communication port in a storage system between target and initiator modes


Early diagnosis of cervical precancer is an important clinical goal. Optical spectroscopy has been suggested as a new technique to overcome limitations of current clinical practice. Herein, NIR Raman spectroscopy is applied to the diagnosis of cervical precancers. Using algorithms based on empirically selected peak intensities, ratios of peak intensities and a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for data reduction and Fisher Discriminant Analysis (FDA), normal tissues, inflammation and metaplasia were distinguishable from low grade and high grade precancers. The primary contributors to the tissue spectra appear to be collagen, nucleic acids, phospholipids and glucose 1-phosphate. These results suggest that near infrared Raman spectroscopy can be used effectively for cervical precancer diagnosis.

I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to optical methods and apparatus for the diagnosis of cervical precancers.
II. Related Art
Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy among women worldwide. In 1995, it was estimated that 4,800 deaths will occur in the United States alone from this disease and 15,800 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed. Although early detection of cervical precancer has played a central role in reducing the mortality associated with this disease over the last 50 years (G. H, Anderson, British Med J, 296, 975 (1988), which is hereby incorporated by reference, the incidence of pre-invasive squamous carcinoma of the cervix has risen dramatically, especially among women under the age of 35 (T, C. Wright, R. J., A. Ferenczy, "Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia" in Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Traci, (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1994), p. 156), which is hereby incorporated by reference. Existing screening and detection techniques, the Pap smear and colposcopy, have several deficiencies that prevent efficient management of an otherwise controllable disease. The primary screening tool is the Pap smear, which has a high false negative error rate of 15-40% due to sampling and reading errors (L. G. Koss, J Am Med Assoc, 261, 737 (1989), which is hereby incorporated by reference. Colposcopy, which usually follows an abnormal Pap smear, requires extensive training and its accuracy is variable and limited even in the hands of expert practitioners (M. F. Mitchell, "Diseases of the Female Lower Genital Tract" in Operative Gynecology, (W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1993), p 231), which is hereby incorporated by reference. The mortality of cervical cancer among women under 50 years increased by 3% between 1986 and 1990, all preventable, and this trend may continue unless further improvements are made in current detection techniques (B. A. Miller, L. A. G. Flies, B. F. Hankey, Kosary, A. Harras, S. S. Devesa, B. K. Edwards, Seer Cancer Statistics Review 1973-1990, (US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, 1993), p. v.1.), which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Recently, fluorescence, infrared absorption and Raman spectroscopes have been proposed for cancer and precancer screening and diagnosis (R. R. Alfano, G. C. Tang, A. Pradhan, W. Lam, D. S. C. Choy, A. Opher, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, QE-23, 1806 (1987).; J. Hung, S. Lam, J. C. LeRiche, B. Palcic, Lasers Surg Med, 11, 99 (1991); R. M. Cothren, R. Richards-Kottum, M. V. Sivak, M. Fitzmaurice, R. P. Rava, G. A. Boyce, G. B. Hayes, M. Doxtader, R. Blackman, T. Ivanc, M. S. Feld, R. E. Petras, Gastrointest Endoscop, 36, 105 (1990); W. S. Glassman, C. H. Liu, G. C. Tang, S. Lubicz, R. R. Alfano, Lasers in Life Sciences, 5, 49 (1992); W. Lohmann, J. Mu.beta.mann, C. Lothmann, W. Kunzel, Euro Jour Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol, 31, 249 (1989); N. Ramanujam, M. F. Mitchell, A. Mahadevan, S. Thomsen, R. Richards-Kortum, Proc Natl Acad Sc, 91. 10193 (1994);, D. C. B. Redd, Z. C. Feng, K. T. Yue, T. S. Gansler, Appl Spectr, 47, 787 (1993), which are all hereby incorporated by reference. Many groups have successfully demonstrated the potential of spectroscopic techniques to improve diagnosis in various organ systems (M. Motamedi, R. J. Erckens, M. J. Goetz Jr., J. P. Wicksted, G. L. Cote, W. F. March, SPIE, 2388, (1995); Y. Ozaki, A. Mizuno, SPIE, 1403, (1990); C. H. Lui, B. B. Das, W. L. Sha Glassman, G. C. Tang, K. M. Yoo, H. R. Zhu, D. L. Akins, S. S. Lubicz, J. Cleary, R. Prudente, E. Cellmer, A. Caron, R. R. Alfano, J Photochem Photobiol B: Biol, 16, 187 (1992); M. S. Feld, J. F. Brennan III, A. Berger, R. Manoharn, Y. Wang, SPIE, 2388, 99 (1995); R. R. Alfano, C. H. Lui, W. L. Sha, H. R. Zhu, D. L. Akins, J. Cleary, R. Prudente, E. Cellmer, Lasers in Life Sc, 4, 23 (1991); J. F. Brennan III, T. J. Fomer, Y. Wang, A. M. Tercyak, R. S. Lees, R. R. Dasari, J. R. Kramer, M. S. Feld, SPIE, 2388, 105 (1995); J. J. Baraga, M. S. Feld, R. P. Rava, Appl Spectr, 46, 187 (1992)., Y. Wang, R. L. McCreery, Anal Chem, 61, 2647 (1989)., A. Mahadevan, N. Ramanujam, M. F. Mitchell, A. Malpica, S. Thomsen, R. Richards-Kortum, SPIE, 2388, 110 (1995), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Intrinsic tissue fluorescence has been used to differentiate normal and abnormal tissues in the human breast and lung, bronchus and gastrointestinal tract. Fluorescence spectroscopy has been shown to be a promising technique for the clinical diagnosis of cervical precancer and extensive clinical trials show that its performance is similar to that of colposcopy in expert hands.
Multivariate statistical techniques have been used to diagnose cervical precancers based on fluorescence spectra acquired at multiple excitation wavelengths. A prospective evaluation of the algorithms indicates that at 337 nm excitation, normal tissues can be differentiated from precancers with a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 82%. In addition, spectra at 460 nm excitation can differentiate normal cervix and precancers with a sensitivity and specificity of 91% and 75.5%, respectively, as well as differentiate high grade and low grade precancers with a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 76%, respectively.
To further improve the diagnostic capability of spectroscopy for detection of cervical precancers, Raman spectroscopy has been considered. In comparison with fluorescence, Raman signals are weak and require sensitive instrumentation for detection. However, only a limited number of biological molecules contribute to tissue fluorescence, most with broadband emission. Many more molecules are Raman-active, with fingerprint spectra providing molecular specific information that can be applied to diagnose diseased tissue. As a result, in recent years, several groups have studied the potential of Raman spectroscopy for disease detection. Alfano et al. have used Fourier Transform Raman spectroscopy to detect gynecologic malignancies. Several groups have applied Raman spectroscopy to breast cancer detection. Feld et al. have demonstrated the use of NIR and UV resonance Raman spectroscopy for identification of colon cancer and atherosclerosis.
Nonetheless, automated diagnostic methods with improved diagnostic capabilities are needed to allow faster, more effective patient management and potentially further reduce mortality.

Near-infrared raman spectroscopy for in vitro and in vivo detection of cervical precancers

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


The invention concerns a computer system for data administration, wherein a number of data fields are stored in a memory. The data fields are subdivided into data segments. For each data segment, the associated structural and ordering information is stored in the memory. The structural information serves to describe the type of data segment. The structural information is also used to define the path from the location of the data segment within an associated structure tree to its root. The ordering information serves to determine the order of the data segment within a data field. By storing in particular the structural information, it is possible to use that information for queries. The structural information may also be used for indexing. As a result, the speed of the query process is substantially increased.

The invention concerns a computer system for data administration, with memory means storing at least one data field.
In such database systems, all the data items are stored in tabular data fields. Thus, for example, each row of a customer table contains a consecutive customer number, the name and the address of the customer, etc. A second table stores any deliveries the customer has previously received. Each row of the latter table contains the customer number to which deliveries have been made, as well as the respective date of delivery, the name and the quantity of the delivered article, etc. In the described example, both tables are linked by the customer number. The query as to which deliveries a customer x received on a particular date y is answered by the database in that initially the number associated with customer x is determined, and that the second table is searched for the total number of deliveries stored under his customer number and which, in addition, were made on the specified date y. New customers may subsequently be stored in the table at any time. Similarly, the second table may be updated on deliveries made.
However, subsequent changes in the database structure, if at all possible, necessitate revising the applications based thereon. This means that when the tables are drawn up, any potential requirements, in particular those to be met by the database, must be considered. If, in addition to the afore-mentioned data, the described customer table is to comprise, for example, a BTX number for each customer, a new table has to be prepared in which each customer number is associated with a BTX number. The customer numbers which have to be repeated for this purpose require an almost intolerable amount of memory space in particular in large databases. To avoid wasting memory space in that way, the customer table has to be supplemented by a further column with the BTX numbers. However, this is very expensive and time-consuming, as it entails changing a major part of the stored data and application programs.
It is the object of the invention to provide a computer system for data administration, wherein structural changes may be easily made.

Computer system for storing data in hierarchical manner

International Business Machines Corporation


A sliding miter saw is provided, the saw including a base device, a motor, a saw blade, a bracket for a saw unit and a ram slidably received in a guiding groove provided along a diametrical direction of a turntable. A rear end portion of the ram is connected to a lower portion of a supporting member. By exploiting the ram sliding in the guiding groove, the supporting member may be made thick and rigid. A front end portion of the ram always lies under the saw blade and the ram moves backward synchronously with the saw unit so that the invention is able to spare operating space and storage space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sliding miter saw.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,906 discloses a miter saw comprising a base, a sliding member, a sliding device, and a guiding means which is a cantilever. The sliding device slides back and forth on the guiding means. However, a safety drawback of this structure is that the cantilever is insufficiently rigid to support the heavy saw unit which slides and operates on it.


Systems and methods for targeted delivery of content to and monitoring content consumption involve determining whether to target a computer for delivery of content by evaluating content contextual information associated with a user. The content contextual information can be determined from stored data, by analyzing the computer's interaction with an information management system, or by analyzing computer inputs affecting the display of prior content on a display device of the computer. If the computer is to be targeted, then the server causes the content to be transmitted to the computer. The server also determines content delivery characteristics, such as when to transmit the content to the computer or an alert type to be transmitted with the content, based on the content contextual information. The server may generate a report on content consumption based on computer inputs affecting the display of the content on a display device of the computer.

Organizations use many different methods to communicate content with their staff. These include traditional physical methods like paper newsletters, bulletin board posters, phone calls, and periodic staff meetings. Physical bulletin boards are a major method of communication within many organizations, but they often present too much "noise" (e.g., social and personal messages that detract attention from organizational messages) and depend on the staff physically visiting the bulletin board, which makes bulletin boards ineffective for urgent methods especially when staff are physically remote from the bulletin board. Further, there are minimal engagement metrics to tell what staff have actually looked at on a bulletin board.
More recent electronic methods of communicating content with staff include email mailing lists, intranets, text messages, social networking platforms, electronic "dashboards", and reporting applications. However, as employees often receive many of these communications during working hours, their engagement may be down and little or no attention may be paid to each communication.
Furthermore, organizational awareness has not necessarily improved with the use of the more recent electronic communication methods. Organizations have little idea regarding who is actually reading or reacting to the communications, and lack the ability to measure the results of these communications. Certain trends have added to this problem. More workers are working remotely, for example in the field or from home.
A problem with email and mailing lists is that they tend to proliferate within large organizations. Thus there is a lot of "noise", making it easy for important messages to be ignored. Metrics regarding email and mailing lists tend to be poor. It is often also difficult for staff to know which lists are available.
Intranets also present certain problems. For example, they lack effective targeting functionality (using context), and often contain "siloed" sites (run by individual departments or teams). Intranets depend on staff "pulling" information (i.e., taking steps to actively retrieve information) from the Intranet rather than having the information delivered to them. Available engagement metrics are minimal.
Thus, there is a need for a system which targets the delivery of the right content to the right staff members at the right time while tracking detailed analytics about the content consumption, thereby allowing for useful insights that can be used to improve organizational awareness and staff engagement.

Systems and methods for targeted delivery of content to and monitoring of content consumption at a computer


An optical cable holding device includes a central shaft section fixed to a substrate in such a way as to stand on the substrate, a plurality of flexible holding feet that are disposed in such a way as to spread radially from the central shaft section, each flexible holding foot extending from a base end on a side where the central shaft section is located, toward a side where the substrate is located and being bent in such a way as to get away from the central shaft section as the flexible holding foot gets closer to a tip which is a free end, and a plurality of cable holders that are disposed independently of the substrate at the tips of the flexible holding feet and hold an optical cable.

In the past, an optical cable has been provided with a given radius of curvature to avoid characteristic degradation and damage. Therefore, when an extra length of the optical cable is handled, the optical cable is coiled into a loop.
As a mechanism for handling an extra length of an optical cable, a mechanism provided with slits radially provided in a mounting plate, a sliding section that is slid able back and forth along each slit, and a cable holder attached to the sliding section is known (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 62-164005).
FIG. 21 is a perspective view for describing an example of handling of an extra length of an optical cable.
FIGS. 22 to 24 are front views for describing an example of a method for unlocking a cable holder.
As depicted in FIG. 21, to the input and output side of an optical module 602 placed on a substrate 601, an optical cable 200 is connected. The optical cable 200 is held by a plurality of cable holders 603 disposed on the substrate 601. Moreover, an extra length of the optical cable 200 is handled by being coiled into a loop by the optical module 602.
The cable holders 603 are fixed to the substrate 601. The cable holders 603 are mounted on the substrate 601 in advance to provide a given radius of curvature of the optical cable 200. Moreover, to absorb extra length tolerances of the optical cable 200 by moving the cable holders 603, extra mounting holes for the cable holders 603 are provided in the substrate 601.
As depicted in FIGS. 22 to 24, when the optical cable 200 is taken out of the cable holders 603, lids 603b fitted in holder main bodies 603a are individually unlocked by a human hand 604.
Incidentally, with an increase in traffic, the density of communication devices is increasing year after year and demand for smaller communication devices has grown recently. As a result, the sizes of devices on a printed-wiring board increasingly become smaller, and the number of optical cables handled on the printed-wiring board is increased.
Therefore, as in the above-described mechanism for handling an extra length of an optical cable, in a mechanism in which slits and sliding sections are provided in a mounting plate and cable holders are attached to the sliding sections, a component mounting area and a pattern area are limited on the substrate which is the mounting plate. This hinders high-density mounting.
Moreover, the plurality of cable holders 603 depicted in FIGS. 21 to 24 are disposed in accordance with the route of the optical cable 200. This increases the number of places where the cable holders 603 are fixed to the substrate 601 and accordingly limits the component mounting area. As a result, high-density mounting of the substrate 601 is hindered.

Optical cable holding device and electronic device


An apparatus and method provides channel phase compensation for a digital radio frequency RF channel, by analyzing a demodulated signal (24) communicated over the digital RF channel and generates data representing an estimate of a channel phase (28), based on channel symbol reliability data (242) generated for at least one channel symbol received over the RF channel. The apparatus and method iteratively generates channel symbol reliability data (242) for a same symbol until a frame containing the symbol is determined to either pass a frame error threshold or until a predetermined number of iterations of channel phase estimates for a symbol is detected.

The invention relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for estimating a channel phase in a digital radio frequency communication system.
In a typical wireless communication system such as a digital radiotelephone system, a base station having a controller and a plurality of transmitters and receivers communicates with mobile stations operating within an area served by the base station. Multiple access wireless communication between the base station and the mobile stations occurs via radio frequency (RF) channels which provide physical paths over which digital communication signals, such as voice, data and video are transmitted. Base-to-mobile station communications are said to occur on a forward-link channel, while mobile-to-base station communications are referred to as being on a reverse-link channel. Well known RF digital channelization techniques include, for example, time division multiple access (TDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) and other channelization techniques. Communication systems using frame based CDMA channelization are described, for example, in TIA/EIA Standard IS-95.
Transmitting a communication signal over an RF channel through a medium such as air causes a received communication signal to significantly differ from an originally transmitted communication signal. A transmitting communication signal may be altered during transmission over a channel resulting in channel gain and channel phase shifts. In addition, additional noise may be introduced.
A quality of recovery of transmitted communication signals from the received signal may be enhanced by accurately estimating channel parameters such as channel phase and other parameters. Pilot signals have been implemented to allow a determination of channel phase. Symbols communicated over a pilot channel typically communicated with symbols of the signal of interest and received over the same antenna under a different code (in a CDMA system, for example).
In spread spectrum systems, for example, such as CDMA systems, there is a need for channel phase compensation due to channel phase shifts due to propagation of information through the channel. A polarity of symbols can be affected by channel phase. As such, coherent receivers, those which receive information as conveyed by polarity of the transmitted symbols, may incorporate some type of channel phase compensation.
One known radiotelephone receiver having channel phase compensation, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,596, issued on Aug. 4, 1998, entitled xe2x80x9cRadiotelephone Communication Unit Displaying Chronological Information,xe2x80x9d having inventor Thomas A, Sexton, and assigned to instant assignee. Although such a receiver has many advantages, such receivers generally attempt channel phase estimation for slowly changing channels, but not typically for channel parameters that can change throughout a frame. In addition, typical phase compensation techniques are used which provide for reencoding of future symbols based on some type of channel phase estimate of previous symbols. However, such systems may not adequately provide channel phase estimations and allow reprocessing of the same symbols within a frame based on the estimated channel phase shifts.
Consequently, there exists a need for a receiver and method that facilitates improved channel phase shift estimation and can allow reprocessing of symbols in the same frame that have previously been corrected for channel phase shifts.

Apparatus and method for estimating channel phase using channel symbol reliability data


A pressure sensor is manufactured by joining two wafers, the first wafer comprising CMOS circuitry and the second being an SOI wafer. A recess is formed in the top material layer of the first wafer, which is covered by the silicon layer of the second wafer to form a cavity. Part or all of the substrate of the second wafer is removed to forming a membrane from the silicon layer. Alternatively, the cavity can be formed in the second wafer. The second wafer is electrically connected to the circuitry on the first wafer. This design allows to use standard CMOS processes for integrating circuitry on the first wafer.

The present invention relates to pressure sensors and methods for fabricating the same. Some aspects of the invention also relate to a method for fabricating a pressure sensor using a first and a second wafer, where the first wafer has circuitry integrated thereon and the second wafer comprises a handle substrate, a silicon layer and an insulation layer between the handle substrate and the silicon layer.
It has been known to manufacture a pressure sensor by joining a first wafer and a second wafer, where the first wafer has a recess that is covered by the second wafer. The second waver is an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) wafer, i.e. a wafer having a comparatively thick handle substrate of silicon, with a thin insulating layer arranged on top of the handle substrate and a thin silicon layer arranged over the insulating layer. The handle substrate is removed for forming a deformable membrane over the recess. The recess reaches into the silicon substrate of the first wafer. Such a design is poorly compatible with standard CMOS manufacturing processes and requires a number of additional, non-standard manufacturing steps that render it expensive.

Pressure sensor having a chamber and a method for fabricating the same


An adapter socket, the structural design of which is comprised of an adapter socket body, a cover plate, and a plurality of connection terminals. A containment recess is disposed along the center of the adapter socket body, a number of separator elements are situated at the front end of the said containment recess, and a receptacle is formed at the rear end such that when the connection terminals are installed into the containment recess of the adapter socket body, the front ends of the prongs are ensconced between the separator elements, while the rear ends of the contiguous leads are arrayed into a staggered up and down, left to right arrangement. The cover plate is then fastened over the connection terminals to secure them firmly in position without allowing mutual contact. As such, utilizing the said structural components not only reduces fabrication cost, but provides for easy and rapid assembly and, furthermore, prevents incorrect assembly.

1) Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to an adapter socket design, specifically a structural design consisting of a modular plug adapter that enables the conversion of a United States telephone plug into a United Kingdom telephone plug and in which the contiguous leads of a plurality of connection terminals are disposed in a staggered arrangement, with separator elements and a cover plate securely maintaining the physical configuration. The present invention also prevents assembly errors due to component confusion and, furthermore, can be easily and rapidly completed.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a conventional United States telephone adapter socket is comprised of a male plug 10, an end cap 20, a receptacle 30, an adapter socket body 40, and signal wiring 50; the said signal wiring 50 consists of electrical wires 502 fixed to the trailing ends of a plurality of connection terminals 501 that are conjoined to a number of conductive pins 503; as such, during the assembly process, the connection terminals 501 at the ends of the signal wiring 50 are first embedded into the male plug 10 and then, the conductive pins 503 of the electrical wires 502 are routed through the opening of the end cap 20 and the male plug 10 is sleeved onto the end cap 20, enabling each of the arranged conductive pins 503 to be inserted into the receptacle 30 and the outward bending of the trailing ends of the conductive pins 503; the said receptacle 30 is next inserted into the adapter socket body 40; finally, the end cap 20 is assembled to the adapter socket body 40 to form a single structural entity, thereby completing the adapter socket. However, the structure of the said adapter socket requires numerous components and procedures to complete its assembly; the degree of difficulty involved is obviously higher and, furthermore, is overly complicated such that production cost is increased. Additionally, when the conductive pins 503 are inserted into the receptacle 30, since insertion must be executed according to the color of the electrical wires 502, incorrect insertion by assembly personnel frequently occurs due to fatigue and other factors, which results in an increased defect rate that adversely affects production capability.
Therefore, the inventor of the invention herein in the spirit of refinement and innovation researched and developed an adapter socket, the structural design of which consists of an adapter socket comprised of an adapter socket body, a cover plate, and a plurality of connection terminals, wherein the contiguous leads of the connection terminals are arrayed in a staggered up and down, left to right arrangement inside the adapter socket body, with the cover plate then fastened over the top end to enclose and secure the connection terminals firmly into position without allowing mutual contact, an approach that not only significantly reduces the number of required components, but also provides for a simpler assembly procedure that greatly minimizes defect rates.
The primary objective of the invention herein is to provide an adapter socket, the structural design of which is comprised of an adapter socket body, a cover plate, and a plurality of connection terminals; a containment recess is disposed along the center of the adapter socket body, a number of separator elements are situated at the front end of the said containment recess, and a receptacle is formed at the rear end such that when the connection terminals are installed into the containment recess of the adapter socket body, the front ends of the prongs are ensconced between the separator elements and the rear ends of the contiguous leads are arrayed into a staggered up and down, left to right arrangement; the cover plate is then fastened over the connection terminals to secure them firmly in position without allowing mutual contact; as such, utilizing the said structural components not only reduces production cost, but provides for easy and rapid assembly and, furthermore, prevents incorrect assembly.
The structural features and other functional aspects of the invention herein are introduced in the brief description of the drawings below and further elaborated by the accompanying detailed description of the invention herein.


A non-volatile semiconductor memory device comprises a plurality of memory sectors arranged in different memory banks having different bulk regions. The memory cells can be erased using a first mode erase operation, which determines different erase pass voltages for the respective memory sectors by successively increasing a bank voltage applied to each sector until the number of failed cells in each sector falls below a first failed cell threshold value, and a second mode erase operation, which applies the different erase pass voltages to the respective memory sectors for successively increasing periods of time until the number of failed cells in each sector falls below a second failed cell threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to non-volatile semiconductor memory devices. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to non-volatile semiconductor memory devices in which a plurality of memory sectors are simultaneously erased.
A claim of priority is made to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-46181 filed May 23, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional non-volatile semiconductor memory devices, erase operations are typically performed on a single memory sector (i.e., a block) or a plurality of memory sectors. A typical erase operation includes an erase procedure and an erase verification procedure. In the erase procedure, a voltage difference is applied between the respective control gates and bulk region(s) of selected memory cells so that charges trapped in the respective floating gates of the selected memory cell are restored to the corresponding bulk region(s). In the erase verification procedure, data is read from the selected memory cells, and then the data is evaluated to determine whether all of the selected memory cells were successfully erased. Selected cells that were not properly erased in the erase procedure will be referred to hereafter as "failed cells". If the number of failed cells in an erased sector is greater than or equal to a failed cell threshold value, the erase procedure and the erase verification procedure are repeated on that sector.
Erase operations can be performed in multiple different modes. Moreover, sectors are often erased using multiple erase operations of different modes, carried out in succession. For example, in a first mode erase operation, the erase procedure is repeatedly performed with a successively increased bulk voltage. In a second mode erase operation, which is usually performed after the first mode erase operation, the erase procedure is repeatedly performed with the same voltages applied to control gates and the bulk region(s), but for a relatively increased time. Where a first mode erase operation is performed, the lowest bulk voltage for which the number of failed cells in a selected sector falls below the failed cell threshold value is referred to as an "erase pass voltage". The second mode erase voltage operation is usually performed on the selected sector after the first mode erase operation is performed with the "erase pass voltage" for that sector to erase remaining failed cells. By using the second mode erase operation to erase the remaining failed cells, rather than continuing to increment the bulk voltage, over erasure and non-erasure of memory cells in the selected sector is avoided.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional non-volatile semiconductor memory device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional non-volatile semiconductor memory device comprises a memory cell array MCARR and associated peripheral circuits. The peripheral circuits include, for example, an erase verifier 10, a bulk voltage generator 20, a word line voltage generator 30, and a bit line voltage generator 40. These peripheral circuits are used to control various operations for storing and retrieving data from memory cell array MCARR.
Memory cell array MCARR comprises "n" memory banks BANK<1:n>, and each of memory banks BANK<1:n> comprises "m" sectors, where the "m" sectors in the i-th memory bank are labeled SEC<i:1> through SEC<i:m>. Each of the sectors comprises a plurality of non-volatile memory cells. The conventional non-volatile semiconductor memory device further comprises "n" sense amplifier blocks SA<1:n> respectively corresponding to the "n" memory banks BANK<1:n>. Sense amplifier blocks SA<1:n> sense and amplify data stored in the sectors of the corresponding memory banks BANK<1:n>.
To select a sector of memory cells for an erase operation, word line voltage generator 30 generates a word line voltage VWL and applies word line voltage VWL to word line(s) of the memory cell in a selected memory sector. In addition, bit line voltage generator 40 generates a bit line voltage VBL and applies bit line voltage VBL to bit line(s) BL of the memory cell in the selected memory sector.
Following an erase operation of one or more sectors of a selected memory bank among memory banks BANK<1:n>, a corresponding one of sense amplifier blocks SA<1:n> senses and amplifies the data stored in the one or more sectors of the selected memory bank, and provides the amplified data to erase verifier 10 through a data line DL. Erase verifier 10 receives and evaluates the data provided through data line DL and detects whether any cells in the one or more sectors of the selected memory bank failed to be erased in the erase operation.
In the non-volatile semiconductor memory device, the erase operation can be performed in such a way that memory sectors arranged in the same row of memory banks BANK<1:n> are simultaneously erased. For example, sectors SEC<1, 1>, SEC<2, 1>, . . . , SEC<n, 1> can be simultaneously erased.
Where multiple memory sectors in the same row of memory banks BANK<1:n> are simultaneously erased using the first mode erase operation, the different sectors may exhibit different "erase pass voltages". In other words, some of the sectors may be sufficiently erased with a lower bulk voltage than other sectors.
However, in the conventional non-volatile semiconductor memory device illustrated in FIG. 1, bulk voltage generator 20 applies the same bulk voltage VSUB to the bulk regions of all sectors. Unfortunately, where the multiple sectors have different "erase pass voltages", using the same bulk voltage VSUB for multiple sectors is inefficient and can cause over-erasure, non-erasure, or excessive wear and tear in some sectors.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device having different erase pass voltages for respective memory sectors and associated erase method


An optical parametric amplifier of the invention comprises a nonlinear amplification section to which a signal light and a pump light are injected via a coupler. The nonlinear amplification section is constructed by connecting in multiple stages a plurality of polarization retaining highly nonlinear optical fibers (HNLFs) having mutually different zero-dispersion wavelengths and dispersion slopes. The zero-dispersion wavelengths of the HNLFs are on the short wavelength side of a pump light wavelength, and are shorter towards the output side HNLF. Furthermore, the arrangement is set such that the dispersion slopes of the HNLFs become steeper towards the output side HNLF. As a result, it is possible to realize an optical parametric amplifier that is high gain and broadband.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical parametric amplifier which amplifies a signal light parametrically using nonlinear optical effects. In particular, it relates to a technique designed for high gain and broadband parametric amplification.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems, in which a plurality of signal lights with different wavelengths is multiplexed for transmission by one optical fiber, are coming into practical use. On the other hand, in recent years, attention has been given to optical time division multiplexing (OTDM) transmission systems, in which the bit rate per wavelength is increased and signal lights are multiplexed by time division, due to problems such as the increase in power consumption caused by increasing numbers of wavelengths.
In the OTDM transmission system, since the bit rate is high, an optical switch that controls the on-off switching of a high speed signal light that cannot be processed electrically as it is in the optical state, and an optical sampling system for measuring optical pulses, have become essential basic element technologies.
In recent years, the nonlinearity of optical fibers has been improved compared with the past, and applications are proposed of an ultra high-speed optical switch and an optical sampling technique, in which nonlinear optical effects of optical fibers are used positively. The above-described nonlinear optical effects mean phenomena in which, for example when light with a relatively high power is transmitted through glass, the physical properties of the glass change according to the optical power, and the optical response loses linearity.
Parametric amplification, which is generated in a highly nonlinear fiber having particularly high nonlinearity, is a physical optical phenomenon generated at extremely high speed. Therefore, the speed of response is far higher when compared with a phenomenon in which the refractive index of a medium is changed by thermo- and electro-optical effects, so that it is possible to respond to the high speed optical pulses used in OTDM with no delay. In this manner, the optical parametric amplification technique is expected to be an optical amplification principle with high speed response characteristics, which is essential to constructing future ultra high-speed networks.
For a conventional optical amplifier in which parametric amplification as described above is used, a broadband nonlinear polarized amplifier is proposed for example in Japanese Patent Application National Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2002-50861, in which a combination of cascading Raman amplification, and either one of parametric amplification in an optical fiber or four wave mixing, is used. In the conventional technique, one intermediate order for cascading Raman amplification is arranged such that it is close to the zero-dispersion wavelength of an amplification fiber, and broadband optical amplification is achieved by utilizing the fact that, in the case where the wavelength is longer than the zero-dispersion wavelength, it is phase-matched by parametric amplification, and in the case where it is shorter than the zero-dispersion wavelength, it is phase-matched by four wave mixing.
Furthermore, for another conventional technique in which nonlinear optical effects of optical fibers are utilized, a system is also proposed for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-180807, that performs wavelength conversion of a signal light by four wave mixing by injecting, into a plurality of dispersion-shifted optical fibers each having different zero-dispersion wavelengths and connected in series, a signal light, and a pump light with the same wavelength as one of the different zero-dispersion wavelengths.
Incidentally, as is apparent from the fact that the above-described conventional optical amplifiers realize broadband by combining cascading Raman amplification and parametric amplification or four wave mixing, regarding an optical parametric amplifier that amplifies a signal light parametrically, there is a problem in that it is difficult to realize the desired bandwidth and gain in the case where a signal light is amplified using parametric amplification on its own.
Here is a description of the basic principle of operation of an optical parametric amplifier.
In a typical optical parametric amplifier, for example as shown at the top of FIG. 7, a signal light pulse S with a wavelength λs, injected from a signal light source 101, and a pump light pulse P with a wavelength λp, injected from a pump light source 102, are applied to a nonlinear fiber 106 via polarization controllers 103 and 104, and a coupler 105, and light transmitted through the nonlinear fiber 106 is passed through an optical bandpass filter 107, and the resultant parametrically amplified signal light S, is output externally. The pump light wavelength λp is set such that it coincides with the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0 of the nonlinear fiber 106 (λp=λ0) as shown at the bottom of FIG. 7. In the figure, Δλ denotes the distance (separation amount) between the signal light wavelength λs and the pump light wavelength λp. In an optical parametric amplifier with such a construction, the following items can be given as factors that govern the generation of parametric gain.
(i) Factors originating from four wave mixing
(ii) Factors originating from the walk-off between a signal light S and a pump light P
Therefore, in order to realize parametric gain broadband, high parametric gain, it is necessary to consider the factors (i) and (ii) when producing a design.
To be specific, regarding the factors in (i), the four wave mixing generation efficiency and phase matching conditions are important. Four wave mixing efficiency ηc is typically represented by the following equation (1).ηc=[[1−exp(−αz)]/α]2 exp(−αz)[γPp]2  (1)
Here, α denotes the absorption coefficient of a nonlinear fiber, γ denotes the nonlinear coefficient, and Pp denotes the optical power of the pump light pulse P. From the relationship in the above-described equation (1), in order to ensure the required four wave mixing efficiency, it is necessary to suppress the influence of the absorption coefficient α, and increase the pump optical power Pp.
Furthermore, the phase matching condition Δβ is satisfied when the following equation (2) is satisfied, which is represented using a signal light wavelength λs, a pump light wavelength λp, the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0 of the nonlinear fiber 106, and the dispersion slope dDc/dλ.
                                          Δ                                                                          β                    =                                    -              2                                                                                γ                                                                                P              p                                                                                Δ                                                                          β                    =                                    -                                                2                                                                                π                                                                                c                                                                                λ                    0                    3                                                                                λ                    P                    3                                                                          λ                    S                    2                                                                                ⅆ                                  D                  C                                                            ⅆ                λ                                                                                (                                                      λ                    P                                    -                                      λ                    S                                                  )                            2                                                  (                                                λ                  P                                -                                  λ                  0                                            )                                                          (        2        )
As described previously, in a typical optical parametric amplifier, a design is produced in which the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0 of a nonlinear fiber and a pump light wavelength λp coincide. However, since the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0 of the nonlinear fiber actually used cannot avoid fluctuation in the longitudinal direction, it is difficult to realize the state of λ0=λp exactly. If the phase matching condition of equation (2) described above is satisfied in the state in which the pump light wavelength λp is shifted relative to the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0, the maximum parametric gain will be achieved at a specific wavelength. That is, the parametric gain in the ideal state of λ0=λp becomes constant relative to wavelength over a wide range, but a peak occurs in the bandwidth characteristic of the parametric gain actually obtained, due to the shift of the pump light wavelength λp relative to the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0. The occurrence of the peak limits the bandwidth of the optical parametric amplifier. Moreover, in order to amplify a desired signal light by a high gain, it is necessary to set the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0 and the pump light wavelength λp such that the peak wavelength of the parametric gain appears close to the signal light wavelength. However, this is not easy to realize due to the aforementioned fluctuations and the like of the zero-dispersion wavelength λ0.
When the dispersion slope is zero (dDc/dλ=0), the relationship of equation (2) is not satisfied, and hence phase mismatching always remains, causing a decrease in the gain.
Considering the relationship between equation (1) and equation (2), in order to realize high gain in an optical parametric amplifier, for example two wavelength excitation using pump lights of two wavelengths is effective. However, since an optical parametric amplifier using two wavelength excitation requires literally two pump light sources, there is a problem in that it has a cost disadvantage.
Regarding the factors in (ii) originating from walk-off, the walk-off (delay amount) Δτ between the signal light S and the pump light P is obtained from the following equation (3) using the length L of the nonlinear fiber.
                              Δ                                                              τ                =                                            ⅆ                              D                C                                                    ⅆ              λ                                                                    (                                                λ                  P                                -                                  λ                  S                                            )                        2                              L                                    (        3        )
FIG. 8 illustrates the relationship between the parametric gain and the walk-off Δτ between the signal light S and the pump light P. This relationship shows that when the walk-off Δτ reaches a certain value, the parametric gain reaches a maximum. The decrease in gain in the region where the walk-off Δτ is comparatively low, before the parametric gain reaches its maximum, indicates phase mismatching. On the other hand, the decrease in gain after the parametric gain reaches its maximum is caused by the walk-off Δτ between the signal light pulse S and the pump light pulse P increasing. In this manner, in parametric amplification, the walk-off Δτ between the signal light pulse S and the pump light pulse P, and the phase matching conditions Δβ, are factors that have a great influence over the gain.


In a replicated database environment, all nodes (30) monitor the well-being of each other by receipt of node status messages over a network (20). When a node is detected as no longer being alive, the other nodes deduce that such node has failed. When a node failure is detected, a nodestatus record having a nodedown value is written into a node log (80) with respect to the failing node. Similarly, when a node comes alive or a new node becomes known to the network, a node status record having a nodeup value is written into the node log. When a local node fails and then is restarted, the local node uses the contents of its node log in order to determine how to initialize the value of a replicated data object. By reading its node log, the local node can decide whether the data object can be initialized from its disk (32) or not.

1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to distributed or replicated databases, and particularly to initialization of data objects maintained by such databases.
2. Related Art and Other Considerations
When executing application programs, computers frequently assign and/or change values of data objects. In many instances the data objects are stored as part of a database. In more complex systems in which a plurality of computers are networked together, more than one computer may require access to a certain data object, and may change or update the value of that data object. To cater to such a multi-computer networked environment, a replicated database system can be established. In a replicated database system, each computer can maintain its own version of the database so long as all other computers are advised of the changes of a data object for maintaining consistency among the replicated databases.
Replicated databases have two primary advantages. A first advantage is fault tolerance. A second advantage is that local access to a replicated database is faster and less expensive than remote access to a database at another computer.
Despite their advantages, initialization of data objects at a replicated database can be complex. For example, assume a simple situation involving two computers N1 and N2 which are networked together. Each computer N1, N2 has its version of the database, the version of the database at computer N1 being DB1 and the version of the database at computer N2 being DB2. When both computers N1 and N2 are functioning normally, any change to a data object by one computer is communicated to the other computer over the network so that databases DB1, DB2 are kept the same. Such change and negotiation of data object updates occur commonly in the prior art, using (for example) a two-phase commit protocol as set forth in Bernstein, P. A., et al., Concurrency Control and Recovery In Database Systems, Addison Wesley, 1987.
Consider the situation in which computer N1 fails, but computer N2 continues to operate and to update the value of the data object in its database DB2. Then suppose that computer N2 subsequently also fails, with the result that both computers N1 and N2 are down. The contents of the data object in database DB2 is newer than the contents of the same data object in database DB1.
When computer N1 restarts, it would be erroneous for computer N1 to attempt to initialize values for the data object using its version thereof stored in database DB1, since the newer data resides at database DB2 maintained by computer N2. However, computer N1 must determine how to initialize its data objects solely on local information available to computer N1. Accordingly, computer N1 does not know that the newer value of the data object resides at database DB2 rather than database DB1. Moreover, it is not possible to investigate or negotiate the matter with computer N2, since computer N2 is presently not operational.
Initialization of distributed databases is expounded by Attar, R., et al., "Site Initialization, Recovery, and Backup In A Distributed Database System", IEEE Transactions On Software Engineering, Vol. 10(6) November 1983, pp. 645-650, and Skeen, D. et al., "A Formal Model Of Crash Recovery In Distributed Systems", IEEE Transactions On Software Engineering, May 1983, SE-9(3):219-228. Current initialization schemes commonly require cooperation and communication between computers, which (as indicated above) is not always feasible or realistic. Particularly problematic is determining, in a replicated database environment, how to initialize data objects at a first computer when no other computers of the replicated database system are operational.
In the field of telecommunications, minimizing down-time is of vital importance. Thus, quickly restarting a computer system with a replicated database is paramount.
What is needed, therefore, and an object of the present invention, are method and apparatus for initializing a data object of a replicated database using only local information.

Initialization of replicated data objects


A circuit for utilizing the magnetizing current in the transformer of a power converter to reset the transformer's core and to provide a zero voltage switching condition on the converter's primary switch is disclosed. The transformer includes a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being coupled to an output load and a primary switch connected in series between the primary winding and a voltage source. The closing of the primary switch causes energy to be stored in the transformer and the opening of the primary switch causes the energy to be released from the transformer. A transformer flux reversal circuit is used to reverse the direction of the magnetic flux built up in the transformer when the primary switch is opened. A secondary switch is coupled in series with the secondary winding of the transformer and is operated to prevent any loading effects of the load from disrupting the creation of the zero voltage switching condition.

The forward converter is a common circuit topology used to transform electric energy from a source at a given potential to a destination load at a different potential. Typically, the forward converter requires fewer components than other converter topologies and is smaller and lighter. The standard or basic prior art forward converter comprises a transformer having a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a third winding. The primary winding is coupled to a source of power, usually DC power, via a primary switch and the secondary winding is coupled to a load via two commutating diodes. The primary switch generally comprises a semiconductor switching device such as a field-effect transistor (FET) or a bipolar-junction transistor (BJT). When the primary winding is energized by the closing of the primary switch, energy is immediately transferred to the secondary winding, hence the name forward converter. The third winding is coupled to the power source via a rectifying diode and serves to reset the ferromagnetic core of the transformer when the primary switch is opened. The transformer's third winding provides a current path for discharging the transformer's magnetizing current, which is created when the primary winding is energized.
The standard forward converter is particularly well suited for low and medium power-conversion applications. However, it is not as efficient as other topologies in converting power, particularly in low power applications. The following factors contribute to the lower efficiency of prior art forward converters.
First, the core-reset operation in the forward converter using the third winding is not as efficient as other core-reset operations in other converter topologies. The rectifier in series with the third winding causes an amount of power dissipation.
Second, the forward converter only uses the first quadrant of the transformer's core B-H characteristic, leaving the third quadrant unused. As a result, the size of the transformer must be increased to enlarge the operating range of the first quadrant at the expense of higher core losses and higher winding resistances.
Third, the power dissipation in the primary switch when it is switched on (a turn-on event) is greater than the power dissipation in comparable switches in other topologies. The power dissipation in a switch during a switching event depends upon the product of the voltage across the switch and the current through the switch. In a forward converter, the voltage difference across the primary switch changes from a value equal to the input voltage of the power source to a value near zero when the switch is closed. Additionally, the primary current begins immediately since the forward converter provides current to the secondary winding immediately upon energizing the primary winding. The high input voltage and the instantaneous current flow in the primary switch leads to a high power dissipation loss in the primary switch. The power dissipation losses during switching events become more significant as the switching frequency of the forward converter is increased, as is done to improve the conversion efficiency of the converter's transformer. The direct power dissipation losses become more significant as the switching frequency increases because the duration of each switching event comprises a larger fraction of each switching cycle duration as the switching frequency increases.
As described in greater detail below, the above first and second factors have been addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,146 issued to Vinciarelli. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,146, the third winding is eliminated and replaced by a series combination of a storage capacitor and an auxiliary switch coupled across either the primary or secondary winding. The auxiliary switch is operated counter to the primary switch, i.e., the auxiliary switch is open when the primary switch is closed and closed when the primary switch is open. When the primary switch is open, the storage capacitor and auxiliary switch operate to capture and store the transformer's magnetizing current, which was built up when the primary winding was energized, and then to return the magnetizing current to the transformer in a manner which resets the transformer's core. The elimination of the third winding addresses the first above efficiency factor. Additionally, the returning of the magnetizing current to the transformer creates a condition where the first and third quadrants of the transformer core's B-H characteristic are utilized, thereby addressing the second above efficiency factor. This converter is often referred to as an active clamp forward converter because the series combination of the auxiliary switch and storage capacitor act as a voltage clamp which is actively coupled to the transformer's windings.
The third efficiency factor, however, is not addressed by the prior art. In this respect, the present invention provides improvements to the basic forward-converter topology by reducing the power dissipation during switching events, thereby increasing the power-conversion efficiency of the basic forward-converter topology.
In contrast to the basic prior art forward converter, each of the bridge converter and push-pull converter topologies utilize both the first and third quadrants of the transformer core's B-H characteristic. However, like the forward converter, the bridge and push-pull converter topologies have substantial power dissipations in their respective power switching devices. The present invention is directed towards reducing the power dissipation losses for these converters as well.


Red blood cell membrane derived microparticles (RMP) are safe, economical, effective hemostatic agents in the treatment of a wide range of bleeding conditions and can be considered as universal hemostatic agents. RMP are produced from red blood cells using a high-pressure extrusion membrane shear process and can be lyophilized after production and retain activity even when stored at room temperature. RMP can be administered to original donors (autologous treatment), thus avoiding transfusion complications, or can be administered to blood type compatible recipients. RMP produced from type O, Rh negative red cells can be given to any person regardless of blood type. RMP can be administered to reduce excessive bleeding resulting from trauma, surgeries, invasive procedures and various bleeding disorders such as platelet disorders, either congenital or acquired, and coagulation disorders, either congenital or acquired.

1. Area of the Art
The present invention is in the area of hematology and more specifically in the area of novel treatment for bleeding.
2. Description of the Background
The invention relates to improved compositions comprising red cell membrane-derived microparticles (RMP) that enhance blood coagulation, platelet activity, and promote blood clot formation and to a method for treating excessive bleeding including but not limited to those due to disorders of platelets and blood coagulation and to methods for manufacturing such compositions. The inventive compositions are useful in minimizing blood loss in a mammal, in particular in patients undergoing surgical or medical invasive procedures and those with trauma where blood loss can be substantial. RMP correct hemostatic abnormalities arising from blood clotting factor deficiencies, as well as from deficiency in platelet numbers (thrombocytopenia) and/or function (platelet dysfunction).
Excessive bleeding is among the most common of life-threatening complications in trauma and bleeding complications in both clinics and hospitals. The bleeding patient poses a major medical challenge in all medical specialties such as surgery, trauma, obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology, neurology, hematology, etc. At present, transfusion of banked blood products is the mainstay of treatment for excessive bleeding, but transfusion is very expensive [1] and carries risks of serious short- and long-term complications.
Timing is critical in bleeding patients. Prompt intervention is essential to patient management, but often many hours are required to type, cross-match, and deliver blood from the blood bank to the patient. Therefore, blood transfusion as presently employed often fails to save the lives of many bleeding victims. Furthermore, since blood products must often be given before the cause of bleeding is identified, transfusion may fail to arrest bleeding and merely replaces lost blood while the bleeding continues. Days or weeks of investigation may be required to find the underlying cause of excessive bleeding.
Treatments for bleeding differ depending on etiology of the bleeding. For example, (1) when excessive bleeding develops due to low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) platelet transfusion or other measures to raise platelet counts must be used to arrest bleeding. In the case of impaired platelet function (dysfunction) treatment to improve platelet function or platelet transfusion are employed. (2) In the case of coagulation disorders, in which one or more of 13 clotting factors are low in level or are defective or inhibited, missing clotting factors must be supplied to arrest bleeding. In hemophilia A, factor VIII must be administered whereas in hemophilia B factor IX must be administered. Without these specific therapies to correct underlying etiology, bleeding will not stop and patients will be exposed to endless transfusions.
To save the lives of bleeding victims, we need agents that can be administered safely and immediately, at reasonable cost. An ideal product could be administered to patients on a moment's notice, regardless of the underlying etiology of the bleeding. No such agent is yet available in spite of a century-long search.
New and better products are urgently needed to promptly arrest bleeding in all situations regardless of the cause of bleeding. Such products will save many lives and will avoid needless transfusions and associated complications. Our RMP product meets all requirements of safety and efficacy required of a cost effective universal hemostatic agent. RMP can be infused at a moment's notice and is effective in the treatment of most bleeding conditions. It is also expected to be less costly and safer compared to other products intended for this purpose.
As already explained, blood can be a life-saving resource, but blood is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive due to rising demand, limited supply, and more stringent regulations. According to the National Blood Data Resource Center, 4.5 million people receive transfusion annually. The cost for red cell transfusions alone is $24 billion per year. This does not include platelets and other blood products. The hospital cost for transfusion-related adverse effects exceeds $10 billion per year [1]. Transfusions are associated with many short- and long-term complications including anaphylaxis, hemolytic reactions, transfusion induced immune suppression, graft-versus host disease, transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) and transmission of pathogens such as hepatitis, HIV and prion diseases (mad cow disease).
This situation can only get worse with increasing age of the population. For example, to prevent heart attacks, strokes and other thromboses that affect the elderly, increasing numbers of the patients are being treated with anticoagulants or antiplatelet therapy. The former includes Coumadin, Heparin, LMWH (low molecular weight Heparin), fondaparinux (Arixtra) and a new generation of oral thrombin or FXa inhibitors such a as dabigatran (Pradaxa) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto). The later include aspirin, Plavix (clopidogrel) and other antiplatelet drugs. All these new anticoagulants and antiplatelet medications have serious side effects of promoting bleeding and, thus, increase bleeding complication and, hence, the demand for more transfusions.
Some of the older drugs such as Coumadin and Heparin have antidotes. Therefore, bleeding from overdose of Coumadin can be treated with vitamin K, and Heparin can be neutralized by an antidote, such as protamine, to thereby limit bleeding. However, there is no effective antidote for new anticoagulants such as low molecular weight heparin, e.g., Lovenox (enoxaparin) (which can be partially reversed by protamine) and Fragmin (dalteparin), Arixtra (fondaparinux), Pradaxa (dabigatran) and Xarelto (rivaroxaban) and for most antiplatelet drugs (e.g., aspirin, Plavix and their analogs). Therefore, bleeding resulting from new anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs imposes new challenges in patient management. At present, this bleeding is treated blindly with transfusion of blood/blood products. RMP administration can correct or improve coagulation abnormalities induced by both the new and older types of "blood thinners" as well as antiplatelet drugs as is shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4H.
Although transfusion of banked blood is a mainstay of therapy for bleeding, other measures have been advocated, such as antifibrinolytic agents, DDAVP [2], but these treatments are not widely used because their efficacy is unproven. Recombinant Factor VIIa (i.e., NovoSeven) gained much attention and showed great promise [3], but its use is limited by prohibitive cost (e.g., in excess of $1 million for a single patient with high levels of FVIII inhibitors) and by reports of serious thrombotic complications. RMP has great potential for wide application in in various bleeding disorders and corrects hemostatic abnormalities induced by most anticoagulants including new generation anticoagulants as well as by most antiplatelet drugs. It can be stored in ambulances for use in emergency medicine (e.g., at accident sites) and in operating rooms, clinics, dental offices, pharmacies and hospitals, since it is stable at room temperature, is reasonable in cost and shows no sign of adverse effects.
Platelet MP (PMP) and lyophilized whole platelets (LyoPLT) [4] have also been proposed for treatment of bleeding. Lyophilized platelets (LyoPLT) are under current study but may be impractical compared to RMP due to (i) the high costs of scarce platelets, (ii) risk of thrombogenesis, and (iii) immuno-reactivity. The total volume of circulating platelets in blood is only 20 ml, about 1/250 that of red cells, so starting material is costly and scarce. Platelets are highly immunogenic due to HLA, ABO, Rh, and platelet-specific antigens, which are impractical to cross match, hence adverse reactions are frequent. Furthermore, platelets are known to carry tissue factor (TF) which is thrombogenic. In contrast, RMP have none of these disadvantages.

Expanded utility of red-cell derived microparticles (RMP) for treatment of bleeding


A substrate transfer system includes a substrate transfer robot. The substrate transfer robot is provided between a first apparatus and a second apparatus which has a wall provided opposite to the substrate transfer robot and having an opening on the wall. The substrate transfer robot is configured to transfer a substrate from the first apparatus to the second apparatus via the opening and includes a base having a first axis, an arm body, and a hand. The arm body has a proximal end and a distal end and is connected to the base at the proximal end to rotate around the first axis. The substrate transfer robot includes a minimum distance from the first axis to an outermost portion of the arm body and the hand in a radius direction from the first axis being larger than a distance between the first axis and the opening on the wall.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer system and a substrate processing system.
Discussion of the Background
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-136981 discloses a substrate transfer system including a substrate transfer robot that transfers a substrate to a different position.
The substrate transfer system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-136981 includes a robot (substrate transfer robot) that includes a lower arm, an upper arm, and a hand. The lower arm is rotatable on a horizontal surface relative to a base. The upper arm is rotatable on the horizontal surface relative to the lower arm. The hand is rotatable on the horizontal surface relative to the upper arm. The robot of the substrate transfer system is disposed in a robot installment area defined between a cassette apparatus (first apparatus) and a processing apparatus (second apparatus). The cassette apparatus accommodates substrates, and the processing apparatus processes a substrate.

Substrate transfer system and substrate processing system